water tower town!

water towers such as this are becoming a rare sight....

 Scotty McCreery has a song out titled, "Watertower Town." In it, he sings about living in a small town and how everyone knows your name. I am familiar with what he sings about, because this weekend, I had a chance to visit a water tower town, and I wished I could have stayed there. In fact, each time I visit, it draws me in even deeper.
My husband grew up in a small town: Morris, Minnesota, population 5,000. It's a dot of a town on the western prairie of Minnesota, whose only call to glory is that it is a also college town to the University of Minnesota. It's two wind turbines can be seen for miles across the pastures and fields and I look for them, knowing I am getting closer. It's the type of town where, when you walk your dog at 5:30 a.m., neighbors who are also out will actually stop and chat with you like old friends. Indeed, I didn't even know the older gent who commented on my jacket, only that he had kind eyes and a nice way about him. I love waking up and, even when it is chilly outside, I'll take a warm cup of coffee with me, sit on the back deck and watch as the world wakes up. The birds sing and a train rolls through town just six blocks away, it's whistle sighing a tune about the wide prairies beyond this town. There is a marsh just a block away and in the late autumn, migratory birds stop overnight and keep up a chorus of melodies that just take me away. In the spring, I can hear many different calls, chirps and honks as once more, birds stop on their way back north. On Sundays, a church bell peals and I think about the folks who are preparing to keep the holy day just that: holy.
We need to preserve our water tower towns. It is a way of life that rejuvenates the soul and rekindles the sprirt. It's where children learn about respect and responsibility. It's where you can hang your hat at night, knowing it will still be there come morning. It is where a soul can breathe...and feel truly free.
God bless all of our water tower towns!