I grew up in small town Iowa. The summer before my freshman year of college i was emailing one of my roommates whom i had not met yet. I mentioned that i lived in a small town and she replied that she also lived in a small town…by “small town” she meant over 8,000 people…a suburb of Minneapolis. I, on the other hand, meant a SMALL TOWN – less than 500 people living in the middle of nowhere.
Where i come from, it is not completely out of the ordinary for a stray cow to wander into town and take a stroll down main street.
Where i come from, the mayor has been known to keep a runaway pig safe while waiting for it’s owner to come pick it up.
Where i come from, we have an annual “Drive Your Tractor to School” day.
Where i come from, a quick walk around town is never actually a quick walk around town…half a dozen people will stop you and want to know how your niece’s cousin’s new baby is doing or if you are engaged yet or how your father’s rheumatism has been.
Where i come from, rumors spread faster than butter melts on a hot day.
Where i come from, you will be expected to participate in the big debate: “Green VS. Red” (i.e. John Deere VS. Case I.H.)
Where i come from, everyone knows when somebody new moves into town.
Where i come from, the grapevine is alive and well…it is quite possible that people will know what you are going to do before you even know it.
Where i come from, i had some of the same teachers that my parents had…and those teachers remembered them.
Where i come from, you can forget a jacket in the park and it will still be there the next day…unless, of course, somebody already found it and brought it back to you.
Where i come from, it is considered rude if you do not wave at somebody when you meet them while driving.
Where i come from, it is not unusual for a tractor, pick-up, and motorcycle sitting side-by-side in the middle of Main Street just having a casual conversation.
Where i come from, the Fire Station is also used as a place for people to go to have coffee in the mornings.
Where i come from, the town will be deserted, and school will be canceled, if the basketball team makes it to state.
Where i come from, a traffic jam is usually caused by a tractor taking up most of the road.
Where i come from, a summer evening can be spent sitting on the front porch as a family and talking to those who walk by.
Where i come from, it’s easier to get out of a ticket because the policeman was also your youth group leader.
Where i come from, we share recipes, we go to church together, we cook meals and bring them to those who need them, we share our lives, joys and difficulties, with each other and it makes our own lives that much better. A lot of people believe that you need to live in a large city if you want to be successful. They are wrong. I live in a large city while i am in college. While there are a few advantages, (more things to do, places to go, etc.) the isolation among the people living there is enough to make me realize that i could never be satisfied living there after having grown up in a real community. Once I was speaking to one of my friends who has lived in a big city his whole life and he was telling me about how he didn’t even know his neighbors.
Coming home for spring break, i get to see people that have known me since the day i was born. They were there to help me celebrate my first birthday; they took me in when i wiped out on my bike right outside their home and cleaned me up and bandaged me; they were there for me when my grandpa passed away; they took my sister and i into their homes and taught us how to sew and bake. I know the people in this town and they know me. We are a family. We work together, play together, grieve together, and rejoice together.
Some people measure success by how much money you make; i believe it should be measured by the impact you make in another persons life. The people in this town have taught me more than i have ever learned in a classroom. I might move away one day, but their lessons will not be forgotten.
The Golden Age is Before Us 