This week, I want to do something a little different in this column. I don’t want to talk about my old friends, my time spent in China or other distant but humorous memories. I don’t want to talk about current events or the recent pet food recall.

I want to talk about Ardmore.

At the end of March, we celebrated our fourth anniversary of moving to Ardmore. Over the past few days, I have been reflecting a bit on the time we have spent here in general and on the community in particular. In this week’s column, I wanted to share my feelings about this community and the many wonderful people who devote so much time and energy into making it such a special place to live.

Ardmore is, of course, very unique in that it straddles the state line and contains parts of four counties. In and of itself, that is enough to make life an adventure sometimes, especially when dealing with government agencies. For example, at our house we get our electricity from Pulaski, our water from Ardmore, and our gas from Athens. Be that as it may, it is a small inconvenience in light of the many benefits of living in Ardmore.

Let’s start with the schools. Ardmore is blessed with a great elementary school, a model middle school, and a top-notch high school. The teachers and administrators at AHS and Cedar Hill are first rate and their level of dedication often results in numerous awards on local, state, and federal levels. A community’s commitment to the future can best be gauged by its schools and in Ardmore we are truly blessed.

Ardmore is growing by leaps and bounds. In the four years we have lived here, many new businesses have opened, providing both jobs and revenue for both sides of the state line. All one has to do is drive along Main Street to see how fast this community is growing. Restaurants, new stores, and numerous professional services have sprung up from one end of town to the other.

Another positive aspect of Ardmore is its vital faith community. It is a fact that in Ardmore, the churches tend to be full on Sundays and most folks carry their faith out of the pew and into the community. Ardmore’s faith community works hard to provide needed goods and services to those who otherwise might not be able to afford the necessities of life. Of this, our community can be proud.

Alongside the work of the faith community is the loving efforts of many of Ardmore’s community organizations. Perhaps many folks are unaware of the many volunteer hours put in by members of groups like the Ardmore Civitan, the Masonic Lodge, the Boys and Girls Club and Christians Helping Others. These efforts by service-oriented members of our community go a long way to make Ardmore a better place to live.

City officials on both sides of the state line have also done much to make Ardmore a better place to live. A short visit to John Barnes Park on the Tennessee side or the Alabama Park on the Alabama side will give you an idea of the level of commitment city officials have made to providing state of the art recreational facilities for the citizens of our community. New athletic fields, walking paths, and quality equipment are but a few of the improvements made at both parks during the last four years.

I could go on and on listing aspects of our community that make Ardmore such a great place to live and, even then, the list would be incomplete. One other aspect of our community, however, needs to be mentioned. That is the people who live here. Over the course of my lifetime, I have had the privilege of residing in a number of different communities, both large and small. I have lived in Huntsville, Decatur, Venice, Florida, Miami, College Park, Maryland, and several large cities in China. All of these locales have their strengths and weaknesses, good points and bad points. I can say without reservation, however, that I have never lived in a city that has a community spirit that runs as deep as that in Ardmore. So many people give of their time, resources, and talents in an effort to make Ardmore a better place to live. Throughout the year these tireless individuals give of themselves to make life a little easier for those less fortunate. The names of these saints are too numerous to mention.

I have lived in Ardmore now for four years and I am proud to be a part of this growing, thriving community. On behalf of my family, I want to thank you for letting us be a part of your community and also want to express my gratitude to all of you who contribute so much to making Ardmore the special place that it is.