I always loved going to the movies.
It was definitely the highlight of our weekends and summers growing up. I remember the first movie I ever saw that scared me so much I squeezed my boyfriend’s hand so hard he nearly cried. I remember that first kiss in the darkness of the theater during that last scene of ‘Love Story.?
Just the feeling of going into a small town theater brings back the wonderful smell of just popped, ‘buttery popcorn? and then the sound of the old super 8 projector running efficiently above, makes all the melancholy feelings come back. Yes, and then sometimes the film would split and the whole auditorium of people would gasp. You always felt close to the screen ? very personal, not like the mega blockbuster theaters that we have today.
If you felt lonely or depressed you could go on a Saturday afternoon and actually turn into Sandra Dee of ‘Grease.? You were Her. Or you could picture yourself in the arms of Robert Redford that afternoon and all your troubles and cares would be gone.
In the summers, there was something even better to look forward to: Drive-in theaters. That was the coolest place to be. Everyone got to see you with all your friends’and if your were asked to go with the most popular kids around, then you felt like your were super cool. It really saddens me to see all the old small town theaters shut down and locked up looking so sad, falling apart at the seams, just from neglect. The building all boarded up, wasting away, crab grass growing in the cracks of cement and only the mice getting in.
I can see that old theater coming alive again. All the townspeople coming together and donating time to bring it back in shape. Fixing the wiring, painting the walls and cleaning up the interior. I see husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends coming together on a Saturday night and watching those old movie classics, forgetting the Mega Malls and the IMAX theaters and the digital sound. Let’s go back in time, sit back and relax and throw all our cares away and remember, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.?
P.S. Several small towns throughout the Midwest are pitching in and donating time and money to bring the theater back to the people. They also use the theater for meeting places or assemblies. Wouldn’t that be great Clarkston?
Heidi McElfish is a freelance writer living in Clarkston. She majored in Creative writing and English Literature. Her motto is ‘Write from the Heart.? Contact Heidi at heidi.lane@yahoo.com.

When we first started our business, my husband and I had a perfect working relationship. I did all the accounting and billing and he handled the client relationships and the actual work that we would get paid for.
Our children were still young, three children, with the oldest being five years old. We set three rules for our kids: 1.) Never come downstairs talking, especially yelling or screaming since they wouldn’t know if we were on the phone with a client. (It would be terrible if a client could hear a child crying or worse yet, a dog barking); 2.) Always be respectful and say hello using Mr. or Mrs. when you greet visitors, especially clients; 3.) Then of course, no shenanigans or ‘rough housing? above, where the sound could be heard below.
One afternoon while I was out shopping, my husband made arrangements to have a client meet at our home office to go over some last minute copy changes on his brochure. I must say this particular client was a very refined, well-to-do gentleman that never had any children. No problem, since our oldest was in school and it was naptime, so the other two were asleep.
The meeting went very well, and after it ended, my husband began to escort his client to the front door in front of the stairs that lead to the kid’s bedrooms above. The two of them were just finishing their conversation when our son called out from upstairs, ‘Daaaaad?? Apparently he wasn’t taking a nap. My husband desperately tried to ignore our son, and even pretended that the client really didn’t hear him. As they continued talking, they again heard, ‘Daaaad?? even louder this time.
The client was ready to step outside when my husband was forced to ask, ‘What is it son??
‘Can you wipe my butt?? he yelled out. (At 3-years-old, I guess this was his afternoon ritual.) The client initially looked mortified’but then after a few seconds, he started to laugh! All my husband could do was laugh along with him. As the client walked to his car and as the door shut, all my husband could do was stand there and think, ‘Why?? ‘What timing!? As he walked upstairs to take care of business, he muttered under his breath ‘I have to get a regular office.?
On another occasion, while we were both working downstairs, our son was busy in his room just being ‘inquisitive? again. Our daughter, only 5-years-old, came flying down the stairs, unannounced and of course, breaking rule number one. She yelled: ‘Come quickly!? because her brother electrocuted himself. No, it wasn’t as bad as you might think, but it was bad. You see, he found a small luggage key, and boys, liking to see how things work, decided to put it in the electrical outlet. Sparks flew. We rushed upstairs and found him on his knees crying, still holding the key. His fingers had turned black and so did the wallpaper above the outlet. He was definitely startled, but thank goodness he was all right. After that we bought those ‘child proof? covers for the outlets.
All in all it was still great being able to work at home and balance child rearing with work. Otherwise we would have missed so many events in their life. We also had more opportunities with their education, too.
For instance, our baby girl, almost 2-years-old, loved animals. She was playing outside with her brother and sister while their father was raking the leaves. I was doing the monthly billing and was deep in thought at my desk when she came down the stairs holding something in each hand and said in her sweet baby voice, ‘Look what I got.? As I came closer, I immediately started screaming at the top of my voice, ‘Ahhhh! Ahhhh!? in a frightful tone.
I scared her so much; she dropped what she was holding. She had two dead birds, one in each hand. I don’t know where she got them or how they died. All I could think was that she was bringing some disease into the house.
I know I overreacted. My husband thought I was getting stabbed and my daughter will never, ever pick up a bird again. Therefore, her education on birds ‘flew out the window.?
Eventually, we moved our business to an official office about five miles away. The conclusion on the matter is the office at home worked, but not without its perils. Looking back, we never lost an account in those years because of working from home. But what we gained with the many ‘laugh out loud? memories will last for years to come.
Heidi McElfish is a freelance writer living in Clarkston. She majored in Creative writing and English Literature. Her motto is ‘Write from the Heart.? Contact Heidi at heidi.lane@yahoo.com.