Week one at James Madison University has been nothing but fun. I miss my family so much, but I love making new friends and going on new adventures. We have had a very busy week, and we have gone to a lot of different lectures and activities. On Saturday, we went to a seminar titled "WE are JMU." It was all about diversity and understanding that everyone comes from different places and has different hidden stories. It was about accepting everyone for who they are, because you never really know what baggage they are carrying with them. George Ella Lyon wrote a poem titled "Where I'm From," and it included several things that described the place she was raised and who helped raised her.

At this seminar, we got to write our on poems, mimicking the one Lyon wrote. We then got to share them to our group, so that they would know a little more about where we were from. This activity hit my heart, and I feel compelled to share my poem, so here is my poem:

Where I'm From

I'm from a small town

with a big deck and a grill out back.

I'm from jumping with the neighbors on the trampoline,

and from "money don't grow on trees."

I'm from sunny one second and snowing the next,

and very humid summers outside by the pool.

I'm from Sugar Shack donuts in the mornings,

and Shyndigz in the evenings.

I'm from gossip at the hair salon.

I'm from Sno Shack and Friday night lights.

I'm from walking around barefoot Sunday morning at church

and family pictures at Maymont.

From "I love you more,"

and bed time kisses whenever I'm feeling down.

I'm from "Duct tape fixes everything,"

and "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I'm from an older brother who loves me dearly,

and two parents who love me unconditionally.

I'm from everyone knows everyone

and nobody even tries to have secrets.

I'm from Rebels football and little league baseball.

I'm from Mexican food every Tuesday

and family dinners every Sunday.

I'm from Confederate flags

and hanging out in the Food Lion parking lot.

I'm from jacked-up trucks with dirt all over the sides,

From bonfires and mud bogs.

I'm from a place where bad things don't happen,

except for that one thing that ruined way too many lives.

I'm from sweet tea and "It'll be fine."

From fried chicken, collard greens and mashed potatoes.

I'm from trips to the beach;

A quiet little beach that nobody but the locals know about.

I'm from divorce,

But I'm from love so strong I can barely stand it.

I'm from a place that everyone wants to leave,

but no one every does.

I'm from a place that makes me so happy,

and I feel so much love from.

I'm from a town where home isn't a place, it's a feeling.