Back in Cleveland (April 30-May 6, 2014)

It felt odd coming back to Cleveland – and even odder knocking on the door of our old house. The new owners let Joshua go upstairs to see his old bedroom. He came back down with a bewildered look on his face. The visit was full of doctor’s/dentist appointments and some work meetings but was also full of friends. Neighborhood friends, school friends, church friends, work friends, pottery co-op friends, parent’s group friends. If being back in Cleveland felt odd, being with friends felt anything but. If I had to capture it in a photo (because, of course, I didn’t take any actual photos with friends – we were too busy chatting), it would be this one … Malachi and a friend walking home after a playdate, arms around each other the whole time.

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That’s exactly how it felt with friends – being literally and metaphorically embraced – and picking up right where we left off in that timeless way that characterizes good friendships. This is what coming home feels like.

On Sunday, Matt pruned the top of our friends’ evergreen tree (he’s barely visible in the tree up near the second floor). Before he went up, Jill asked me if it was okay. I said sure, figuring he’d be fine. Once he was up there, I whispered to her, “Listen, if he falls out of the tree, here’s the plan. We take a quick photo for the blog and then we call 911.”

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