Date: 4/20/2010
<br>Author: Devin
<br>Title: Good place to call home
<br><br>April 21, 2010<br><br>I love the town of Centerville, I really do.  I would bet the farm that if I went out today and took an informal poll, that most Centervillian's feel that same exact way.  No, we don't have a mall or Wal-Mart.  No, we don't have a multiplex theater or a professional ball team.  But, the one thing I do believe we have is an overabundance of love, care, and concern for one another.  For most of us, it doesn't matter what a person looks like, whose family they came from or where they attend worship services.  What matters most is that we all call this same little village home.  Many of us have never had our mail sent to another zip code nor do we desire to.  I know that many young people have the day circled on their calender when they yearn to leave Centerville forever.  Well, forever is an awfully long time and many have figured out, when compared to lots of other places, Centerville just aint all that bad.  Though our schools are public, we are blessed to have a number, if not a majority, of our teachers and administrators who are God-fearing people.  We may not see everything eye to eye from politics to religion to Vols or Commodores (although we do have to draw a line somewhere ..... Gators and Tide), but I do believe that we all want the best for each other and stand ready to lend a helping hand at a moments call.  Just ask the Al Allen family.  Just ask the Troy Parks family.  Just ask the countless hundreds of families over the last few years who have been first hand witness to the generosity of the citizens of Centerville, TN.  I think the attitude of most is, “I don't have much, but what I have is yours if you need it”.  Almost sounds Biblical, doesn't it?<br><br><br>Let me give you a couple more recent examples of the goodness of this community.  This past Saturday night the local chapter of Relay For Life held a benefit dinner and auction to raise money for cancer awareness and research.  The Relay For Life folks had high expectations of raising upwards of $3000 by nights end.  After the last bid was cast, the last tip was made, and the last item was sold, the final dollar tally was somewhere close to $9000!  Did you get that?  Yes, $9000.  Those in attendance dug deep to the tune of three times the amount that was expected.  I can assure you the folks in attendance didn't just show up to eat lasagna, listen to Coach McCord's stellar guitar playing, or endure a certain trio's rendition of “Rocky Top”.  No, those in attendance showed up because they wanted to help.  Period.<br><br><br>This morning's Tennessean  ran a story in the local section about the free health screenings that were made available to the folks of Centerville this past Saturday.  Hundreds of people, mostly those uninsured, were able to see a medical professional and be evaluated.  This gave citizens an opportunity to discover health issues that they might have otherwise never known about.  We are truly blessed to have St. Thomas Health Services and Hickman Community Hospital call Centerville home.  Even as this is being written construction is ongoing to enlarge the hospital's emergency room and to improve other parts of the facility.  Yes indeed, God is good to all of us.<br><br><br>I might not be able to catch a one-way flight from the Centerville municipal airport to New York City on a commercial airline, and, I doubt I could find a local store where I could buy those little black fish eggs even if I wanted some.  But this much I know ..... all I will ever really need is right here.  I think the Beatles sang about it.  It's called love :)                     <br><br>                                                            Go the extra mile - Devin  <br>