Changing Landscapes

When you’re a visitor to a place, you see changing landscapes.

When you’re from the place, you see the same landscape changing.

That’s what it was like at the Maple Festival here in Highland County today.  The sun shone warmly on each face taking its turn through the kaliedescope of my narrow vision and I was blessed by each one . . . town and country coming together in the joy of the stroll through the countryside in springtime. . . sidewalk chalk provided to entertain two girls as their dads worked the hot dog grill drawing child visitors to them and the magic a little splash of color on warm cement invariably creates . . . women tired from working the yard sale taking a moment to stand on the stoop outside the kitchen door and enjoy the warmth of the sun on their faces replaced as if in a well-choreographed dance by young adult women happy to find a squat to simply sit and visit . . . the well-oiled machine that is the women’s fundraiser inside the church moving in tandem with the seeming chaos of the men’s event outside, both working together for the best of all . . .the people circling the tiny church fellowship hall resembling not so much yard-sale bargain hunters as the gentrified promenaders of ages past . . .

Oh how I love this life.