Just about this time last year, we started thinking about returning to Wisconsin after twenty years away. A job had taken us far from family, lifelong friends and familiar places; all of which, over the years, served as fodder for countless family stories, told to keep alive memories of living in the midwest. As we considered making the move back to our childhood home, we still had to wonder: would we be as happy to return as we had been reluctant to leave?

I'm pleased to report now, nine months after the moving truck pulled away from our new home, that moving back after years away has been wonderful. Good old fashioned midwestern warmth is alive and well and I see it every day. It's in the old guy at Sears who asked my husband if the new lawnmower was my anniversary gift and it's in the kids behind the counter at Culver's, who make a big deal out of greeting us as we enter and then make just as big a deal out of saying goodbye as we leave.

So, if you've ever held the door for me, waiting patiently as I trudge from the mall parking lot with a shopping bag full of returns, or if you smile and wave as I bike around the neighborhood wearing my silly looking helmet, or if you say hello and ask how I'm doing as I pass you on the street - thanks for the welcome. It's great to be home.