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I recently was given my 15 year service award at work.  Technically, it's not until November 20 but, they celebrate every one's milestones all at once.  They had a luncheon (which I missed) and I was given a catalog to choose a gift in recognition for my service.  I couldn't help but think of what led me here, 15 years ago.  The job I lost, the bills I had, the changes I desperately needed to make.

I remember my first day here - oh what a mess!  I was 23 years old.  I was told to report but, not where TO report.  The building was like the size of 2 pro football stadiums joined together at a corner.  Thankfully, my brother (10 years seniority at that point) was able to help me to get to where I needed to be and he knew my new teamleader.  When I first started here, I worked on the assembly line that made the interior of the Dodge Viper.  I worked on that line for 90 days - most of the time being transferred to help another team - and on my 90th day, I was given a pee test and a permanent transfer to the door panel line for the Jeep Grand Cherokee.  I worked my butt off over there!  I worked overtime,  I stayed late, I worked holidays - I just worked.  I was a production trainer - training new people as they came on our line - and I loved it!  I did that for two years eventually even taking on a small quality control role for model year change over.  When I started my job at Viper, I had 5 years experience in Electronics assembly and eventually, the Electronics Department here found out about that and I was offered a job as a stockroom clerk.  I took it.  It was a transfer out of the plant.  And from 2nd shift to the day shift.  I was handed the reins and allowed to make my job into what it is today.  I think back to those days when I was using someone else's credit card with a $10,000/month limit - to now where I have my own $50,000/month limit and I spend (with purchase orders INcluded) an average of $1.6M (that's MILLION folks) every month! 

It's easy to see how far I've come in 15 years though harder to think about where I came from.

I think about what I left behind.  Sometimes, I miss what was home.  I miss the smell of PCA on a fall morning.  I miss the low drone of the fog horn.  I miss the smell of Lake Michigan - and the wet sand.  I miss the cidery sweetness of the apple orchards in the fall and the dust from harvesting corn. 

I miss watching the sun dip into Lake Michigan at the end of the day.  I miss the wind in the dune grass bending and swaying in the lake breeze, and the whitecaps breaking on shore.  I miss waiting for the big ships to come through the channel, listening to the deckhands calling to each other while preparing to unload, and the 'dinging' of the bridges as they go up or down.  I miss walks on the pier in both the warm sunshine and the cold wind.

Of course, I also miss Big Al's subs and A&W Coney Dogs with a mug of root beer.  I miss burgers and beers at the "Nortside" on a Sunday afternoon and being forced to watch the Lions on the TV.  I miss the stale cigarette smoke and beer combination in the old bars where I hung out.  Oddly, some of the bartenders are still around...

Yet, when I go home, it's not the same.  The casino has taken over the apple orchards, the condos have the beach.  I always seem to miss the big boats, and the fog horn can barely be heard anymore.  Most of the bars are now closed and the "Nortside" is for sale.  PCA no longer makes the type of paper that caused that stink (once in a while it still seeps out) and I never get a chance to take my time and walk on the pier.

As much as I miss where I came from, I have to go back to where I am.  I've made a good life for myself and my family too - the family that grew here.  I think of the traditions we make here and our own little 'one of a kinds'.  Looking back at just this past year, our Corky's Drive-In, July 3 Jubilee, Vitale's Pizza, 'The Breakfast Stop', our library that rarely asks for my name anymore.  The relationship we've built with our Police and Fire Departments.  Free Matinees at The Regent Theater all summer.  Our neighbors and the friends we've made in the community.  I didn't realize it before but, we do have so much here.

When I left "home", I never thought I'd find those little comforts again.  They couldn't be anywhere else!  I always looked at everything as temporary.  I wasn't going to put in roots.  And it just happened....Jeremy and I were talking about this not too long ago - We may have come from cities that are 4 hours apart but, here we are 10 years in our house and Allegan finally feels like home.  It's good to be home.