Dear Editor,

As a result of career transfers, transitions, and just plain old age, my wife, Alice and I have lived in every corner of this country — Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Portland, Cleveland, Boise, New York City, and now the South.

Additionally I have traveled into every major city and every state in the Union with the exception of Vermont.

Without a GPS I could still find my way around any metro area you choose.

Beyond this extensive living and travel experience I have spent time in Mexico, Canada and Western Europe. Now, this information is not by way of boasting about my travel and geographical knowledge, but it is the best way I know to illustrate an emphatic point — without a doubt, and now more than ever before, the finest place to be and live is right here.

We’re not the prettiest place on earth, nor the most refined, nor the place with the best services, but, beyond all else, we are the location with the best values, the most wholesome appreciation of God, the most family-oriented focus, and the place where the congeniality of the people speaks volumes every day about our correct principles and lifestyles.

I would never even think about relocating from here, and what’s more, I don’t even care to visit places in my past. Everything important and everything I need is right here every day. Thanks, Alabama.

Clem Muck

Calera