Coolidge Avenue by olivetreeann

Coolidge Avenue

There's a saying that home is where your heart is,
My heart believes it's true.
And my home's so far away.
But the seasons and the scenery keep changing,
So I'll make my home with You,
Till I'm finally home to stay.

When I think of home,
When I'm tired and feeling lonely,
I come to You, You're where my heart is.

There are places on this journey I'll remember,
Many faces are so dear.
They can always bring a smile.
But no matter where I am or where I'm going,
In my heart You're always near.
You have made my life worthwhile.

When I think of home,
When I'm sad and feeling lonely,
I come to You, You're where my heart is.

There's a saying that home is where your heart is,
My heart believes it's true;
My heart believes it's true.
When I Think of Home- Words & Music by Bryan Duncan

I returned to the town I grew up in a while ago for a dental check-up and while I was there, I drove past my childhood home. I was expecting it to look different- it's been a looooong while since I was there, but what met my eyes was so completely different than what it looked like when I was a kid, I was truly in shock! A shot by one of my followers/following 365ers got me to thinking, I'd like to do a then and now collage. I spent most of the early afternoon looking for a "then" photo, only to realize, I have no full shots of the home I grew up in! My dad probably has some, so I'll have to check on that, but for now, little bits and pieces will have to do. Our lovely screened in porch has been closed in completely; the large fir tree Dad so patiently strung with Christmas lights each year, is gone. The front hedge- gone too. Instead of a macadam driveway, it's cobblestone now. But thankfully, the beautiful willow tree in our neighbor's yard is still there as well as the stone stairway leading to the backyard. It looks like the dogwoods have also endured. I don't know why a heaviness comes over my heart when I think of these changes. Perhaps because this home was so precious to me when I lived there; I don't know. But the changes evoke an unexplainable melancholy in me. It's not like I expected it to stay the same forever! Maybe it's my age- that middle ground of life where you wonder if you've made a difference, and you're hoping to stay healthy enough to enjoy the oncoming golden years. Maybe it's my memories- many filled with joy, some filled with sadness, and always that sense if my mother had lived longer, how different things might be now. Or maybe it's something even more significant- maybe it's my spirit longing for a place where justice prevails, evil does not win, and pain and sorrow are no longer. So, what do you think of, when you think of home?
L to R: Me on the porch, 1957; graduating nursery school; Mother's Day 1962 with Dad; Birthday girl, 1961; and the house today.
Great collage
September 15th, 2011  
Oh, this is sweet. My home is also far away but my family keeps in touch
September 15th, 2011  
I loved reading your thoughts since i have had had a similar experience returning to my hometown in Connecticut and seeing my family home renovated. The house i grew up in was built around 1800 so it had a great deal of history before my family moved in. After my brother and I grew up and left my mother died and left my father to live there alone almost to the end of his life at age 87. The last years of his stewardship were not kind to the house. He didn't have the understanding to keep up with more than basis maintainance. When we sold the house after his death to a couple that loved American history and lovingly restored the special qualities of this house, my brother and I were thrilled. Yes they cut down trees my mother had planted, but they had grown too big for the space and cast dark shade on the rooms within. We felt the house was entering into a new stage of its life where another family would grow and love and cherish memories within its walls.
September 15th, 2011  
@kerristephens Thank you Kerri!
@pandorasecho Thanks Dixie!
September 15th, 2011  
This is so very true. I love what you've done with this. There's no place like home... and it's so nostalgic sometimes to step back into childhood shoes (even if for only a brief moment in time). Love your memories here!
September 15th, 2011  
@allie912 Thank you Allison- I know it's had several owners since we lived there and I'm sure each one has changed it in some way, shape or form. I'm certain that the inside is even more different now than the outside. But you are right- times change, people's needs change and new owners can actually improve the quality of a home. So, it will probably be the last time I drive by it. First to not let my melancholy grow, but also so I can remember the things I cherish about it. The collage will be enough to remind me that times change and so do houses! I really appreciate your encouraging words.
