I Always Will Remember

My birthplace is gone. The demolition crew salvaged what they thought was worth something and yesterday the rest of the house was torn down in a matter of hours. My sister was there to watch and record the destruction. She sent me these pictures. I'm glad she was there to record the event but it would have torn my heart apart to watch the demise of the place in which I lived for nearly twenty years. She was only nine when we moved away so she does not have as many memories of the place as I do.

In a matter of hours the place was reduced to a pile of rubble. (Moral: Tearing down is always easier than building up, whether it's houses, relationships, or reputations.) A new road will soon mark the spot where the house once stood. It may be gone, but in memory I will always be able to see it the way it was when I lived there. Thanks to my parents for purchasing this aerial photo, I can show my home place to my grandchildren even though it is gone. There's our ball diamond in the meadow . . . the creek where we slopped on hot summer days. . .the chicken house roof I jumped from and broke my arm. . . the brooder house my sister and I used as a play house. . . the lawn we mowed with a push mower . . .the barn hill where we sat to watch fireworks in the summer and went sledding in the winter . . . the corn field we walked through to get to the mulberry trees at the other end . . .

I Remember, I Remember
By Thomas Hood (excerpts only)

I remember, I remember,

The house where I was born,

The little window where the sun

Came peeping in at morn.

I remember, I remember,

The roses, red and white,

The vi'lets, and the lily-cups,

Those flowers made of light!

I remember, I remember,

Where I was used to swing,

And thought the air must rush as fresh

To swallows on the wing.

I remember, I remember,

The fir trees dark and high;

I used to think their slender tops

Were close against the sky.

I always will remember the house where I was born!