things change

when i was a kid and we would drive through the salt lake valley with my parents, they loved to point out all the things that had changed in the 20 years since they had lived there, entire swaths of land that were now filled with neighborhoods, businesses and the like. they would show us the houses they grew up in and tell us stories of the people they grew up with.

it hasn't been 20 years but this week me and the kids are on a visit to utah, where i grew up. we usually come back once or twice a year and there are always things that have changed. ned and cindy have 2 new kittens, my parents have painted the upstairs in my childhood home, my friends have shorter hair, longer hair, bigger kids, different jobs, and always there are more houses and businesses in the vacant lots where i used to play.

some changes are sad, some interesting and some don't really matter all that much. it's strange that in my head i imagine and half expect things to be the same each time i return - i hold the same picture of the people and places i love so much. some things i prefer to remember as they once were and other things need to be updated in my mind's eye.

for as long as i can remember, my mom will sit down at the piano each night before going upstairs to bed and "pound out" a few songs. i've always loved hearing her favorite hymns and choice sonatinas tinkle through the bedtime air. tonight as i laid in bed, i heard her start to play a song i had never heard and i couldn't help it - i had to sneak upstairs and watch for a few minutes as she played a different song on her new piano. this was simply one mental picture that had to be updated.