Sarah Martin Byrd's Blog, page 6

Fall Fun and Festivals

 

Fall Fun and Festivals

 

In and around the foothills of North Carolina we are feeling the cool breeze of fall descending upon us. I simply love this time of year. The hard work of summer is over. The vegetables are preserved and ready for winter consumption. The squirrels are busy scampering around gathering nuts, hiding them in unlikely places where they will be remembered and eaten on a cold snowy day. I can’t wait to crank up the old wood heater and wrap up in my fuzzy blanket.

 

It’s also the time of year for fall festivals. This year I will have two new books to sell at these events. The Color of My Heart, which came out late last year after most of the festivals were over. The Manger Mouse, my little children’s Christmas picture book is due to be delivered this Wednesday so it will be available for purchase.

 

But before I get busy with these festivals I want to tell you about a wonderful event that I’ll be a part of. On Saturday, September 21 my home church, Pleasant Ridge Baptist, State Road, North Carolina will host its second annual Women’s Conference. The event will begin at 8am and conclude at 4:30pm. The guest speaker this year is Haven Parrott. Haven is the author of No Vacancy and is the founder of “Women of Himfluence.”

 

The theme for the conference will be, “Women’s Faith and His Story.” I have been asked to lead three, thirty minute breakout sessions. I have been working on what I hope will be an uplifting and encouraging session for all women, young and old. No matter where we are in life we all face challenges. I believe God has equipped women to be strong beyond measure. The name of my session is: AAA, Arms, Ants, and Angels. Who are you going to call when the dark clouds of life over shadow your joy?

 

If you are interested in attending this women’s conference just give Helen, our church secretary a call at 336-874-2875 and she’ll sign you up. The registration fee is only $10.00, and that includes lunch and a chance to win some neat door prizes. Please come join us. We could all stand to hear a little Good News for a change.

 

Upcoming festivals that I’ll be attending:

 

Saturday September 28, 8:45am-5pm: 19th Annual Pumpkin Festival, Downtown Elkin, NC.
Saturday October 5, and Sunday October 6, 10am-6pm: 34th Annual Autumn Jubilee at Dan Nicholas Park, Salisbury, NC.
Friday-Sunday, October 11-13 Friday and Saturday 9am-9pm, Sunday 12 Noon-6pm: 47th Annual Autumn Leaves Festival, Mount Airy, NC.
Friday-Sunday, October 18-20, Friday 3pm-10pm, Saturday 9:30am-6:30pm, Sunday 9:30-4:30: 40th Annual Carolina BalloonFest, Regional Airport, Statesville, NC.
Saturday, November 23, 8am-2pm: 3rd Annual “Christmas in Clingman,” Clingman, NC.
Saturday December 14, 12:30pm-6:00pm Holiday Festival at Fairfield Inn, CC Camp Road, Elkin, NC.

 

Whew! Sounds like a busy, fun-filled time. Don’t forget there’s only fourteen Saturday’s left until Christmas. There’s nothing better than giving a book to someone you love.

Freedom to Create

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

 

An amazing thing happened recently. I actually got feedback from an agent that I queried concerning The River Keeper. Usually I get a short little form email that says, “Thank you for your query concerning The River Keeper, unfortunately I do not believe I am the right agent for the work you describe.” Or, they might say, “Thank you for your query, but we don’t think it’s the right fit for us.”

 

Trust me, over the past six years I’ve received enough rejections to have heard all their lines. This recent rejection started out the same way, “Thank you for your query, but…” The Jr. Agent from this agency went on to tell me she was confused because I didn’t start the book with the lead character and also because the work was told in first person point of view. She went on to say she assumed the man, Earl Hackney that is the first voice in the book is Callie’s daddy, well obviously she didn’t read the one-page synopsis that she requested along with the first five pages. If she had she would have known who Earl Hackney was. The Jr. agent went on to say, “Remember that this is only one opinion and your work may be just what another agent is looking for.”

