Ever been back to the location where you grew up? Ever been back to a place where you lived for an extended period of time? I’ve only moved twice in my career, first from Nashville to Virginia, and then from Virginia to PA. We’ve lived here now for 13 yrs. My guys went to grammar school and Junior High near Yorktown Virginia during our 12 years there. Kathy and I recently returned there for a short visit and took the grand tour. Our old house and yard appears much smaller but still looks to be in fairly good shape. Some of the original plants, trees, shrubbery remain but could use some pruning. A couple of our neighbors still live in their same house, refusing to budge from the sleepy neighborhood. We spent most of our summers less than a mile from our house at Windy Point pool working our tan. It still rests peacefully at the end of a cul-de-sac surrounded by the wire fence and tall oak trees. We did the swim team circuit (Windy Point Piranhas) , baseball, and of course soccer for several years and I enjoyed every minute trying to vicariously fulfill my athletic dreams through my boys.
The Grafton Bethel elementary school is a snapshot taken directly from the Hollywood TV set of Leave It to Beaver complete with baseball field and playground. Again, it used to seem so much larger and daunting. Things have changed since then but some remain the same.
The things that have remained the same have nothing to do with buildings or trees or yards. It’s the close relationships and bonds we build with each other and our extended families that endure and sustain us. Conversations seem to pick right up where we left off regardless of time passed. Just ask Mack who still works as the swim coach and lifeguard at Windy Point pool and parks his bright red corvette near the entrance gate in a space labeled “coach.”
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