A Relic

Last week my sweetheart and I took a day trip to Central Oregon. We knew we would love to stay longer but that wasn't possible.  We had a specific purpose in mind - something we wanted to do before winter set into the Cascade Mountains between here and there. My young growing up years were spent in Bend, Oregon - a town high in the Cascade range in Central Oregon - and that's where I met my sweetheart when I went back to visit friends many years later.  Both of us have roots there and memories galore.  After we had accomplished what we set out to do we drove around town to see some of the 'old' places from days gone by. One special place I wanted to see was the school where I attended fourth grade. It was an old building then but I loved every inch of it. I loved the vintage drinking fountains and light fixtures.  I loved the creaky wood floors and stairs.  I loved the 'coat closet' that you could only enter from the classroom.  It was a place where we could hang our coats, place our lunch pails and stow our winter boots and outdoor clothing when we came in from play on winter days.  Most of all, I dearly loved my teacher, Mrs. Fox.  She made school days more special than I could have imagined.  She was creative and loving and caring. She made each of us feel as if we were her own grandchildren.  So, I wanted to go back and see if Reid School was still standing.  And it was!

I had to quickly take this photo from the car so we wouldn't create a traffic jam.  There she was - the building where so many precious memories 'live'.  My classroom was on the second floor at the back of the building on the right. Memories flooded back again - it seemed like it was only yesterday! My former school is now a historical museum.  We wanted to head over the mountain passes toward home before dark so we didn't have time to stop and visit the museum. We will go back again someday and I know I will spend a lot of time in this dear, old building.

That day we spent in Bend brought a new realization to me - one I didn't want to embrace at first.  Then I thought about it and decided it could be a good thing.  The area where I lived is now called 'Historic Bend' and the school I attended in fourth grade is a historical museum.  Relics of the past.  So what does that make me?  A relic!!! But relics are very valuable - they are treasures and they grow in value as they age.  As I thought about it I decided to embrace the fact that I'm a relic.  That makes me a very valued treasure that will only grow in value as I age. I can live with that!

Soon I'll share more about our trip and some of the memory places that are dear to my heart.