a lone star kind of state

i longed for a new place, a place to settle in, to make a home and texas never was to me. i ached for something more beautiful, but all i was seeing was concrete. i imagined, cried and carried on about someday moving. but even though texas was never home. it gave me 5 years of my life. i grew, loved and lost here. i gained new friends while losing others. i watched my husband become a man here. i labored and i gave birth to the most precious baby girl here. we ate tons of delicious food and watched dozens of movies. we danced on the living room floor, showered together and played catan multiple times on our hand-me-down antique kitchen table. we have family here and a mom who we will more than miss. i fell in love with first graders here and became a real life teacher. we bought cars, sold them and sold again. i became a wife and then a stay-at-home momma. i got sick here, really sick. we put miles on our cars, discovered queso and found the best thrift stores. we learned to say we were from fort worth and not dallas. i discovered what good-for-you-food really is and gained a set of grandparents. we became beer snobs here and saw are favorite musicians. i saw us for who we really are. but more than that, it is what Christ taught me here. His devout love. forgiveness. grace. i learned He is my first thought when i wake up and my last when i lie down. My Lord is my Savior and died for all of my sins. for me. for us. for our little family. so, more than i know, texas taught me. showed me. shaped me.