Portland, Michigan

Over sixty years ago, a young couple walked along the paved sidewalk stretching down Kent Street in Portland, Michigan. The flowers, in full bloom, curled their green necks from the cool potted soil, lifting their delicate blossoms, turning their faces upwards toward the warm sun, stealing peeks at the young couple. Carl and Cecilia smiled as they stepped into the blossom’s swirl of sweet fragrance. They were in love.

The whimsical town of Portland, Michigan served as the romantic setting in my Grandparent’s love story. It was on this ground, they met, courted for three months, and fell in love. When World War II summoned Carl to war, the young couple tearfully said their goodbyes. Carl stepped into a new world overseas.

As the war continued, although the ocean separated the young couple, Carl and Cecilia grew closer through handwritten letters. Once Carl returned home, three long years later, Cecilia was waiting for him on the soil of Portland, Michigan.

This story, as it was told to me as a young girl, inspired a love for the town that brought my Grandparent’s together. Sixty years have brought new changes to the town, and the new changes continue to embrace the spirit of Portland, the town where my Grandparent’s first fell in love. The Grand River still sparkles like the wedding ring on my Grandmother’s finger.

Though the town has grown with new businesses, the Kent Street storefronts remain unchanged, and flowers of a new generation bloom and grow. The blossoms lift their tender petals upward, sneaking a peek as my finance and I walk hand in hand along the Kent Street sidewalk, just as my Grandparent did over sixty years ago.

Renee S

Submitted: Saturday 29th May 2004, 2:27 PM

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