After going to college over 2 hours away, it made me realize how great I had it back home. Don’t get me wrong, I love my school, the city it's in and the people, but there is just something about home that will forever hold a very large part of my heart. I know there are people who once they graduate say they’ll never come back. They hate our hometown and never want to visit or spend another day there. I just want to say thank you to my hometown for everything it's done and given me.
Dear Hometown,
Thank you for making me proud to be where I’m from. Like any hometown, there're things that everyone hates. Growing up, I wanted to get out, I never wanted to come back, I just wanted to leave. Honestly, I’m sorry. I may not ever see myself living in you ever again, but I will visit and I will be proud. You helped mold me into the person I am today and I will be forever grateful for that.
Thank you for the endless relationships. Thanks to you, I have a family of over 3,000+. Words cannot express how amazing it is to be able to go to the grocery store, the stores downtown or even just on a walk and being able to see familiar faces who have been there since day 1 of your life. Growing up in the same town as being born in, I wanted to say thank you for the group of friends. I know friends are friends, but thank you for friends who are family. Not many people can say that they’ve grown up with the same group of people from preschool to senior year of high school, and still being a close knit group. I know friendships come and go, but thankfully we are all able to bond over something, and that something is you.
Thank you for the opportunities. Whether it's in sports, academics, or work, you gave us so many opportunities to explore the outside of our small community. You opened our horizons to see what our full potential was before we even had a small idea of what was actually out there.
Thank you for the endless support. You’ve supported me since before I can remember and honestly, there is no better feeling. You’ve watched me grow up from a baby to a young adult and have been there every step of the way.
Thank you for the memories. Of course, every kid from every town says they have amazing memories, but ours are better than the rest. You are the place that all my childhood memories happened; my first time riding a bike, my first set of stitches, my first day of school, my first time driving, and my graduation day. You are the place that so many memories happened and nowhere could ever replace those.
Clearly there are things I’m missing about you, but you have been way too good to me. I know there are some bad to go along with the good, but your greatness will forever overcome that in my eyes.
I know I once said I hated you, but I truly do love you. Of course, there're things that I hate about you, but I just want you to know how proud I actually am to be from a place like you. We both may grow older, and clearly, go our separate ways, but my heart will always be with you.
Thanks again for being where I’m from. I am forever grateful.
Love,
One of the many who you raised
