Some people are really ashamed of where they come from. They say things like "I can't wait to get outta this town" or "I know there's somewhere better out there." When I was in high school, I felt the same way. I told my sweet mother, who has lived in the same town her entire life, that I would never live there when I grew up. It was just too small and too country for me. Since then, I've had a change of heart.
It's funny how much your home can pull you back when you've been away for awhile. Growing up, I thought my life would be different. I was convinced I'd be "discovered" and would be a major Hollywood actress living in LA. Not even close. I'm an administrative assistant at a University in Tennessee. And it's beautiful here--especially in the fall.
But I have a longing. My heart has been tugging, ever so gently, towards Texas for the last year. I miss my family and friends, I miss the hot summers and mild winters, and I even miss the sound of the train on the tracks behind my parents house. I miss the park with the crazy ducks that chase you around until you surrender your sandwich. I miss Chicken Express. I miss the feeling that wherever I go in town, there is probably someone there that knows me and loves me. I miss summer nights when we'd buy a Sonic Blast and it would melt to perfection when you leave the windows down. I miss Friday Night Football and the chill in the stands in October. I miss my Momma, my Daddy, my Meemaw and Papaw. They're all there, waiting.
Soon, I'll be heading back to my hometown. And I couldn't think of a better place to be.
