A Day in the City

I was born and raised in the country. 

I married a country boy and we made our home in the hills of Maryland. 

I love where we live. These hills are home in so many ways.

And yet,

There's a part of my soul that always longs for the city.

In May, I found a tiny cafe in Baltimore and settled into a window seat.

My heart smiled as I watched the busy street.

And finally, I was able to name the reason I love cities.

There, I can put my finger on the pulse of humanity and feel hope thrumming through her veins.

I watch a cute couple on a date.

I assume its their very first one because neither of them reach for their phones.

I see an old man typing on a computer.

I wonder if he's working or playing. 

A group of women are laughing behind me.

I wonder if they are old friends or new friends.

The lady in front of me is buying a children's book.

I imagine her reading it to a child she loves at bedtime.

Sure, there's always graffiti and drugs and brokenness in the city.

But there's also people who are dreaming, reading, building, and connecting.

Occasionally, I need to step into that world and let them share their hope with me.

I took many beautiful photos of my day in Baltimore but Google photos and I are not on the same today so I will only share a few.

"What is and what can be." I love this quote. It was on the side of Second Chance. I can't even describe how big this salvage place is. If this place doesn't have it, it doesn't exist.

I took an unconventional mirror selfie.

This chocolate cake from Bird in Hand made me let out an audible moan. It was that good.

I read my book while waiting in line to get free books. Yes, you read that right. Book Thing of Baltimore gives away thousands of free books every month. I get giddy just thinking about going back!

That's all for today! I need to go prepare my lesson for VBS tonight. We are on the fifth night and my energy level has dropped too low for coffee to fix. Haha! Until next time... keep your eyes wide open for hope. :)