(From the Indiana years)

Well I’ll never be a stranger and I’ll never be alone 

Wherever we’re together, that’s my home. 

Home could be the Pennsylvania Turnpike 

Indiana’s early morning dew 

High up in the hills of California 

Home is just another word for you. – Billy Joel 

They played this song this weekend at my friends’ wedding.  The lyrics had a meaningful connection to the members of the bridal party.  They both met in Indiana.  My best friend in law school, who was also a groomsman, also met his wife and a bridesmaid, in Indiana.  Both of them moved to the West Coast after the wedding.  My friend’s family lives in New Jersey/Delaware and he uses the Pennsylvania Turnpike quite a bit.  I was a groomsman and use that road to go back to Maryland.  We were also in the West Coast this past winter for our the other wedding.  

Although one of the most difficult roads to drive due to winding, narrow lanes, high truck traffic, long distances between exits, and constant roadwork, the Pennsylvania Turnpike goes through some of the most magnificent stretches in the Pennsylvania countryside.  You will see mountains, valleys, farmland, animals.  In the winter, the snow hanging off the mountain trees is spectacular.  As I drove back this last time from Indiana, I felt a sense of love for my future home state.  I hope to play this song again in a few years with my friends there.

Who is my home?