A small town bride on the ride of her life.

Thank God if you’re smart enough to live in a small town.

~unknown

I saw the above quote the other day and it started the wheels turning in my mind as to the charm of living in a small, rural community. Into the photo archives I go to dig up some images that show a piece of life in a small town. We do know how to entertain ourselves and have some good ol’ fun!

This carnival ride at the Yellow Medicine County Fair, in Canby, Minnesota, seems to lend itself as a metaphor to the wild ride this young couple have chosen in life. Since their wedding in July of 2010, this small town couple have added two young children (1 1/2 years and 6 months) to their family, hold down full-time jobs, the bride completed a master’s degree, and both serve our country in the United States National Guard. In fact, the wedding was planned while the engaged couple were both deployed overseas in the Middle East.

Yes, you are on the ride of your small town life. The twists and turns of a carnival ride can become predictable after you get use to patterns of movement. Life is not like that. Bumps and turns can appear out of nowhere and you may even careen completely off of the path.

A small town has a secret weapon that helps us bounce back when the road of life gets rough ~ the people. When the chips are down and we face a struggle, the community members are there to help pull us through. During a crisis the small town rallies its troops to bring out the safety nets to help in whatever way is appropriate to the situation. We may not always agree on our politics, religion or philosophies of life, ( some may not even like each other) but we are there for each other.

Just because we don’t rank at the top of the population charts doesn’t mean we aren’t resilient and destined to make a mark in the world. In spite of the twists and turns…