Postcards Home
Dear Children,
I made it here to West Virginia! My friend picked me up at the airport in Charlotte, NC, and we began the three hour journey north to Bluefield for the conference. We were having so much fun chatting over lunch, though, that we accidentally missed our first event!
I’ve never visited this part of the country before but it’s happily very much what I imagined, and reminds me of the picture books we’ve always read, When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came.
I love you,
Mom
Dear Children,
West Virginia has tree-covered hills with blue mountains behind, but not the rigid mountains like we see in Colorado, but softer. Tucked into the hillsides, as if embraced in a hug, are small towns, old and some a bit rough around the edges, but just bursting with history.
We are staying in the town of Bramwell a few miles outside Bluefield, where the conference is being held. Bramwell’s town sign reads “Home of Millionaires” which was true 100 years ago, but perhaps not today. The house my friends and I are staying in must have been one of the wealthy family’s homes as it sits perched on a hill overlooking the little mainstreet.
I love you,
Mom
Dear Children,
We checked in to our house and snooped around a minute. I was given a choice of rooms but went for the least preferable- small with no bathroom- which will not surprise you as its windows overlooked the town and there was so much “scope for the imagination.” (Anne of Green Gables)
It will also not surprise you to hear I did a small bit of rearranging (put the stuffed monkey and faded fake flowers in the closet) and opened all the blinds, and then sat down to write you this postcard and read a little on the history of the town.
I love you,
Mom
Dear Children,
Bramwell, population 220, was founded around 1880 with the boom of coal mining and soon became the US city with the most millionaires per capita. It has the look of a classic small town: train station, steeples, ice cream shop on Main, and Victorian homes along a brick-paved street.
While reading, I happened upon articles on Anne Spencer, a renowned poet who moved here as a young girl because it was a welcoming place for black people. Her mother did not find the schools suitable for her daughter and Anne was free to roam around town and explore, and apparently learned to read from the Sears and Roebuck catalog in her outhouse. Later on, she and her husband became important members in the civil rights movement and hosted greats like George Washington Carver, Langston Hughes, and Martin Luther King Jr.
It was time for a walk through town so I put away my reading and we headed outside. I looked to the right and there before me was a small footbridge crossing the river, and a sign which read “Anne Spencer bridge.” I know you can imagine my delight at this. Apparently she would run right this way on her explorations. Charming.
I love you,
Mom
Dear Children,
We strolled the brick main street past the train station, the First Presbyterian church, the bank, and the named houses. We stopped at the Honeybee Cafe and left with coffees and slices of lemon loaf.
It was time to head back to Bluefield, about 15 minutes away, for the HopeWords conference.
I’d like to adequately describe this conference and the way I can best think to describe it is like being at my grandparent’s house during the holidays as a girl. Homey, unpretentious, dated in the most comforting way. Baked goodies and warm drinks were set out, prepared by the ladies of the Episcopal church (here, not at my grandma’s). Chatter, laughter, peace. Like someone prepared for you and everything is taken care of.
I love you,
Mom
Dear Children,
You know how we talk about pushing back the darkness with light? How light is stronger than the dark? Well, today I got to hear from writers who are doing that with their words. They are using their gifts to bless others and love God.
Remember how I told you I would get to hear from the author of Bridge to Terbithia and The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson? Wow! She’s 90 years old and wise and witty. Remind me to tell you what she said about Maime Trotter and God.
You know the author of The Green Ember, S.D. Smith? You will be happy to know he used to play soccer. He also said this: “Love and service are better than fame and self-expression.”
I love you,
Mom
Dear Children,
You know Miss Ann, who wrote Your Brave Song (and the other books I love)? She talked about the woman at the well and how brokenness is beautiful Jesus. (Jesus isn’t scared of our mistakes or our struggles. He comes close to us.)
It made me think right then that I wanted to remind you how much Jesus loves you, no matter what.
You know how we talk so often about continuing to practice and pratice to improve at something, and not giving up in the beginning just because we might not do well immediately? Well this was a great speaker named Esau McCaulley who said lots of fantastic things, but I thought of you (and me) when he said, “You have to be a bad writer first!”
You will also be delighted to know I ate a cookie, ice cream, and chocolate candy today. I spent time with a friend who I hadn’t seen in 13 years, sat next to completely new friends at dinner, and got to know a few friends better than I did before. It all felt like a gift to me.
I love you and can’t wait to see you soon,
Mom