A few days ago, my friend Melissa posted this. It was fortuitous, because right before I read it, I was thinking about writing this post.
You see, I grew up in a small town, much like the one she mentioned, and I spent the majority of last weekend there. I loved growing up in a small town; it shaped me into who I am today.My parents moved away from there a few years ago, and so I'm not there anywhere near as often as I used to be. We went there for Swiss Days, an annual event, and although the town was crowded with tens of thousands of people, I still felt like I had come home.
There is something so comforting about knowing a place so well you can close your eyes and picture anything there: a home, an intersection, a person. It was steadying to see people whom I have known almost my entire life, and talk to someone with such shared history. I loved seeing the familiar scenery, smelling the air and drinking the water. I was happy to be there, and so proud that I grew up there. I've been back since my parents moved, but for some reason, this time really struck a chord with me. I had a powerful sense of belonging somewhere; of having a place in the universe. I felt grounded and content. The beauty of the valley spoke to me, and I was soothed. I was home.
You see, I grew up in a small town, much like the one she mentioned, and I spent the majority of last weekend there. I loved growing up in a small town; it shaped me into who I am today.My parents moved away from there a few years ago, and so I'm not there anywhere near as often as I used to be. We went there for Swiss Days, an annual event, and although the town was crowded with tens of thousands of people, I still felt like I had come home.
There is something so comforting about knowing a place so well you can close your eyes and picture anything there: a home, an intersection, a person. It was steadying to see people whom I have known almost my entire life, and talk to someone with such shared history. I loved seeing the familiar scenery, smelling the air and drinking the water. I was happy to be there, and so proud that I grew up there. I've been back since my parents moved, but for some reason, this time really struck a chord with me. I had a powerful sense of belonging somewhere; of having a place in the universe. I felt grounded and content. The beauty of the valley spoke to me, and I was soothed. I was home.
3 comments:
I know how you feel. It is home. Beautiful words and pictures. :)
I still haven't found the feeling of returning home yet. It is like you grow up, leave home and have to wait until you set down your own roots and make a home for your own family before it feels that way again.
One day.
I feel the same way. Jeff and I were up in Midway on Sunday for dinner with the parents, and as we were driving down River Road on our way out of town, I had this warm feeling of "this is HOME!" It always will be!
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