It wasn’t just fear… It didn’t happen all at once. The decision to leave unfolded slowly, like a shadow creeping in just before dusk. Long before we packed up our lives, before our final goodbyes, there was a quiet shift beginning. A sense that the ground was changing beneath us. Thanks for reading Melissa’s Substack!…

Home is never just a place… It’s a strange thing to grieve a place while feeling relief to be gone. I lived in Texas for most of my life, long enough to feel tethered to its heat, its rhythm, its stubborn pride. I was born along the Texas coast. I’ve traveled before, even lived abroad…