 

The word “create” comes to mind concerning my latest novel. Serial narrators tell The River Keeper, which means each chapter is not headed by a number, but by the name of the character that is speaking in that particular section. The prominent character in each part also speaks in first person. Writing in first person is not the norm, and I realize I have taken a risk by doing this, but darn it… this is my creation and I can write it any way I feel like. When I read a story written in first person I feel like I’m in that person’s shoes, almost like I have an intimate relationship with them. God was lucky when He created the world and everything in it. He didn’t have a bunch of people around voicing their opinions and giving out instructions. Just Him, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were there working out the details. Obviously they all three get along very well, because this world turned out to be a pretty awesome place.

 

Other writers, who may be just a bit more famous than I am, have steered away from the typical third person narrative. Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield in first person; also Dean Koontz and Agatha Christie have written some of their work in first person. Anne Sewell even wrote Black Beauty in the horse’s first person point of view. It’s called creating, which means, to bring into existence your own creation out of nothing.

 

I don’t want to copy someone. If I do then I’m not creating, I’m simply mimicking someone else’s work. I want to be known as the writer who surprises her reader. I’ve written four novels so far and they are all very different. I don’t want to be labeled. I want to be able to pen anything I desire, whether it is young adult fiction, mysteries, children’s stories, or sappy love stories. Yes, I have been, and will always be a little different. I like myself that way.

 

I realize agents and publishers don’t have time to read a hundred pages of every query they receive, but honestly, can a person tell if a book is going to be good or bad by reading only five pages? I think the old saying: You can’t judge a book by its cover applies here. You can’t judge a book by a few sentences either.

 

Oh well, everyone has an opinion, and that’s okay. I am thankful to live in a country where we have the freedom to create and voice our thoughts and views. I know we’re all remembering those lives that were prematurely snatched away twelve years ago on September 11th, 2001. Sometimes justice does not prevail, but Old Glory still waves. Feeling sad, yet blessed today.

Oh Happy Day

Matthew 3:16-17

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

 

This weekend God looked down, or up, or around the corner from wherever He abides and saw my beautiful granddaughter, Emma publicly acknowledging Him as her Lord and Savior in front of a crowd of friends and family by being baptized in the New River.

 

This was not a casual event for Emma. She is very shy, and doesn’t want to be in the spotlight. So a few weeks ago when she came home from Bible School and told her Mama that she had been saved, we were all of course excited, and relieved that she had made the most important decision she would ever make.

 

When the Spirit of God comes upon a person they can do miraculous things. God healed a woman with a twelve-year bleeding condition. Why, because she had faith. God took a sinner like Paul and converted him into the most influential evangelist this world will ever see. When God whispers to a nine-year old and they listen and obey, God can do mighty things with them too. I am so proud of Emma Brooke Jolly. There is no greater peace than knowing your loved ones will live with you eternally.

 

If you’ve never made the decision to give your heart to Jesus there will never be a better time than right at this moment. All you have to do is tell God that you believe His Son, Jesus was born of a virgin, died on a cross for our sins and rose from the tomb on the third day, and, is living with His Father in heaven. Just tell God that you’re a sinner and ask Him to forgive you. You don’t need drums rolls and fireworks, just come to Him as a child with a humble heart and ask for forgiveness.

 

As the year’s pass and time shortens I realize more and more everyday that we cannot put off until tomorrow what we need to do today. God doesn’t want us to wait until we’ve cleaned up our lives to turn our hearts over to Him. He wants us to come to Him just as we are, sorry sinners. We will never be perfect, not even after we’re saved, God knows that, that’s why He allowed His only begotten Son to suffer and die for us. God prepared a way for all to live forever, if we only believe.

 

In Matthew 3:17 as Jesus came up out of the water after John the Baptist baptized Him the heavens opened and God said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” On Sunday September 1, 2013 God was watching as my precious granddaughter came up out of the water of the New River, and God said, “This is my beloved daughter, Emma, in whom I am well pleased.”

 

Don’t put your day of salvation off. The time is now. Tomorrow may not come.

Oh Happy Day, when Jesus washed my sins away.

Take Time For Yourself

By now most children and young adults around the world are back in school. What a bittersweet feeling to leave a pre-schooler for the first time. What’s a mommy to do when her child is screaming “Mommy, Mommy, please don’t leave me.” Being the older granny that I am I can assure you that the child will adjust quicker than the mommy will.

