It was one year ago today that I went back to visit an old town that has had such an impact in my life. That town is a tiny, old, historic town with a population of about 100 people called Volcano, CA.

If you blink your eyes, you would miss this town when you drive through it. It’s that small. But it is lovely. Well, at least it’s lovely to me.

It holds a special place in my heart.

A year ago today, I went back and visited this town, that I hadn’t visited in over twenty years and I came to discover something interesting. The town had not changed, it’s the girl that had. Twenty years later, I was older, hopefullly wiser, definitely more jaded and not as innocent, but I had grown into a much more compassionate and grateful woman.

I love walking through it’s tiny downtown, visiting people at the St. George Hotel, spending time chatting in the Whiskey Flat Saloon, walking down old roads, sitting on historic, church steps, visiting an old Pioneer Cemetary and breathing in the history of it all. I love history. I love anything that has a story attached to it. This town has plenty of history and you can almost smell it in air. The history is thick, the past is still here in the present and it’s tied to the future, too. I love imagining what the people were like who first settled this town. I love seeing how such a tiny town can survive and thrive all these years.

We all have special places that we are grateful for, places that have helped shape us into the person we are today. What special little town or place are you grateful for?

I’m grateful for a tiny town, established in the 1850′s, that welcomed me back again after having been away for so many years.

It’s still welcoming me back today. And it still holds a special place in my heart. Thank you, Volcano!