Family time is always a good time -- or at least it should be if everyone is getting along with each other. That's never really been a problem with my family but I've heard horror stories from other people.
This weekend all of my immediate family were able to be together at my parents house. It makes for a house full of people, but it is good to see everyone. We are fortunate in that we all live fairly close together. It seems though that we don't get together very frequently.
The occasion of our getting together was the annual "celebration" in our home town. I spent the first 20-something years of my life in the same town -- except while I was away at A&M. There is no doubt that I have a home town. My children didn't have that experience. I asked my son what he considered his home town and he replied that he guessed where we live now would be it since we've lived here the longest. He went on to say that he's lived in 7 different towns while growing up and he feels some connection to the last 3 of them. I guess that makes sense just from his age and ability to remember events that occurred in each of those places.
I wonder if the concept of home town is tied to a sense of duration. My mother has lived in the same community her entire life. Her parents came to that community in the 1930's. My father adopted that community when he started his career and has remained there. I suspect he still considers his home town to be the small community in Southwestern Oklahoma where he spent his childhood. But, he has lived where he is now much longer.
Maybe home town is a sense of place associated with childhood. It is a point of formation of our hopes and dreams and experiences. It is a sense of place that endures for no reason other than as an anchor to the dreams of our youth.
It would be interesting to me if any of you readers would like to share what your idea and feelings are regarding your home town. Share the name of the place if you wish and why you consider it your home town. If you have written of your home town before, feel free to link back to any such posts.
6 comments:
Raising a family with any resemblance of a heritage or a tie to a hometown can be hard during this day and time. My hometown is Nacogdoches and it always will be no matter how long I am in Central Texas. My kids will probably consider where we live now as their hometown. My dad did a great job of creating a place for four boys to call home and that is what I want for my kids.
I have the most wonderful memories of home. I'm one of those people who cry over the Maxwell house commercials at Christmas. You know the one, son comes home from college, little sister meets him at the door, and mom's a little weepy. They give me the warmest feelings and I'm suddenly "at home." Lovely isn't it?!
I probably feel like I'm living my hometown because I've spent most of my life here but I don't. Toledo is my hometown. I spent most of my child hood there. I get misty when I see the Maumee River so I guess it's home.
I lived all over the planet, but I settled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia 21 years ago. It's pretty much home now. My kids were both raised here, it's the only home they knew, but they were both anxious to leave and go off to school.
You have an awesome site.
My husband and I have an ongoing converstation about what home is...he says..."I bet you never dreamed you would have 3 trailers in your backyard, 4 horses, and be driving to speed rodeos every other weekend when you were a little girl"...well, the answer is no, I was a city girl from Houston and I would not have ever thought this. However...I would not trade it for anything. To see my kids and husband happy doing what we do is all worth it. Who knows, I may become a professional horse trailer haulin' woman!
By the way...we are related to that plowing, sowing and occasional harvest guy. He rocks. Keep on doing what you do.
I love my hometown and family history.
My great Grandfather purchased the property that I grew up on in 1850's, we're talking 10's of 1,000's of acres.
It is now all developed but the name is still there and I like that.
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