In June of this year, I fulfilled a long-time dream and goal to move to Atlanta, Georgia. It was with mixed emotions that I left Detroit to make a new life with my daughter, son-in-law, and four rambunctious grandchildren. Long before my daughter graduated from Cass Tech in 1992 and left home for Clark, Atlanta, my dream was to relocate there. When I left Detroit, I wrote on my Facebook page what I would miss most about Detroit. I miss coney islands, I miss early-morning walks on Belle Isle (especially when the weather’s mild in November!). I even miss side-stepping duck poop… I miss riding across the Ambassador Bridge on my way to our cottage in Rhondeau Bay, Canada; I miss tea parties with my friends; I miss being able to walk into any corner store and buy a Vernors; I miss Eastern Market with Bert’s sounds and smells; I miss tramping resale shops, book sales, and garage sales with my BFF on Saturdays; I miss Open Pit barbeque sauce and Michigan raw honey to sweeten my tea; I miss my family…
I LOVE DETROIT and defend it vehemently when anyone tries to “dis” my city. You can’t speak negatively about it to me… well, except about the harsh winters–I agree, they can get pretty rough. But I’m keenly aware that there are some (like one of my sisters and my BFF) who defend and love the change of the seasons. The older I get, the more I prefer to get secondhand reports on Detroit’s climate change. No, I didn’t leave Detroit because of its economic climate, or crime, or any other negative report. I left to start a new chapter in my life, and as long as there are planes, trains, automobiles, and Skype, by visiting family and friends, I can stay connected to a city on the rebound.
I believe that 2013 will be a year of continued rebounding and up-building for Detroit, filling up with people who love the city with all its ups and downs and want it to thrive and continue to prosper. Sammy Davis Jr. says it best in his hit song, “Hello Detroit”: “You’re a fighter, you’re a lover, you’re strong and you recover from whatever gets you down… Hello Detroit, you’ve won my heart…irresistible you…You’re alive with so much feeling. And I’ll always be there for you. I will say a little prayer for you. And I will always care for you…You’ve touched my soul. Thanks for the memories I cherish so…Hello Detroit.”