September 15th, 2011  
@kezzam Thanks Kerry- Your thoughts are very touching.
September 15th, 2011  
Great collection, well thought and done!
September 15th, 2011  
Oh it is a great collection of photos, and I think it is great to be able to look back and relive the past like this. It brings back memories, and it is always amazing how fresh those memories remain in our mind. Every so often I too allow my mind to ponder on how things are, and sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be in that far away place where we long to be one day, together with all those loved ones who have gone on before. It will be grand, but in the meanwhile we persevere and remain ready for whatever purpose we have here.
September 15th, 2011  
@httpgeffed Thanks Colleen- it's a rainy, damp day here and I'm very achy which sort of puts me in these pensive moods. Glad you liked it.
@digitalrn So true Rick- amen!!
September 15th, 2011  
Beautiful Ann...thanks for sharing it with us!
September 15th, 2011  
@cdford Thank you Cindy- and you are welcome!
September 15th, 2011  
Being a very nostalgic person, I love photos and stories like this. I checked Google Maps a few yrs ago and the first 2 homes I lived in are no longer there. The third, which when I lived there had a lovely field and creek in back now has a parking garage! I hope nothing changes here. I love my home---be ever so humble, there's no place like home. Great collage and this has given me ideas for future photos!
September 16th, 2011  
@cimes1 Thank you Carole- this will probably stay a nice little suburban neighborhood because it is surrounded by many streets much like it. But that would be so sad to find out your childhood home was no longer there. Thank you for the lovely comment and I'll look forward to seeing your take on this!
September 16th, 2011  
How sweet and sad and comforting too!
September 16th, 2011  
Great collage. I can't really say I know what you are feeling because my Mom still lives in the house I grew up in. Changes are hard specially when you have not been there for so long
September 16th, 2011  
@potsbypam Thank you Pam!
@bkbinthecity Thanks bkb- several of my aunts and uncles still live in town, in the houses that my cousins grew up in, so some things stay familiar while others change. I'm glad you can still go back to your childhood home. I guess you could say I can too, I just can't go inside!
September 16th, 2011  
Wow Ann this is amazing! Very emotional. Fav for me!
September 16th, 2011  
Great collection of pics! Thanks for sharing your childhood with us :)
September 16th, 2011  
@daveanajao Wow- thank you Dave!
@alia_801 Thanks Alia- it was a basically happy one- a blessing!
September 16th, 2011  
What a wonderful collage, I love those type of memories!
September 16th, 2011  
@geertje Thank you Geertje! I appreciate your encouraging words!
September 16th, 2011  
A thoughtful and thought-provoking collage. My first childhood home is no longer there - but since then I've moved around so much that, to me, 'home' is very much a state of mind and heart. (Strange - until I wrote that, I didn't realise that's how I felty about it!!)
September 17th, 2011  
Ann, I had to return to your collage to give you a link to a photo I posted last year. http://365project.org/allie912/365/2010-04-27 the quote always comforts me.
September 17th, 2011  
@allie912 Thanks Allison- that is a lovely quote and I enjoyed looking at it. I do have some fond memories of growing up in this house and no amount of renovating or remodeling can take that away. And I must say, whoever redid the landscaping, they did a lovely job. I think the house is happy (if a house can be happy!). And I'm happy to be living in the house where I reside too. That was very sweet of you!
September 17th, 2011  
What a wonderful collection of thoughts, memories, and pictures. I have returned home again . . but it isn't the same. Some things are lost and so much has changed. Still . . it's home.
September 21st, 2011  
@karenann Yes- i know what you mean. "Main Street" is totally different now. Although many of the neighborhoods sitll have that suburban feel, the center of town is very urban chic. Cement sidewalks replaced with brick and the pizza shop is a ristorante. Time does change things! But "progress" can't take away memories. So, it's still fun to take a stroll down memory land once in a while.
September 21st, 2011  
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