6330 Buckingham Dr. , Allen Park MI - 1969

For me, I find magic in revisiting the past -reconnecting. Last week I was in Detroit for work. On the way home I drove through Allen Park where we lived in the late 60s for about 4 years. Our old neighbors that were good friends of our family still live there in the same house where they raised 5 children. I dropped in on them and they remembered me and were glad to see me! They are in their 70s now and have several great-grandchildren!

Since I was no older than 5 when I lived there, most of my memories are just vague snapshots in my mind. But I saw a lot of the things I remembered - the place where our swingset was, the bookcase under the stairs in the neighbor's house, the place where their in-ground trampoline used to be that I loved to play on, the railroad tracks behind the house, the old Farmer Jack grocery store, Telegraph Rd., . . . I was surprised at how much I remembered. Our old house was so small. It didn't seem like it at the time!

Back in the car on the way to Columbus, a DJ on the radio was talking about a song Gonzo sang in the Muppet Movie . . ."I'm Going to Go Back There Someday." It seemed a coincidence to hear this when I did - just leaving a place where I lived so long ago. The first line is, "This looks familiar, vaguely familiar, Almost unreal, yet, it's too soon to feel yet."

Another line in the Muppet song that doesn't have anything to do with this subject really caught my attention. The line is, "There's not a word yet for old friends who've just met." Have you ever met someone for the first time but felt like you've known them forever? I have and it's one of the most magical things I have ever experienced. But that's another topic . . .