Welcome to Florida! You’re about to enjoy the most humid months of your life... for about 3 months. It’s our “winter.” If you think of it that way, it’s not that intolerable. At least you can still swim in pools and enjoy the beach. Everywhere is AC’d. After that, I think Florida weather is a lot like California (I was stationed there.)

I don’t think we can really predict what might happen over the next few years but I’m thankful to be in a state that handled the plandemic without trampling all over our freedom as much as most of the nation. At the beginning, I was outraged but Gov DeSantis didn’t know everything. He didn’t know how bad it was going to be. He took risks and they seem to have been responsible decisions. So what happens next? What will they try next? Food shortages? Inflation is bad enough but I feel pretty confident we’ll get through the food crisis the best right here in FL. We’ve got DeSantis and President Trump. So there’s that.

This doesn’t exactly address your concerns immediately but from a broader perspective- I’ve moved all over the place with dad in the military and myself and I’ve found it easier as an adult to fit in and adapt since I’ve moved a lot. This is an adventure, really. It seems hard now but I think there are positives in the future.

You said your son is depressed. Talk to him. Find out why. Missing his friends? New school? Everything new? I’m sure that has hit him hard but if he joins a team or any club, he’ll make some friends and that helps a lot. So encourage that and help him get that going. A lot of people in Florida are from all over the place, so he won’t be alone. Try to do something fun where you can spend time listening to him. He needs that. Fishing, driving somewhere to see an attraction-some place you can pin him down for a while and have him engage rather than just being on his phone. Then you can talk.

You’ve invested much time, money and energy moving here. It’s one of the most stressful things you can do or experience. Talk about that with your family. Own it. Let them know you were wanting to make things better and involve your family in home projects and outings. If you go to church- get involved in the events they hold such as dinners, fund raisers and celebrations. Right away, you’ll feel a sense of community. That’s what you need. If you don’t go to church, that’s fine and there are many community based events that are lots of fun. I don’t really like “Nextdoor” app for discussions but they always post what community events are coming up and neighborhood happenings and it’s useful that way. Explore, don’t sit at home having regrets. It won’t do any good. Give it a chance, embrace it because there is no easy way to go back now. You could in the future, though. I think you made a good choice. I came to Florida after the Marine Corps and don’t have any regrets. People seem really friendly. Basically, almost everyone is in the same boat. You’d be surprised how many people you’ll meet from “somewhere else” and I’ve run into people randomly who lived where I used to.

Anyway, another long one from me. Apologies. Give it time. Prayers going out to you and your family. Sometime, let us know what part of Florida you’re in so we can suggest some fun things to do.