I have written a lot, and said a lot of different things, but I will always consider St. Helens to be my home.

It was the one place I was met by kindness at the start of middle school, even though I was overweight and had buck teeth, I wasn’t made fun of as much at St. Helens. I did make two wonderful friends, and I miss them, and the layout of the old town the most.

I miss going to Dairy Delish, being met with warm hands serving kids cold ice cream on hot summer days, the new See’s Candy that was just brought in a few days prior to our move was so yummy. The Hallmark store where I got mama’s snow globe she cherished so much. Even though it was a skier it was something she loved.

She passed in 2021 from Stage 4 breast cancer, and dad in 2022 from suicide. I will never forget how my brothers and I got along so well when we lived there. Maybe I’m imagining some of these memories, but it was the best time of my life.

From middle school to high school, and now I’m in university again myself. While I didn’t have a good childhood — I bounced around and couch surfed starting at a young age — I did learn the value of friendship and what a true childhood could be like.

I dearly miss it as I didn’t have enough but I will love it forever. And you know as the saying goes, you can never return home again once you’ve moved from it. I’ve never been able to… The cost of living is just too high for me.

But I’m getting a fresh start in Texas, and I’ll be dreaming of my old home while I’m trying to start fresh in the new. That’s the hard part you see, and I often remember sitting on the floor in the cafeteria, then being invited by two girls to a table, after the popular kids kicked me out of their area.

It was awesome to make a couple of friends, and I’ll never forget them. Angie and Beth, you will always have my heart. I’m sorry I had such a horrible time with mental illness, I was just homesick for home, you know!

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Valerie Edenstrom is a Edmonds, Washington, resident.