Friday, August 23, 2013

Joyful Survival

I have been doing a lot of thinking since I got here and one of the things I've been thinking about is that this strange little place of wildness and water and memory is so magical to me that even though some of the most frightening and horrible things that could ever happen to a child happened to me right here, I still love it beyond measure. 

We took a little stroll down the road today and there's a pine tree standing so tall and strong and half its trunk is hollowed out at the base. I remember distinctly when that tree was struck hard by lightening during a storm fifty years ago which is why it is hollowed. And yet, it still stands. Gnarled and hollowed but so very much alive. 

A little like that. That's how I'm feeling. 

There must be some rich and primeval river muck here to support such fecundity and I am walking barefoot. I am taking it all in again. My roots here are incredibly deep. There is no other way to explain it. Lightening did cruelly strike and I may bear the scars but still I reach up to this sky to be amazed. I still reach down to the earth for my sustenance. 

15 comments:

  1. Thanks for taking us with you. And yes, I want a pool too. Real bad.

    XX Beth

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  2. Lightning doesn't damage roots much. Your vibrant personality is just the nourishment your roots need! What you put out emotionally is stronger than what your body might be suffering internally. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend :)

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  3. Beautiful, Ms. Moon. And holy places are almost always places of great contradiction. I too love places in Michigan and yet it's where my life went to hell. I suspect I will be able to hold them as holy places moreso when I don't live in them anymore too. I think that's also an ingredient of holy places.

    Thanks for visiting my blog too. And for your kind words here.

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  4. That is beautiful. It must be how my husband feels about Lincoln County, North Carolina...

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  5. Beautiful, Ms. Moon. Enjoy your weekend and keep being amazed and feeling very much alive.

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  6. That's exactly how I feel...gnarled and hollowed, but still alive.

    Glad you're walking barefoot!

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  7. You still stand, very much alive and I am so glad. Sweet Jo

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  8. Oh, Ms. Moon. I love you so much. This post brings tears to my eyes. I know that you struggle at times but it makes me so very happy that you have been granted such beautiful wisdom. Namaste.

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  9. There's nothing quite so comforting as the place of our birth, our childhood. What I always notice are the smells -- the way the air smells, and the soil. The humidity. It's distinctive.

    I love the tree metaphor. Those pine trees are tough, but they're beautiful -- probably my favorite tree, actually. :)

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  10. You are brave and strong. A tree can be strong but not brave. I get the feeling that whatever you went through as a child must have been horrific yet you keep getting up and taking your part in teaching your children and grand babies only about love. Such strength. Such bravery. Enjoy your holiday.

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  11. That's beautiful, Mary. That place is yours - your past is yours. I'm glad the bad things haven't taken your home away from you.

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  12. Such great words and so true. We are all struck by some kind of lightening. Thankfully, it hasn't killed our heart wood.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.