By the Grace of God
By Geni McKee
My journey to Asheville began when I was a little girl. It was a meandering course of events that started with cherished visits to my grandmother's house, in the "hollers" outside Murphy, NC. Even as a young girl, I knew there was something magical, restorative, and awe inspiring about these Western North Carolina mountains. I remember collecting plants and rocks with my uncle; watching spectacular summer light shows in the sky; going to the spring to collect the drinking water; shaking apples and cherries from the old trees in my grandmother's back yard and feasting on the most delicious apple and cherry pies one could ever imagine, then putting up the fruits and vegetables for the winter in the root cellar.
My mother's family had been in Appalachia for generations -my great grandmother was even a medicine woman near Murphy, North Carolina. Some of the traditions were passed down in our family - certain vegetables that our family still plants are from seeds that are now fourth generation, and remedies that my family uses are part of what I use with my own daughter today. When my mother was a young woman, back in the early and mid 1930's (she's 88 now), she and the family left rural Appalachia and moved to Asheville. It was here that she met my father, while they both worked in a department store (where the BBT building now sits). They fell madly in love, and within six months were married. Although they didn't stay in Asheville much longer, Asheville held a special place in their hearts because that's where their love began.
My frequent visits to my grandmother's ended when she died in the late 70's, but my love of the mountains and their pull on my heart continued as I grew into adulthood. How I loved to forget myself on a hiking trail for a day, or a weekend backpacking trip. How I missed that familiar connection of PLACE that I felt at my grandmother's. During the first 20 years of my adult life, I was an Atlanta Girl - but I never quite felt that I could call Atlanta "home". I was still drawn to these mountains. After my divorce in 1996, I bought 26 acres and an 1860's log cabin with an herb farm outside of Mars Hill. But, I was still in Atlanta! I was led to do this outrageous thing because I felt in my heart it was my first "step" to bring me permanently closer to the mountains.
As meandering courses of life go, my current husband, Doug, came back into my life after an eleven year absence, at a Cajun dance in Atlanta. We had fallen in love 11 years prior, and had the most wonderful romance that lasted a few brief months. After eleven years, we had another "first date", and were inseparable from that time forward. Within three months we were engaged, and bought a house outside Atlanta. We were married a few months later, and would visit the cabin in Mars Hill quite often. One day we were driving back from a wonderful weekend in the mountains, and were dreading the traffic, hustle and isolation of Atlanta life. We looked at each other and said, "Why are we doing this? We can change this if we want to, so let's do it! Let's sell everything, buy a house in Asheville and move there permanently - we can make this happen!" That had to be one of the lightest, most joy-filled moments of my life - to acknowledge that we were willing to risk the familiar, trust the Universe, and know in our hearts and souls that we were meant to be in Asheville without a single doubt.
And, that's just what we did. Through much trust in God, we put three houses up for sale, bought a fourth house in Asheville, rented it out while we waited for houses to sell, and finally moved to Asheville in May of 2001. We have never looked back. We knew in our hearts that we didn't want to raise a child in Atlanta, so we never considered the option of having a baby until we were here. Just a few months after we moved, we knew that this was the right place for us to raise a child if a child was destined to be part of our lives together. Nine months later, we were blessed with a beautiful daughter - Grace. It's by the Grace of God that she is part of our lives, and that we are part of this community.
I cherish everyday that I wake up and see these glorious mountains outside my window. I smell the fresh mountain air every time I get off the airplane after a business trip, and I thank God for the beautiful people that we have been blessed to know since our coming here a few short years ago. I have finally found again that sense of PLACE and BELONGING that I recognized as a young girl in these sacred mountains and in Asheville - this place I call home.
Geni.Mckee@PearsonLearning.com