Hometowns

All half dozen readers of this simple blog know of my love for the unique town of Lake Worth. Much of this affection can likely be attributed to the fact that I, like my father, was raised in Lake Worth and have spent the vast majority of my life in and around this town. However, I don't believe that this notion completely explains the reason why I feel the way I do about Lake Worth.
After spending another evening in downtown Lake Worth having dinner and looking at the artwork from the annual street painting festival, I believe that I have found the missing link of why I love Lake Worth that has eluded me up until this point.
The reason why I love Lake Worth is because it is a town that doesn't pretend. In Lake Worth what you see is what you get. They don't attempt to be something that they are not. Lake Worth, like any area, is not without its problems but it doesn't attempt to hide behind a facade of false pretense. Many of the buildings downtown have been here since the Great Migration of the 1950's. They are by no means modern and I find beauty and inspiration in that simple fact. For the most part, Lake Worth thus far has been able to avoid what I feel has been a plague upon South Florida: the urge to get rid of everything that reminds us of the past in the pursuit of wealth and luxury through the building of new high rise condominium buildings.
I also believe that Lake Worth provides us, as Christians, an example to follow with fervor and without hesitation. Instead of constantly looking forward and worrying about what will come next in our lives, we should be content with who we are and where we are in life. I am in no means discouraging a person from improving oneself but am instead emphasizing the need to realize that the means to improve oneself oftentimes comes from the example and witness of people from the past. Instead of disregarding all that preceded our generation in the name of progress we need to come to the realization that we are more likely to be blessed with progress and growth if we will simply be open-minded and follow the examples of our predecessors and forbears, all of whom struggled with the same issues and desires that we still face today.
I am continually grateful for the lessons that I have learned in Lake Worth, in my opinion one of the greatest places to have had the opportunity to spend my childhood, adolescence and now adulthood. I simply hope that these types of lessons and experiences continue during the time that Providence allows me to stay in this wondrous town.