WHY BIRMINGHAM?

I remember when I made the decision to move to Birmingham, I remember my dad asking something to the effect of "Why Birmingham?". I have to admit that at that time, in early 1998, I knew very little about Birmingham. I knew that my boyfriend lived in Tuscaloosa, and over the last several months I had spent a fair amount of time in Alabama. I also knew that my best friend, Lee, and his then-girlfriend, Jane (who is now his wife), would be moving to Birmingham for graduate school. And, well, I had a job offer. My question was why not Birmingham?

And so on March 21, 1998 my parents and I loaded up a moving van and moved me to Birmingham from their home in Tennessee. I don't actually recall a lot about those early days or exploring the city, I think it was a gradual process. Much like the apartment that I moved into, I stumbled into everything more or less by accident.  I spent most of my weekends in Tuscaloosa, but somehow gradually found my way around Birmingham. 

My first trip to Birmingham was in March 1996, when my college Chorale came through on a Spring Break tour.  Our first stop was in Birmingham.  Our chartered bus dropped us all off for the day at the Riverchase Galleria Mall, before we headed to Center Point to spend the evening with our host families. Had you told me at that time that in two years I'd be living in Birmingham, I'm not so certain I would have believed you, although I do recall being really impressed with it when our choir visited.

Here's my confession:  Birmingham has been my home for over 15 years now.  In these 15 years I have seen the relationship that prompted my move to amicably split, I've seen Lee & Jane move away and grow from a family of two to a family of five.   I've seen Birmingham on the brink of death to coming alive with new buildings, baseball fields, parks and so much more.  Birmingham is home.   And, unless you've been here or lived here, you might not understand the beautiful charm that is the Magic City.  Sure, there are people who have lived here their entire lives who hate it, and there are people who are transplants and hate it.  But there are plenty of us who have either lived here our whole lives or have somehow found our way here. To me, Birmingham offers all the benefits of being in a big city, with a small town feel.  You can be as much a part of the crowd as you want or you can get lost in the crowd, it's really up to you.  What I love about Birmingham is that it is, by and large, where my family of choice resides.  Will I always live in Birmingham?  Who knows?  I know that at this juncture I have no intentions or desire to leave.  I plan to be here the rest of my life and plan for my cremains to be here long after I am gone (but that's a topic for another blog).  So, tonight, my final thought is this:  Birmingham, she isn' perfect, but she's my little corner of Heaven on Earth.  Some may ask "Why Birmingham?" and I simply say "Why NOT Birmingham?