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7 Things I’ll Miss About Clarksville, Tennessee

By June 9, 2012June 16th, 2012Church, Culture, Family, Life Plan

I’ve lived in Clarksville, Tennessee all my life. So has Cheryl. I know that’s unusual at our age. Most people we know, especially in a military town have moved multiple times by now. It’s surprising to me too, because I never thought I’d stay past college. In fact, I went away when I started college, only to return and finish at our hometown Austin Peay State University.

Well, as much as I love my city, I’m moving.

If you haven’t heard, I’m in a ministry transition. I’ll be sharing more about that in the days to come, but we said goodbye this week. We have a few weeks of transition time, but for all practical purposes, our time here is done. We leave today for vacation and then we are basically just in and out for moving purposes.

There are some things I’m going to especially miss. (Every time I say that people remind me what Lexington has to offer. I understand that and we are excited about the new. You can be excited about new and still sad about the what you’re leaving.)

Here are 7 things I’ll miss about Clarksville:

Family – Being from here means we have lots of extended family here. Our family trees are both wide in this area. Our son and daughter-in-law are close by. Both our mothers are still here and we each have brothers and sisters in the area. We love them. We’ll miss seeing them whenever we want.

Friends – Our best friends live in Clarksville. Having been active in the community, serving in elected office, and pastoring a large church, I know lots of people. We will miss seeing so many friendly faces we already know and love.

Grace – Grace has been a miracle the last 7 years. God has brought so many wonderful people into our lives through this church. The staff are some of our best friends. We will miss worshipping, fellowshipping and serving with them.

Fort Campbell – Growing up in a military town is one of the greatest blessings in life. I’m patriotic, because I’ve lived among modern-day heroes. The soldiers and families here are dedicated, hard-working, and sacrificial. We will miss seeing all the uniforms and bumping into soldiers in restaurants and in the stores. Hooah!

First Baptist Church – My home church is where I was saved, discipled, and sent out for vocational ministry. My family still attends there. I’ll miss driving or running by and the good people I’ve known all my life. Many of my closest mentors are still in that church.

Downtown living – We’ve only done so for a year and a half, but we’ve loved every minute of it. Thankfully, we are planning to move to a fun walking area in Lexington, but we’ll miss the river walk, the downtown festivals and the art walks of Clarksville.

Austin Peay – We are both graduates and have supported the university and been friends with administrators, professors and students. Cheryl and I eat frequently on campus, I work out at the school’s fitness center, and I run through the campus almost everyday. We’ll miss the university that’s educated us and many in our family.

That’s just a start. I know it’s a short list but it represents so much more…so many faces…so many memories. Good times. (Mostly). We’ve invested much of our heart and lives here. We are going to miss you.

Goodbye Clarksville. We love you.

Just curious, what’s the longest you’ve lived in one city? Also how many different cities have some of you lived in?

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Ron Edmondson

Author Ron Edmondson

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Join the discussion 33 Comments

  • Leslie says:

    Where is the clock that is pictured in here? I’ve seen it in several pictures but can’t find its actual location! Thanks

  • LuAnnette says:

    Ironically, the longest I have lived in any town is our 27 years in Clarksville. John came here to accept the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs in 1985. However, Lexington is my home town and my favorite town. We still have a family farm there and come up often. We usually go to Calvary Baptist because I have know Robert Baker almost all of his life. My mother was his third grade teacher. He is a wonderful preacher and pastor and we always receive a blessing from attending. We will be back in Lex September 7,8, and 9 and maybe will see you!

  • I grew up in Louisville, so that first 18 years was my longest stretch so far. I moved to Nashville right after college and have been here almost nine years now. (That includes four years living in Clarksville, but since I still worked in Nashville the whole time, I view C'ville more like a very distant suburb of Nashville!)

  • Jodee says:

    No matter where you live . . . I selfishly hope you keep up your blog! 🙂

  • Pastor Ron! I spent my first 25 years of life in my home town in Tamil Nadu province of India. Now, I keep moving due to my work commitments. Now, I am really missing my parents, friends and great fellowship I enjoyed in my hometown.

  • Jesse Weaver says:

    Ron, I forgot to mention, that I also have relatives in Clarksville. I was there for a visti last year.
    I agree it is a nice place.

  • Jesse Weaver says:

    Just met you on twitter, Ron.
    I know you will enjoy lexington,Ky. Never lived there myself, but visited many times. My relatives were lived there and my grandfather was raised there. Still have cousins there.
    Wish you the best.

  • Amy says:

    I lived in North Plainfield, NJ for the first 24 years of my life. Since then, I've lived in Somerville, NJ, Westfield, MA and now Springfield, MA. I was hoping to move to a new state this year, but that's looking less and less likely. I should mention that I hate winter with every fiber of my being. Why, oh why did God move me north?!? 🙂

  • levittmike says:

    For the first 26 years of my life, I lived in the same area. Then marriage and career choices have had me in Detroit, Central Florida, Chicago, back to Detroit, and then for the past 8 years in Ontario, Canada. I feel that Toronto is where we will stay for some time, Lord willing. A benefit of moving frequently is that you end up purging a lot of things you don't really need. (Or at least that's what I've tried to convince my wife Jennifer into believing 😉

    An observation on my move back to Detroit, after being away for 8 years. Cities change, as do people. So even though I went back home, the home I left didn't feel like home anymore.

