A Happy Family Once Lived Here

Micro-Memoir

Photo by Lukas Hron on Unsplash

The epic rainfalls fed the Schoharie River until it turned into a monstrosity, devouring everything within its reach.

A large sign caught my attention, so I slowed the car to a crawl. A Happy Family Once Lived Here had been spray-painted in blood red on the sheet of plywood. After I pulled over, I noticed a small section of the foundation still standing — which, in turn, hit me like a ton of bricks.

A house once stood here — a home. A lifetime of memories.

I don’t know how long I sat there in the semi-dark, listening to the thrashing current — the pounding rain on my windshield.

I paid homage to the displaced family, the uprooted home, for as long as I could bear it. I couldn’t believe it had been swept away, swallowed whole.

At least they had been happy, I thought, before putting the car into drive.

The river raged on.

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This is a micro-memoir, a slice of my life from around ten years ago when there was some devastating flooding that occurred near the capital region of New York. For some reason, the sign popped into my head today and I felt compelled to share its story. Though it’s only a glimpse into a lifetime of memories — and it’s the sad ending to it all, not the happy and joyous beginning or middle — I hope I captured the moment effectively. Let me know below! And thanks so much for reading.

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