I was born in a small town, and I live in a small town

A few things happened in the last 24 hours that reminded me that I live in a very small town, and I like it that way. First off, we had Angel #2's spring concert last night. The concert and jazz bands did great, as did the concert and jazz choirs. They had 5 or 6 kids singing the solos that won them a chance to compete at state level. But the thing that I noticed is that this is a small enough place that there was more than one song the choir sang that involved God, as well as one of the soloists. It was nice to hear it, and for the record, I wouldn't have been offended if they'd sang Jewish, Hindu or whatever songs. It was just the fact that they aren't afraid to let a higher power into their lives.

Now, on to the second thing that reaffirmed my small townedness (is that a word?). I was driving into town today and saw three teenage boys standing on a side road, all three carrying guns. Unlike in a big city where I'd be wondering who they're planning on shooting at, I simply wondered what they were hunting at this time of year. It's so nice to not even have the thought that you have something to fear come into your head.

Lastly, once I got into town, I went to the library. The librarians know me there. Not only do they know who I am, but when I walked in, one of the first things said was a book recommendation for me, and they were right, it looked good and I checked it out. They know me and they know what I like to read. Then, the checkout lady at the thrift store asked how I enjoyed my first Wisconsin winter after my years in Hawaii. I guess I just like living in a place where people know me, yet, I can stay separated enough from them that they don't know EVERYTHING about me.

So, yeah, small towns don't have things like big performing arts centers, museums, stadiums, etc, but, in my opinion they've got more to offer than the biggest cities in the world.