“A Full-Service Community With a Hometown Feel”

Dear Parker, Colorado:

I feel like I might owe you an apology.  For many years you’ve just been a town that held the church I love so dearly.  As time went on, and relationships were formed at my church, I started visiting your community much more: Lunch at Tequila Joes, picnics at Challenger Park, coffee at Kunjani, and of course dinner at the beautiful homes of great friends.  You started to grow on me.

That’s not to say I still don’t snicker that there’s a gun and ammo right next to McDonalds off Parker Road.  Murdochs and seed and feed stores are still foreign to me, but one day, maybe, I’ll venture in to check them out.  I doubt I’ll ever sport cowgirl boots, but you never know.

And the names of some your streets–Motsenbocker, Dransfeldt, and Mainstreet spelled as one word.  Yikes!  That kills me as a writer.  And is Twenty Mile Road really twenty miles long?

Someone once told me it was better to live further west because the mountain views were better.  I disagree.  The views are beautiful—grand.  There’s much more open space, and that in itself is a beautiful backdrop for the Front Range.  And Pikes Peak, how gorgeous are you?  I never could see you before.

The hometown feel in this community is more than I could have imagined.  You take great pride in your town.  I can tell by the beautiful fall decorations adorning each corner of Mainstreet.  I can’t wait to see what the Christmas season holds.  You will probably look like you jumped out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

We had a situation at the post office, but after visiting yesterday, I feel much better now.  Yes, the line was still long, but the postal worker who has no sense of a “quiet, indoor voice” brightened my day.  I can tell he loves his job, his co-workers and his community.  That’s rare these days.

There’s much more for me to discover in your town.  I can’t wait.  I’m glad I gave you a chance.  You grew on me more than I ever expected.  I will do my best to be a good resident.