Hometown

Like any other romantic movie, I used to daydream as a kid that it would be so sweet to have someone take you to meet his parents, introduce you to most (if not all) of his friends and family, and show you the places he grew up with — his favorite spot, his high school, all the corners dear to his heart.

As our journey unfolded, I realized that dream was becoming reality, and I’m truly grateful for that. We didn’t capture everything in photos or video, but among all our travels, my favorite moments are the ones that reminisce on our childhood. Like the story of the house he lived in alone during his teenage years, or the street he’d walk down to catch the school bus. My husband is a great storyteller — he’ll even narrate the smell of firewood and the flicker of the flames, and I’ll just sit there in the passenger seat, in awe, trying to imagine it. But I truly believe the most precious moments aren’t captured by a camera — they’re captured by the heart.

I guess the real takeaway is to stay young while we can, and make plenty of memories to look back on — because we’ll need them on our dark days. That’s what my dad used to tell us as kids, and I feel lucky to have parents who wanted to create those memories with us, and who were able to.

With that, I’m just grateful — for my family, my friends, my hometown, and the places very dear to my heart, all of which I now get to share with my husband.

~ Lyn