Why I loved living in Pennsylvania

It will be four years this August that we have been in Maryland, and many people have asked me why I have yet to feel like Maryland is home. I have not settled here and doubt I ever will, I can't imagine it ever feeling like home. I couldn't ever answer this question with detail because I could never really figure out why it was so different being only 75 miles apart. Well today I have had an epiphany. I know what the difference is and I sincerely hope I don't offend any true Marylanders in this post.

We had the book fair at MG's and Katy's school this week, and my lack of planning I was there more than I had time for Wednesday through Friday. I picked Kate Gosselin's book Multiple Blessings and began to read it. I was able to finish it before the end of the book fair, not a speed reader here, it is just an easy read and it is fairly short. In her book, she talked about the many volunteers that came out to help them when the came home from the hospital with the sextuplets the first year. These volunteers were strangers to her, but they came to help and she let them. The service and support they were given from the community to have the needs met of their family. This was not unique to them. I felt that same sense of belonging living in Berks County, PA. I remember after Katy was born, I would find gifts left on our doorstep. Kindness came from people I never met before in forms of an apple pie or a handmade baby blanket. It was a sense of security in knowing who your neighbors were. I remember MG would spend summer afternoon break on our neighbors patio having lemonade and cookies with them. They were a retired couple. I picked MG up from preschool big belly pregnant, feeling very tired and worn out, only to be greeted with a smile from another teacher, who I have never met, walking down the hall who let me know they prayed for me today. I made close friends with some of my neighbors, they would fill our house to celebrate birthdays and other holidays. I still keep in touch with them today.

This carried over into my ward family, we were not separated by our ward's large boundaries that stretched over two counties. We got together at each other's houses, each one of us different in different stages of our lives and enjoyed each other's company. We would try to get together at least twice a month and have pot luck lunches, and share our lives with each other. There would be Grandmas, moms of toddlers, with moms of high schoolers, some of them had husbands in school, others with husbands soon to retire. I was never alone, I always had some one there. One of the young mothers in our ward was diagnosed with breast cancer, so since she was going to be spending a lot of time in her bedroom they gave it a make over. Everyone rallied and in one weekend it was a transformation like you would have witnessed on Trading Spaces.

I have been here 4 years and I have not once step foot into one of my neighbors' homes. I have had only one neighbor come to mine, but if they are looking for their kids this is the first place they check. At my ward here, every one tends to stay with ones who they are most like. Everyone is busy, lives too far away, etc. I only been in a handful of their homes and few have come to mine. I don't know what makes Maryland so different, I haven't figured that one out.

But I do know one thing, I miss home. I miss living in PA. I hate to admit, I want to go back...