 

I have to reflect back to the days when my only daughter took her baby steps to maturity. Daycare, kindergarten, grade school, high school, thankfully she attended college locally so I didn’t have to go through that separation anxiety. I can only imagine the fear of a parent when they drive off leaving their child a hundred miles from home with a bunch of strangers.

 

Will the child get involved with the wrong crowd? Are they rooming with a drug addict or thief? Will they eat right, and do their laundry? Letting go and letting your child grow is a very stressful thing.

 

The beginning of school is a traumatic time for parents. Not only do they have to let their children step out of the nest and fly solo, they have to reassess their own life. Stay at home mothers can have that extra cup of coffee, sit back and watch the Good Morning Show, maybe even go back to bed after dropping their children off at school. Or, they can put on their walking shoes and take a two-mile stroll.

 

Did you know that walking is good for the soul? It can be a time of prayer, a time of reflection, a time of planning, or you can just let your mind wonder. Whatever you decide to do with your days now that the children, or, grandchildren are away at school for a few hours, do it without guilt. A mom needs to be revived. She needs to take a few minutes a day to breathe, to look at the wind rustle the leaves, to stop and listen to her inner voice.

 

Being a parent is the hardest job you’ll ever have. So, like with any job a person should take a lunch break and a couple of ten minute snoozes when they get the chance. When life is all said and done, and you know your time on earth is dwindling, will you think, “ I need to wash one more load of clothes,” or, will you brew that second cup of coffee, go out onto the porch and watch the morning mist rise and the garden spiders spin her webs?

 

Life is so short. As I approach my mid-fifties I have a couple of more things I’d like to check off my bucket list. So now that my granddaughter is back in school I’m going to get busy, but not before sipping one more cup of coffee.

 

(Thanks to all my blog readers who have been patient while I’ve been spending time with my granddaughter this summer. The new shipping date for The Manger Mouse is September 11th. Also, for all parents who sent their child off to college you might want to read my last novel, The Color of My Heart.)

The Birth of a Mouse

Sorry to be running so far behind with my blog this week. Sometimes there are no words to describe how crazy life can get. Needless to say it’s been a horrific few weeks at my house. But, I’m praying my way through it.

This week I want to share a bit of my new children’s book, The Manger Mouse. At times it has seemed that this little book would never be published. It took me several years to find the right illustrator, but I know that’s the way the Lord wanted it. He had someone specific in mind and that person just so happened to be an old school mate, Debbie Wall. I saw her for the first time in decades at her mother’s funeral a couple of years ago. Our renewed friendship blossomed into a partnership in publishing. The devil tried to get in the way of that too. About half way into the illustrations Debbie fell while training for a marathon and broke her shoulder. She couldn’t sketch for a couple of months and that set the expected delivery date to the publisher back a while.

Now, as sorry as I am to say it, The Manger Mouse has been delayed again! The first launch date the publisher gave me was July 15th, that date was moved forward to August 5th, and now the publisher is telling me because of some unforeseen problems with the printer the book will not launch until later this month. No specific date has been given to me as of yet.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Satan does not want the story of Matty, the manger mouse to be read. Why, because God is glorified through it. The story centers around Jesus’ birth. The book will help children see that no matter how small they are God can use them. It also introduces children to salvation.

Below is a brief description:

What really happened the night Jesus was born? Did a small brown stable mouse save the King of Kings from the cold?

Matty the manger mouse doesn’t have a clue what his mother means when she tells him he will take part in the most important thing ever to happen in history. Why him, a meek and lowly stable mouse?

All Matty wants to do is snuggle into the warmth of his mother and fall asleep–but the Creator of the world has another plan for him. Will the little stable mouse surrender to his own needs or bow to the will of the Savior?

Children and adults will be touched by Matty’s brave little heart. As the story of that first Christmas unfolds, come join Matty and all the other stable dwellers–portrayed in lush and charming pastel illustrations.

