Two answers to this one,,,my two adult children, who have both left their mark in life.
Secondly, my teaching career of twenty-nine years and the fourteen years of interim and substitute teaching positions that have followed. Along with my BA and MA in Education.
Three weeks ago, heavy rains and winds made their way through western North Carolina. Areas to our west in the North Carolina mountains suffered catastrophic damage that will take months, if not years to repair. Today I traveled to those areas to see what possibilities of service there were and the sights that I saw were never to be forgotten.
I left Hickory just after lunchtime and headed west on Interstate 40. The first remnants of the storm were visible as I crossed into Burke County. Multiple trees had fallen along the side of the interstate. Most of them had limbs cut off to keep the interstate clear. Once I got to McDowell County, the number of fallen trees seemed to lessen. Once I got to Buncombe County, the fallen trees again increased.
Once I entered Buncombe County, I also started to notice signs that the storm had increased its effects in the area. In addition to the fallen trees, many of the interstates had tread wear from vehicles that had been in muddy areas. You could also start to see larger deposits of what the river had carried downstream and deposited along its sides.
As I got closer to Asheville, I also started to notice a lot of heavy equipment traveling in both directions on the interstate. There were front-end loaders, dump trucks, and flat-bed trucks carrying what I assume were loaded dumpsters. More than a few NC DOT vehicles, as well as military vehicles, were headed in both directions.
I had planned on traveling to the areas of Asheville I was most familiar with, notably Biltmore Village. However, I knew the river flowing through had exceeded its capacity and had destroyed many of the businesses along its path. The closer I got to the river, the more noticeable the devastation was. The streets were partially blocked, and many of the stoplights still weren’t functioning. The businesses closest to the river were, understandably, the ones that suffered the most damage. I did manage to take a few video clips of the work being done and am trying to decide whether or not to share those.
On the trip up the mountain, I rolled my windows down and soon began to feel a large amount of airborne dust. I noticed most of the workers removing dust and other debris were wearing full Hazmat suits. Obviously, any work in this area requires some time for protective clothing. I stopped by the Residences at Biltmore, where I usually stay on trips to Asheville, and their parking lots were completely empty.
I returned to the interstate and traveled to Swannanoa to see what had transpired there. Once I got off the exit, traffic was at a standstill. I’m not sure where those in line were heading, perhaps waiting for gasoline or hot meals, but after moving only slightly, I decided to head back to the interstate.
I took the Black Mountain exit and traveled to their downtown area, where I once again encountered long traffic lines. I traveled through several side roads and finally reasoned that it hadn’t been affected as much as the areas I had already been to on my journey. I noticed there were free hot meals and several restaurants that had reopened their doors.
Before my trip, I saw that the areas I had visited weren’t ready for visitors yet. I soon found out that the people who live in those areas are the ones who need to occupy the roadways. Although I intended to find some way to assist, I concluded that the professionals already in place were the best ones for that job. Perhaps at a later date, I’ll get more specific information about where and when more help is needed.
On the way back down the mountain, I once again saw the effects of the storm along the side of the interstate. Once again, there were fallen trees, but I also noticed large deposits of rocks and other debris that the river had picked up on its way down the mountain. It truly was amazing how much the landscape had changed since the storm.
For those who call these areas home, I can’t imagine what it must be like living with that reality each and every day. Seeing how radically the landscape had changed since my summer visit was eerie. For those living in the area, it’s a reality they’re living with every day.
David Lee
I had told myself I’d write one-hundred days on this blog and well, have fallen through again. While I write most every day in my journal, I have found it difficult to sit down at the keyboard and put my thoughts together. I guess I could just copy what I’ve written in my journal, but as of yet, that has falled by the wayside as well.
So just for today, I peck on my keyboard and write whatever comes to mind. There is no them, no plot,,,just me writing whatever comes to mind.
I have determined that I am indeed a person of habit. I tend to start my day the same way every day. There are the medicines that I have to take, the daily online puzzles to be solved, teeth to brush. And of course, get dressed and showered.
I also frequent the same establishments, especially restaurants. Especially if it’s a restaurant we’re speaking of, I tend to order the same menu items. This morning, I started with a bowl of oatmeal and cup of coffee. For lunch, I had a livermush sandwich and large diet Mt. Dew. All were things I’d ordered one thousand times before. The usual as I like to say.
This evening I’m doing the public address announcing for a middle school football game. I started this “hobby” when I was fifteen years old and have done it ever since. I guess that makes this my fiftieth anniversary in announcing sporting events. It also, at least in part, led to a job in local radio. This Friday night, I’ll be on the air once more, providing updates on the game my alma mater is playing.
I recently have started attending church again. Three different people, unbeknownst to any of the three, had invited me there for one function or another. I’ve been attending for five weeks now and have enjoyed each service, class, or meal that I’ve been to. They are offering a new members class this upcoming Sunday and I’m planning on attending that as well. You never know what direction your spiritual journey will take and this, at least for now, seems to be a positive direction for me.
Well, that’s it for now. Next time….
David Lee
I believe I’d like to preach a sermon one day.
I am most interested in the parts of my ancestral heritage that were involved in ministry. I am aware that several ancestors down the line were Lutheran ministers. I’ve done some research on their service in the ministry, finding that one helped found the local university I attended and received two degrees from.
