My heart is home:

Sandy Hook, CT

“The 203”

Here,

I learned how to ride my bike on two wheels

Falling off over and over again on Treadwell Park’s tennis courts

Never giving up

Knees scuffed in bruises while a smile remains on my face to compensate for my tears

Here,

I attended the best public schools where I was a student to many influential teachers

Who are why I am sitting here at my desk

Completing school work to pursue my Secondary Education English degree

To teach and change lives just like they did for me

Here,

My father drives me on Thursday nights

To the Blue Colony Diner bar

For a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sauce

While quoting movie lines that make us laugh and talking about sports

Here,

My mother plants beautiful gardens around our house

And never goes to sleep until all of her children are okay and have what they need

She’s there for my siblings and I

And withholds the qualities of a mom I would like to be someday

Here,

There are numbers and numbers of different kinds of restaurants

And while none of them are fast food places,

There is a local Jumbo Dogs

With foot long hot dogs and the greasiest cheat meal you can indulge

Here,

We have two ice cream shops: one on each side of the town

One with fresh-made ice cream from the cows at the farm across the street

And another ice cream place

With avalanche ice cream: where the toppings are never gone after the first two bites

Here,

I’ve been the youngest child of three

Proudly watching my siblings grow up

I witnessed my brother become an Airman in the United States Air Force

And became an aunt to my nephew, the son of my sister who grew to be a loving mommy

Here,

I became an athlete

I played tee-ball in preschool

Picked up softball and basketball recreationally

And fell in love with field hockey instantly

Here,

I learned resilience

I learned that in the toughest of situations,

Where it feels like the sun won’t rise again for a happy day with clear skies,

The sun will rise again and better days will come

Here,

I learned how fast you can lose someone in life

And how a simple act of kindness

Can spark a change in the world

I experienced how love wins and conquers evil

Home is where my heart is

My heart is at home

Home is a place

That is a close-knit and loving and accepting community

It’s a place where you walk into any grocery store or coffee shop

And have someone to say hello to and hug

It’s a place where your taste buds will always be satisfied

Because of so many options to eat at different types of restaurants

It’s the only place that on the busiest street in town,

Main Street,

There is a flagpole in the center of the road

At a four-way intersection

North

South

East

West

Four coordinates coming together to one point

Representing one nation

One country

One community

One melting pot of cultures

No matter our skin tones

We all embody the qualities to be kind to one another

Our flag flies high in the center of the street

Where all of the coordinates collide

Representing all of the people who are a part of this place I call home

Sandy Hook, CT

a small town

within

the

United States of...

America.