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From strangers to neighbors in two years TO THE EDITOR: It was June of 2005! My wife and I were at a get together with friends. Joe and Dawn, our closest friends ever, entered and announced to us that they were moving to Washington Georgia. Diana and I were both taken aback. They had been our friends for over 25 years. We were godparents to each other's children. Though not direct family, the words "uncle" and 'aunt" always preceded the names of our favorite people in the whole world, and suddenly they were leaving for good. I thought I knew what would happen. We would correspond for a while and then fall away and probably not see each other again. Diana and I should be happy for the Johnsons: they were heading for a better life, we were happy for them, but there would be something missing without these wonderful friends just a stone's throw away. What was in Georgia that would take these lifelong friends away? A couple of months later in the autumn of that year, we decided to findout what this Washington, Georgia, was all about. We scheduled a long weekend and drove up from South Florida. It took nine hours and we arrived in this wonderful little town. We spent the weekend wandering around and took in the unique beauty of the Town Square. We ate breakfast at a small restaurant on the cutoff road and deflatedfrom our very difficult,stressful jobs. We didn't prepare for the trip and hadn't even called our friends, who happened not to be here, but in striking out on our own we experienced the beginning of what would turn out to be a love affair. A love affair with a community where everyone smiled, everyone made us feel welcome, everyone seemed to understand what was important in life. We began revolving our free time around trips to Washington. It seemed like we befriended everyone we met. Deb Rainey and Jessica Hardy patiently showed us area after area, property after property. Benny Johnson gave us insight into the community and the opportunities for us and our children, one of whom is a law enforcement officer.Guillaume and Sokun Slama fed us every morning at Sophie's and seemed more excited about the prospect of our move to Washington than we were. Elaine Filipiak toured us through the town and taught us, on a very personal level, about the exciting history of Washington. Tom and Barbara Chase showed us the wonders of Washington Plantation. Finally Charlie LeGette sold us the property that is our dream come true. Washington is a very special place. My wife and I, in conversation, looked at each other and said that in the time since 2005 we had not met anyone in the community who had not gone out of their way to make us feel welcome. There was no one we didn't instantly like. Thanks to everyone in the community, we have realized our dream and now are part of a little piece of heaven on earth, Washington, Georgia.
CHARLES IMMORDINO
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