~just a very small town girl~

There are 318 miles between Burkburnett, Texas and Haven, Kansas.  Today we are going to travel every one of them as we find ourselves going home for a visit to "the land of long ago, and far, far away".  This is the year of Mike's 40th class reunion and it's time to go back and see what happened to everyone in the 4 decades since they all were kids together in that little farming community located in the south central part of the state.

Haven, Kansas is my dear and sweet hometown.

Although my home is no longer in that town, my heart for sure is.  I lived there from 1964 until 1984 and you don't just exist somewhere for 20 years and then forget it.  You don't.  My old memory bank is full of the times, both good and bad, that were to be had there.  I smile and laugh at the thought of all the wonderful friends I made during my years as an elementary and high school student.  I still feel a sense of loss and sadness at the memory of November 4, 1969 when our dear friend Mabel Nicklaus stopped my little sister and I as we were walking home from school.  She had been sent by our folks to pick us up as well as sheltered from the news that our sister had just been killed in a car accident only one county away.

Cindy and I were right in front of the post office when she finally found us.

Haven was one of those places in small town America where every adult took care of every kid in town.  It was of no consequence that you weren't one of Mrs. Carmichael's kids (she didn't have any and yet she had us all), if you were dawdling as you made your way to school and she caught sight of you, her message off the front porch landing was the same for any kid.

"You kids get a move on.  You're going to be late for school!"
And you know what?
She was right.
And so we did.

 My folks ran the town's only restaurant/filling station combination.  Every customer who walked through the door had a vested interest in the Scott family and the 7 kids they called their own.  I met them all, beginning at the very tender age of 12 when I was barely able to see over the cash register as my father taught me how to ring up folks' tickets and give them back change.  Now that was a painful memory in math.  It took me a little while but my father and the customers seemed patient. They watched me go from a gawky kid to a young woman.  From a little girl, to a teenager, to a grown up young woman, they witnessed it all and were a huge part of the life that was shaped for me.  

To the people of Haven, both then and now, I will always be beholden.
See you all soon.

She was just a very small town girl who never dreamed of a life anywhere else than Haven, Kansas.  The future was ahead of her but she didn't know it and she is me.

Life in high school went way too fast!  This group of kids had many things in common, one of which was that we loved to sing.  This was a picture of some of us who took solos to contest that 1971-72 school year.  Crazy, I can still remember that the song I sang was in Italian, Caro Mio Ben.  Does anyone know where I put my cell phone last?

I enjoyed being in the service organization Kayettes for all my high school years.  This photo was the group of girls who were officers and board members.  If you are looking for me, just look for the shortest one wearing a black floral print short sleeved dress.  She is me.

The little guy on the left was born in Hutchinson, Kansas but traveled all over the world because his father was a Navy guy.  Mike went to school at Haven from 7th grade through his senior year in high school.  He has many experiences to remember and plenty of them didn't even happen in Kansas.

Mike and I both remember the old high school although I was the only one who attended it.  The class of 1970 was the last to graduate from the old school.  I began my sophomore year there but midyear we moved everything over to the new high school.  Tonight's reunion will find many good folks who once called Haven their home and probably still do.