Back In Time

It seems like the last few days have really been about remembering. Yesterday, we went to my grandparent’s old house in Brownwood. Since both my grandmother and grandfather have passed away now, we went to look through the house and gather old pictures and things. As we went through the house, we found toys and books we remembered from when we would visit as children. My grandfather collected several things, but it seems like he had more clocks then anything. It was really cool to walk through the house and rummage though rooms and closets to see what he valued. We found several old Bibles including the one my grandmother carried during their wedding. My grandparents had worked hard and rediscovering their history and genealogy and there were tons of information on our heritage. He was a 60 year member of the Masonic Lodge. He served in the military in WWII and we found pictures and letters his mother sent him while he was away at war. My grandmother was very detailed and labeled old photographs, it was fun to see their lives from that angle. I know that both of my grandparents are now in heaven as we frequently talked about spiritual things and they were sure that they had been reconciled to God.

Today I went to church with my parents and saw many of my parents friends and people that went to church with me when I was a boy. My day of remembering concluded with a 4 mile jog. I started at my parents house and jogged passed 5 yards I used to mow while I was in college. I jogged to Angelo State University, where I went to college and jogged by all three dorms where my girlfriend (now wife – Angie) lived. From there, I jogged past the church I attended while I was in college and then on to my elementary school (Crocket Elementary). I jogged through the campus and saw where I went to 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grade. I continued down Johnson Street and ran past where I went to 7th and 8th grade (Glenn Junior High). I jogged by the Gossett’s (long time family friends) house and then down to the office where my dad used to work. On my return home, I went by our old house on Rice street and then back to my parents house. I really didn’t plan on running this route, but when I found myself at the ASU campus, I thought I would just try to see how many places and memories I could find.

All of these memories were good, but I like the memories I’m making today even better. Playing with my children and nephew in the pool today was so much fun. I miss my friends on the islands and am eager to get back. Maybe in another 20 years I will jog the island where I live now and remember the memories I’m making today. Who knows, maybe someday my grandkids will walk through my house and peek in the closets and hidden places, read through journals and old notes to find the things that I value.