We Moved on Tuesday

We are now residents of the independent living community of Fairmount Homes. We live on what is literally, a fair mount, by Lancaster County, Pennsylvania standards, a high hill which affords a substantial view of the countryside for a great distance. Our mailing address is Ephrata, PA but we're probably closer to the town of New Holland.

We're young to do this. We're among the first to move into a new building. We're regularly meeting very nice people who are close to our age...and who are the children of people who will be our new neighbors.

Before the move took place, I wasn't certain I'd be pleased.

There are many practical reasons for us to make this move.

We're certainly young and healthy enough to own and live in our own home.

We're also certainly very young to have moved into a home. I don't know everyone here, but I'm confident that we're the youngest residents here at the moment.

But, I was a low church parish priest for many years and I know many people older than I am and have seen what happens when a sudden illness takes over a life.

Suddenly there's a need for personal care, what was, until recently, called assisted living, or nursing care. The person who needs it may be incapable of making decisions, even if funds are available and, if there's a close and supportive family, the loved one's health is what matters.

And, we don't have children, though we are close to family on both sides.

By making this move, we've prepared for the moment, those moments.

And, if being here was less than pleasant, there'd be comfort in knowing the future was accounted for.

But, five days in, I'm pleased and at peace.

The staff here is amazing. Cooperative. Friendly. Kind. Efficient.

The apartment is smallish, but adequate. We'll be comfortable, I'm certain.

To live here, one has to be compatible with a fairly conservative Anabaptist lifestyle. And, we are. Few people we know would be, but we are.

While it's restrictive in some ways, it's an  amazing love culture...very Sermon on the Mount-ish, as Anabaptists understand it.

It's an understanding that to be a Christian is to live as a follower of Jesus, not merely to attend a church and to submit to low church rituals, such as listening to the sermon.

And, of course, we're all about that.

My dad moved into an independent living community when he was about 80. He'd fought the move, kicking and screaming, and gave up only when it became clear that mom couldn't take care of her part of maintaining the house.

But, after dad adjusted, he lived nearly a decade of happy carefree life, until dementia took away the quality of his life. And, then, he was cared for wonderfully.

I can see that happening to me...probably the dementia, too.

We'll see.

But, we're here. It's a done deal.