The Great Divide A City With Room To Breathe

Spokane has snuck its way into my heart. Other cities seek to lure people with obvious enticements; Spokane soothes one into a relaxed acceptance.

Our family’s decision to move here was motivated by a desire to help the community. This September, we will help Life Center start a new church on the South Hill. In return, we are experiencing a quality of life being lost in the population crunch of Seattle.

Spokane is providing room for us to breathe. There is a natural appeal here and in the surrounding region. If not careful, Seattle will lose its beauty to commercial image; it will be Christmas with lots of toys but no family togetherness. Though I miss the Kirkland lakeside or Bellevue summit views, I don’t miss trading away peace to experience pleasure.

Any concerns I hold of Spokane lie in its tendency to rest on known strengths. Residents know it’s a good place to raise kids, to have space, to play and refresh. There seems, though, a lazy air toward what lies ahead, a knowing of what is unwanted without cultivating for the desired.

Spokane is not a big “small town.” It is a resource for the Inland region and it is time the city grew up from the girl next door to one transformed by a confident identity, one who possesses her heritage as a mentor provider.

My family and I welcome Spokane. It offers missing elements of a wholesome life. We have come not as an agent of change but as a contributor to growth, and we have moved not to escape but to enjoy. We trust Spokane welcomes us.