On March 18, 2020, Kim and I arrived in the great state of Ohio to begin a new adventure. I guess you could say that the Sims family and COVID-19 came to Ohio about the same time. Or maybe the folks here think we brought it with us. Either way, we were following a wonderful job opportunity for Kim while trusting God through it all.
Now that we’ve lived here a year, I thought it would be fun to share some random things we’ve learned and experienced.
- Akron has a nice downtown; I love it there. In Cleveland, seeing the vastness of a Great Lake is amazing, but seeing that lake frozen and covered in ice is even better.
- We have a long list of things to do in Cleveland, including checking out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Broadway shows in Playhouse Square, and The Christmas Story house, which even has a leg lamp in the window.
- The Pro Football Hall of Fame is definitely worth a visit.
- Lots of people have asked me, “What are people in Ohio like?” They’re really not any different from the folks in the South; it’s just that they all talk funny.
- As far as understanding me, I’m not sure how I pronounce “Diet Coke,” but the girl at Dairy Queen made me repeat it three times before I said, “Just make it Coke Zero.”
- There is a small number of folks who do not like to speak to people they don’t know. When you pass them in the store or on the street, they will look anywhere else to avoid making eye contact with you. It isn’t just that they don’t want to speak; they don’t even want to do the old “head nod” to you. But I know it isn’t their fault. They just didn’t eat enough grits when they were young.
- Kim and I love having so many options here for shopping and eating. We’ve never lived in a town with this many choices of great places with great food. I have noticed, though, that in this entire county of 400,000 people, I’ve only found two barbecue places. I moved here from a county of about 100,000 people that had at least 325 barbecue joints.
- There isn’t a church on every corner like there is in the South, but there are more than I expected. The problem is I have to get out my Handbook of Denominations to figure out who some of them are.
- Amish country is fantastic, and they are experts at growing delicious vegetables and producing excellent meats and cheeses. The North Canton Farmers Market will be back soon, and we can’t wait. I will warn you, though, driving through Amish country is much more enjoyable on roads with a buggy lane. Yes, that’s a real thing.
- Finally, everyone wants to know how we like the weather. We love it! Up here, there are four distinct seasons. Fall was absolutely beautiful. As far as winter, we love the cold, and we enjoyed having snow on the ground for about seven straight weeks. Summer was amazing. It was hilarious last August watching the weather people on TV complaining about four straight days in the low 90s with oppressively high humidity of 60%.
Kim and I never asked God to move us up north. We never asked him to move us away from our children, especially not at the outbreak of a pandemic. But long ago, we committed to follow God wherever he would lead us, so we consider this an adventure of faith.
Be open to God. Surrender to him and let him make your paths straight. He may call you to make a difference right where you are. Or, who knows, he may call you to be right here with us.