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There were two great things about anchoring NBC 15 News live from Columbus Tuesday.  First and foremost, I was thrilled to be there to report that no one had been seriously injured in the explosion and fire at Columbus Chemical Industries.  Secondly, going to Columbus is always like going home to me.

My great grandmother and great grandfather--William and Lena Wright-- farmed out on Ninabuck Road in the Town of Elba, near Columbus.  My father always spoke fondly of his summers on the farm, and the fun he'd have exploring along the banks of the Crawfish.

When I was a boy, I always looked forward to visiting Columbus to see my Great Uncle Marshall Wright, and Great Aunts Freda and Eula Wright.  They were wonderful people, in a wonderful town that always struck me as having the feeling of a town you'd see in a Norman Rockwell painting.   Columbus still looks that way today, which no doubt is why it caught the eye of the "Public Enemies"  movie producers.

We visited Marshall, Freda, and Eula a number of times each year.   There was always a warm welcome, a terrific meal, and lively conversation.   I always left there thinking how lucky I was to be a part of their family.   

Even today, the Wright Family Reunion (85 years and counting) is held each year at Firemen's Park in Columbus.  I still have a number of cousins who live in Columbus. 

Marshall, Freda, Eula, and my father have all passed away.    My Grandmother Elva Stofflet, Grandfather Earl Stofflet, Eula, and my dad, John W. Stofflet, are buried just outside of Columbus in the beautiful O'Keeg Cemetery.  It sits atop a hill overlooking the Danville Dam on the Crawfish River.  It's one of the most peaceful places I know.

After anchoring the 6:00 p.m. newscast in Columbus, I made the short trip out to the cemetery and visited their graves.   If I squinted just right at the glassy reflection of myself in my father's tombstone,  my reflection almost looked like his.  It was surrounded by the reflection of the trees along the Crawfish behind me.   In a way, it seemed symbolic.  We are, in many ways, a reflection of our parents, and the people and places that shaped them.   

(Please share your comments.   Let me know if there's a town that's maybe not your hometown, but always feels like home when you visit).