Missouri Memories

Last week I took a Nostalgia Trip down home to Osceola, Missouri where I lived at Terrapin Station for five glorious Summers and the intervening Falls, Springs and Winters. It was a return to my “real” home even though I have been living in exile in Oregon since 2005. Half business and half pleasure, it was a week of memories, and a strange combination of fun and sadness. I stayed with some of my best friends and that was a true joy. I visited places I loved in Kansas City and St. Clair County. I went to Forest Hill and put flowers on the graves and stood for a few moments on my final resting place.

I spent some difficult hours sorting through boxes in the storage unit that houses some of my possessions that I left behind, looking for children’s toys and books I saved for my grandchildren. I took care of some financial matters that were still hanging. I ate wonderful fresh-from-the-garden meals, saw old friends and acquaintances, and relived some happy times. One thing I did not do was drive by Terrapin Station. Friends have told me the new owners have made changes that would disappoint me. So…like the country song I heard on the car radio as I was driving there…"better as a memory."