Catching Up

My apologies to all subscribers who have been patiently standing by since my last post in December. A reaction to my initial round of Parkinson’s medication knocked me out of action in January, and I am just now adjusting after slowly ramping back up toward a full dosage.

As I am unsure when additional posts will be forthcoming, I have turned off the paid subscription function on this account. I most sincerely appreciate those who have followed these ramblings and especially those who contributed cash during the past year.

The following post was first written a while back when a dear friend was close to passing on. You may notice some recurring themes from my previous posts…

Flowers for Miss Edna

One of the pillars of our Clay County community was fond of telling us that “it is better to give flowers to the living”.  This “verbal bouquet” is intended for Miss Edna Ashe who, at age 99, was clinging to life this morning when I stopped by the Clay County Care Facility.

I spent the last week in our family farm home in the Myers Chapel community Every time I am back there my mind returns to childhood memories of growing up in that peaceful valley.  The Bob Ashe family was one of our neighbors, and Miss Edna helped raise all of us who grew up there.  She touched all our lives, and she continues to hold a very special place in our hearts.

The Ashe boys and I attended Sunday school classes together, joined the church at the same time, and played ball together at the Hayesville schools through the years.  Miss Edna was faithful member of the Myers Chapel community Home Demonstration Club, and she always provided a steady influence on all our lives.  We never heard her utter an unkind word about anyone, and she and Mr. Bob raised strong sons and grandchildren.  The extended Ashe family remains good neighbors and upstanding citizens of Clay County.  That is a great tribute to Bob and Edna, and it says a lot about the power of a strong mother’s love.

Everywhere I went last week….coffee shop, hardware, grocery, feed store, or a friend’s porch…the same trend of conversation prevailed:  times are hard in Clay County, and folks are really hurting economically.  No surprise there; the real estate-based economy collapsed about several years ago, and it may not come back in our lifetimes.  But these discussions with people I have known for over 60 years put me to thinking about Miss Edna’s generation and what we seem to have lost in recent times.

The folks in our community in the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s were hard workers, and they understood the value of shared sacrifice.  Our families had strong politics back then, just like now, but that did not hold back progress.  They somehow found a way to work together for the good of the county, and the results can be seen today.  We have Chatuge Dam, a beautiful golf course, modern school buildings, and a host of other infrastructure and cultural amenities that would not exist without their hard work and willingness to pull together for the common good.

I spend most of my time in northern Virginia these days, and up here, it is all politics, all the time.  In my view, the extreme polarization of our national political parties is not healthy for our nation, and it is not good at the local level either.  Miss Edna and her neighbors always looked out for each other, regardless of party affiliation.  They believed in leaving our community and our county better than they found it, and we all benefited from the actions they took on behalf of future generations.

One of my high school friends told me on Sunday that when she moved back to Clay County a few years ago, Miss Edna and another lady showed up one day and just sat on the porch and visited…welcoming my friend home.  That is the kind of lady she is, and I feel especially blessed that she touched all our lives over the years.

For all the extended Ashe family:  you have our hearts and prayers.  Please know that Miss Edna touched a lot of lives in many very positive ways.  Clay County is a better place to raise a family because of her and a lot of other good folks like her.  God bless you and yours.