Small Town Wonders

When I was going into high school, my family decided it was time to get out of the growing San Joaquin Valley of California and move north.  Very devasting news for a 13 year old girl who had grown up with the same friends her whole life.  I was from a town that at the time had 7 grammar schools and 2 high schools.  I graduated 8th grade and left that all behind, having no choice in the matter.

We moved to a TINY town in northeastern California to a ranch about 30 times as big as the one I had spent my entrie life on.  The kicker...my new high school had 106 students, my class had 23 (7 girls and 16 boys).  At that point, I wasn't exactly happy......flash forward......It was one of the best things that ever happened to me.  At that small high school, I made some of the best friends ever.  We were more like a family.  I had opportunities that would have never arisen in a large school.  If I would have gone to the big high school where I was from, I would have been in band (which would have been great), but I would have probably never played sports.  At my new school, I played 3 sports, was active in student government, speech contests, FFA and the list goes on.  I am so thankful for my small town experience. After college, I came back to a small town, got married and raised a family.

I feel very lucky that my children have been given the same opportunity.  They have become well-rounded individuals that know how to get things done AND they have twenty sets of parents looking out for them at all times.  My son left last year for college 1800 miles away, my daughter plans to go away to college too.  It is reassuring to me that they both have had so many different experiences to help them deal with life and people.

We have so much to be proud of in our small town.  The youth is a big part of that.  Just this weekend our novice FFA Parli-Pro Team won the STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!  Small town, school of 153 students, competing against every other chapter big or small, and we won.  A few years back, our advanced FFA Parli-Pro team won state and was 2nd in the nation.  Not too bad for a small school. 

I could go on and on, from the athletic championships, athletic scholarships, national individual academic recognition, distinguished school status, and to the professionals that have come out of our small town. My point is that great things can happen in a small town.  Opportunity presents itself everyday.  Our youth is given the chance to experience a multitude of activities and experiences and they are blessed with the support network of a small community.

Sure we don't have a mall around the corner or a movie theatre with ten choices each day. (We have one movie, each weekend, playing Friday - Sunday at 7 pm).  What we do have are opportunities to take a hold of, people to help and cheer us on and a family that could never fit around our dining table.

Are you from a small town?  Look around at the many small town wonders...

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. - William James