Years ago, when we first moved into our house in Conyers, Georgia, a long-time friend of my husband’s gave us a wonderful CD. It’s full of great music for entertaining, and the best part, in my opinion, is the groovy cover that our friend designed just for the occasion. We’ve played the CD tons of times–for ourselves and for company, and I thought it would be the perfect soundtrack for the very first pie in our new home.  We’ve been renting in the same Connecticut town for a year, and we just bought a home this month. We’ve slept here four nights, and we’ve been very busy cleaning, unpacking, and meeting new neighbors.

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve learned so much in our first year as New Englanders:

• What “real” snow is like. (AND what shoveling it is like)
• Our “coats” before were not really coats.
• We really were slower drivers than we thought. HOOOOONNNKKK!!
• You haven’t seen fall ’till you’ve seen it in New England–come visit us!
• “LOOKIT” is a word here. It’s a verb.
• There are still places where people leave their doors unlocked.
• Kind, friendly people live in all parts of this great country.
• Southerners are the ones who know how to make biscuits and grits. (If I’m wrong, somebody PLEASE tell me where to go, because I haven’t found it yet.)
• There were so many beautiful and interesting kinds of people–of many faiths, creeds, and origins–that we just hadn’t met yet. I’m so thrilled about the diversity my kids have experienced so far.
• I think the most important thing, though is this:

Don’t give up on your dreams.

I know that sounds hokey and cliché. But a couple of years ago, when my husband and I said, “Let’s live in New England” it seemed like something that could never really happen. So many different steps got us here. Things weren’t smooth along the way. We got stressed out. We got tired. Our kids had struggles. We had struggles. It was not easy or quick.

Now, though, the hard stuff seems blurry when I look back. I’m grateful for what we have learned so far on this journey, and I know we’ve got a lot more to learn. I’m humbled to be sitting at my new desk in our new home as a write this. And I’m inspired to ask, 

“What’s the next dream?”

There was a time when I didn’t ever ask myself this question, and I don’t know the answer yet, but I’m definitely thinking about it.  For now, though, I’m dreaming of Cherry Pie. I haven’t even really been to the grocery store since we moved in, and we’re going on vacation soon, so we’re just eating whatever’s around. I did, however, move some pie crusts and cherry filling from our other house. Sure, I want to make real pie crust very soon and share pie with some of our neighbors, but the smell of that cherry pie baking makes me care a little less about perfect crust. All that’s left is to get some ice cream…

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

                                                                    –H. Jackson Brown, Jr.