Omaha is My Homaha...

I’ve lived here close to 14 years. Longer than I’ve lived anywhere – except where I grew up. It doesn’t have much to do with how long I’ve lived here though; it felt like home almost as soon as we got here. It probably  felt like that because we were coming from the panhandle of Florida – as far away from Middle America as one can get. I have nothing against the Deep South and I still love to visit...I just don’t want to live there.

I feel this profound sense of belonging here mostly upon my return from somewhere else. We visited my family at the farm in SD this last week-end. It was the perfect mix of ‘going home’ and ‘coming home.’ The ‘coming home’ was accentuated by the exhaustion of the activity while we were gone and the drive (10 hours each way) that can get to anyone. As we drove into town and took the 680 exit, we saw ‘big city’ off to the left – a term we’ve stolen from the cartoon Oswald. Allison has called downtown Omaha ‘big city’ since she was about three. We call it that now, too.

Then we saw the red light towers – five of them right south of Immanuel Hospital – my guideposts when Rich was in rehab there for 6 weeks after his surgery. From the dining area on his floor, I could see the red light tower by our home and wonder when we’d finally be there.

Our big kids graduated from High School here, learned to drive, learned to live and love here. They all feel more at home here than anywhere they’ve ever lived. It’s a good place to live and raise kids – which is really what it’s all about for me.

Finally, we got to our exit at Gretna where we have an Atlas Van Lines building. Allison says she knows that’s our exit because it has the “At last” building by it. I was thinking the same thing baby girl – “at last!” 

"Big City"

Photo Courtesy of: http://uscty.deviantart.com/art/Omaha-Skyline-170578351