I come from an extremely small town where Friday night football games are the highlight of the week, Sundays are for Jesus, and your cousin is probably your teacher and your hairdresser. If you leave the house you better look good because you are bound to run into Betty, Sheila, Mrs. Mills, Chris, and Dr. Stevens. You better not get into trouble or every kid in school will know by second period Monday and so will your crush. You have to hang out in parking lots because there is no movie theater and gossip is unfortunately the only form of entertainment. This and so much more drove me insane as a teenager. Constantly I was griping about moving away and never coming back, but now I cannot help but to be so grateful every time I return that every person I pass knows my name, there is literally never traffic, and the stands are always full of screaming fans.

I have discovered a whole new world outside of my quaint, little comfort zone. A world where people are not quite as blessed to have graduated with the kids from their kindergarten homeroom or to have known family owned business that care more for the customer than the product. A world where the whole town does not attend your wedding, friendships do not last, and large families are a rarity. A world where your elementary school principle does not remember you, the beauty shop is not full of gossip, and there is no festival with dizzying rides or southern cooked food booths. This is a world that I am not accustomed to and for this very reason, and more, I have grown to be beyond thankful for my hometown, the place where my heart truly is!

Reasons to be thankful for your hometown…

1. Your hometown is one of the most influential places in your life.

This little place with a court house in the center of the square, that just installed self check-out at the grocery store, and never updated to a Super Walmart, played a large role in shaping who you are. That place where the population is practically nonexistent made you the person you are today. My hometown taught me to stand up for myself and what I believe in. My hometown taught me to work hard and to be kind. My hometown showed me that having just a bit of faith can work miracles. My hometown made me the God fearing and passionate person I am today.

2. Your hometown is unique.

There may not be a movie theater, shopping mall, bowling alley, or speed limit above 55, but every place has something different that makes the area stand out. My hometown host a festival that I simply cannot wait to get to every single year no matter how old I get because I cannot miss the fried food, live music, ride lines, and the people! My hometown has family owned and operated restaurants that no chain could ever possibly compare to and the service is like family. My hometown is full of high school football fans that travel near and far to support our team. My hometown is much different than the fast paced life of the big cities and that is perfectly fine.

3. The People.

This has to be the greatest and most important reason for me. These people have seen you at your worst and still love you, or at least they tolerate you. The people in your hometown are the friends you met on the playground, the little lady from next door that always gave you candy, the teacher that inspired you every single day, the boy that broke your heart and probably attempted to put that back together more than once, and your family. These people are the neighbors that prayed for you and sent over baked goods during tough times. The kids you babysat and the your teammates. I am thankful that my hometown has blessed me with so many amazing people that I will never forget and will forever be thankful for.

Each time I visit home my heart grows happy the very minute that welcome sign comes to my line of vision. Each visit home I become more and more thankful to be from such a beautiful and tiny town that I never quite gave enough credit. I truly regret not soaking in every second that I possibly could on the small streets, evening cruises, and nights spent on the sideline. Though I will never regret leaving because if Ii had not I would probably still be totally unaware of just how lucky we all are. I am so grateful for my hometown and thank God every single day.

Shout out to all of my people in the 40906, good old Barbourville, Kentucky! Go Panthers