I have lived in a small Alabama town for my entire life. I sat through all the Friday night football games and explored every dirt road. Now it is time to move on and go to college, and I, surprisingly, am starting to get sad about it. I spent some of the best and worst years of my life in this little town. The memories here are priceless and I'll never forget them. So, to my hometown, it's time to say goodbye.

It's ridiculously surreal how high school graduation has passed and now I'm moving. I'm not going to lie, the transition is going to take some time. I have come to know and love life in my hometown, and now, with moving into a college dorm, I am going to have to start over. I am thankful for my hometown in more than one way. For one, it taught me that a community can become a family. And secondly, it taught me that I am bound for greater things.

I will miss so many aspects of my small town life. Knowing everyone who lives next door and everyone in the grocery store as you go and get milk has become a thing I've grown to be accustomed to. It is going to be hard to be away from everyone I know and love, but this opportunity is a once in a lifetime thing.

So, to my hometown, I will never forget you. I hope to make visits as often as I can. You were where I grew up, where I went to school, and where I will leave my friends and family. I promise to never forget where I came from.