Where is Home?

Doug and Gayle
Family

I believe we all have a different definition of home. If someone asks me where I live, I tell them Sarasota, Florida. If someone asks me where I am from, I tell them Brookville, Indiana, a small town that according to the 2000 census has a population of 2,652 people. It was probably half of that size when I was growing up. To me Brookville will always be home. I was born and raised there, my mother still lives there, my father is buried there, I met my wife there, my brother still lives close and a part of my heart will always be there.

My lifelong friend, Doug Siebert and his wife, Gayle graciously allowed me to stay at his home for two nights. Doug and I have been friends since we were in the first grade. We were fraternity brothers in college, he was the best man in my wedding and I was the best man is his. Doug still lives close to Brookville and we have remained close over the years. Doug and I were opposites. He always hated math and science, but was a gifted artist. On the other hand, math was my strong suit, but I couldn’t draw a recognizable stick figure. Doug and Gayle are both retired teachers and now produce beautiful weavings which they sell at local art shows.

My mother came from a family of thirteen children. They grew up under very poor economic circumstances and because of this difficult childhood which they all shared they have remained very close throughout their lives. When I go back to Brookville, I seldom visit just my mother but rather my extended family. My mother casually mentioned going to the home of one of my many cousins for dinner. When I arrived there were twelve of my relatives already there. We enjoyed a home cooked meal (which I didn’t need but gladly partook of) and talked about, what else, family. Of course everyone gets together with family for special occasions, but this was a gathering just to enjoy each others company and a common occurrence in small town Midwestern life. My father was fond of saying “you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy”. For me, at least, this is a reality which I cherish.

Later today Brookville will host a parade right down – where else - Main Street which is the culmination of a month long celebration of its bicentennial. This is a town of less than 3,000 people and the attendance at the parade is anticipated to exceed 15,000. All I can say is wow. The town has outdone itself and it seems everyone that I know in the area has played a roll. Hopefully the weather will hold and I will have some photos to share with you.