Here's to Houston

Dear Texas, Houston specifically,

I cannot begin to describe to you how you have effected our lives. When we first started heading south to see your highly trained medical staff, there was very little we liked about you. Sure the food options were impressive, and the people started to open up a little to us, but the heat, traffic, LONG wait times to see a doc for 10 minutes, and confusing torn up streets really didn't do a lot to win us over.

Fast forward to almost three years later and we have learned a lot. The road issues haven't changed, though frankly some of your quirks (feeder/ frontage roads? Brilliant!) we have grown fond of. The food situation we will miss. I don't know anywhere we have lived where the food has been as good as it is in Houston. So many options (even, after years of looking, Asian...) and so many colors. 

The most important thing we will miss about you Texas, Houston specifically, are your people. (When you aren't in your cars...) your hospitality, your generosity, your openness... They are ALL things that Lisa and I have learned a lot from. You welcomed us into your lives so quickly when we first down there (in a week or so from Colorado), and instantly started providing food and prayer for us. You filled our freezer and our hearts with your love. Then once we got settled down a bit we started to learn from you about what it is to make friends and get to know each other better. Between bible studies, conversations over board games, lunches after church, outings, guys nights, girls nights, solo dinners together, discussions about the deep and potentially unknowable depths of God, and BBQ. All the things that contributed to your easy going attitude of trying to get to know us better. And because of that we DID get to know you better, and in getting to know you better we opened up to you and you got to know US better, which lead to your deep generosity. You can say that you have learned things from me and my journey, but you have taught Lisa and I a thing or two about what it means to open up to people on our own and be welcoming. These are things that we will hold dear to our hearts and hopefully make us more welcoming Christians who can bless others as we have been so richly blessed. 

You have touched us Houston, and despite the things we have said about disliking you, you have left an indelible mark on our lives...one that will not soon wear off, and I think to some degree I had hoped would go on for a few years longer. Having it "cut short" at this point in the game honestly makes me feel like we had some unfinished business that needs resolving. I don't know if God will bring us back to you at some point, or if this is it for this life for us, but you need to know that you have made your mark on our lives and we will miss you. From your food to your depth of character, to the laughs, to a deeper understanding of what hospitality actually is. 

Thank you, thank you, and thank you. Never hesitate to ask for prayer, I will gladly help bring your petitions before the Lord. And please don't forget us, we'll be missing you here up North!

~B.
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