"City of Beautiful Homes, Churches, Schools and Parks"

That's the moto of my hometown.  From the day I came home from the hospital till the day I left home for college, I lived in the same house with my family, my "home".  In fact, my dad still lives in that house today.  Home--Jackson is still where I refer to as "back home." 

Just the simple act of pulling off I-55 at the Fruitland/Jackson exit sends a feeling over me of being "back home."  Memories spill & I tell the stories over and over of the round house on the left where I used to babysit the little girl in the wheelchair.  Just a little further on the left is Wib's--quite possibly the best bbq ever, where my dad used to work when he was in school & so weirdly happens to be closed on Mondays.  On the right is the public pool where my mom used to hand my sister & me each $1 and we'd walk from our house and stand in line until they opened at 1pm.  Then Dad would come by after work--around 5--and swim with us for an hour or so before he drove us back home.  Now we're driving past the park--and there's the bridge over the creek where I literally "bridged" each level of girl scouts with my troop.  Oh and the sign--the big Welcome to Jackson sign--that my girl scout troop painted as a community service project in Jr. High & we ended up having a paint fight!  Up just a tad further at the other end of the park now is the basketball court--so many nights Senior year spent watching the boys playing games.  Heading straight into "uptown" now I remember Homecomers every summer just before school started & the lighting ceremony we held at the courthouse steps every Friday after Thanksgiving to start the holiday season singing Christmas carols while my mom played her little electric keyboard.  On the other side of the courthouse is the "corner" where we perfected our turns in band.  It's one thing to see a band march down the street, but how well do they do the CORNER?  And just ahead is the High School--wow so much has changed up there.  Buildings have been added and removed--there are parking lots where there were grass fields and grass where there were streets. 

These are just the memories that come back as we drive down one simple road thru town.  What an amazing place to grow up.  Fortunately we've found a place as close to that here in the DC area to raise our family, but nothing will be the same as Jackson: City of Beautiful Homes, Churches, Schools and Parks.   It's always fun to go "back home."