Changes

Yesterday was one of those rare, glorious weather days in Northwest Arkansas and Northeast Oklahoma. It was a perfect day for a small excursion to the town of five generations of my family, the capital of the Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah. Trees were just beginning to turn colors, warmed by the sun in a cloudless sky. Equally warming was a visit with one of my dear friends and my brother and sister-in-law.

In 1889, my great-grandparents saw a town quite different from the Tahlequah I saw yesterday. Horses and wagons, dirt streets and far fewer houses and stores greeted them when they arrived from Georgia. However, the brick capital building stood proudly in the town square. At statehood, the capital building became the Cherokee County courthouse. Now, although the courthouse occupies a different location, that same building is still there, rightfully returned to the Cherokee Nation.

Changes. Life is a series of changes, and yesterday I saw a few. North of the old courthouse is a large, brick building. At one time, it was the Thompson Hotel. Later, a clothing store occupied the premises. Now, it contains a collection of books, antiques, tables, chairs, paintings, and a black baby grand piano.

A bright garden of flowers and herbs greeted my sister-in-law Linda and me as we climbed the steps into the building. We browsed through, admiring the interior and remembering what the building used to be. Of course, I was enthralled with that baby grand and amazingly, the proprietor asked me to sit down on the piano bench and render a tune. OK. I could that, but what? The only song that came to mind was “The Tennessee Waltz”, the song made famous by Oklahoma native Patti Page. A smattering of applause from the people listening greeted me as I scooted off the bench.

And I, being rather whimsical and imaginative, wondered if that old tune wove its way out through the picture window into the bright sunshine and wrapped its melody around the past. a bridge between the long ago and the present day. Music can do that, you know, bridge the gaps of years or generations or lifestyles.

Change occurs. When it moves in the right direction, it is good. Nature changes with each season. Towns change. So do people. We don’t remain the same. However, nobody ever said that we have to leave the wonderful, warm, solid-rock memories of the past behind us. We can take them with us, keep them in our hearts, and sometimes, on a sunny autumn day, we can venture back for a moment, and remember.