The Manger Mouse is now available in hardcover and ebook formats via Amazon for pre-order. Or, you can pre-order a signed copy via the contact page on my website: www.SarahMartinByrd.com

The birth of this little manger mouse has taken several years to deliver, but I’m confident that we’ll see the finished product in due time. Thank you all for being so patient.

FYI: If you don’t see a blog from me for a few weeks it’s because my granddaughter, Emma and I are going to be having a lot of fun before she returns to school on August 26th. We’re going to camp, fish, swim, shop, and enjoy the wonderful life that God has blessed us with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ways to Pay

A few weeks ago I was at a festival in East Bend, North Carolina. I met some wonderful people while signing copies of my two novels, Guardian Spirit and The Color of My Heart. Sometimes the crowds at these festivals can fool you. It was a small event and there were maybe twenty vendors set up on the football field at East Bend High School. The morning was slow and I wondered if this would be the day I’d get skunked and not sell a single copy of my work.

 

Then after the “God and Country” parade and ceremony it was as if the waters parted and the Israelites started coming toward us in hordes. And, better than that they loved to read. I sold exactly the same number of books at that one-day festival in five hours that I did at the four day Memorial Day Festival in Hillsville, Virginia. Can you believe that?

 

I met some really nice folks who had come out to support our war veterans. It was a good crowd of people. One lady and her teenage daughter stopped by and we chatted for a while. The mother asked her daughter if she would like to have a copy of my Young Adult novel, Guardian Spirit, the daughter answered, “Yes.” The lady looked at me and said, “Do you mind taking a roll of quarters?”

 

I’ve never had anyone pay for a book with pocket change before. I felt a bit ashamed but answered, “Of course I’ll take the quarters. Money is money.” I ended up with a roll of quarters and a five-dollar bill, and the girl ended up with a pretty good book. Don’t worry, I promise I didn’t take the lady’s last dollar.

 

The way folks pay for things these days amazes me. Checks, credit cards, debit cards, and yes, some still carry a few dollars in cash. What puzzles me is that we can now accept a debit or credit card via a Square and Smart Phone. I don’t have this modern technology but my author friend Richard Nance does. We attend festivals together and he lets me borrow his Square. It’s a good thing, because most people just don’t carry cash. They use the plastic.

 

I really don’t know how you pay for things through a phone, but it works and that’s all that matters. Shucks, I don’t care how you pay as long as you pay in full. I may even barter for a few chickens or eggs.

 

***

On another note: My children’s picture book titled, The Manger Mouse is due to release on August 5th. You can even pre-order it on Amazon. Look it up and read about Matty, the manger mouse. You’ll love the illustrations by my friend, Debbie Wall. I invite you to come and experience the miracle that happened the night Jesus was born for yourself.

 

Food, Fun and Festivals

This week I want to use this space to tell you about some upcoming festivals that I’ll be attending. Of course I will be signing, and selling copies of my two novels, Guardian Spirit, and The Color of My Heart at these events.

 

This Saturday, July 20th, I will be at “Farmer’s Day in China Grove.” This is a huge event. The streets of China Grove are packed with vendors peddling their wares and people, people, people. Check out their website at: http://chinagrovefarmersday.com/

 

On Friday July 26th, and Saturday July 27th I will be attending “The Blue Ridge Mountain Arts and Crafts Fair” in Sparta, North Carolina. This event is open from 2pm until 5pm on Friday, and from 10am until 5pm on Saturday. Come on up to the beautiful mountains and relax under the shade trees at Crouse Park. Listen to music, eat some great food, and check out all the neat crafts and works of art.

