I have been thinking about what to write about for a new blog for the past couple of days. I started thinking about what it meant for me to grow up in a small town, in the family that I was raised in. I thought for today I would just share my experiences growing up in LA.
I grew up and lived in Lascassas, TN until just recently. Starting when I was 17 I started living part time in Murfreesboro, and now own a home in the Boro, but plan on moving back to LA one day. Growing up in a small, rural town, within bike riding distance to your aunt's and your best friend's house (Kylie and I did this one day without telling Mom and Dad....not a good idea...) in Tennessee shaped my life. My most fond memories are from the summers when I was a child, living in the South during the Summer, though at times its so hot you may see lava erupt, is one of the greatest blessings I feel. My summers consisted of being outside in the yard, swimming at Nissan or in a plastic pool at home, stringing green beans, planting something and everything, hanging clothes out to dry on a line, riding bikes, going to VBS... We didn't have cell phones, we didn't have computers, and my mother and a lot of mothers didn't work outside of the home except for maybe an occasional cleaning job or a "seeding and strawing" job at a lot for my grandpa. I remember my childhood being slow, nothing was rushed, nothing was strenuous, I was able to take in everything of the world around me. I'm only 21, for me to remember a time when people weren't glued to their cell phones, didn't have computers to play on facebook every day with, and many women didn't even have a job is so mind blowing to me! Many children as young as 10 years old have cell phones now! We use computers every day for everything, most of our cell phones even have internet access, and for a woman to not have a job today is almost unheard of. Sometimes I wish we could go back and live in a world that wasn't so rushed and hurried.
A bit about my family. I was blessed with a HUGE extended family on my mother's side. Mom has 6 siblings and those siblings each have 2-6 kids, and most of those kids have a few kids...I think I have close to 50 cousins just on Mom's side! And luckily most of them lived close by. I lived right down the road from my aunt Cathy, uncle Nelson and two cousins Josh and Tami. I think I was at their house as much, if not more, than I was at my own house growing up! During the summer especially, the mamas and us kids were always together! I miss those days so much now. Now that I'm old enough to appreciate the childhood I had.
Today, take a moment to reflect on the people that you grew up with, say a prayer for them to be blessed today as they once blessed your life.
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