Out of Africa and New England
The Harding's Journey to Longview
 
It’s been an interesting journey for Jim and Joan Harding, a retired history teacher and nurse. “Some people have had life like a plain cake. We’ve had a fruit cake with jalapenos” says Joan of a path that has included New England, Africa, and now Longview, Texas. 
 
The couple met in New Hampshire and married in 1964. In 1970, the Hardings moved to Kenya to work as missionaries for Rift Valley Academy, a Christian boarding school in Central Kenya.  “Our time in Africa was wonderful. We loved working at the school and interacting with students from all over the world,” Jim recalls. “Kenya really is beautiful.” They raised their family while working at the school through 1993, with occasional breaks back to the United States.
 
It was during one of those breaks that the Hardings first experienced Longview. Prior to 1989, Joan says she had never even remotely considered living in Texas. Then, they heard about a short-term job opportunity working at LeTourneau University. They thought everything about the job sounded like a perfect fit, until they inquired about the school’s location. “I thought the deal was squashed right there,” recalls Jim. “All Joan could say was ‘Texas? Texas?  Not Texas!”
 
During those two years in Longview though, the Hardings developed deep friendships at the university, their church, and throughout the community. According to Joan, “My friends here were so genuine. It was difficult to leave in 1991, not knowing that one day we would return for retirement.”
The couple returned to Africa and later moved back to Rhode Island to help care for aging parents. In 2005,  Joan’s and Jim’s mothers had both passed away, and the Hardings had a decision to make: where to retire?
 
With grandkids in three different states, friends in various places, and their mission’s retirement facility in Florida, they felt pulled in multiple directions. So, the Hardings made a list comparing their top retirement choices: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Florida, and Texas.
 
“We ranked the list according to cost of living, climate, housing, family, church, and friends. In the end, Longview came out on top.” One of the things that helped Longview was the lack of significant snowfall.“I was done with the snow,” Joan said emphatically. Longview’s rare snowfall is much different than the many feet of snow they experienced in New England.
 
Back in Longview, Joan and Jim continued working and then fully retired in 2010. “Total retirement at first was a huge shock,” says Joan, “We were accustomed to going 100 miles an hour and suddenly we stopped. It was a big change.” Changing pace, they now love bringing their grandsons to the Longview Junction Train Depot to climb on the playground and watch the trains roll by. The Hardings are also active in the Longview community. Jim is a member of the Longview Race Relations Committee and has volunteered with the MultiCultural Festival. Joan volunteers at Beacon Hospice. They both are very involved with their church senior group. As part of their new retirement routine, Jim and Joan exercise four to five times each week at the Good Shepherd Institute of Healthy Living. “Joan and I did a Zumba class a few days ago, and we decided it was a little too Zoom for us,” laughs Jim as he concedes that they would probably stick to the water aerobics that they love.   
 
Jim, 69, and Joan, 68, said they chose Longview through prayer and careful consideration. So far, they say they’ve made a good decision. “Longview’s a nice town, and we’re happy to be here.”
 
Written in January 2012