7/27/2019 Clydene Overbey...Going Home Again, Really?

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5718 Driftwood Lane

(South of the River Bridge)

Ozark - 479-667-4588

BOOK FAIR Pictured is Sally Acord assisting a stu-dent in the book fair held at the Ozark Elementary lastweek.

by Clydene Overbey

I decided about seven or

so years ago that I again

wanted to see the house

where I grew up. My Daddy

died in 1985 and Mama moved

into an apartment a few years

later. I had not been back. The

house no longer belonged to

my family, so I just didnt go.

After Mama died, I felt I

just had to go there again to

reconnect with my childhood.

The feeling grew so strong

that I could resist no longer.

One day I took my camera and

decided that I must do this no

matter how hurtful it may be.

Everything looked so dif-

ferent on the way that I began

to wonder if I was even on the

right road. These just couldnt

be the roads I walked and

played on all my life. I missed

the turn because I didnt rec-

ognize it. How in the world

could I get lost in an area that

I knew every inch of? I knew

for a fact that the house was

still there and surely they

hadnt moved the roads!

I drove back and forth for

what seemed like hours. I was

too stubborn to turn around.

Besides I was so lost by then

I didnt even know how to turn

around and leave. I didnt see

a thing that I was familiar with.

I came to a house that

looked familiar, but the road

sure didnt. There should be

deep ditches. Wasnt this

where we used to wade in the

ditches? Well, my goodness,

there is Hall Parks Store. Whyin the world would they move

that old store? How stupid!

Hey, wait a minute, they didnt

move because theres his ol

house beside it. Surely they

didnt move em both. This

must be the road. If it is then I

know where I am.

I drove on up the road and

turned on to the road that

would go all the way down to

the end. A dead-end road right

by the railroad tracks.

I was getting excited now.

I was thinking, Im going

Going Home Again, Really?home. I drove on down and

there it was. Oh Lord, where

is the neat yard? And that

porch my daddy built with his

own hands, that couldnt be

it. Where are the crape myrtles

and the walnut trees? I knew

that was the house, but what

had happened to it? Oh Lord,

what have they done to my

home? They have destroyedmy home. Oh please let me

wake up from a bad dream.

There was a woman stand-

ing in the yard. I asked if I

could look around and take

some pictures of this place

where I grew up. She said,

Sure, it would be okay. I

walked to the back and took a

picture. Where was that chin-

aberry tree we used to sit un-

der? What is wrong with this

place? This is not my home.

Where is Daddys garden?

The railroad tracks are not

even here. They moved them

too.

I finally found the tracks.

They were still there but the

weeds had grown up so they

were almost hidden. The RR

Company or whatever it is

called, used to keep the grass

down because of fires.

The big field where we had

our fort was overgrown, the

persimmon tree and the black-

berry patch were also gone. I

walked back around to the

front, took another picture,

got in my car and left.

About halfway up the

road the tears forced their way

out and I started crying. I cried

and cried for lost youth, I

guess. I had tried to go home

again and it wasnt there. I

hadnt even asked to go in-

side because I knew Id never

be able to do it. I can remem-

ber the inside of that house

just like it was, warm and fuzzy

memories, loving memories.

Oh how I was wishing I hadnt

gone down there.

You can never go back.

That was not my wonderful

home at all. Nothing was the

same. I finally realized that it

wasnt things, and stuff, that

was missing. No, what was

missing was us, Mama,

Daddy, Norman, Me, Grand-

mas, Grandpas, Brenda, Paul

and Auntie. We were the

home, not the house. I cant

get that back physically, but I

can go there anytime I want

to. I just have to turn my

thoughts back to that ol

house and all the people whomade a house a home. Thats

what home is all about.

Ill never go back. Those

two pictures are still here and

I do treasure them, but I have

others taken when my family

was all there. My home is in

my memories.

So Ive been home again

this evening. Ive wandered

down that lane in my memo-

ries and gone in that house.

Ive reflected and remembered.

Ive smiled, laughed, and Ive

even cried, but I went home

again and I am refreshed and

very thankful.I wrote this poem years

ago when I was away from

home and couldnt come back.

Old Patch Out Back

I walked along a path this

morn that I had walked be-

fore.

It ends up in the woods, it

starts at my back door.

My Dad walked here many

times, Mama and brother too.

I played here as a child,

Now Im alone and blue.

There was where my

Daddy sat on a fallen log.Here my brother and I

played with our family dog.

My Mama came here many

times just to be alone,

So did I, I loved it here and

played the whole day long.

Now this path is silent, no

one is around.

But if I listen carefully, God

sends to me the sounds.

Sweet voices of my family,

though none of them are near.

THANK YOU

Thank you Ozark Elemen-

tary students, student fami-

lies, private donators, teach-

ers and local businesses for

your help with and support of

the Scholastics Reading Oa-

sis Book Fair held in the

Milton Elementary School li-brary last week.

