Hello all from the great place of my childhood...yes...Poteau, Oklahoma. I am on a temporary stopover. Why? Well...I finally got homesick. So, when last I wrote I was all a-glow after my D.C. experience. After leaving there, I made my way toward Louisville, KY by way of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park located in Virginia. I think that is where the trouble started. Apparently, everyone in D.C. and the surrounding areas thought it would be a great day for a drive, and they all landed there. It took me an hour and a half just to get into the park from Front Royal, the northern-most entrance to the park. From there I had to stick with the drive for about 30 miles to the next exit. You may be wondering why there are no pictures of the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains. Well--the pull-outs where completely packed with people! All of the campgrounds were full before I arrived, so I just had to keep going for the day.
The next day, en route to Louisville (still), it occured to me that it would be nice to sleep in my own bed, to see my partner, to be still for a while, and have food that didn't make me feel sick as "road food" often does. Unfortunately, home was 4,000 miles away...but my MOM's home was only about twelve hours away. So, I changed course just after driving the Bourbon Trail (no, I didn't get to taste because it was Kentucky and it was Sunday), and headed toward Oklahoma.
I drove directly into a storm. I had been afraid of severe weather when crossing the plain states and hoped I wouldn't be exposed to any rough weather. Rain came down in sheets and the lightning flashed like I was being greeted by the paparazzi.
The next morning, after getting Max out of bed and heading out onto the road, I saw a sheriff's deputy had pulled off the road near a deer that had been hit the night before. He didn't have anything to haul the deer away in, so I can only assume he was checking that the sweet beast was dead. I can't imagine having this responsibility, but after hitting a deer on this journey myself, I am very glad to know someone does. It brought up some emotion in me that I can't quite distinguish, like doing the right thing even when its not easy.
On the way through Memphis, I stopped at the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed. The motel is now the home of the National Civil Rights Museum. There is no easy way to give you a verbal snapshot of my experience there. I can only tell you that the message seeped into my veins and ran through me with the motion of my blood to ebb and flow through me for the rest of my days. Living in a country that is a "melting pot," is like being in a relationship. When one person has a problem, it must become the problem of the both so that it can be resolved with finality. Racism and oppression is not an African American problem, it is our problem as a nation. To erradicate it, we must all take responsibility.
So, after leaving Memphis, I headed to Ft. Smith, AR where my mom would be arriving from Dallas on an American Airlines flight. She had no idea I was there, so I hid! As she sauntered by, texting as she went, I came up behind her and grabbed her butt! Dear friends....if looks could kill, I would be dead. She was so stunned to see me, but quickly gave me a great, big, momma hug.
This morning--pancakes. It's good to be home.
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