Should I stay or should I go now?

I can't remember who sings that song, but it captures my mindset the last few weeks. You see, I have this sort of cyclic mental process where I hash over my life and wonder what it would be like to live somewhere else. I grew up in Phoenix, went to the same school k-8, spent all 4 years at the same high school, went to college in Dallas, and now here I am, living in the house I grew up in, sending my kids to the same school, going to the same events, seeing the same people. Admittedly, I sometimes wonder what it would be like to set out and stake a life somewhere new, have new friends and new places to go to. But as I was uploading my most recent batch of photos onto the computer, I was struck with a sense of gratitude for the community I belong to and the tangled web of relations and friendships I am a part of. I have so many great memories of SSJ and it is fun to see my children creating those memories too. In this picture with Elise are two of her classmates - Kristen and Kahleah. I went to high school with Kristen's aunt and Kahleah's Mom and Kristen's Dad was one of Becky's teachers at SM. The older I get, the more connections there seem to be. Also pictured above is Sr. Raphael throwing out the first pitch for the Spring League. And then there was the GS Father/Daughter dance with an 80s theme that really sent me back in time. See me with my bros? I think it is part of God's grand plan to have some of us stay to keep the flames burning and others to carry a part of that flame out into some other part of the world. I like to pretend I am the latter but deep down I know how I am made and how I am happy. I am a flame keeper. I just have to resist the temptation of thinking that the grass is always greener on the other side. With gratitude and self knowledge, the grass is green everywhere you go.