Pittsburgh, By Choice…
Pittsburgh is an incredibly beautiful city. It truly is hard to exaggerate just how picturesque she is. As a result, I sometimes get caught up in her beauty and emotionally speak of living in the “Paris of Appalachia,” as if it was some fortunate blessing or lucky turn of chance. The reality is Erin and I intentionally chose this place as the setting to raise our family.
Before we were married, nearly 20 years ago, we chose to call these rivers and bridges, hills and valleys our home. We spent a short while elsewhere (7 years in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee) for college and my first round of graduate school. As school neared its end, we gave other paths their fair consideration. Like most young professionals, we explored the numerous opportunities before us. We even visited places like New England and deeper south as we were recruited by would be professional suitors. However, in the end, we chose to return to these three rivers long term before any job was secured or an exact place to call home was lined up.
The thing is, we didn’t choose Pittsburgh for its idyllic looks, or even its relatively affordable cost of living and abundant opportunities, we chose Pittsburgh because of our deep historic roots here. Our family is here and have been here for many generations. We prioritized raising our children near their grandparents and extended family above our professional careers and financial goals. Above all else, we wanted our children to grow up among multiple generations of their family tree.
We didn’t want what was considered “typical” for professionals at that time, chasing careers and paychecks around the country, moving to a new home in a new city every 3-5 years. We recognized this decision would likely limit our professional opportunities. However, that didn’t bother us nearly as much as the idea of raising our family geographically and physically separated from those who raised us.
Thankfully, over the past two decades, God has blessed our hearts’ desire. He has not only provided the financial and personal means to make it happen, He has stirred a vision and passion in our hearts for the prioritization of family as part of our daily work. What we have discovered is that after identifying our priorities and living by our values, the rest of the details have fallen into place. Thankfully, as an entrepreneurial pastor and a business and community leader, we’ve not only been able to “pay the bills,” but we’ve also found ample opportunity to affect change and make a meaningful difference here in the Steel City. By opting to continue laying the roots begun by our families multiple generations ago who first came to Allegheny County and the Greater Pittsburgh region to start a new life, we not only get to enjoy the fruits of their lifelong labor (this great city), we get to carry on their legacy firmly planting our name, our identity, and our legacy within this corner of the world.
We truly are blessed to call Pittsburgh home. She really is a beautiful city. But, at least for us, her greatest beauty isn’t found to the skyline or topography. The most beautiful aspect of Pittsburgh is found among the family with whom we chose to call this place home.
