{This is one of my postings I have retrieved from my archive file. I wrote in on April 18, 2010}They say you can never go home again. I suppose that is essentially so. As I look back I find it increasingly more difficult to determine where if anything is my home. It was a profound feeling for me to walk into the small classroom at Wallace Baptist Church where I once sat as a small child so many years ago. It seemed so large then. It was equally nostalgic to stroll the same paths under the live oaks at the "Old War Skul". Revisiting my home town of Shreveport a few days before my daughter's wedding was bittersweet and once again walking the Streets of Bakersfield was pretty strange yet cool too.
The Mrs. The Third and I lived in and around the small town of Tomball, Texas from June 1988 until September 2005. During that time I worked and lived in Southern California for 2 years. But 15 years of our lives were spent there. Three of our children started to school there. Two graduated from the local high school. It was what I called my home town.
Nearly five years have passed since we left and we have only visited 3 or 4 times since.
If you recall, I wrote a blog last year and I posted it on March 8. It is titled "The Rest of the Story" I suggest that you revisit that post. I wrote about a very proud moment of my life. The trip I am about to detail was to attend the Annual Gumbo Karoke at St. Anne Catholic Church. The guest of honor and principle celebrant at Mass was Daniel Cardinal DiNardo. Since the event/fundraiser was my brainchild, several people where looking forward to my attendance.
Around 5 AM the Mrs The Third left our home here in Hooterville and drove back to our old home town. As we got closer and closer we would marvel at all of the new growth and development. As we drove the same streets we had traversed so many time I realized that things seemed pretty run down. I was disappointed. Just as that small country church class room had looked different from what I had envisioned, The town seems to look weathered and some how sad. Buildings were boarded up and grass was growing high. Trash was on the sidewalks. As we drove down South Cherry Street we noted our dream home did not look as appealing as it once did. Around 8 AM we pulled into the parking lot of our former church. We drove to the rear of the old Parish Hall and began to see the usual familiar faces of our friends, Mark and Darrel and Louis. For a fleeting moment it was if I had never left and once again we were cooking something together. This time is was chicken and sausage gumbo. Yes there was noticeably more gray hair but it was still good to be back. I watched as another man was walked in the same shoes I had walked in over 8 years ago.I saw him assemble a small group of young boys and watched as they prepared for the night's festivities. The wife and I only stayed about an hour. We were getting in the the way of the cooking. We left and drove to downtown Houston and visited the oldest micro brewery in Texas, St. Arnold's. See, I still write about beer.
We each received four tokens each for a free sample of beer. We only used four total tokens and gave the remaining four tokens to a guy setting near to us. I chose him since he was wearing a LSU tee shirt. Geaux Tigers!! We left St. Arnold's and drove up Interstate 45 to nearby Conroe, Texas. Once again we marveled at the amount of change we saw. We arrived at Southern Star Brewery and once again received four free tokens for samples. We stayed there and drank a couple of beers each and then we proceeded back to Tomball to attend Mass and then the 8th Annual Fundraiser for the Archdiocesan Ministry for Persons with Disabilities.
It was good to visit with our dear friends but I realized that although St. Anne would always be a part of me and I would be a part of it as well, somehow I truly was no longer connected to it. I suppose you could consider that sad but I feel pretty void
We left early in order to be back home around midnight. I shook hands with my friend Deacon Garry and then spoke to Cardinal DiNardo and jokingly said "keep an eye on this guy" he laughed and and said "you bet I will"
Then we left. It has been around 4 or 5 months since then and as I write this, I realize that it truly is not home to me anymore.
But I realized one thing. Everyone needs a home. I hope I find one.
Down the Road Guys....
The Third
Nearly five years have passed since we left and we have only visited 3 or 4 times since.
If you recall, I wrote a blog last year and I posted it on March 8. It is titled "The Rest of the Story" I suggest that you revisit that post. I wrote about a very proud moment of my life. The trip I am about to detail was to attend the Annual Gumbo Karoke at St. Anne Catholic Church. The guest of honor and principle celebrant at Mass was Daniel Cardinal DiNardo. Since the event/fundraiser was my brainchild, several people where looking forward to my attendance.
Around 5 AM the Mrs The Third left our home here in Hooterville and drove back to our old home town. As we got closer and closer we would marvel at all of the new growth and development. As we drove the same streets we had traversed so many time I realized that things seemed pretty run down. I was disappointed. Just as that small country church class room had looked different from what I had envisioned, The town seems to look weathered and some how sad. Buildings were boarded up and grass was growing high. Trash was on the sidewalks. As we drove down South Cherry Street we noted our dream home did not look as appealing as it once did. Around 8 AM we pulled into the parking lot of our former church. We drove to the rear of the old Parish Hall and began to see the usual familiar faces of our friends, Mark and Darrel and Louis. For a fleeting moment it was if I had never left and once again we were cooking something together. This time is was chicken and sausage gumbo. Yes there was noticeably more gray hair but it was still good to be back. I watched as another man was walked in the same shoes I had walked in over 8 years ago.I saw him assemble a small group of young boys and watched as they prepared for the night's festivities. The wife and I only stayed about an hour. We were getting in the the way of the cooking. We left and drove to downtown Houston and visited the oldest micro brewery in Texas, St. Arnold's. See, I still write about beer.
We each received four tokens each for a free sample of beer. We only used four total tokens and gave the remaining four tokens to a guy setting near to us. I chose him since he was wearing a LSU tee shirt. Geaux Tigers!! We left St. Arnold's and drove up Interstate 45 to nearby Conroe, Texas. Once again we marveled at the amount of change we saw. We arrived at Southern Star Brewery and once again received four free tokens for samples. We stayed there and drank a couple of beers each and then we proceeded back to Tomball to attend Mass and then the 8th Annual Fundraiser for the Archdiocesan Ministry for Persons with Disabilities.
It was good to visit with our dear friends but I realized that although St. Anne would always be a part of me and I would be a part of it as well, somehow I truly was no longer connected to it. I suppose you could consider that sad but I feel pretty void
We left early in order to be back home around midnight. I shook hands with my friend Deacon Garry and then spoke to Cardinal DiNardo and jokingly said "keep an eye on this guy" he laughed and and said "you bet I will"
Then we left. It has been around 4 or 5 months since then and as I write this, I realize that it truly is not home to me anymore.
But I realized one thing. Everyone needs a home. I hope I find one.
Down the Road Guys....
The Third
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