WHAT I WILL AND WON'T MISS

"...old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (from 2 Corinthians 5:17)

The moving process for the Baril family was a long and stressful one. One month ago today, Mary Ann and I moved to Webster. We needed to spend the following four weeks cleaning up and cleaning out the Harrison Street Framingham residence. Honestly, it was a mostly unpleasant experience. I really didn't want to move out of Framingham. I really loved Framingham and still do. But by the time this past weekend came around, I was so glad to get DONE with the Framingham property and turn in the keys to the Assemblies of God hierarchy.

Over thirty years ago, the Bill Gaither people sang a cute song about "the list of won't be-s in Heaven". I'm now thinking about what I WILL miss about living at 40 Harrison Street in Framingham and what I WON'T miss about it.

I WON'T MISS snow shoveling or leaf raking. I am not responsible for these things at the Webster rental property. I won't miss the responsibility of mowing the lawn throughout the summer, even though mowing the lawn was good exercise for me and a time I'd spend in peaceful reflection as I mowed. I definitely won't miss navigating the three very difficult stairways at the Framingham house, and I won't miss the dingy old-fashioned basement there.

When a new roof was put on the Framingham house in 2004, the roofers left nails and shingles and black tiny shingle particles spread all over the attic. No matter how much of that stuff I've cleaned up, there's always so much more to do. I won't miss cleaning that stuff up! I won't miss the barking German Shepherd next door. I won't miss no central air conditioning and having to mount window air conditioners each May and pulling them out each November.

I WILL, however, miss the Mason family next door. (They're not the "German Shepherd owners"; they live on the opposite side of the Framingham property.) You couldn't ask for better neighbors than the Masons. I will miss Verizon FiOS. Initially I resented being conned into signing up for Verizon FiOS by a slick salesman at the door at 5 p.m. on a Christmas Eve. I did, however, come to really like Verizon FiOS. I will miss living so close to a commuter rail station and being just a short train ride away from downtown Boston. I will miss having a dishwasher and garbage disposal. I will miss using a gas stove and having gas heat. We now have an electric stove and oil heat- I like neither. I will miss living in the MetroWest Daily News coverage area. I will miss living only a mile and a half from work. I will miss living so close to so many friends. I will miss my involvement in the Framingham Interfaith Clergy Association. I will miss voting in the Framingham Town elections, and I will miss watching Framingham Public Access T.V. (even though Selectman Dennis Giombetti once told me that if I'm watching a lot of that I need to get a life!).