A lot of people see living in a small, rural community as a hardship, but to those of us that grew up in communities as such see them as a blessing. Growing up in #IdahocityIdaho was one of the greatest things my parents could have ever done for me. What people don’t seem to realize is that small communities take care of one another, in hardships, heartbreaks, and disasters.

Small towns also mean small schools. From the first day of preschool to High school graduation I watched the same people grow day by day into the wonderful adults they are today. When tragedy struck our community we were all there to hold and support one another.

If there was a rough winter and someone didn’t have enough firewood to make it through the season, the community joined forces and got them the firewood they needed. If there was someone who couldn’t get out of their driveway because of the four feet of snow that appeared overnight, there was no hesitation to call the local construction companies to come and plow them out. If someone’s house burned down in a freak chimney fire, then the community will give them whatever they need. If a community members house is lost in a forest fire, then those that were more fortunate do what they can to help those with nothing. If a family is struggling to keep food on the table because of the loss of a job, then the community provides, canned goods, frozen meats, fresh produce, all from their own fruits of labor.

Living in a small town my entire life gave me the opportunity to learn the true worth of my community. I learned to be independent, the worth of family time, to gain respect you have to give respect and in order to earn your keep you have to work hard. Growing up in a small town gave me the opportunity to learn to appreciate what I have and that everything isn’t as accessible in small towns as it is in big cities. You can’t just run to the grocery store when you need something, you have to either learn to live without it or what till the bi-weekly trip to the nearest big town for it. I learned to appreciate what I had, my family, my extended family, the woods right outside my back door, great hunting ground, and the community that was ready to help whenever anyone was in need. So really, growing up in a small town was the greatest thing my parents could have done for me because I always knew that at any given moment there would always be someone there to catch me when I fell.