Welcome to January. I am excited about this new year and all the blessings it has in store for all of us. It will no doubt be filled with challenges but be strong and trust that victory will be yours at the end of it all.
I do not make new year’s resolutions, but this year I have decided to go back in time on a few things. I sang once or twice in the church towards the end of 2022, and I have decided to sum up the courage to start singing on a regular basis in church once again. This takes me back to my roots as the son of a prominent music teacher. I know my mother keeps encouraging me to try and take up piano playing again, but I believe that ship sailed away from me in 1982 when as a teenager, I was given the option to keep on playing or not, and I chose to stop. Typical teenager, I rebelled against having to practice piano daily. Now I have my regrets about not being able to play. It has been forty years. Thankfully my children have taken up that role for me and play very well. So, I will sing in church once in January and then at two other local churches in Dallas, in February and March, respectfully.
I am thankful for the opportunity to live in Dallas. I have seen a lot of development in the four years since I left Beltsville. I now live in a town, north of Dallas, where I have been able to see some areas transition from farmland or forest to homes. I have seen how communities are created. The homes have been built, now schools are being put in place to support the growing community in addition, to certain amenities, like stores, restaurants, medical facilities, and also emergency services. The PGA Headquarters is being built near where I live, and right next to that, Omni Resorts has a massive project going on. Earlier this month, a news report indicated that Universal Studios is going to build a new theme park in the Frisco part of North Dallas. That is less than 10 miles from where I live, so there is a lot of excitement from those with children. On the other hand, there are concerns about the traffic situation. Thankfully, University Boulevard, which is similar to our Route 1 in Beltsville is being widened to have four lanes, which will improve the traffic situation somewhat. However, based on the pace at which homes are being built here, even four lanes will not be enough.
I have enjoyed meeting older people in Dallas, and it is interesting to hear their stories, similar to mine, of how they have seen the whole city change. If you have ever been to Dallas, there is the Sam Rayburn Tollway, Rte. 121, which runs from McKinney, through Plano to DFW Airport, about a 30-mile stretch. I met a man this January who in conversation, remarked on how the highway used to be a one-lane Farm to Market Road. Even in the McKinney area where I met him, he said a lot of the land was used for farming and they used to have a lot of dusty, bumpy roads. One can still remnants of such communities in some places like Pilot Point and beyond, heading in the direction of the state line with Oklahoma.
As I wrap this up, I will encourage you my reader to take the time to appreciate your community, particularly Beltsville. Enjoy the changes that are happening right before your eyes. Do you know the history of the building that currently houses the Police Station and Library/ What about the volunteer fire station off Rhode Island Avenue near Route 1? If you want to share the history of Beltsville with me, send me an email at jasoninanga@gmail.com and we can work on a story or two.