Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Lisa

5 things I miss about my hometown

I was one of those kids who swore she would never return to her hometown, never miss it, never want to go back. Then I ended up living there for seven  years after college, and now that I’m 800 miles away, I do find that I miss it.

Some of our summer fun this year has made me a bit nostalgic for the unique things that make my hometown special. Most of my readers, I think, fit in one of two categories: you either live in or grew up in Dixon, or you’ll probably never find yourself in rural northern Illinois. If you’re part of the first group, feel free to add your own memories! If you’re part of the second group and you do find yourself west of Chicago (yes, there is life on the other side of Chicago!), stop by Dixon, IL for me, okay? wpid-20150708_131200.jpg

Here are five things I miss about my hometown, in no particular order:

1. The Petunia Festival. Yes, petunias. As in the flower. The Petunia Festival is an almost week-long event around the Fourth of July that involves all kinds of community fun: art shows, 5K run, concerts, patriotic events, carnival, parade, fireworks, food. When I was growing up, I always thought it was funny that people who no longer lived in Dixon came back just for this event. Now, I want to be one of those people. So far, it hasn’t worked out with our schedule. But maybe someday.

2. Lowell Park. You guys. We have a park in Dixon that is more like a forest. It’s a huge park with walking trails and a gazillion trees and it borders the river. I think my love of nature was birthed here. I love the mountainous hiking we get to do around here, but so far nothing has quite captured my heart like Lowell Park.

3. The Rock River. And speaking of the natural world, Dixon is divided into the north and south sides by the Rock River. I’m not particularly fond of being in water, but I always love to be near water. On the banks of the Rock River I found my peace, sitting, thinking, dreaming and being lulled by the sound of the water flowing over the dam.

4. Arthur’s Garden Deli. The best restaurant anywhere in the world. Okay, maybe I exaggerate, but this, too, is a must-have when anyone who has been away from Dixon returns. Some people plan their visits around a trip to Arthur’s. Deli sandwiches, homemade soups, loaded baked potatoes. No description does the food justice, but my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

5. Books on First. Now that I fully embrace that I’m a coffee-drinking, book-a-holic, writer, I love the idea of local bookstore/coffee shop. We have some of each where we live now, but nothing like Books on First, which is the quintessential local bookstore. I think if I lived in Dixon again, this would be one of my favorite places to spend time.

Dixonites, what would you add to the list? And those of you who don’t live in your hometown, what do you miss about it?

How to change the story

My kids went through a phase where they loved the PBS cartoon Super Why!. We still will watch the occasional episode on Netflix. Wyatt, the main character, and his friends, turn into super readers to solve problems and change the ending to familiar stories–for good reasons.

I’ve long been inspired by this aspect of the cartoon–that they change the story by changing one word.

And while real-life change doesn’t seem that simple, it really isn’t as complicated as we make it.

Sometimes, we can change the story with just one word. Or action. Or decision. For ourselves, and others.

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I loved Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid. I loved being able to go back through the book and pick a different outcome through a series of choices. Brilliant book concept. I would constantly try to find the best ending.

Our lives are a little bit like those books. Each choice we make leads to another page, another chapter, another outcome. But unlike those stories, ours are more fluid. Nothing is finished until the final day of our lives. No one’s story has its ending in the midst of living it.

I forget that some days. Especially when life seems especially hard.

It won’t always be this way.  The story isn’t over.

Here’s how I know: I see people who are living as if the story is still being written.

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I have some things to tell you about fair trade products in the weeks to come. Here’s a teaser for that:

ChangeTheStory

I’ll be telling you a lot more about an organization that is changing the story for women around the world. What I love about this image, though, is that it reminds me that I’m a participant in changing the story. When I choose to learn more about what I wear, drink, eat and so on, I can help change the story for someone. My friends at Imagine Goods put symbols on their products that will tell you all about the person who sewed your item. I love that connection across continents.

These great organizations remind me that just because things have been done a particular way for a long time does not mean they have to continue. We can change the story.

I see it in my friends who have adopted children, both domestically and internationally. I see these kids in their families and I wonder how their stories might be different if those families had decided not to adopt. (It is no simple action to say “yes” to a child you didn’t birth.) I see it in families who make room for children who might never become part of their families. They are all changing stories by adding love and grace and faith to the plot.

And in the darkest corners of the world, covert operatives for The Exodus Road are helping to change the story of women and children sold into sex slavery. We can become part of the change in their stories when we declare publicly, “Rescue is coming.” This is not the end of the story.

ER-identity

Whatever actions we take, whether it is swapping out our cheaper products for ones that are ethically made from workers given fair compensation or opening our homes to those without families or funding investigations into trafficking in Southeast Asia, we can change the story.

This is nothing new for humankind.

Jesus changed the story more than 2,000 years ago when he rescued us from death with his life. He has changed my story from one of hopelessness, despair and insecurity to one of hope, joy and acceptance of who I am. He is always on the lookout for a spot in the story to change the plot for the better.

Let’s not believe that no one can change, that the world is a hopeless mess, or that we are destined for destruction.

Let’s find ways to change the story. For ourselves. For others.