During this time of year, I become more aware of the little things in my life. One of the biggest things I'm thankful for is my childhood in my hometown. I've only begun to realize how special my hometown really is, even after all the years I grew to resent it in high school.

Last week I had a conversation in the Dunkin Donuts line with a girl from my hometown, talking about how unique growing up there is. Only people who've grown up in a small town that you love to hate can really understand it. It magically manages to unify you in a completely inexplicable way.

To Holliston,

Thank you for teaching me that reputation is not everything there is to know about a person. One of the downsides of growing up a small town is knowing everyone you go to kindergarten with until you cross the stage at high school graduation. Some of us never manage to break out of our reputations, but everyone I got to know in my high school years was never easily defined by words. When I got to college, I always tried to make my own judgments of people because my high school taught me that people are more than the words used to describe them.

Thank you for giving me a place that I rush to come home to every college break. I've never felt so loved and embraced by a place than I have in my hometown. When I went through a rough patch last semester in college, coming home for the weekend was the only way I made it through until the end. Everyone who knew what I was going through went out of their way to make me feel loved and cared for, so I never felt like I was going through anything on my own.

Thank you for teaching my the importance of community. One of the defining factors of my experience growing up was seeing how unified the town became in the face of tragedy. When we lost members of our community too early, people who didn't even know the families showed up, offering their support for the loss. I've learned that we're always stronger together, and a little support really does go a long way. From Friday night football games to church mission trips, the people are always there for others in a way that is unfathomable. You cannot explain this community; you just have to live it.

Thank you for giving me friends that I consider as family. Coming home to my town is like coming home to a crazy extended family, complete with crazy aunts, uncles, and cousins who aren't even my blood relatives. I have countless adopted siblings because of the love and joy that this little town holds. Friends are the family we get to choose and honestly I wouldn't want to call anyone else my family.

Thank you for teaching me how to fall and how to get back up. One of the scariest things about small towns is everyone thinks they know the personal details of your life, even when they really don't. High school knocked me onto my butt, kicked me to curb and then into the gutters. I felt like I suffered more than I succeed but, at the end of the day, I learned what success really meant. It didn't mean being popular or being liked; it meant waking up every day and going to school and proving everyone wrong. I learned that doing better would always mean more than giving up.

Thank you for giving me the safety and security that every kid needs. One of the best things was growing up in a place that was safer than anything. I have never felt safer sitting in my living room watching an episode of "Criminal Minds" than I do in my childhood home. The only downside of this being that all businesses close by 10 p.m., but in the words of "HIMYM," nothing good happens after 2 a.m. anyways.

Finally, thank you for loving me even when I hated you and wanted to move 1,000 miles away from you. Before I left for college, I would never say I loved where I come from. I rushed through senior year of high school, trying to go anywhere that was far, far away from where I grew up. But being away for a year and a half, I can honestly say there's no place I'd be prouder to be from. Not everyone gets to have the experiences I did. Not everyone gets to look forward to coming home to a family that makes up an entire town. Having everyone know my name, my parents, and my reputation sometimes sucks, but it's comforting to know that I get to come home to a community that truly cares about my successes and my failures.

I promise you no matter what, you will miss it when you're gone. In light of everything that is going on in the world, life is too short not to love it and take it as it comes. My hometown provided me with everything I needed, love, support and unity. It challenged me and pushed me to be proud of the person I am today. No matter where I go in the world, I'm always proud to tell them where I come from.