"Welcome To Palo Alto"

Every state, every city has "Welcome To [insert name] signs. More often than not we simply speed past them and those signs never register in our minds again-even if we pass them on a daily basis on our travels. Five years ago I flew by this sign, focused only on finding Louis Rd and moving into my "new" home. It was not until years later, after residing in Palo Alto, that I passed this sign and took note. Now you're each beginning to ask: why is she writing about a "Welcome To" sign...stick with me folks. It wasn't the sign, it was the message. I moved from a town of 247 people (not 247,000 but really 247) that was the only place I knew as home to Palo Alto. Boy was I scared. I knew NO ONE. Yet, instantly the people I met wrapped their arms around me (some times literally). To name just a few: Mer sat by me on my first day at church.  JW and ACF invited me to dinner the first week I was there, just to get to know me. My HP team welcomed me with open arms and teasing (mostly Pete and Roy) and while our original team has been disbanded for years, they are always my team.  The "acts" to welcome me to this place continued, in fact, they never stopped!  Remember this video? This is just a small fraction of the kindness that I've been shown in my time in Palo Alto. All of this doesn't speak volumes of this physical welcome sign, what it speaks of is the amazing ability of the people of Palo Alto (and its surrounding areas, of course) to embody this sign in their actions, in their words, and in their consistency of both.  Palo Alto has become my home, not because the Dish is beautiful or because the downtown is awesome or because it has 10,000 parks or because the weather is great (let me just throw in a note that these are all added bonuses). Palo Alto has become my home because the people, because they brought me into their homes, because they showed me that family can be built among anyone, no matter what their backgrounds.   As I leave this home, to return to my other home it is bittersweet, however, Palo Alto will also be home in my heart! (And luckily my many Palo Alto family members tell me I'll always have places to stay when I come home to visit)! I love each of you. Thank you. Thank you for everything. No matter small or large your acts of kindness I hope you each know that I'll forever be grateful for the love, (too numerous to count) hours of service rendered, and for the wonderful memories created.