Flashback

We ventured to the land that time forgot over the holiday weekend. That is Hannibal MO. Not much has changed in the sleepy little river town that Mark Twain made famous over 150 years ago. Oh sure, they have electricity now, but its still Twain's Hannibal. There is of course the Mark Twain Boyhhod Home and Museum, Becky Thatcher's house, the lighthouse on Cardiff Hill, Mark Twain Cave, etc. Its like stepping back in time whenever visiting that town.

One particular moment caused me to instantly flashback to my formative years in Hannibal. I ran into my high school sweetheart, Liz. (My lovely wife doesn't get jealous when I talk about Liz because Bethany actually dated Liz's brother Adam when she was in high school.) Small towns!!! Anyway, when I saw Liz, I was suddenly transported back to the old days when she and I were together. I remembered how we had made big plans for our future and that we thought we would always be together. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Instead we have both married well, and produced healthy and happy offspring. As strange as it sounds, when I saw Liz's kids for the first time, a part of me thought, "those could have been my kids" had things gone a little differently. But my momma has always said, "Everything happens for a reason." If Liz and I would have stayed together, Alex would have never been born. Neither would Liz's boys. Bethany would probably be married to a doctor and living in a mansion by now, but she wouldn't be as happy. I may not make a lot of money, but I'm pretty sure nobody could make her laugh like I do. And I helped create that devil of a child that she loves more than anything in the world. So I guess momma was right.

Still, it was great to see Liz again. She looked great and seemed to relish her role as a mom. We have both come a long way since those awkward teenage years. I guess some things from Hannibal do change.