My View Through Kat Eyes: Time Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I grew up in a small town in Indiana. So small that everyone went to the same school from first grade through 12th. When I graduated high school, like many teenagers, I couldn't wait to leave home. And that's exactly what I did. The day after graduation I moved to Kentucky and never looked back.

My best friend that I grew up with had already gotten married and moved on. So had my cousin, who I had also spent a lot of time with in my early teens. Without dwelling on the negative, I will say that I have wonderful memories of growing up until my sophomore year. My last three years of high school were not so great. There were some good times, but there were also a lot of painful and unhappy times. There really was nothing left there for me and I pretty much broke all ties. Mother and Dad lived there and I did go back to visit them, but that was it. I had very little contact with anyone else. I guess I thought if I broke "cold turkey" it would help erase the bad memories.

For many years I managed to not think much about that part of my life spent in that little town. But then, something happened.

I got old.

As the old saying goes, "Time heals all wounds". Well, maybe not all, but it certainly diminishes the pain. Aging plays funny tricks on your mind and I began to think more and more about my youth. I started remembering things I hadn't thought about in years and wanting to find some renewed connection to my past.

Along comes facebook.

Thanks to modern technology I have been able to reconnect with some old friends that are happy memories from a simpler time. Good people who have helped me realize I have found something I never even knew I was missing. Thank you dear friends.

I've decided that as we get older it is natural to want to reconnect with our youth. Not just a want, but a need. After all, where we come from is what makes us the person we are today. My dad has recently moved back to Milltown and I now get very nostalgic when I visit him. Even though it has changed drastically and many of the places so dear to me in my youth are gone, it is still my hometown. I now think of it fondly and can look back on all the wonderful times spent there.