My apartment here echos and all the dust bunnies and cobwebs that had built up under my furniture have been exposed to the light of day.
I felt a sharp intake of breath as the Birmingham skyline came into view as the interstate curved to force my eyes in its direction this afternoon as I returned. But then I remembered my walk to church this morning where as I reached the top of a hill, I turned around and my gaze was drawn to the Atlanta skyline. My breath caught at that sight too. My past and my future overlapping in that moment.
What a weekend this was! Aside from a few boxes of china that I wanted to wait to unpack until the rest is done, I have unpacked everything I brought to Atlanta. I think all that remains here in Birmingham will fit in my car when I head back at the end of the week. My new place truly feels like home. And it feels so much bigger such that I can dance around the kitchen table and there is room for me to buy a new chair so that I can have space for company to sit comfortably!
I tried another new restaurant, a European style cafe that was so good. There are so many restaurants to try. Next on my list is a Spanish tapas place.
I visited a new church today. It's a denomination I know nothing about but its website clearly articulated values in line with what I'm looking for. It was just a little smaller than I was expecting but maybe that's okay. The message was really good and I recognized the songs we sang, although I was disappointed when we only sang the first two verses and hymnals were missing so that I could see the harmonies to sing.
Some of the liturgy I'm familiar with was missing. But the congregation felt fairly diverse and it felt welcoming although not overly extroverted. The reminder that this wasn't going to be as easy as I was imagining humbled me. I walked away wishing I had initiated more conversations but feeling like it could still be a contender. I did like the banned book club they have that meets monthly. And the service ended with the song Dancing Queen.
As I walked to and from church what I really appreciated is that this church hunt is that it is sending me in a different direction each time I choose a new one to try allowing me to see and get to know more parts of the city.
I'm ready. I know I have one more week here in Birmingham. But I'm ready to just move on. Atlanta here I come.
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