Small Town

  I was born in Massachusetts, in a small town.  My parents grew up there and were high school sweethearts.  When I was 10, we moved away.  My dad's job transferred him first to N.Y. and then to Michigan.  I finished out high school in a very transient community.  Everyone was from somewhere else.  I yearned for a sense of belonging.  I longed for a sense of pride in where I was from, because I never felt I was from anywhere.  I liked to hear my dads stories of growing up in a big family in a small town.  They knew everyone! 
  About a year ago, I got a message in my facebook inbox.  I had recently posted on the fan page of the same small town my parents grew up in.  The message was from a childhood friend that, if I were to hazard a guess, I haven't seen in perhaps 35 years.  Our parents had been close friends and their families knew each other.  And then, (it gets better!) he sent photos!!    What a gift he gave with those photos.  A link to childhood.

  Funny, we live in an urban community.  But it's where my husband grew up.  However,  we still long for a small town.  I guess that's why we bought property where we did, far away from the city. (Hoping one day to call it home!) Maybe it's the mindset I long for.  Or the slow pace.  The sense of community.  Maybe I romanticize it too much.  That small town my parents grew up in isn't small anymore.   I guess no matter where you live, it's the relationships you build that make it home.   I have good friends that make my big town feel a little cozier.