I Remember awhen

“I remember when…”  I find myself beginning my sentences with those three words more and more these days. As I get older there are many things that I loved which no longer exist. I’m not going to list them, but every time I go back to where I grew up I notice something that is gone or that has been radically changed. Not long after I left Logan County in 1983 the old Lewisburg High School building was torn down as well as all the other structures on campus. The first time I returned and noticed that there was not a trace of my old school, I almost cried. I spent 24 years of my life at that place, 12 years a student and 12 years a teacher. There are thousands of memories from there and, you know what, all of those memories involved people.

Our memories of places in our past cause us to have warm feelings, not just because of a building, but because of the people we loved, the relationships we had which were in some way connected to the building or the site. When I see or hear something about a former student my memory of them is of a 7th or 8th grade student. They are not kids any more. They are moms and dads, successful business men and women, teachers, bankers, lawyers, doctors and are represented in other various vocations and by their achievements. And too often for me many are now grandparents. I think ‘Am I really that old’? When I remember some of my students I wish I hadn’t been so tough on them. I remember many of them as players on the Jr. High and high school teams I coached. I was really tough on those guys and gals. But most are good memories, I smile and when I hear that one has died I am sad. Most of all I’m proud of the people they have become.

Who do you remember when you are distressed about the destruction or closing of one of your favorite places? Think about it, was it not the people you knew and loved that made it an important place on your lives journey? You enjoyed going there because of the folks you would see. What place do you miss? Who are the people who made it special? I’m sure you have some stories you can tell!