“We went home for the holidays.”

“It’s rainy back home.”

Arizonans hear this all the time…it’s the nature of living in a fairly mobile place full of people looking for a new adventure, or settling in to enjoy the sunshine. Sure, they enroll in college, buy that condo or start a new job, but still hold on to other neighborhoods and states that came before.

It’s quite amazing, then, to realize you’ve lived here longer than anyplace else in your life (32 years for us). You’ve embraced Fountain Hills as your community and want to contribute, build and make memories.

Looking through photos, I saw one at Fountain Park with my parents, siblings and all our kids, watching Gerald from “Wallace and Ladmo.” Others at the Halloween Carnival and when the circus was in town. For my sons, these moments were like my Dutchess County Fair rides and skipping stones on the Hudson.

The contentment, safety and love we hopefully associate with our formative years became reality for our children (and some grandchildren) right here in Fountain Hills.

And while they became adults and moved away, I am not sad that another place may become this foundation for the next generation. We visit and become part of it. All our experiences create the puzzle pieces that make us whole… valuable, generous and happy.

We’ve lost some extraordinary people recently who were all those and more to our little home town. I want to remember our friend Jennie Gorrell who passed away a year ago and is greatly missed. Grief is part of caring relationships, especially as we get older, as is appreciation for sharing their lives with our community.