An Asheville Amen

It’s a sad time for Ashevillians, let alone their many neighboring communities. These magical mountain places won’t just bounce back. My sunken heart goes out to friends, locals, and especially their pets, who’ve been adversely impacted by Hurricane Helene. 

Asheville’s 95,000 citizens had experienced drought conditions. 2023 was the driest year on record. Then, a heavy rain system drenched its topography -before a hurricane spun directly up the spine of the Uwharrie -the oldest mountains on our planet. 

In college, I was first transported there in a book called Look Homeward Angel. Yet, I couldn’t experience its oasis of renewal -before the many regional summer camp experiences of my daughter -and my own explorations during that time. 

I was drawn to the French Broad and the Swannanoa River basins mostly in summertime -and recall vividly, the sturdy vines strangling my path -in Pisgah National Forest, the cradle of forestry.

As a music fan, my first exposure to its weirdness was in attending a handful of live music events like the semi annual ‘Leaf’ festival. 

Music makers, will soon enough, sound their sweet anthems on back porches, in the hollers, and throughout their town streets. They’ve just lost their voices and that process takes time to strengthen.

Each time I made the four hour drive, I was held in awe of its beauty and Aloha spirit. When I needed to return to my North Carolina Piedmont home, I always felt like I’d been reborn and refreshed.

So, my prayer -for those about to embark on its cleanup and Renaissance -goes like this:

Vouchsafe o lord to prosper with thy blessings -the dear work of all blue ridge inhabitants, and their partner’s helping hands -and grant that their efforts may be guided by your strength, always. Amen.