Special thanks to our vol-

unteers who assisted our stu-

dents during their classroom

shopping times, Carla Dicker-

son, Sheila Hopper, Roxana

Asbeck, Sally Acord, Teresa

Day, Kristy Miner, Crissy

Griffith, Brenda Kuykendall,

Amber Wilbanks, Latisha

Wickizer, Candy Bonds, Pam

Minshew, Nikki Finney and

Debra Post.

Profits from book sales

make it possible for new titles

to be added to our library col-lection and for the addition of

student computers or other

technology needs to the li-

brary. Your generosi ty and

support is what makes our

Ozark School District strong.

Your support is what helps our

students be so successful!

Jennifer Peters,

Media Specialist

Daddy is gone to Heaven,

Mama no longer lives here.My brother, hes gone too,

with a family of his own.

But their beautiful memo-

ries are here and here we all

still roam!

Joshua 24:15 - And if it

seem evil unto you to serve

the Lord, choose you this day

whom ye will serve; whether

the gods which your fathers

ser ved tha t [were] on the

other side of the flood, or the

gods of the Amorites, in whose

land ye dwell: but as for me

and my house, we will serve

the Lord.

Hill's Chapel & Other PlacesBy Audine Walker

Hello, everyone.

The weatherman has fore-

cast colder weather and some

rain this week.

My sincere sympathy to all

those who have lost loved

ones, Frances Morris, Delmer

Dickerson and James Boen.May God comfort you in your

sorrow.

Happy belated birthday to

April Walker on Wednesday,

Oct. 16. She turned 23.

Happy seventh wedding

anniversary to Jon and Crys-

tal Yoder of Clarksvi lle Mon-

day, Oct. 21.

Congratulations to Hoyt

and June Cloos. They cel-

ebrated their 73rd wedding an-

niversary Saturday, Oct. 19. I

joined family and friends at the

Ozark Nursing Home Saturday

to enjoy cake and coffee with

them. Their daughter, Pat, alsoserved cookies and soft

drinks to the guests.

Happy belated birthday to

my nephew, Ron Blackwell, of

Springdale Sunday, Oct. 20.

I have been following the

St. Louis Cardinals baseball

team. They made it to the 2013

World Series. They will play

the Boston Red Sox who beat

out the Detroit Tigers in the

playoffs. Bobby Don knows

Tori Hunter who plays for the

Tigers. Hunters half-brother

is Shanikas cousin. He had

lunch with Hunter one time in

Pine Bluff.

Crystal, Jon and Jac-

quelyn came Thursday night

to get some stuff to help with

their decorations for Hallow-

een.

I went to Jonetta and

Roys Friday night to attend

the Lamar and Charleston

football game at Lamar with

them. Charleston won. Seth

had a good game. He knocked

down the ball and prevented

a touchdown; had some tack-

les and racked up 30 yards.

Others there to see the game

were Crystal, Jon, Jacquelyn

and Joshua. Lance and Ava

were there from Bentonville.They spent the weekend with

Crystal, Jon and family. I spent

the night with Jonetta and

Roy and came home Saturday

morning.

Jon and Crystal entered

the chili cook-off contest at

their church, which was held

Saturday, Oct. 19. They wonthe trophy. Jonetta and Roy,

along with Lance and Ava,

joined them Saturday night at

their home to watch the Ra-

zorback game and eat chili for

supper. Lance and Ava went

home Sunday morning to at-

tend church.

I was able to attend church

Sunday morning. I went by

and got Trennie. Olema

Willson was able to be there.

Everyone welcomed her back

after her surgery. It was our

business meeting at Mt. Zion

Regular Baptist Church. Our

pastor, Elder Mark Sherrell,

brought the message. His son,

Luke, and wife were there. We

enjoyed them. Karen sang a

special.

Joshua Gearhart was

among the academic students

who got to run out onto the

football field during half-time

between Lamar and Charles-

ton. He is a sixth grade stu-

dent at Lamar.

Be Amazing recallsgrowing toy spiders

Be Amazing! Toys is re-

calling Monster Science

Growing Spiders sold August2011 to November 2012. The

soft and colorful product can

be mistaken by a child for

candy. When the marble-sized

toy is ingested, it can expand

inside a childs body and

cause intestinal obstructions,

resulting in severe discomfort,

vomiting, dehydration and

could be life threatening.

This recall involves Mon-

ster Science Growing Spider

toy sets sold at Cracker Barrel

Old Country Stores.

Consumers should con-

tact Be Amazing! Toys at (877)

798-9795, or online at www.b

eamazingtoys.com for a re-

fund.

Create featuresrecipes for autumn

AETN (Conway) The

weekend marathon on AETN-

2 Create presents AutumnHarvest Saturday, Oct. 26, at

6 a.m. and Sunday, Oct. 27, at

11 a.m.

As the weather gets

cooler, we look ahead to har-

vest time. Enjoy apple, pump-

kin, squash and sweet potato

recipes by Katie Brown, P.

Allen Smith, Joanne Weir and

many more.

These versatile fruits and

vegetables will keep your fam-

ily wanting more! It looks as

though this years harvest will

be plentiful.

Page 16 - - THE SPECTATOR, Ozark, Ark., Wednesday, October 23, 2013