I was born in a small town

Well, I don't know if I was actually born in a small town. I was born in Blytheville, Arkansas, but since the age of ten, I have lived in a small town. Tallassee to be exact. When I was younger, I yearned to grow up and move to a bigger city. Not Atlanta big, but certainly not Tallassee small. Turns out, I married a Tallassee man and the rest is history. I have come to love the small town living way of life. I have a sister in law that has only lived in big cities - think Denver and Seattle. She came to live in Kent, Alabama for a while and hated it. Kent makes Tallassee look like a metropolis, so I guess it is all about what you are used to. I have a friend that moved to Atlanta and she always complained how long it took to commute to work. Now, we aren't talking a lot of distance, it just all depended on how many wrecks were on the road that day. Nope, I don't think I would handle that very well. I like knowing that I can run to Walmart and if I don't get behind any slow pokes ( no passing on small town roads ), I can usually go and get back within 30 minutes.


My kids benefited from going to school in a small town. Most of the time, parents knew the teachers before they became our children's teacher. Most of the classes are small, so everybody knew everybody in their graduating class. Jamie had one of the biggest graduating classes to come through THS in awhile - 123 students.


I like the sense of caring that comes from being in a small town. Not too long ago, our community was shocked when a beloved elderly couple was brutally attacked in their home. This doesn't happen very often, and it stopped us all in our tracks. For a small moment in time, we were all mad and worried at the same time. There is no way of knowing this side of heaven how many prayers went up for this family from our small town. Watch when someone dies - the community opens up their arms to help. Or just let someone have a tragedy in their life and you will see the community open up their pocketbooks with fundraisers to help the family out. Come to our Relay for Life and you will be astonished how much money our small town can raise. Come to one of our football games and you might find yourself standing due to a sell out crowd.


I like the sense of knowing people in a small town, even if just a little bit. I see people that I don't really know, but know them when I see them. Community spirit is alive and strong in small town living. No matter how hard you try, it just can't be duplicated in big town living. Maybe there are just too many people that you can't get to know them all. Maybe there is just too much going on to get to know people. Too much hustle and bustle of big city life. I just know it isn't for me. I like visiting the big city, but don't care to live in one.


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


A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Matthew 5:14b