Coming Home

You are on I-96 . . . it doesn't matter if you are heading east or west. The Fowlerville exit, #129, is getting closer.

What do you look for?

Is it just the delightful little green sign provided by the Department of Transportation that denotes Fowlerville Exit 1 mile? Or is it the list of fast food restaurants available? Or is it the massive water tower with Fowlerville Gladiators proudly displayed in the round, with the easily identifiable symbol of a Gladiator head, that beckons you to the exit?

If you live in Fowlerville, or the surrounding townships of Handy and Iosco, you are home. Or almost there.

And this is what my husband and I call home. We can't call it our hometown (that would be a bit to the west of Fowlerville, where we grew up), but it is home. I bring this up for the mere fact, although we have lived here for 11 years, we have been informed (possibly tongue-in-cheek, I'm not fully sure) that you have to live here for at least 50 years before expounding you are from Fowlerville.

Okay, I guess I can go along with that . . . in theory.

We are not really from Fowlerville, but oh, it feels so good sometimes to see that water tower, hit the exit ramp with gusto, and tour through town on our way home . . . especially after being gone for a few days or a couple weeks.

It is that sigh of relief your body may feel to know you've made it home safely, that your comfortable surroundings are close at hand, or that there might be friends and family welcoming you through town with a quick wave or a nod. Those are the things I love about living in The Ville.

So, the next time you see that water tower, standing proudly against the Michigan deep blue sky, being splattered by hard rain or topped with snow, or framed by ominous grey clouds . . . remember . . . this is your home, your hometown, your corner of the world. It is also ours (while we chip away at that revered number of 50 years of life in The Ville).