Mapping Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Growing up, trips to Sherburne, New York, meant seeing my grandparents, hearing my father sing songs about the "Sherburne Girls who wear their hair in curls," laughing at my grandmother singing "I am your sunshine," getting rubber bracelets from TOPS grocery store to appear as the MTV generation, occasionally getting an ice cream cone or seeing fish at Roger's Nature Center, and on good days, tasting garlic pizza from Lewis's restaurant.

I'm heading there Friday to see my sister's godfather, Jack, and my other sister's godmother, Pat, to celebrate a birthday. Discussing this today with a teacher at the school where I've been working, I learned that she and her husband are also good friends of the Lemerys, both Jack and Pat and that the world is smaller than I ever could have imagined. My father grew up with this teacher's husband. Go figure.

My father said, "Now that is karma, right?" and I have to agree. Who'd of thunk that individuals I know would intersect at the home of the Pageant of Bands? I can taste the garlic already, smell the cows, and remember all the days we spent on weekends in small town, USA.