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Going on my sixth year post high school, life seems to be speeding by and they say it only gets faster from here. I was reminded of this by a conversation I had with a school classmate this past weekend. Catching up on life and wandering through old memories, we kept saying, “It just does not seem like we’re old enough for all of this.”

The “All of this,” was in reference to classmates owning businesses, achieving master’s degrees, getting married, and having children! Its comical how life changes, and the different ways people go. In the past six years, we all have found lives in many different places and been faced with many life-altering decisions.

Thanks to social media, life milestones are recorded for all to see and keeping in touch with others is easier than ever. Because of this new age of communication, old classmates do not seem so distant. I have watched as many have chased dreams and careers across the state and country. Some have traveled the world just like they said, while others have started families in places far away from this town, never forgetting to return home for a visit from time to time.

But perhaps the most refreshing has been to watch as many have returned home to Greenville. From starting new businesses to stepping into new careers, many familiar faces from my childhood have floated into long-term positions in this town.

Since coming to the Advocate, I have met many retiring individuals and learned about their years of service in Butler County. From education to the medical field, this group left a lovely legacy and big shoes to fill for the next generation.

But without skipping a beat, the new generation, my peers, have answered the call. Adding to the local work force as teachers, nurses, and local businessmen, it seems this special group has found a place amid the community that gave them so much.

It simply is encouraging to see the young faces returning to the Greenville roots, and most of all, the community welcoming and supporting each one that has returned.

Barrett Leverette is staff reporter for The Greenville Advocate. Her email address is barrett.leverette@greenvilleadvocate.com