In the past two months I have thought long and hard to try to create some kind of tribute to honor our lovely friends in T.O. Instead, they created one for us, which should come as no surprise.
We moved to Thousand Oaks not knowing a single soul. We were welcomed....no, embraced so fully that when the time to move back to Seattle came the leaving was more that a single pang of loss. But no time to think! Upon arriving in Seattle we had boxes and boxes (over 250) to unpack. So imagine the feeling as we unpacked a box and discovered a key. This key had a note attached from our friends Barry and Kay! I gasped with surprise, laughed and cried at the same time. I thought it was an anomaly and that somehow they had snuck into the house and slipped it into the box. Then we found another...and another! It seems Arlene and Kim had organized this surprise for us and put the keys in the boxes one day when they helped me pack. The notes varied in content...some humorous, some sad, but all included love. It made the unpacking easier and harder at the same time. The town that had embraced us from the beginning continued to love us from afar. A mutual feeling to be sure.
So here's to you, dear residents of Thousand Oaks! That which sets you apart brings comfort to Denise and I. You love fully and loyally, and we are grateful recipients.
Distance brings its challenges, but it also serves as a reminder to live and love in the moment. And that is the greatest tribute of all.
