The Metro-East is my home. More succinctly, East St. Louis is my home. Whereas I have discovered many who were raised in the river city prefer to 'claim' St. Louis as 'home.' I am a proud East St. Louis native. I left East St. Louis in the fall of 1957 to attend Illinois State University. I did return for a seven year stay in 1970, when coaching the Edwardsville high school basketball team.
Over the many years while living elsewhere, I did return frequently to my roots as I visited with parents, in-laws and friends. This past weekend, my wife and I visited the Metro-East area for a three-day stint watching our grandson's Eastern Illinois University baseball team compete with SIUE. The games were played evenings, which allowed us freedom to drive about old stomping grounds and do some reminiscing.
There is such an empty feeling and ache of loneliness as I drive by the one time homesteads of my mother and father and so many aunts and uncles who have passed away. As I pause in front of familiar homes, now occupied by strangers, I see brief visions of the past as I hear voices and laughter from yesterday moments. I drive away with an empty longing, which only can be soothed by wonderful previous memories.
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