Beloved Kansas

I think that I must reflect upon not only Georgetown before I leave but also upon missing my beloved Kansas. I get many Dorothy and farm jokes when people figure out where I hail from, but I wish so much that I could share my love of Kansas with all my friends at school. She has a beauty that isn’t flashy but is genuine. That beauty which endures calls to me somehow, as though Kansas is in my blood.

I love the people of Kansas, good at heart, diverse in their own way. But I really enjoy the idea that everyone aspires to live elsewhere but somehow got rooted down, stuck here. Really it seems like everyone just got caught up in Kansas’ spell. And her lovely low cost of living. And crime rates. And good schools.

Overall Kansas is very conservative, but it seems to come from a hard work ethic and belief that we should rely upon ourselves and help one another rather than increasing the size and scope of our government. People pass opinions and religion down through their family like other places in the world. I’ve found that Kansans love to debate politics and religion heatedly even when everyone at the table agrees on the issues being discussed. I could pretty safely guarantee that if someone drove across a highway in Kansas, even for just one or two hours, he/she would see signs promoting pro-life ideals and being saved by Jesus. This isn’t a place that is scared of strong beliefs—and sharing them.

I take walks in my neighborhood in the evening sometimes, and this summer I saw a series of things that made me love Kansas. First I saw an inter-racial family playing basketball with their dad; then I saw an aged lemonade stand sign perched on a fence. Next I came across a huge wheelchair ramp into a modest home with a sign posted on the door that read “Choose Life.” Finally, there was a group of friends playing ping pong in their garage together. Maybe I’m oversimplifying what it means to live in Kansas. I just so loved what I observed on this walk through my neighborhood, where I felt completely safe and at peace.

The scenery in Kansas is part of why I love it so, and perhaps it took being away for awhile to appreciate it more or realize what is right in front of me. Where I live I can drive fifteen minutes into a city, and fifteen minutes in the opposite direction will take me into the countryside. Kansas enthralls me with her wide open spaces that make me feel so utterly free. The flatness of Kansas enables one to see forever it feels like, with the sky opening up and demanding attention. During the day, Kansas land ranges from every shade of green to gold and varying shades of brown. Crops dance in the wind and golden fields of wheat and sunflowers seem to reflect all the sun they have soaked up. While the hills may be mild, the land itself seems so alive, ever changing, reflecting the beauty of the sky. When sunset comes, it feels as though the sky has saved up all the extra colors not used in the green and golden landscape to spill down vividly with the sun’s descent. Pinks, reds, oranges, yellows, blues, purples blend together seamlessly, differently every night. A good friend told me that sunsets seem to be God’s love letters to us. How true it seems. It almost feels like God made Kansas flat to better showcase His sky. I haven’t been anywhere else in the world where the sky has reached out and touched me as it has in Kansas.

I’ve been wondering more and more lately if parts of Ireland will look like the gentle, rolling hills in Kansas in the summertime. Probably not. But I do know that I will miss this place sorely. Its beauty is unique and captivates me in its deceptive simplicity. Of course, I will miss the people even more, between my loving family and friends. The only comfort I can find is that sometimes absence really does make us appreciate one another more. And hopefully I will meet amazing people abroad. I know I will see awesome beauty while abroad as well, but I mustn't take Kansas for granted. After all, I only have one more week to appreciate her before I leave....