 

August is sort of a slow festival month but you don’t want to miss “The Grayson County Wine Festival” in Independence, Virginia on Saturday, August 24th from 4pm until dusk. For more details check out their website: http://www.graysonwinefest.org/

 

September and October is cranking up to be a busy couple of months. On Saturday September 21st you can attend “The 16th Annual Sweet Potato Festival” in Rockford, North Carolina. I will not be able to attend this event this year because I will be speaking at a Women’s Conference at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in State Road, North Carolina. For more information on either of these events here are their website addresses: http://www.rockfordgeneralstore.com/

http://www.pleasantridgebaptistchurch.org/

 

Saturday September 28th you can mosey on down, or up, depending on where you’re coming from to Elkin, North Carolina to the “Yadkin Valley Pumpkin Festival.” This event is open from 8:45am until 5pm. There are all kinds of children’s events and activities at this festival. Great food, craft vendors, corn hole competitions, pie eating contest, inflatables, live music and authors, like Richard Nance and myself signing copies of our novels. My new children’s picture book, titled, The Manger Mouse will be launched by this time. I can’t wait for everyone to see this book. The illustrations by Debbie Wall are awesome and the story isn’t half bad either.

 

On October 5th and 6th you can visit Historic Downtown Salisbury and “The Autumn Jubilee Festival” at Dan Nicholas Park. http://www.dannicholas.net/ads_jubilee.aspx

 

Then, October 11th, 12th and 13th you can come to the “47th Annual Autumn Leaves Festival” in Mount Airy, North Carolina. On Friday and Saturday the event will be open from 9am until 9pm, and on Sunday from 12noon until 6pm. http://www.autumnleavesfestival.com/ncfallfestival.aspx

This one I’m really looking forward to, “The 40th Annual Carolina BalloonFest.” This event is held on the south side of Statesville Regional Airport in Statesville, North Carolina. This three-day event is October 18-20th. Festival hours on Friday are 3pm until 10pm, Saturday 9:30am until 6:30pm, and on Sunday from 9:30am until 4:30pm. This event includes upscale artworks and handcrafts by regional artists, a Kids Zone with ongoing youth activities, an Eat Street, I think we all know what that is, and wine and beer tasting. There will also be a Marketplace where businesses and charitable organizations will showcase products and services, and of course great entertainment and balloons everywhere. http://www.carolinaballoonfest.com/carolina_hot_air_balloon_fest_statesville_nc_usa.html

 

Last but not least visit the quaint little community of Clingman, North Carolina. On November 23rd at the Clingman Community Center “The 3rd Annual Christmas in Clingman” will be held from 8am until 2pm. This is a busy little event with great vendors and lots of food and fun. And, most of the time Santa shows up wanting to have his picture taken with all the children.

 

Looks like there will be plenty of food, fun and festivals in the weeks ahead to keep me busy, and you entertained. I’m looking forward to meeting new folks and catching up with old friends at these events. Mark your calendars, and if you forget the dates you can visit my website and click “Events,” you’ll find everything posted there. www.SarahMartinByrd.com/events/

See you soon.

I Shall Supply Your Needs

Job 12:12

Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?

 

When I was much, much younger I looked at the world through a different pair of eyes. I saw hues of selfishness and vanity. I wanted things that I thought would bring me happiness. I had prideful notions that material possessions would bring me joy.

 

A few years into my marriage I had a six-month old baby and I wanted a new house. I thought, oh if only I had this new home I’d have it all. But with that new residence came mortgage payments, taxes, higher electric bills and a burdened husband. I wanted to be a stay at home mama, but my husbands business was at an all time slump, and each day when he came home I saw the weight from the roof of that new house weighing heavy upon his shoulders.

 

One day when he came home I said, “Let’s sell this place.” That day I had driven by a small piece of acreage with a mobile home anchored on it. At the bottom of the drive was a for sale sign. I jotted down the number and called to ask the price. I said to my husband, “If we sell this “new” house we will have enough money to buy the “old” trailer free and clear.”

 

I learned a valuable lesson from that experience. Don’t jump into something when your gut is telling you to stay put. The three years that we lived in that little two-bedroom mobile home were some of the best times of our life. I was able to be at home with my toddler, help tend to my sister’s little girl and most of all I didn’t have to see the worry in my husband’s eyes every day. I love the old saying: Little is much when God is in it.

 

During my youth and long into my twenties and thirties when I wanted something I was usually selfish and didn’t ask God what He thought. I, like most of you out there figured I knew better than He what would make me happy. Oh how very wrong I was. I am thankful that the conglomeration of years made the smart part of my brain grow. Or, I might say, with age came wisdom.

