May 24, 2011

Home

Think for a minute about where you live. Do you consider that your hometown? I know that I don't. If you are like me you can see it in your Facebook profile, there is the place where you currently live, and then there is your hometown. At some point I am going to have to face facts and realize that my hometown is Old Bridge, New Jersey. Although I am not sure how that day will actually come about.
Downtown Geneseo, complete with a fountain
I grew up in rural upstate New York in a town called Geneseo. It was at the time a one stop light town, one and a half if you count the flashing yellow at one end of Main Street. It was one of those beautiful Rockwellian type places where most of the houses dated to the early 19th century. Its two biggest claims to fame are that it's the home of SUNY Geneseo and it has a fountain with a bronze bear smack in the middle of Main Street.  Life was very simple. As a kid I don't think I fully appreciated what the town had to offer and I know a lot kids couldn't wait to get out and see what the rest of the world was like.
The annual Memorial Day parade
I am headed to Geneseo this Memorial Day weekend. My family and I have made it yearly tradition that we visit grandma and grandpa to help them plant their garden, and to take in one of the nicest Memorial Day parades that you will find. It's so nice in fact, they do it twice, once each way down Main Street. It's one of those small town traditions that I just don't get where I live now. I love taking my boys to where I grew up and I know they love going there as well.
Tyler helping Grandma plant the garden
My mom and dad have lived in the same house for the past 43 years so it's easy for me to call the place home. I know there will be a day when they no longer live there, unfortunately we know how life works. I would like to think that there would still be a reason for me to get back to Geneseo, but I know that probably wouldn't be the case. Sure there would be the occasional high school reunion but it just wouldn't be the same anymore. I am not prepared yet to change the status of my hometown and hopefully I don't have to worry about it for many more years to come. I might not have fully appreciated it when I was a kid and I haven't lived there for over half my life, but it's always nice to know that wherever I am there is a place that I can call home.


John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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1 comment:

  1. We moved around a lot throughout my life, so I've never really had "home." I spent 10 years in one place so I like to call that my hometown, but since the rest of my family moved away, it isn't really home anymore. And since we moved away from the town the rest of my family lives in, is where I live home? Or is where the rest of my family live, home?

    So I think it's pretty cool that you still have a place to consider "home." :) Have a great trip this weekend and enjoy the gardening.

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