I just wonder what part of their DNA was passed down to me to have things of a spiritual nature be of interest to me. That divine quest to find out all I can about the author of creation and my part in that creation. I have learned to keep the faith and trust the journey.
David Lee
I recently was rearranging some things in my house and moved a old clock from the living room to the bedroom. In the process, the grandfather clock started ticking and continued to do so for nearly three days.
The grandfather clock was one that belonged to my maternal great grandfather. It needs to be wound every so often and I don’t recall the last time I had it running. As I moved it from one room to another and repositioned it, it started to tick tock, tick tock. The pendulum swung back and forth and the familiar tick tock continued. Every hour, it would chime to tell what hour it was….every half hour, chiming once to tell you it was half past the hour.
I didn’t think it would continue to run for more than a few hours. I was amazed to hear it still ticking for the next three days before finally winding down. I paused and reflect while I lay in bed that this was the same familiar tick tock sounds that my great grandparents had listened to while they were still living. The chimes on the hour and half hour were the same ones that graced their home for who-knows how many years. And I found that to be really cool.
I’m trying to decide whether to leave the clock in my bedroom or move it back to the living room. While the tick tock of passing seconds is soothing, the chimes on the hour and half hour can startle one in the middle of the night. Perhaps there is a switch of some sort that can be disabled for the nightime hours. I will investigate and use the key to wind the clock back up for another cycle, chimes or not.
Once again, I just found it fascinating that the clock had survived lo these many years in good working order. And the fact that here in 2024, I’m listening to the same sounds that they did at least sixty years ago. Such is a part of the amazing world in which we live.
David Lee
Neatness has never been one of my strong suits. Here of late, I’ve started making the effort to get things cleaned up and cleaned out around my home. It’s definitely not an easy proposition, but one that I’m hoping will make my house more like a home.
Cleaning the house has never been an easy task. The longer it goes without caring for housekeeping, the more disorganized and messy it gets. Matters aren’t helped by the fact I go to flea markets and estate sales and pick up even more stuff. Over the past month, it’s finally gotten to the point that I’ve decided to make a concerted effort to get things cleaned and organized.
My hot water heater recently breathed its last breath and I had a friend coming over to inspect and possibly fix it. I realized the clutter in the kitchen, where the hot water heater is located, made it impossible to get to. So my kitchen was the first place the cleaning and reorganization began. Although I haven’t gotten it as organized as I’d like, it at least looks a lot better than it did.
I’ve made a start on getting both the living room and bedroom cleaned and organized as well. There were so many odds and ends in both rooms and I’ve realized it’s going to take quite a bit of time to get things the way I’d like it. There is quite a bit of stuff that I’m going to donate or throw away. Much of the rest of it is going into what I’m calling a “catch-all room”, which is now nearly filled.
I realize my house didn’t get this way overnight and that it’s going to be a time-consuming process to get it all done. But I’m happy to say I’ve at least made a start on the process. With my mind working the way it does, clutter seems to be par for the course. So I’m also working on tidying up each day instead of letting it build up as I have.
Small steps…baby steps, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
David Lee
I like to write in my journal and read books, mostly nonfiction. For the past three years, I have also taken daily walks of about four miles. While I’m walking, I listen to music or podcasts. I also like to hang out in local coffeeshops, read, write, and people-watch.
I recently went on a hike on a trail just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. What started out as a short excursion turned out to be a five mile trek across some challenging trails. It occurred to me while I was on my journey, that life too can be that way.
I was just going to go on a short jaunt for a small part of the marked trail and return to my creekside chair. I started on the trail, taking a few pictures, and before I knew it, I had gone half a mile. It seemed not at all too difficult, and the posted sign said the trail was a five-mile loop, so I decided to continue.
The trail has a creek running alongside it most of the way, which allowed me to take pictures of several small waterfalls. But the fact this was a mountain trail also meant there were quite a few rocks along the way. I navigated those the best I could and continued the course.
By the time I finished the five-mile course, my shirt was thoroughly drenched with sweat and my feet were aching. It seemed that the second half of the course was the most difficult, as I have become tired of the more strenuous parts of the hike. Along that path, I reasoned that it was a lot like life.
Over the past three years or so, life has seemed to be one big life event after another. Just when things seem to be settling down, something else comes along. Some of the events are in quick succession and some seem to take a while to develop. But just like the trail I was traveling, there are some parts that are easier to navigate than others.
Once you reach a certain point of the trail, you realize you’re going to have to continue until its conclusion. In life, when you are experiencing some unsettling event, you realize you’re going to have to see that situation through until its end. It’s important to pace yourself and not let the utter exhaustion get to you. It’s necessary to take a short break from time-to-time and rest. Above all else, keep your faith strong and trust the journey.
David Lee
My name is David. I once upon a time asked my mother why I was given that name. She said I was named after David of Old Testament times. I think that’s an appropriate name. Given my life’s story, I have slayed several giants in figurative terms. I even have two pictures of me when I was in elementary school when I was name school prince and king. So I did actually on two different occasions have a crown to wear. David: giant slayer, cave dweller, writer of Psalms.
David Lee
David Lee 