I feel like I’ve been away from here forever. Actually, I have been away quite a long time. So much has been going on. A little bit of good stuff; a little bit of not-so-good stuff.
First was a family wedding and that was good stuff. My niece got married at Keswick Vineyards in Charlottesville, VA. It is an amazingly beautiful wedding venue and she, of course, is an amazingly beautiful bride. Her groom is a wonderful and welcome addition to our family. The whole weekend was perfect. We danced, we laughed, we cried, we celebrated quite heartily. Celebrations make life so sweet. Spending time with family and friends during celebrations, makes life even sweeter.
But then, just a few days after we arrived back home, Hurricane Matthew arrived, too. These are just a few pictures from a nearby greenway trail. As you can see, Matthew had very bad manners and was extremely destructive. Huge trees were splintered, split, and felled. My heart broke at the sight of these old oaks, poplars, and maples bent over in death. This is nowhere near the damage that many folks saw, though. Hurricane Matthew took North Carolina a little bit by surprise. We knew he was coming; we didn’t expect such forceful winds and widespread flooding. Many homes throughout our area are still without power. No matter how many times this happens, one is never completely ready for it.
My greenways will be closed for a while. Although, I did manage to climb over trees, jump over the creek, and climb around some of the disaster area and it was a lot of fun! Kind of like being a kid and exploring new woods. Or some Survivor version of an obstacle course. I kept going on, trying to figure out the best way around these trees that blocked the trail, until I got to the end and saw these signs. A nice Town worker told me I needed to stay off the greenway because it was too dangerous. “OK,” I replied, but my fingers may have been crossed.
Maybe I will obey the rules. I’ll try to stay away from my trail until it’s repaired and safe to hike on. Because, there are other distractions right now. The morning after Matthew, I walked around my garden picking up sticks and branches. I stopped and gasped when I came upon several different patches of hardy Cyclamen! I was caught off guard. I wondered, Do they always bloom this early? I think I wonder the same thing every year. I guess I can stay here at home in my garden, for a while, and watch these beauties bloom. Plus, there’s Colchicums, Sternbergias, and Helianthus screaming out October beauty, too. As a winter gardener, I appreciate the flowers that begin to bloom now and throughout winter.
All of life is like Nature. You have celebrations that make you really happy! And you have unforeseen disruptions that make you angry or sad or depressed. You have the huge uprooted oak that breaks your heart, but then you have your sweet dainty (but tough!) cyclamen that heals it all over again. It’s a cycle. Time. Seasons. Weddings, Hurricanes, Life. Nature. Celebrations. All cyclical.
Enjoy every moment. No two are ever the same. And that’s probably a good thing. Life keeps us on our toes, then brings us to our knees, and sometimes that’s the perfect place to pause, reflect, and be grateful for it all. For it ALL.
All photos by me, except the one of the beautiful wedding party. And they were, and are, beautiful!
Giving Voice to My Astonishment 