 

Another situation that happened many years ago sticks in my mind. At the time we were living in my Grandpa and Grandma’s old homeplace that we had purchased in 1982. Our water supply came from a hand dug well that was only about 60 feet deep. When it rained hard our water would get muddy, and sometimes the sand at the bottom of the well would mess up the foot value and we’d have to have the sand pumped out, and, we were always re-priming the pump. Needless to say we needed a new well, but we put it off for years.

 

Then one day we made the decision to bite the bullet. We called a friend to break out his divining rod. I’ll never forget that day. With the willow branch in his hands he walked back and forth on our property, always coming back to the same spot just up from the grey weather boarded feed barn. I couldn’t help myself and latched hold of that rod and tried it out for myself. Now don’t ask me how it happened but sure enough that willow branch started drooping down in the same spot it did when our friend held it in his hands.

 

The well puncher was called and for several days I listened to the thump, thump of the drill pushing through the hard rock. Finally, the day arrived when he hit water, not just a little, but eighteen gallons a minute. I was ecstatic! I had always had to be careful not to over work the old well and run it dry, now I would have all the water I would ever need and more, and it would never be muddy again.

 

But…there’s always a “but” isn’t there? When the well man started putting the casing into the well it caved in. He had to start all over again. A few days later he announced that he had hit water in the new hole. This time there was only four gallons a minute. I was madder than a speckled hen trying to save her nesting eggs from a sly old fox.

 

I let my husband and the well man have it. “What do you mean only four gallons a minute? There was eighteen in the hole right beside this one.” I ranted and raved and my blood pressure raised several digits. Then suddenly a small voice whispered in my head, Sarah, I have given you all you need. To this day tears come into my eyes when I remember that day when the Lord spoke to me.

 

I have never forgotten His message. When you think you don’t have enough and you want more, more, more. Remember God’s words to me: I have given you all you need. God supplied my needs, maybe not my wants, but my needs were met. What more should we ask for? Sometimes we have tomatoes in clumps, other times only a few. Either way we have enough.

Freedom Isn’t Free

There are all types of freedom. It starts as simple as when you are a young child and granted the freedom to stay up later in the summertime when school is out. As the year’s progress and you get older you gain more and more independence, especially when you turn sixteen and get your drivers license. Now that’s really freedom. Then there comes the freedom to make choices. What will be my major in college? How will I make a living? Will I live in the old hometown or move away? Who will I marry? How many children will I have?

 

I suppose we take for granted the many freedoms we have here in the United States of America. We have the political liberty to vote in, or, out of office whoever the majority picks. We can worship the all and powerful God, whoever you may think He is. I myself choose to believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. However, the freedom to choose is yours.

 

But is freedom really free? No, someone has to pay the price. A young man or woman must leave the comfort of their homes and families and travel to remote regions of this world to protect us from our adversaries. Our military should be honored in the highest way possible. When they sign their name on those enlistment documents they are giving of themselves, so that we, the people of the United States of America may continue to have the freedom to do whatever we want to do.

 

In 1787 George Washington was the commander of the U.S. forces and led the War for our Independence against Great Britain. In 1869 as the population of the United States grew, in and around cities, settlers felt stifled, so they started moving West to find land of their own to farm, therefore gaining their own personal independence.

 

What about us ladies? On July 19, 1848 the first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Women had begun to demand equality and suffrage. On May 10, 1872 Victoria Woodhull became the first woman to run for president of the United States, but it wasn’t until July 10, 1890 that Wyoming became the first state to grant women full suffrage rights. And, not until August 19, 1920 did the

19th Amendment to the United States Constitution grant women the right to vote. We surely have come a long way baby!

 

On August 20, 1619, twenty African’s were brought to America on a Dutch ship to Jamestown and sold as indentured servants. This marked the beginning of slavery in Colonial America. Fredrick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland. After his escape in 1836 Douglass became a leader in the abolitionist movement. Not until December 6, 1865 was the 13th Amendment, that abolished slavery in the United States wrote into law.

 

So this blog is in honor of all who have served as leaders in this great nation. I thank those who serve in the military from the bottom of my heart for all you have sacrificed and still forfeit daily so that I might come and go as I please and not live in fear of attack each day.

