gratitude |_grat__t(y)o_d| |_grød__t(j)ud| |_grat_tju_d|
noun
the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness : she expressed her gratitude to the committee for their support.
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French, or from medieval Latin gratitudo, from Latin gratus ‘pleasing, thankful.’

There is a certain calm when leaving a place you’ve called home for many years. Perhaps it is the consequence of denial. Not denial like, “If I only eat half the bag of Oreos then only one of my ass cheeks will take the hit and then I can just work out that one cheek for a couple of days and it will be like I never ate those 48 cookies” but denial like something is happening right in front of you however you are unable to register it as a part of your new reality.

A city is just that, a city. It is made up of cement and steel, cobblestone and iron. Avenues lead to boulevards; boulevards lead to streets and streets to highways. Business deals downtown and shopping steals uptown; children are bustled from bedrooms to classrooms by way of a big yellow bus and every Sunday the sidewalks roll out to welcome the sinners seeking forgiveness in a pew. Aside from ascetic difference a city is just that, a city; regardless of where on the maps it lies.

What makes a city more than just a city? Splitting a bottle of red zinfandel at the wine bar on Cary Street on a hot night in July. Sharing a steaming plate of brocoletti at Mamma Zu’s with conversation and confessionals. An unexpected phone call that requires cocktails and hot wax to ease the pain of a broken heart. Elephant sized tears overshadowed by whole-belly laughter. Ridiculous jokes with punch lines that make no sense to anyone but those who were there. The “verb followed by noun” names used to refer to them and theirs by you and yours. Sounds that remind you of people, tastes that remind you of places and smells that remind you of things you once forgot. A thousand songs you’ve heard from just one stage and one friend you heard a thousand songs with. What makes a city more than just a city is you and what gives it meaning to you. It is all the people attached to it, all the places within it and all the things inside it. Richmond is more than just a city. Richmond is my home that I will miss for many more years than I spent making it just that. I will miss every face I recognize and even the ones that I don’t. I will long for endless dinners with my girlfriends that never have anything to do with the hunger for food. I will yearn for all the smells and sounds and tastes of this fabulous city that I’ve had the privilege of calling my own.

I am so very grateful for every single person that has made my experience in Richmond such an amazing one. I came to Virginia when I was only 22 with not a single friend. I leave at age 30 with an uncountable number of friends whom have made Richmond more than just a city. For that, I say thank you.

Below are some photos I took of some wonderful friends and family I had to opportunity to hang with before I left. I appreciate all of the efforts of my loved ones for making the time to spend with me.