“Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to.”
- John Ed Pearce
Let me start off by saying, thank you. There I said it… I said something I never would have thought I’d hear myself saying. The first time I ever heard myself saying those words was the year I moved away for college.
Reminiscing on my childhood, I can’t help but think of all the times I said I hated you and couldn’t wait to move away. I can’t help but think of all those times I used to think how boring you were and how there was nothing to do in our small town. I never truly appreciated your true beauty until now. Now that I’m miles upon miles away, I wish I could take it all back. Given the opportunity to I would in a heartbeat.
Now that I’ve moved away to college I often find myself saying I can’t wait to visit you again. As I travel back and forth between campus and home on the weekends I can’t help remind myself each and every time that home is where the heart is. Each time I travel back home I can’t help but notice how different home appears to be. When I see how different you have become I can’t help but wish it was all a dream.
Whether it’s the whole in the wall places or the quirky little stores in the center of town you always seize to amaze me. Each time I come home there seems to be a new spot in our little town that seems to become the newest talk of the town. I can’t help but see the town beach, the famous ice cream shops, and movie theaters all become a distant memory. All the old hangout spots seem to have been left in the dark.
"We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere"
-Tim McGraw
From time to time, I can’t help but think of the individuals I used to go to school with. Although we have lost contact, and times seem to be a faint memory I want to say, thank you. Thank you for being a part of the experience that has made me who I am today. Without you all, I am not sure if I would have gotten as far as I have today.
Thank you for setting such high standards in my life with where I call my home away from home. As I call campus my new home away from home, I can’t help but compare it with you. As I sit in my dorm room, I can’t help but feel as though I’m living in a cold prison cell. Don’t get wrong I’ve only been in a prison cell for the pure fact of educational field trips for class. I see the white cinder block walls that I try and cover them with strung Christmas lights, photos, and canvases. No matter how much I try and decorate my room, nothing can come close to my room at home.
No matter where life may take me, you will always hold a very special place in my heart. No longer will you hear me say I can’t wait to leave, instead you will hear me say I can’t wait to be in your loving arms again. Thank you for all the amazing experiences, I can’t wait to see what life has in store for us. As life takes us on new adventures and to new places in life, I want you to always remember...
“Don’t forget where you came from but never lose sight of where you are going”
