Wherever You Are...

I do not know where I first heard the maxim, but it has stayed with me.

WHEREVER YOU ARE, BE THERE

Our journey through life does not happen in a vacuum. We live in an environment; and we call that environment a "culture." It is affected by the story of each individual as we mingle in a community with a history, a geography, a language mix and a tossed salad of generational, social and ethnic backgrounds.

One of the mistakes folks make when they live somewhere a long time is the assumption they know and understand the culture. That can result in a kind of a regional boredom. When that happens, the arrival of "outsiders" who get excited about what they discover brings a fresh awareness. Perhaps God might allow my wife and me to play such a role for the wonderful people among whom we find ourselves.

Judy and I lived in upstate New York for a little over sixty of our years. We grew up in that environment and were gifted with families who gave us a hunger for the history and geography of the region. Now we have moved to the Sunshine State. The result? - A mind-stimulating excitement about learning and adapting to a new history and geography and culture from scratch.

To put it simply: We're here; so, we intend to BE here. 

In so being, I want to dedicate this particular blog to collecting and passing along things learned along the way. Whether or not you live in Florida, I wish our interest in our new home might encourage you to take a second (and even a third and fourth) look at your own state, county, community and neighborhood. If you do live in Florida and have grown accustomed to its face, maybe we can stimulate a fresh enthusiasm for who you are and where you are.

Any suggestions of places to visit, people to meet, events to experience or material to read would be 

GREATLY APPRECIATED