A couple of weeks ago I read that Burch Pharmacy, a Minneapolis institution, was closing; and I knew I’d have to make a trip to see Mom and Dad soon. So, after Mom’s obligatory Crackerbarrel pecan pancakes and Toad in the Hole (Dad’s latest favorite), they settled in for a day-long adventure with me behind the wheel.

I told them about Burch Pharmacy closing and memories started to flow as the wheels drove back in time 65 years to the area where they first met, married and started this family.

Taking that drive is not for the faint of heart — traffic is awful. Who would think that an old part of the city like that would still be so vibrant! Vehicles navigating freeway interchanges and merging exits and hoards of bicylists and pedestrians converge on an obviously sought after area of town. But 2310 Colfax only 2 blocks from the Hennepin/Lyndale/Franklin tangletown, still manages to evoke a quiet neighborhood feel.

They recognized it immediately and hopped out of the car for a closer inspection. In 1945 Mom shared a third-floor apartment with her friend, Harriet, until Dad came on the scene. Once they were married, Mom and Dad got the space. Dad’s old building a few blocks away was torn down years ago for the freeway.

Pointing at the top floor window, Dad chuckled, “That’s where you had your beginnings!”

Mom interjected, “But Mrs. Rose would not allow babies to be on the third floor, so we had to move down to the second after you were born.”

“See that bay window? That was your first home, Myrna,” Dad beamed.

“That Mrs. Rose. She was a nice lady. But when she called her husband — ‘Hen-REEEEE’—the whole neighborhood could hear her. And Henry would quietly mutter, ‘That’s my worse half.’” And they both laughed.

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I ponder the work of Your hands. Psalm 143:5