I Went Back

by Neldon Christensen, written recently by an 85-year-old San Juan native who loves to come home

I went back to old San Juan
To the place where I was born
The cool crisp air which I found there
On that early summer’s morn’
Brought a flood of memories fond and sweet
Of the days which I spent there
Those wondrous days when life was new
And free from toil and care

I followed the road to the South of town
Down over the old creek hill
That’s where our old house used to stand
In my mind I can see it still
It was made by hand with logs that were cut
By my father and my Uncle Bud
They were peeled and notched with the blade of an axe
And the cracks were filled with mud

The roof was covered with shingles of wood
And we often climbed on it to play
I remembered my mother setting buckets and pans
To catch the drips on a rainy day
I recalled how in winter the room was so cold
Which I shared with my brother Jay
The snow would blow in thru the cracks in the wall
And settle on the bed where we lay

Our plumbing consisted of buckets and tubs
That we filled and carried from a spring
Our light was provided by kerosene lamps
Now I can’t imagine such a thing
Six boys and six girls were raised in that home
And when our family was complete
Our kitchen table tho twelve feet long
Gave us scarcely enough room to eat

Yes I paused at length down on the creek
Where our old home used to stand
With its four log walls and shingle roof
It was anything but grand
But it was home a word I love
And no mansion however fine
Could have taught us more about how to live
Than that old log house of mine

We learned to share and we learned to love
Two important lessons of life
That have helped me thru the many years
Filled with both the calm and the strife
So I will return whenever I can
Tho many old friends are now gone
Their memory still brings joy to my soul
And the knowledge that life must go on