.jpg)
Over the weekend, I thought about the title of a novel by Thomas Wolfe, You Can’t Go Home Again. I was in the town where I had attended high school to celebrate my sister’s wedding with her and the rest of my family. Winona, Minnesota is along the Mississippi River. The picturesque bluffs that surround the community were carved by the melting ice in a region of the Midwest that was never glaciated. In the 1850’s the steamboats and railroad helped Winona become a center for wheat milling and lumber. By the late 1800’s, Winona became home to Watkins, a manufacturer of health remedies, baking products, and other household items. As times and economy changed, so did the local industries. Today, industrial supply company Fastenal and licensed sports retail and promotional products manufacture WinCraft call Winona home.
Like many others in rural America, I could not wait to head to the big city for college. After earning my bachelor’s degree. I stayed in the big city to earn a living. Over time, my visits became further apart and for shorter durations – aided by the fact that my brother and his family was living a half hour down river on the Wisconsin side. As we checked into the hotel – which did not exist when I was in high school, I realized that it been fifteen years since I had stayed overnight. The next morning, I took a circuitous route to Mom’s apartment so that I could check out what had changed. Winona is not the town of my youth. Then again, I am not the same person I was in my youth.
Being the oldest child, I had vague memories of my new brother-in-law and his parents. After the ceremony, I was talking with his parents about some of my memory from back then. Al remembered when the church helped send me to France to help build a house for the director of a Christian camp. At the reception, I was able to show a satellite image of that house thanks to Google Maps. This weekend gave me the opportunity retell my story from that summer in France and express my gratitude for their assistance in changing the trajectory of my life.
As a Rotarian, I have had countless occasions where I helped change the trajectory of someone’s life. As I prepare to head to the RI Convention in Toronto, I look forward to hearing stories from around the world of how we made a difference. We should celebrate what we have achieved and make plans to continue our efforts. It is time to be bold and be part of the positive change in the world. I will end with a quote from Wolfe’s novel.
Make your mistakes, take your chances, look silly, but keep on going. Don’t freeze up. ― Thomas Wolfe