Growing up in a small town has taught me so much. It has showed me how a small community can come together in different tragedies. Growing up in a small town shaped my life in more ways than I could even imagine. Yes, the town did have several thousands of people but it was not a big city, nor will I ever think of it as a big city. When I first moved to our small town, it was definitely growing but never would I have imagined it would have grown like this. Expanding to multiple elementary, middle and high schools. Not just expanding in schools, but as well as many shopping centers and big businesses, it is easy to lose the small town feel. Midlothian however still maintains that quaint, homey, and caring community that possesses many small towns.

Moving from one small town to another when I left for school taught me that it was not just our town who loved each other and lent a helping hand when in a time of need. In Stephenville, when the tornado hit in March 2016, our small community immediately reached out and people you did not even know were there in a heartbeat, helping people search for as many things as possible that were still salvageable. Many people will think that Stephenville is not a small town because it is full of college students. But to me it is a small town. I may not know nearly as many people here and the people I do know are college students, but there is still the homey feel that I have when I am here.

My hometown will always have a place in my heart because of the community I grew up with. Just like Stephenville, we are made up of the most genuine and caring people who are there even if you do not know who they are. When my family’s house was hit by the December 2015 tornado, there were all sorts of people helping their neighborhood and neighborhoods around who we did not even know. I had friends who offered help and to donate stuff. There were random people reaching out to us and that is what makes our small town have a special place in my heart. When there are students that pass away or alumni of the school, the town gets together and loves on each other and is a constant support system. It is not easy losing a friend or a family member. Having a community that can come together when tragedy strikes is one of the many reasons I love my hometown. No matter how much it continues to grow, it will always have that small town mentality and that is what I love about it.

I do not think that people who live in a big city get the same feeling as us small town goers do. So due to that, I am thankful for the small town I have grown up in and the small town that I currently live in. And I know that I would not have wanted to grow up anywhere else.