...and a Time to Gather Stones Together

Mr. Tom Hendrix is one of the treasures of this area of North Alabama. He has gathered stones and built a wall to honor the memory of his ancestors. Read the story here; it is much more informative than anything I can write.

Mr. Hendrix can be found working on the wall almost any day. He is always happy to stop and talk with visitors who come by to see what he has built. The visitors come, locals like me and his Indian ancestors from all over the country, to stand in this spiritual place and hear his stories.

The wall is immense, and I wonder if he could see it in his heart when he hauled in that first load of rocks that he had gathered. I asked him if the wall would ever be finished, and he just shook his head as if the ending was too difficult to think about.

The wall is located just off the Natchez Trace parkway and you will be welcome there if you want to see it for yourself.

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Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee. It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures. We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything. Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.

100 miles or less: Rattlesnake Saloon

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Out of the Dirt: Bragg-ing

Like every reader, I have my favorite writers. There have been so many that have stirred my emotions and made me a part of their world, and I'm thankful for that. The one is love the best, the one I cherish , is Rick Bragg. Yesterday, Rick was in our area. We were privileged to see a newly released documentary about his life called Out of the Dirt . Afterwards, he talked to us about family and roots. His first book, All over but the Shoutin' , was recommended to me years ago. Very early in the book, I was thinking, "Who is this? He is writing about me, about my family." I have never actually met anyone in the book, but they are all my neighbors and kinfolks. His other books are just as well-written. In his book, Writing for the Soul , Christian author Jerry Jenkins had this to say about Rick Bragg: I read other writers and strive to be like them. I read others, like Rick Bragg, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist, and simply surrender, knowing I will ...

Faith, Folklore, and Friends

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