I have grown up and lived in my hometown my entire life, and I honestly can’t imagine anything different. To some people, that consideration sounds ludicrous; people move all of the time, and some folks don’t like living in a certain spot any longer than a few years.
My family and I are the complete opposite. In fact, my father has lived in his home his entire life, something not many people can relate to.
Living in a small town often means forming strong relationships with neighbours and others who reside in the area, and these sorts of relationships are something I value deeply. A couple of days ago, our dog, Lenny, seemingly vanished from thin air. I had her with me outside in our yard, and after I put a bag of garbage down around the side of our house, she was gone. At first, I figured she went chasing after a squirrel or something, but after about 20 minutes and no sign of her, I knew something was not right and began panicking.
I let my family know as they live next door to Blaine and I, and they immediately sprang into action to assist me in looking for her. My sister put the word out to our other family, friends and neighbours, and she and I spent most of the afternoon driving and walking around, looking for her.
Thank God she came back home, unharmed. I was in a state of disbelief when she turned up again, and when I began the process of letting everyone know she had returned home, I was absolutely floored to learn how many people took time out of their day to help look for her. I truly could not believe how kind, compassionate, caring and selfless our neighbours, friends and family had been, and while I really shouldn’t have been surprised in the slightest reflecting back on the situation, because we are surrounded by wonderful people, in the moment, it meant the world, and it still does.
I already knew how fantastic our community is, but temporarily losing Lenny proved this to me to an extent I never would have fathomed.
Thank you.
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
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