 

I want to close with this poem that reflects images of my latest novel, The Color of My Heart. Hope you all have a blessed 4th of July. And, always remember, Freedom isn’t free! Someone has to pay the price.

 

 

The Color of My Heart

Sarah Martin Byrd

Pitching and swaying, the ship rolls over the hump-backed crests

Inside I, too, churn just as the sea

The force piles us high, one on top of the other

Woman, child…man and boy

Dirty, starved, abused, and shackled

Can’t anyone see the color of my heart?

Herded, chains binding, they check our bodies

Not seeing our souls

Fingers prying, muscles tested, hands on flesh

Who will have us?

Where will we go?

Loud voices drown out our cries…sold…sold…sold

Can’t anyone see the color of my heart?

Dragged away, where’s my mama, my daddy, my brothers?

Someone help, take me back, I want to go home

New place, obey the rules, yes ma’am, no ma’am,

Always yes sir!

Please don’t touch me like that…I’ve never before

Can’t you see the color of my heart?

Years come, years go, babies are born, babies die

One has coal-colored skin

The other, skin olive with blue eyes

Some love, most hate, all ache

I yearn for the world to see

The color of my heart

Rejected, rebuked, shut out, shut in

Proud, confused, controlled, judged

Freedom does not always mean you’re free!

One Maker…one man…one woman…

One creation…one color heart

What do you see?

The Ginseng Man’s Bus House

My Great Uncle, Raymond Pruitt wore numerous hats and was dubbed with many names: Beekeeper, Naturalist, Pap, Daddy, Preacher, Whiskey Maker, Bible Scholar, Farmer, Backwoodsman, Hunter, Eccentric, Trapper, Herb Digger, and the man who built his house around a city bus.

 

My first memories of Uncle Raymond date back to the early 60’s when I was a young tyke. My daddy loved to go home to his roots in the Friendship Community of Surry County and visit with his Uncle Raymond. We’d pull up in front of the old homeplace and there Uncle Raymond would be with his wife Novella, and son Joseph who never married. It was rare when the yard wasn’t sitting full of people, for Uncle Raymond loved to share his insight and wisdom with others.  But you might as well not ask him the location of his many patches of ginseng because he never shared that information.

 

Many a morning before daylight my daddy would pick up his Uncle and take him up into the mountains. Daddy would leave him there until late evening and then he’d go and get him. Uncle Raymond had been digging ginseng all day. He sold the ginseng for profit, made medicine out of it and chewed on the roots religiously. In one of Bob Pate’s oral histories he quoted Uncle Raymond to say, “They say it’ll (ginseng) make you hug the women. I hug them pretty good – especially the good looking ones.” Uncle Raymond lived a full life up until a couple of years before his death at age 102. That ginseng must be good stuff.

 

Sometimes Uncle Ed would wonder up from Grandma Ida’s place and sit with us under the shade trees. Uncle Ed was known for his story telling. I don’t remember a lot about him but my cousin Grace often shares tales that were passed around from way back when. The Pruitt side of my family has always intrigued me. Not only because my Grandma, Verlie Pruitt Martin and I were very close, but because “we” Pruitt’s are just sort of different. I’m proud of my heritage. I believe my love of nature and story telling came from Pruitt blood.

 

The other day my cousin Grace called me and said, “Guess what? I have some good news. Daddy’s bus is sitting up at the old Wolfe Brothers building. They’re going to redo it and put it on display.” Then she proceeded to tell me about the bus that I remembered so well. “That old bus used to pick people up and take them to work at Chatham. It traveled all around Elkin and even over into Arlington.”

 

My cousin was so excited. She said her brother Junior had donated the bus back to the Town of Elkin. You might ask why did a man build a house around a bus? I don’t remember all there is to know about the why and why not’s of the reason Uncle Raymond did that, I suppose the eccentric part of his brain kicked in.

 

This post is dedicated to my Uncle, Raymond Joe Pruitt, July 19, 1902 – March 9, 2004, and the old Elkin City Bus. May the memories of him and his unique presence live on.