Hometown Lessons

          I was born and raised in Cumming, Georgia in Forsyth County. It’s a big city with a small town feel. On the north end of the county, where I grew up, almost anywhere you drive, pastures and every kind of livestock will surround you. But then after just a few more miles of driving, you’ll run into suburban neighborhoods with tiny backyards and picket fences. However, these types of communities didn’t begin popping up in North Forsyth until recent years.

            At my grandmother’s house (just down the street from mine), her walls are filled with pictures of her and her siblings growing up on their parent’s large plantation which once stood where one of the newest neighborhoods was built a few years ago. Anytime I’ve asked, my grandmother can tell endless stories about her childhood and how she would spend all day, from dusk to dawn, running around through the mazes of corn, climbing the tall oak trees, and picking honeysuckles from the bushes behind the barn. Because of this, my grandmother’s generation that grew up in this area of the county have adapted a way of living and a view of the world that many people cannot relate to nowadays. They see everything in the most simplistic way and the land they grew up on taught them to work hard and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

            Listening to those stories and seeing the pictures of what used to be “small town Cumming, Georgia” and then driving down back roads that are now surrounded by shopping malls and suburban neighborhoods has definitely impacted my way of living. Sometimes, I get so caught up in the hustle of everyday life that I forget to sit back and take in the beauty of life. There are so many things my hometown has taught me, especially that things can change physically on the outside, but they still have stories to tell and so much to offer.