A Trip Down Memory Lane…

I was driving up to Canterbury, NH yesterday to visit my friend Heather and see her (awesome!) new house. Lately I just put the radio on scan and stop when it hits something good – which isn’t very often. On my hour+ drive I came across the remake of the Jackson 5’s song “I’ll Be There” as done by Mariah Carey on MTV Unplugged back in 1992, and immediately hit the button to listen. This is a story that I’ve told many times, and one I don’t think I’ll ever forget. It’s a great memory that I have from over 20 years ago:

Setting: Clayton Huey Elementary School

Location: The “Main Gym” (our big gymnasium)

Event: 6th Grade Graduation Dance (I went to a small school. We did weird/cute/fun things like this) I also recall that we made kites in art class and those were the decorations in the gym. Mine was super cheesy, I think it was just balloons tied with a ribbon because I always was (and still am) a terrible artist.

So, a little background. From the 2nd through the 6th grade (yes, I was specific even back then), I had a crush on a kid named Seth. He was friends with my brother and used to be over our house a lot, and we also went to the same church. He never knew I liked him, as I was a shy kid (shocker, right?) Well, Seth started dating this girl Kelly and I was beyond crushed! He took her to the dance and they were of course together all night long.

I was on the bleachers crying my eyes out with my friends Sara and Lisa, when a boy named Mike (actually my “other crush” at the time) came and asked me to dance, presumably because he could see how sad/upset/hysterical I was. I said yes and we danced to, you guessed it, I’ll Be There. I don’t remember what we talked about, but I do remember how good Mike made me feel. Mike and I were friendly throughout high school, as were Seth and I. Seth is now married with a baby and Mike is married with a few children as well.

This was just a nice memory that I wanted to share with you all. It made me think of what a wonderful boy Mike was back then, and I know he’s grown into a wonderful man and father. To be that kind of boy at 12 years old, I didn’t expect anything else. I’ve met his parents on many occasions and I remember what nice people they were and probably still are. I look at Nicholas and I want and hope that he will be the kind of boy Mike was, at such a young age, and that he will one day grow into a wonderful man. Nick and I will do our best to make that happen.

xo