Twelve years ago, our family moved to Utah from Maryland. Mostly, we were responding to conditions forced upon us because of the 2008-2009 Housing Recession. (I won't bore you with those details.) Since moving here, I have had my share of grief and also many blessings.
Something interesting that has puzzled and saddened me since moving back, has been watching all of my former school buildings in Provo be torn down or renovated into something very different. This was very disconcerting. It seemed to me, that my early history was being erased right before my eyes.
Something interesting that has puzzled and saddened me since moving back, has been watching all of my former school buildings in Provo be torn down or renovated into something very different. This was very disconcerting. It seemed to me, that my early history was being erased right before my eyes.
My family had lived in Provo when I was born until I turned 8 years old. Then, we came back from Texas for a year when I was in 8th Grade. I came back to Provo again for college at BYU. After getting married, my husband and I followed his jobs to locations in Southern California and the Bay Area, then to Maryland for the next 30 years. Ultimately, those circumstances of 2009 brought us back to live in Utah where I still live today.
Demolition of Joaquin Elementary School I literally watched the buildings where where I went to Kindergarten, and 1st and 2nd Grade be turned into a huge apartment complex and a library. I got to watch my Middle School get torn down to build a new elementary school. And even now, I am watching some of the buildings I practically lived in during college be torn down or renovated beyond recognition. Granted, they have built some pretty impressive new buildings.
New Life Science Building directly across the lane from the house I grew up in. No more canal bank or the green houses where my renegade baby brother used to swap out all of the plant labels.
I was feeling pretty sad about all of this until I took a good look at what I have done in my life. The first thing we did when we moved here in 2009 was tear apart the house we bought to remodel it.
 Before |  After |
I also write a lot of Hymn arrangements. Isn't that the same thing as renovating a house? Arrangers take the basic structure of a song and add their own spin to it. Maybe the only things left are parts of the melody. Isn't that like leaving only the address of the house.
Well, I like to think that the past can be honored and remembered even when something grand and new takes its place. I think good musical arrangements prolong or even give new life to old songs. Maybe that's the same with old buildings? (Hmm....no. They are just gone.)
Well, I like to think that the past can be honored and remembered even when something grand and new takes its place. I think good musical arrangements prolong or even give new life to old songs. Maybe that's the same with old buildings? (Hmm....no. They are just gone.)
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