    We both know that earth is not our eternal home. We're just passing through, hopefully making a Kingdom impact on people's lives. All praise to God, and may He continue to bless you and your family!

  • I was born, raised, and still live in the same city. It's a beautiful area that can't be beat. We've got beaches, we've got forests, dunes, etc all within a days drive.

    Good luck on your transition and new position. You'll do terrific!

  • Carole says:

    I used to have relatives in Clarksville. I haven't been there since I was a teen.

    I've lived where I'm at in Lake Villa, IL on a lake for I guess about 7 years now. I don't have any inclination to move – except in Jan. and Feb. when we're tired of being bombarded with snow and cold. But this time of year is absolutely beautiful! Maybe someday I can afford to be a snow bird.

    Growing up, we had a summer home in Mountain Home, Ark. I loved it there too. We had relatives in Huntsville, AL too. I liked it there too. Virginia is beautiful. That would be my short list.

    Good luck in your new home. I know you will love it there too.

  • Melissa says:

    Clarksville, born and raised….many, many moons ago! **Short stint in Florida, but husband wanted to stay where seasons change!

    I think your move is exciting….I need to move just to clean closets out. LOL.

    Enjoy a much deserved vacation!

  • Bryankr
    Twitter:
    says:

    I am a “Military Brat”, so moving was common place for me. I actually lost count when I was about 7, we had lived in 9 places then. Didn’t stop for another couple of years, didn’t really pay that much attention, just kind of packed and un-packed; then one day realized we weren’t packing anymore. Strange really.

    I think the longest I have ever lived anywhere is 20 yrs and it’s here! Trumann, Arkansas. Odd thing is, I still have no real notion of what “settlting down” means.

  • markriggins says:

    Wow Ron! I didn't realize how connected to Clarksville you are. My wife & I just moved from San Angelo, TX to Ventura, CA last year. My wife was raised in the same house as her mom. She attended the same schools and graduated from the same home-town college as her parents. She attended the same Baptist church in which her mom was raised (& Dad 35-yr deacon). She had the same pastor her first 29 years. It is where we met, married & served on staff for 12 years. So this move has been such a new experience for me but especially my wife. However, we both feel unbelievably refreshed like our hearts have been re-awakened. God clearly brought us here. Eight months later it doesn't feel like "home" yet but feels like we're still enjoying a vacation. I pray you and Cheryl will have the same experience! Will be following . . .

    • ronedmondson says:

      Thanks Mark. We had an opportunity in CA too. We were led to KY but I love that state.

  • Ginny Worsley says:

    The longest I have lived somewhere is 12 years in Athens, TN (give or take for college yrs). I was born in Augusta, GA (during Masters weekend). Grew up in Aiken and Kingstree, SC. We moved to Tallahassee, FL which I loved living there! Then we moved to Athens,TN. I lived in Nashville for a semester of college (Belmont), then attended UT in Knoxville for the remainder of college, another great place to live. After I got married we moved to Johnson City,TN, loved living there! Next was Anniston, AL. Then Pleasant View, TN. Now we are in the process of moving to Clarksville. This is just my experience, my dad is a pastor, my husband was a military brat and he was born in Germany then moved 17 times in 18 yrs until college. The longest he lived in one place was for 4 yrs (broken up into 2yr stints).

  • Tekla says:

    Ron, you just made me homesick! Although we only live about an hour away, we don't get back to Clarksville enough. I know you and Cheryl will make lots of new friends and memories in Lexington, but it's so fun to go back home and see old friends, familiar sites, and new changes. I've only lived in Clarksville, a neighboring county, and then here in Gallatin. The last time we were back in town, Mama and I drove around to all the places that were special to me growing up, the 2 houses we lived in, First Baptist, and Austin Peay. We also drove past St. Bethlehem Elementary. As a child, it seemed like such a big, imposing place. I had to laugh at how tiny it looked amongst all the stuff that moved in around it. Praying for you guys as you head to your new home.

  • cycleguy says:

    Let's see. Born and raised in West Mifflin, PA (suburb of Pittsburgh). Went away to college in Grayson, KY. Then pastored churches in Akron, Marion, and Massillon Ohio. Then in Fortville, IN. Back to Danville, OH. Then to Terre Haute, IN (where I spent 13 years). Moved to Sandusky, OH where my wife took care of her mother and I pastored for 5 years. Now living in Spencer, IN for 6 1/2 years. I can't count that high. 🙂 congrats on your move Ron. My daughter lives in Knoxville and we go through Lexington. Maybe we can find time for lunch some day??

  • drplexico
    Twitter:
    says:

    The longest we've ever lived in one place was where we are now – Atoka, TN (north of Memphis). Serving in the Navy for 20+ years required us to move a lot. When we moved here, we wanted to provide stability for both our daughters to graduate from the same high school. We decided to plant roots, and those roots have been growing now for six years. Praise God!

    I enjoy reading your posts and look forward to reading about your next adventures as God continues to use you to carry out His will. We visited Clarksville for the first time two weeks ago because our daughter is interested in attending Austin Peay. Beautiful campus and really nice city. We hope to pay another visit in September for Riverfest.

  • drplexico
    Twitter:
    says:

    The longest we've ever lived in one place was where we are now – Atoka, TN (north of Memphis). Serving in the Navy for 20+ years required us to move a lot. Once we moved here, both our daughters were in high school so we decided to plant roots. Those roots have been growing now for six years. Praise God!