I Went Back to Ohio

I'm at my mom's house (i.e. the only family house I ever remember living in) in Dayton, OH for TWELVE DAYS helping her pack and clean out the place before she moves to her brand-new, smaller home about a mile away. It's a good thing for everyone, but there's so much wrapped up in this house that is completely intertwined with who our family is that I'm a tiny bit wistful. I haven't lived here in 20 years, but details and stories are flooding back that I forgot about, with most of them really making me smile.

Everything moves along pretty well, even in lieu of my mother's serious OCD issues and the fact that she's lived here for 37 years. Then I stumble across some ephemera that has been stored in a box here for god knows how long, and it stops me cold for an hour while I fall into the memory pit.

I found my Dad's Army discharge papers; his resume from 1959; the real estate listing for this house ($44,500 in 1970); a worksheet from 3rd grade where I asked Jesus to help me "not be so bossy" (still waiting an answer on that prayer, apparently); horseback riding ribbons; my recruitment letters for college volleyball teams; pictures of Iggy Pop from 1987 at Hara Arena; a flyer looking to recruit a girl singer for my band; and almost best of all, the ticket stub from the day Pete Rose hit recordbreaking hit #4,192 at Riverfront: September 11, 1985, and my parents and I were sitting right behind the dugout...