Today as I drove back to my adopted state, I crossed the river and border to encounter the sign I've seen countless times--"Minnesota welcomes you!" It struck me today significantly, and I had a moment. In the nearly thirteen years that I have made Minnesota my home, I have pondered many times what sets this state apart from other places I've lived. No place is perfect, of course, and I really haven't had a broad base of living experiences. This place, though, DOES welcome new residents. It welcomed me with a living wage, a great educational system in which to work and raise my son, and it didn't ask much of me in return. It didn't care that I had previously lived in the southwest, via North Dakota; it respected my work experience and made me feel needed and important. In the time I have lived here, I have seen it welcome many refugees from several wars, even wars that the U.S. had declared. I have felt the warmth and love from the community in my work and community involvement.
I never really considered that I would find a new place to call home after I left my birth state, but I have. Minnesota continues to be a leader in charitable work and educational excellence, even though we don't have a big fat state fiscal surplus. There is always enough for everyone in need, as well as a welcome for newcomers. I have been showered with luck in my life, especially in this particular decision to make Minnesota my home.
