It will always be Home

Over the weekend Alma, GA celebrated its 100th birthday. A monumental occasion in any life, even that of a town, the local citizens had been planning a celebration for nearly a year. My own beloved father was set to act in the Centennial play and ride in the parade. Being a dutiful daughter, I felt the need to spend the weekend helping Alma celebrate. I'm quite glad that I did.....because it reminded me of the reasons that I will always love that town.

On Thursday night, a myriad of townspeople packed into the local theater to watch other town folk portray the 100 years of Alma history. As I watched the 2 hour production, I was amazed at the hard work and effort that went into the play. I learned my first lesson of the weekend .... Small towns always remember their roots....

On Friday night, the local high football team was slated to face a tough opponent. The team is small in size and slow in speed, but they make up for it in heart. Prior to kickoff, a ceremony honoring all past State Champions.... Lesson 2: Small town heroes never die....and they accomplishments are always worth remembering. . The Raiders took a tough loss to our opponents, but the stands remained full until the end.... Lesson 3: We support our own, for better or worse .

Saturday afternoon saw the streets lined with cars, trucks, SUVs and lots of people are eagerly awaiting the parade (and the free candy that accompanies parades). I rode with Daddy in the VFW float (okay, it was an F-150 with posters). As I sat in the backseat, tossing out tootsie rolls and bubble gum, a variety of people shouted my name -- waving at me and telling me how happy they were to see me. The greetings continued the entire parade route and well into the evening's festivities. I hadn't seen some of these people in nearly 6 years....Lesson 4: No matter how far away you go or how long you stay away, your hometown will always be home.....and you will always be welcomed back with open arms.