There’s No Place Like Home in Lancaster County

I recently took a wonderful trip with friends – we cruised the Caribbean, saw beautiful sights, ate delicious food, and laughed the week away. It’s funny how you take the time to study the clouds, look at the stars and listen to the wind on vacation, but we so rarely take the time while we are at home. Our daily lives seem so rushed that there’s barely a chance to catch our breath at the end of the day. But I’m sure that if we took the time, we’d find some fascinating clouds, stars and breezes in our own backyard.

And maybe it’s necessary to vacation once in a while to appreciate time together, away from the responsibilities and pressures of life. Perhaps it helps you look at your world with fresh eyes and be grateful anew.

While I loved learning about other cultures, exploring new places and meeting new friends in a “summer” climate, when I returned to Lancaster County, fall had started. Change was in the air – there were a few red leaves on my burning bush, the corn was being harvested, and the morning sunlight in the dining room shone in at a different angle. When you live in Pennsylvania the seasons present themselves patiently, as though standing on your porch for a while – subtle changes that you barely notice at first. But those small alterations keep adding up until even the most distracted among us notice them knocking at our door.

Would I trade the seasonal changes for anywhere else? Nope! The smell of fresh mowed lawn in the spring, the song of the birds in summer,