one of those days I really miss Boston

We "celebrate" our move from the frigid northeast to the tropical paradise of Florida this month. We left on the 4th of April, 2004. Aedan celebrated his birthday in Virginia and we attended Buckhead Church in Atlanta for Easter with close friends. It does not seem as if we have spent 2 full years away from Boston, visiting only once (for me/ 2X for Kristi).

I would be the last to tell you that these past 2 years have been an easy adjustment. For every day of perfection in January, there seems to be a hurricane watch or day the meteorologist says, "melting is a possibility if you venture into the sun today." Our time in Boston produced lasting friendships and 2 children, along with some cool church stuff we were only beginning to scratch the surface of before leaving (ironic that everyone is now moving to Boston to start house churches- everyone thought we were crazy when we moved in that direction).

Luckily, we are beginning to find our way. We have found some new friends (as usual we are the eldest), a church community to worship with, a neighborhood we fit in (relatively speaking), some organic food and a place that has Chimay on tap for $5.50. I still worry about raising my kids in this culture and worry about the longterm effects of the housing boom on the local economy. Working in the non-for-profit world is always less than secure and finding the right home for a growing family in central Tampa is disheartening. Still, the future is looking brighter and coming into a bit more focus.

I started this posting to let you know that I miss Boston today. I had been speaking to a church up there about some opportunities that did not pan out (heard back today). Moreover, it is Patriot's Day and 500,000 close friends are along the route between Hopkinton and Copley Square cheering for men and women in wheelchairs and on foot, from Kenya, Ethiopia, the US and Korea running the Boston Marathon. I wonder who is standing along my designated spot on Beacon Street in front of Ruggles Baptist Church. I wonder if a runner, once finished, will jump on the Orange Line to meet his family at the Green Street station for dinner along Central Ave.

My friend James is running as a bandit today. I hope he finishes.