Back to Bartlett - Recalling the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Yesterday afternoon, I performed a program of patriotic music for the wonderful folks at the Ave Maria Home in Bartlett, Tennessee. Generally I don't handle retirement/assisted living facilities all that well, but Ave Maria was beautiful and the people who attended the program were charming and very appreciative. I will happily return to Ave Maria in the future if the opportunity presents itself.

This was the first trip that I have made to Bartlett in some time. As I drove into the city yesterday, I was caught off-guard by the memories that some of the landmarks held for me.

While driving down Stage Road, I remembered taking my middle niece to a sleep-over last summer while the girls and their mother were living with us. My sister was in the early stages of divorce proceedings and I was helping to transport the girls home from school each afternoon and to various social events. As a whole, my family was making every attempt to make their young lives as normal as possible in the midst of all the chaos. What I remembered about those trips was that feeling of constantly looking over my shoulder -- never knowing if danger was lurking around the corner. I know how I felt in that situation; I can only imagine the horror that my sister and her daughters were living in at the time. Since a location triggered those emotions for me, I'm sure that they continue to suffer from those traumatic months and years as well. Yesterday, I came to a small understanding of what their lives must be like at times.

Thankfully, my memories soon became much more positive. As I neared the intersection of Stage and Bartlett Blvd., I saw the local Applebee's restaurant and recalled an anxious afternoon there in the summer of 1998. I had returned to Memphis in January of that year to begin my gradate work. On that summer day (specifically on Mom's birthday, I think), I was sitting at a table in Applebee's with my parents and sister while we were keeping an eye out for the U-Haul trailer that would bring home my brother and his young daughter. They were moving into my parent's home now that my brother's divorce was finalized.

As I continued to reflect on my brother's arrival in Memphis twelve years ago, I began to think how incredibly blessed my life became on that day. My brother joined the US Air Force when I was only 5 years old, so I really didn't know him that well. Sure, I had spent time with him during his leaves and spent holidays in his home in Sacramento....but I really didn't KNOW him. On that day, a man who I have come to respect immensely and that has become a major stabilizing force re-entered my life. The 8-year-old girl who was so unsure of her future at the moment grew up as part of my life and has become a great friend that I trust implicitly. I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of all that she has accomplished and look forward to getting to be a part of her upcoming nuptials.

Bartlett holds a lot of memories for me. I could mention the wedding of my dear friends in Bartlett Baptist, the study sessions for song repertoire, birthday parties in the park, or long talks with new friends in area restaurants. Other memories of Bartlett are less pleasant. Although many of the memories are painful for me (and my family as a whole), the final outcome has been one of blessing. It was in Bartlett that I was introduced to the three most important women in my life at this time -- my nieces. These three amazing, Godly young ladies are the light of my life and the center of my world. In view of these growing women and their impact on my life, the pain and hurt of Bartlett is just a fleeting nuisance. I choose to focus on the future and make new, lasting memories with those I treasure most!