My husband and I spent the last three days in the mountains. We stayed at the Great Smokies Lodge in Seiverville, Tennessee. It was a nice getaway! So my “thankfuls” center around this trip.
I am thankful for the beauty of God’s creation. The leaves in the Great Smoky Mountains were at peak, or nearly so. So much orange and gold and red. It was amazing to see how differently the same colors looked in different light. While I didn’t see a bear (rats!), I did see elk while we drove through the Cherokee National Forest.
I am thankful for the absolutely gorgeous weather we had–sunshine, blue skies, and comfortable temperatures–not too cool and not too warm. The highs were in the low 70s every day
I am thankful for the time I was able to spend with my mother, who went with us. She is 88 years old and in excellent health. (She does not act like she’s 88 years old!)
I am thankful for the family stories Mama shared with me and the family history she passed along. We are planning a cemetery tour of the ancestors sometime in the near future as well as a tour of the state parks! After all, I have the all-access pass for the state park system. We might as well use it!
One of the things Mama shared with me was family history. I have an ancestor, a great-great-grandfather, named Jasper David Crocket Lever, who was an officer in the Confederate Army. He was wounded three times in three different battles, first at Sharpsburg. later at Chickamauga, and lastly possibly at Fisher’s HIll. I had not heard this story though I did know that three of my great-great-uncles on the Wessinger side of the family fought in the Battle of Gettysburg and were killed or wounded there. I even have a many times great-grandfather who was an officer for the colonists during the Revolutionary War! HIs name, I think, was John Adam Summer. I made quick notes in my travel journal to research later on. There may be a novel coming out of these stories. . . . who knows?
I am thankful to be at home. I love to travel and see new places, but it’s always good to be back home
Telling Stories 