Ok, Buzz- here they are. I'm not quite as creative as you; just excited if this works without consulting our BU '98 education/   computer science grad daughter. 

"Then" was college, circa '70  (the 1st time @ MCC, when I had fun; not the 2nd/3rd when I actually recd BS-Acct/MBA-Acct @ UHCL/TAMU-Commerce.) "Now" was ~2000, a Houston's 1st Bapt SS dept pic. 

After living elsewhere for 30.5 years (28 in Houston), we were blessed to return to Waco in 10/01 to be close to my parents & family. Although it was a dream come true, with God paving every step &   leading us by the hand as we marveled, packing after 26 years in the same house; having every # change but SSN/DL @ age 50; leaving our daughter, Aimee, & James' family in the Houston area; "uprooting" our 14 yr. old lhasa, Char Cole; giving up great jobs; & saying good-by to dear friends & work/church families proved to be more traumatic than imagined.

It was the most bittersweet of times - on moving day, I cried the 1st half of the trip for the life being left behind & the other half for the great blessing of returning "home" to spend my parents' remaining days in close proximity. And what precious time it was - 6 years with my mom & 7 years with my dad 'til they moved to Heaven, our real home, in 09/07 & 02/09, respectively. These days I cry, at once, from  feeling so very lost without them, yet being-and having been- so very blessed.

It is strange to be home, but now homesick; but God has been so very faithful. Whether we remain in Waco is yet to be seen & premature to decide, but returning has been one of the greatest  miracles of my life. Waco has changed alot, yet not at all. While an exasperating place without the amenities of a current news forum,  gourmet grocery store or restaurant/   theatre/shopping variety,  the  familiarity & memories around each corner are captivating. Regularly "running into" friends & being close to family is priceless.
 
I still prefer 6 lanes going my way, but don't miss the traffic that insisted on sharing it; miss knowing I can find anything I want/need locally if patient & tenacious, but not the time & effort expended  to do so; no longer have my own personal shopper @ Rice Epicurean only a phone call away, if caught before he started the trek home, but now have time to shop together; miss public accounting, but not the grueling hours. I've almost grown used to 2-way access roads (now that they are changing); enjoy the sight of rabbits in our yard & the space of fields outside the subdivision; & am enthralled all over again by rainbows & lightning bugs not chemically induced. Small venues such as Ferrell Center feel like private performances, traffic is non-existent, & doctors are less than an hour away.

For now-maybe forever-we will enjoy, despite the void, being "home" with our two-5 year old lhasa pos, Zack & Zane; having more time to spend together than ever; & being near family, friends, & Aimee, now 35 & living in Dallas.
 
One of the many paved & golden steps in our return has been my  position as internal auditor at Waco ISD.  Serving the students of Waco as a part of the district that provided such a great educational experience for me has been a rare privilege. I walk the halls of now-Waco HS, remember our days there, and know that it will always be Richfield!!

On a sobering & discouraging note, Waco remains a very poor city with life too much of a struggle for too many & an alarming percentage not earning a living wage. Decent housing is out of reach for the families of many of our students; and affordable rentals typically in disrepair.   Many of our students do not  know if they will have a meal after school hours/between school days; if the home they return to will be the same one they left that morning & wherever it is, if it will be cold or hot, lit or dark; if they will be fed or go hungry, be clean or dirty, be able to sleep in peace or cower in their beds in the chaos surrounding them. On any given day our students leave for home and return to us the next day or next week not having eaten, bathed, or slept - in no condition to learn what has to appear irrelevant to their struggle for survival & dignity. Yet they enter into the only security & consistency many know with smiles & hugs, running & skipping, laughing & singing, & they strive to achieve against all odds & they succeed - not realizing that the word or equation or fact mastered can never be taken away from them or recognizing those as keys to a world beyond their wildest imagination. My prayer is that the education they receive in the safe haven we provide will be the catalyst for a better life for each of them. Having the opportunity to play even the most  inconsequential of roles in that success surrounded by the tireless professionals whose efforts are life-changing, if thankless, will probably keep us right here.

 Godspeed!