Bluffton is a town of about 10,000 people. I suppose our town is very similar to other towns our size. And, I suppose people have mixed feelings about living in a small town. You may not like the feeling of living in a fishbowl.
You could make a list of pros and cons regarding small town living. Each side could get pretty long. However, in my opinion, the one thing that would go to the top of the list on the "pros" side would be community support.
It doesn't matter if it is an illness, injury, or death; you can see "pray for" signs throughout the county. The name on the sign could be a family member, neighbor, or a complete stranger.
Unfortunately, there have been too many opportunities to see that in our community lately.
The death of a three month old baby due to SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) a neo-muscular genetic disorder.
Then there was the tragic shooting of a 4-year old little boy who was fishing for catfish one night with his daddy.
And the death of a 20-year old middle school football coach in a single car accident.
Each circumstance is different. But the outcome is the same. A community stepping out and holding up those that are hurting. Doing whatever they can to ease their burden.
I may not like that "I live in a fishbowl" feeling, but if I had to move from Bluffton, I think I would look for another small town....just like Bluffton.
