A summer has passed by extremely quickly and here I am, about to leave home once again. I am more than ready to be back on my own, adventuring and learning about myself. I miss my new friends, my new town and all of the great things about it.

As I pack my bags and close the door to my childhood bedroom another time and say goodbye to my family and friends, I look forward to the future. It's unknown, a little scary, but exciting all at the same time.

After being away for a year already, I learned that family is always there and they always will be. No amount of time can cause my family to drift apart. They will be the same when I come back as they are now and that is extremely comforting.

So, to my family, thank you for your support as I take on another year as a college student. Thanks for your time, your love and all of your help along the way. I really couldn't be doing what I am without you.

To my friends from home, things may change as time goes by. We will grow as people, but at the end of the day, we will always carry the memories we have of each other. I'll miss you just as I did before, and I will look forward to seeing you soon. I cherish our friendship and all the memories we have. That will never change.

There really is no place like home. There is a comfort about being in the place I have always known. I know my way around all of the backroads. I know every detail about every place to go. I see neighbors and friends every time I go out. These things are what I miss the most when I'm gone.

I miss the people that make home so very special. I miss the feeling I get when I cross my hometown's city lines. I miss seeing people I used to know and going places I used to love. No matter how much I want to leave sometimes, home will always be home.

I will always love the place I grew up, no matter how many new people I meet and no matter how many places I go. I will probably be different the next time I come home. I will have experienced new things and met new people. I will have grown as a person. I find myself changing every day that I'm away from home. That's what always happens, isn't it? I find myself growing and learning more about myself every single day.

These things happen every time I leave, but home remains constant. It will be the same the next time I visit. It will always be comforting and full of love. Home is special, important and different than any other place I may go.

No matter who I become or what I take on in the next year of my life, I will always come back home.