The Ins and Outs of Washington, D.C.

After this year's rancorous presidential campaign, it's over.  "Thank God!," many are saying!  Whether your candidate won or not, it's time to look past those loyalties to the common goal of  strengthening our democracy.  It's time to work together to build a future that is brighter for all Americans.

Just like the Obamas, it's also time for many Washingtonians to look for another residence.  The District of Columbia and its surrounding suburbs are a transitory location.  Over the 14 years we lived here, we had many friends move in and out of the area.  It was difficult to say goodbye to these intimates with whom we'd shared life.  Still, we've been fortunate that with our current lifestyle, we've been able to rekindle some of those friendships as we've traveled the country.

This week Tim and I moved back to D.C. temporarily.  Rather than go through the hassle of finding a new healthcare network, we kept our doctors here. Over the past four days and between the two of us, we've had 11 medical encounters with doctors, dentists, imaging centers and my audiologist.

The historic domed Billings Hospital at Johns Hopkins Medical Center

In spite of the good health we both enjoy, I must confess--most of those appointments were mine.  Due to my progressive hearing loss, I've decided it's time to have a second cochlear implant.  I've scheduled this surgery for next March at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore.

There are few campgrounds in the D.C. area, but we found a fine one in College Park, MD just northeast of the district.  Cherry Hill Park has full hookups, pull-thru sites and spacious campsites.  

Best of all, public transportation is right there.  Every hour the Metro bus makes a regular stop within the premises of the campground, picking up tourists and dropping them off at the College Park Metro Station four miles away.  Anyone who has dealt with the clogged Beltway and District streets knows what a wonderful boon that is.

Once campers have visited all the museums and monuments that D.C. has to offer, they can return to Cherry Hill Park to soak in the pool or hot tub or play a few rounds of (miniature) golf.  

In addition, just down the road is the pedestrian/biking Paint Branch Trail.  The trail is part of the Anacostia Tributary Trail System which leads 15 miles south to the District.  

Tim and I walked a portion of it last Sunday.  We've made plans to return to this campground next spring; it will be a good home base while I recover from surgery.

Richard

However, the most important part of our stay here were the opportunities to visit family and friends.  Our son Richard and his girlfriend Montana joined us for dinner at El Centro, a restaurant in the District that not only features delicious Mexican entrees but also has a rooftop bar and a basement tequileria where one could order over 200 tequilas or Mescal drinks.  Not that we tried any of those!  We were too busy talking and tasting the to-die-for guacamole.

Sunday morning we worshipped the Lord and reconnected with friends at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Arlington, VA.  We also finalized our plans to have dinner with four couples who were our closest friends during our last stint in D.C.  It was wonderful to catch up on the events in their lives over the past year since we left.  But those ins and outs of Washington, D.C. were once again evident.  Two of the couples are moving out of the area.  Steve and Tami are counting the days until retirement when they'll relocate to the home they've purchased on Cape Cod.  Jim and Karen are anticipating their cross-country move to San Francisco where their son, daughter-in-law and grandchild live.

Today we are leaving D.C. after our brief stay to travel south to Florida, chalking up another in & out to our list of stays in Washington, D.C.

Begin With Goodbye

“The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye, the story of love is hello and goodbye.”  ~ Jimi Hendrix

That poem written by Jimi Hendrix resonates with me.  These days life rushes past me faster than I can blink, much less intentionally wink at someone.  Only five years ago, Tim and I returned to Washington, DC, our eighth move in 30 years of marriage, and now we must say goodbye.  You would thnk that we’d be old hands at farewells, but it doesn’t get any easier with practice.

Last night we had one final dinner with four couples who have been our close friends during this second posting to Washington.  The Barneys, the Hettlers, the Stoudingers, the Wesolowskis and we met at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church and bonded during weekly Bible studies.  We shared life events that included weddings, newborn grandchildren, retirements and the passing of parents.  In short, we’ve lived life together.

Now Tim and I are poised to begin a new venture, one that will find us moving from one Habitat for Humanity construction site to the next over the course of the next five years.  So we begin this blog with goodbyes.

Meagan, one of the young moms in our community, befriended me on Facebook this past weekend.  I replied that I was honored to become her 1,092nd FB friend and that I looked forward to watching her children grow via the photos she will post on her page.  But it won’t be the same as holding Baby Jack in my arms.

At the end of Sunday’s worship service, Scott Seaton, our pastor, called Tim and I to the front of the congregation for the benediction.  Because this church sees so many of its military, political and foreign service members rotate in and out of DC, Scott likens the departure of a member to the commissioning of a missionary. 

While Scott blessed the congregation with the well-loved verses from the 26^th chapter of Numbers, I reflected that there is no such word as goodbye among Christians for the Lord gives us His assurance that one day we will stand in His Presence.  But in the meantime--

“May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”  

And all God’s people said, "Amen."