Pieces of My Heart

 

Yesterday I had a conversation with a close friend back in Florida whom I dearly miss. All the years Greg and I spent on the road and I'm frequently homesick for Columbiana (OH), New Paltz (NY), Belfast (ME), West Springfield (MA), Swannanoa (NC) ... and sometimes, for the road itself. 

Add to that list my native state of Florida.

I feel very much "at home" living in North Carolina; after all, it's where my Irish ancestors settled six generations ago. But the meme is accurate: there are pieces of my heart scattered all over the place.

At The Lagoon

 

Daddy's favorite view of Biltmore. I have stood at this very spot many times, and in many seasons of my life. But today is the first day I've summoned the courage to visit post-Helene.

The nearby French Broad River, having carved new banks in the flood, is a little broader these days. And the trees are bare ... but aren't they always at this time of year? The ducks are quietly paddling around and the Canada Geese are noisily honking - as always.

Nature allows itself to heal itself.

On Rosa Parks Day

 

"You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right." ~ Rosa Parks

Today's Rosa Parks Day, the 70th anniversary of the day she was jailed for disorderly conduct ... for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger. I'd always heard that she was just too tired from her work as a seamstress to get up and stand for the remainder of her bus ride, but that's not the case. In her words, "The only tired I was, was tired of giving in."

Read more here:

https://npg.si.edu/blog/tired-giving