I was born in a small town.....

Well, I don't know if I was really born in a small town. Being an Air Force brat, I was born in Blytheville, Arkansas - but since I was 10, I have lived in a small town. Tallassee to be exact. I don't know anything but small town living. During my younger years, I yearned to grow up and live in a bigger city. Not Atlanta big, but definitely not Tallassee small. Turns out, I fell for a small town guy in my own class and the rest is history. I have a sister in law that has lived in large cities all her life (think Denver and Seattle). For a small period, she and my brother moved to Kent, Alabama. Kent makes Tallassee look like the capital of Alabama. One red light and one store small. It liked to drove her crazy - so I guess it is a matter of what you get used to. I just don't think I could handle the big city. I have a friend that moved to Atlanta and she talked about how long the drive was to work. We are not talking alot of distance, it just depended on how many accidents were on the road that day. Nope, I don't think I would handle that too well. Anybody that knows me, knows I am a clock watcher. That would just be too much stress. I like knowing that I can run to Walmart and if I don't get behind somebody slow poking (not alot of passing on small town roads) I can go and get back in around 30 minutes. My girls also benefited from a small town. Everybody knew everybody. They went to school in classes that weren't too big. Jamie had one of the biggest graduating classes that had come through THS in awhile...123 students.


To me the best part of being from a small town is the sense of caring. Not too long ago, we had a brutal attack on a beloved elderly couple in our city. For a moment in time, that was what everybody had on their mind. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing about this couple. There is no way of ever knowing this side of heaven how many prayers went up from the small town of Tallassee on behalf of this family. Just watch when someone dies in our small town - the town's arms are opened up to the grieving family. Come to our Relay for Life and you will be astonished how much money our small town can raise. Come to a football game and you might find yourself standing due to not being able to find a seat. Tallassee does Homecoming right. It starts on Thursday nights and finishes up on a Saturday night. Most spouses of returning graduates are usually astonished how much goes into making Homecoming special for the current graduates and the returning graduates.

Small town spirit is alive and strong. No matter how hard you try, it just can't be duplicated in big cites. Maybe they are just too big to get to know people. In a small town, there is a sense of belonging and knowing people, even if it's just a little bit. I know some people, only by seeing them in and about my small town.

Ahhh, small town living. Oh, thats probably where they'll bury me.

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Matthew 5:14b