Welcome Signs

Driving home from Kentucky last Sunday I was touched, as I always am, to see the "Virginia Welcomes You" sign. There was the cardinal, the dogwood, the almost childish renditions of our state bird and state flower. It's almost as if — dare I say it, might it be? — that I feel like I belong whenever I see it?

A few months ago, in a subway-induced fog, I noticed a "Virginia Welcomes You" sign on the dark subterranean wall at the Rosslyn Metro stop, the first in the commonwealth when traveling west on Metro's Orange Line. Was I imagining this? I checked the next day. It was definitely there. Now I look for it often on my way home from work. It's proof of belonging, a whimsical touch.

This morning I ponder these two signs of welcome, these two welcome signs.


Photo: Wikipedia