I want to share with all of you a description of my home. My husband and I live in a northern suburb. It just happens to be the same one that my husband was born and raised in. His parents were born and raised here. Family history was made here. When we started looking for a home to buy, my husband drove me through our neighborhood and told me, "This is my ideal. This is where I want to own a home someday." I fell in love with it immediately. It might have helped that later on that same night, my husband got down on one knee and offered me a gorgeous diamond ring! We got lucky. Just a few months later, a house in that neighborhood went on the market and we bought it. There's so much to love about our neighborhood! The trees are old and plentiful, the houses are charming and cozy, the lawns are well-cared-for, and everywhere you turn, there's something beautiful to see. Have you ever heard the quote, "A bond forged by fire can never be broken"? It describes our neighborhood so well! You see, 40-some years ago, there was a night in which 6 tornadoes tore through the Twin Cities, 3 of them through our neighborhood. The house that used to be on our land was torn up from it's foundation. The damage it left behind was catastrophic. But....it also forged something beautiful. Many of our neighbors have owned their homes since before that night. The aftermath of that night, the fear, and the relief, all helped to create a very tight-knit community. It's beautiful to see and even more incredible to be part of! Considering our neighborhood and the beauty of it all and the fact that there are miles of walking paths throughout, why in the world would I drive 20 minutes away from home to walk around a lake rather than just walking in our neighborhood? This is why:
You see that incline? There's a sign at the top that warns bikers to dismount because of how steep it is. It doesn't look like much from my camera phone, but it's killer. Seriously! Factor in the 30 lbs of stroller filled with 50 lbs of children that I've been pushing up that hill....oh, do my muscles ache! The last couple of days, I've been pressed for time and haven't had the extra time to drive south to the lake. So, we've resorted to walking the forest paths that I've been avoiding, partly because of the incline and partly because of the massive number of bugs. But I have reason to be proud of myself now. I've been walking 2+ miles every day for the last 7 days (that's 8 total workouts!). Go me!
Okay....on to the Million Dollars! I think for tonight, I'm going to introduce you all to the idea. Maybe tomorrow or the next, I'll tell my response. I've been thinking about this idea for a while. What does money mean to people? What value does it have? What does money represent for each individual? I think it tells a lot about a person and can really be an excellent way to learn about other people. So, here's the question....what would you do with a million dollars? It's not so much money that you could do whatever your heart could desire, but it's enough that people can dream big, right? So....I'm curious. What would people in the DOC do with that amount of money? Donating it to diabetes research is, of course, an excellent idea. But that's just too easy. So, I'm banning that response. I'll share my ideas soon, but in the meantime, if anyone wants to answer the question, I'd love to read about it!
SO PROUD OF YOUR WALK!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy hometown was hit by a tornado several years ago. My brother and his family were inside their home and the tornado went right through it. Todd said he had run upstairs to grab one of the twins and saw it coming towards the front door through the window over the doorway. They never made it off the stairs....everyone survives - Todd sustained the worst injuries, but he was alive. PRAISE GOD!
ONE MILLION DOLLARS....hmmmmm........
Your neighborhood sounds terrific. I loved my old neighborhood. The neighbors had all owned the houses since the 60's (when the homes were built). It was a tight-knit hood for sure. I miss it a lot. Although our new home is more spacious and "perfect" for our fam...the hood doesn't do it for me like the old one did.
ReplyDeleteA million bucks??? I'm thinking on it.
I grew up in a neighborhood like that, and wish I were raising my kids in such a place. We're not. We haven't even found a neighborhood like that where we live, which is sad.
ReplyDeleteOne million dollars...I'm with the others. I need some time on that one. There's so much that could be done.