Memories of Hamilton

My trip back to Hamilton, earlier this week, was a bit of a difficult thing. I suppose when you live in a town for a long time, you don’t really see all the changes that go on. But when you visit only occasionally, new construction and closed stores seem to stand out. Places that were landmarks of my youth are now gone. And things that remain are often changed–like the old CHCH building, which is now an abandoned theater.

I wish there was a way to make certain things remain the same. The childhood home of my mom’s best friend should not now house a business. The story where I used to shop for comic books shouldn’t be closed. And the movie theater where I used to go with my high school friends shouldn’t be a bingo hall.

I suppose the memories of those places will live on in me. Some are good, and a few are bad. But it is okay, because it is the memories of those places and times that have made me what I am, not the places themselves.