GOD BLESS NORTH CAROLINA

As North Carolina begins its recovery from Helene, we are praying for God to bless them.

I am reviewing old blogposts. They are full of photos and memories from many visits to this beloved state. This process only brings back a million technicolored thoughts of how things used to be in the beautiful state of North Carolina.

North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia are four of my favorite states (after Alabama.) Each of them suffered in this storm.

Every one of these states hold golden memories which my heart will always cherish. From the amazing gifts of creativity their people have shared with the world, to the majesty and splendor of the mountain ranges, I am thankful for being allowed to have shared moments in these unique places.

NORTH CAROLINA SEEMS TO HAVE SUFFERED THE MOST

Some areas were affected by Helene’s rage more than others.

North Carolina seems to have borne the worst of it.

I have to wonder what things are like in these places now. We are only a week later.

Will we soon be able to revisit some of these special vacation spots which we have enjoyed in years gone by?

Of course, our pain is nothing compared to those who have lost homes and loved-ones. It is impossible to imagine their pain.

I catch myself constantly wondering; what is still there.

PHOTOGRAPHS AND MEMORIES

Back in 2017 I wrote these words:
“As of this present moment, I’m in the midst of a few days of retreat.
No writing.
Or blogging.
No computer.
Nothing but me and my family and God; off the grid and deep in the mountains.
Heaven on earth!”
Here are a few of the photos we loved from that past trip to Black Mountain, N.C. We have tried to make it back every year since. North Carolina towns became a part of us.

OUR HEARTS THRIVED IN MONTREAT

Many of our past photos were taken from a beautiful little community called Montreat, N.C. Montreat lives just a few feet away from Black Mountain, N.C.  It houses a beautiful college campus as well as some very nice residential homes. I have no idea if any of this area survived. There were no news reports on our radio. I pray it is all still intact.

The unique thing about this beautiful community is the very detailed and plentiful hiking trails which the homeowners snuggle up to. You never have to drive to take a hike. Our crew loved stepping outside the yard and hitting the trails every morning.

LOVELY SUMMER HOMES

The lovely Montreat home we rented allowed us to vacation in the area for 7 days. Staying in a home appropriately named “Shenandoah”; we spent a lot of time exploring Black Mountain and the interesting little communities nearby. 

It wasn’t a very long drive to Flat Rock and Hendersonville, where we enjoyed a day of apple-picking adventures. That night my daughter made us apple pies. They tasted better than any pies we had ever encountered. Maybe it was because we got to know the apples on a personal level. I hope the apple trees fared well in the storm that swept the area.

The fun activities were endless.  History was everywhere. Music and art were abundant. Restaurants were plentiful and served up unique and delicious fare.

LOVELY LAKE SUSAN

While staying at Montreat, we fell in love with the beauty of Lake Susan.

I’ll never forget the first time I saw the sun shinning across this beautiful lake. Words cannot describe the awe and wonder it presented. I wanted to move there and never leave. We found the area by chance, which made it even more intriguing to us.  You felt like you were lost in a place where time stands still.

There were some shops hiding here and there along a beautifully crafted walkway/entrance.

FUN SHOPPING

The little shops near the lakeside area were very unique. They carried interesting hand-made products imported from many other nations. Not one item was the same as another. Christian organizations had sponsored crafters from all over in order to help them improve their standard of living.

Those products resided proudly inside the gift shops at Montreat. It was a win/win proposition. Our participation made the love stretch even further. We bought several original gift items there. It was fun giving them to each other through out the next year when we returned home.

I found a wonderful cookbook written by someone from Africa. It had delicious and healthy recipes which were native to African cuisine and nutrition.  Healthy advice and nutrition information was mixed into the recipes. It read more like a book of wisdom than a clever assortment of recipes. I’m still using many of those recipes, even though the cookbook was purchased in 2017.

Our group in the gift shop at Lake Susan practically drooled over a hand-carved wooden replica of Noah’s Ark. Someone of great talent had obviously spent hours and hours crafting the intricate pieces.

MOUNTAINS AND GRANDCHILDREN GO TOGETHER WELL

Of course the best part of our trip was getting to share the beauty and splendor of the North Carolina mountains with our four grandchildren. They absolutely loved every moment of our time.

Then we moved on to drink in the fall beauty while hiking around the lake. After we explored all that God had placed around the lake we were refreshed in the little cafe next to the gift shops.

You could search the world over and not find a more beautiful spot to visit during the Fall season. The vivid fall foliage of blazing colors took our breath away. Carolina trees always seem to have the best colors.

A PLACE OF PEACE AND BEAUTY

Most of all I felt peace. Montreat was a lovely oasis of peace and happiness. Our grandson found a monument which stood as a testament to that very fact. I won’t tell you the words on the plaque. You need to go there and explore it for yourself. Hopefully, this monument survived the storm. If not, I hope it is duplicated.

Our family cannot imagine the pain North Carolina people have experienced. It breaks our hearts to know the devastation and loss they have suffered. We pray every day for healing and recovery. It is hoped that God can help them to be able to put this behind them.

REMEMBERING THE GOOD

These few photos I share are simply designed to help everyone remember. It is possible that all of these places are okay; we do not know. That would be wonderful news.

We ask that you join with our prayers for God to heal this part of the country. As for good news, we have heard that rescue crews are now arriving. No one could be more thankful than we are for having been a small part of their beautiful heritage, even for just a little while. Here we preserve the history we knew.

AMERICAN HEROES

Of course we are all praying for the many brave and generous workers who are sifting through the damage. They are truly American Heroes. Our hat is off to all of them. May God bless them all, and may God bless North Carolina.

One thing I know from having met the people living in this area. They are strong and resilient. God dwells in their hearts. North Carolina will recover, but this is our time to support them however we can do so.

As I think of what was once there, and I long for it all to recover well, some old song lyrics keep running through my brain.

Let’s end on a happier note, hoping it is contagious. Our hearts do know that North Carolina will rebuild. Those who are left will make it better than ever before.

In the meantime, we have our songs and such amazing memories to get us through.

God bless North Carolina.