Dear Hometown,
I have to admit -- this time when I came to visit you, I saw that something is different about you. You seem aged. You seem like you've grown up, just like I have. I don't know if it's because I'm used to a big city now, but you seem more frail than I thought you were. But please, don't think this means I love you any less. If anything, I'm more thankful for you now than ever before.
You make me think back to the time when you were all that I knew - you and the people I loved so deeply. Those relationships have come and gone, but their memories remain forever. I have you to thank for that. You house my old high school, my old church, my old playing fields, but I don't feel old; rather, nostalgic. I think about the many homecomings I went too, dressed up and nervous, waiting to be with the boy I cared for so deeply. I think about the fall retreats, summer camps, and fundamental self-building I gained from my church. I think about the many varsity games, nerves and adrenaline, and the moments that will never be replaced as I stood with my team, my family.
When I was still living here, I didn't think I'd ever feel this way about you. In fact, I tried my best to get as far away from you as possible. I thought you had nothing left for me. I ran far from you and maybe got lost in a different city. At the end of the drought, I simply wished to be quenched by your sweetness. I longed to be in the mountains I once saw no purpose in. I desperately wanted to breathe your fresh air - yes, and so fresh it was.
I know why people aren't so fond of you -- I can understand. However, I don't think I could feel that way about you ever again. To me, you are home. You gave me the sweetest friendships, you gave me the love I never knew I could have, and you raised me to be the woman I am today. As I walk the streets, the track, and the cul-de-sac, I see the ghost of myself past. She was once frail, too -- curious about the world outside the mountains. You were there when I suited up for my first game, when I had my first kiss, when I went to prom the first time, and even when I had my heart ripped to pieces. You stood, tall, knowing that I would come back to you one day a better, stronger, braver person. And I did.
No one really knows who you are, although I talk about you on and on. I didn't peak here ; I don't think I ever will, but I know you are a huge part of my future. My time here will only be short from here on out, but you knew years ago that this would be the case. I promise to speak kindly of you, to visit when I can, and to remember you always. You will hold my heart strings, my dearest memories, and a love that cannot be taken. So, hometown, thank you. Thank you for giving me a gift that I never asked for.
Best,
A previous resident.
