Small Town America





            Garrison Keillor’s tales of Lake Woebegone have struck a chord in the hearts of many Americans. Even though we are ferociously proud of our individual independent spirits there is something about small town America that warms us heart and soul. Perhaps we recognize that within our individualism is a small spot that cries for the fellowship of community. It is in time of pain or hardship that the veneer of individualism cracks, exposing our need for the touch of a caring spirit. The community in which I have lived has more than once reached out with its small town heart and embraced the hurting of the community. Raising funds for the expenses of a mom suffering with cancer, pulling together to make a home possible for a woman who was defrauded by a contractor and ministering to the families of two high school boys killed in a car accident. The pain of those hurting became the shared pain of the community.

            Beyond concern for its citizens, the small town exhibits community pride and camaraderie. Take for example, the hundreds of people lining the streets for the Christmas parade. The parade portrayed little more than local kids, tractors and local organizations, yet the frigid weather keeps few away. It is a time to see friends and neighbors and to swell with pride when a child or friend passes in the parade. I firmly believe that the types of things happening in my small town are mirrored across America. Still, America has lost a lot of the small town caring and in this time of terrorism, wars and uncertainty we need to cultivate what we have lost and to nurture that part we so tenuously still maintain.

            I’m sure that those who lost so much in the recent tornadoes are thankful for the help coming to them from the small towns across America. Their family and neighbors are just a little more precious to them and I bet that even though they lost everything, you will find them helping where they can.

            John Mellencamp captured the uniqueness of the small town in his song lyrics:

No I cannot forget where it is that I come from

I cannot forget the people who love me

Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town

And people let me be just what I want to be.

Yes, the big city holds an important place in America too, and we need both big city and small town in order to embrace the world with the heart of American caring, but for those who have lived there, there is nothing quite like the small town.