States I Have Visited

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The red indicates states I have visited at some time in my life. Are you jealous? Don't be. Please. First of all, I've lived more than half a century. Secondly, when I was a young adult (barely), I moved away from my parents. Then I moved away from my childhood best friend of eleven years (we had gone together to what turned out to be a cult; but that's another whole story). At one point my husband got relocated and we moved half way across the country from his mom who was our next door neighbor, and his sister and family who lived in a nearby town. And then a couple years ago, for my husband to get a job, we moved several states away from our three young adult kids. My heart has been torn to pieces many times.

Here's a funny thing about moving clear across country, all the way from growing up in Washington State to now living in Baltimore. Yesterday our youngest son asked me when it was that we went to Washington. I said, "Well, last summer we went to Arlington National Cemetery." (Actually I said, "the cemetery".) He said, "I meant your Washington!" Oh, my. When we moved here, I knew I was going to hear people say "Washington" when they meant "Washington D.C." but I wasn't going to think that way. I guess it's kind of like adopting a foreign language or the culture of a region.

And yes, some of those states were visited briefly enroute to a move, but some of it has been recreational travel, too, and I am grateful for all those opportunities to see the wide world of the United States. It's all good. And God is so good to us.



P.S. When I published this post, the right hand side of the map got cut off. I guess the map needs a wide berth. Well, I will have to just tell you, then - and I should be saying this for those who can't see the map anyway - my total is about 34 states.

Hat tip to Alicia.