I hope that what I’m asked to do is jump - carefree, hands up, into the creek.

The rhythm of my breathing is the rhythm of the tides. The beat of my heart is the beat of pelican wings gliding across the river. The weightlessness of near-sleep is the floating of my body in the creek on a hot summer day. The full moon over the marsh is my first love.

It’s ridiculous to think that we will walk through the fields of life and nothing will stick to us.

This was not a gradual decline into disorder. This was harmony shot out of a cannon.

I delighted in the names of places on the Blue Ridge Parkway; around every turn was another knob, gorge, cove or gap.

You have no choice other than to stop what you’re doing for a moment and think beautiful thoughts

No one taught them to do this. They just know, in the same way their mother just knew she had to go home.

A glance down the dirt road today wouldn’t tell anyone that it was a plantation avenue if they didn't already know it.

You know, they just don’t make prom dresses that strong anymore.

With her actions she preserved a precious piece of Beaufort history that would have otherwise been lost.

I believed that in this place I was safe, and the regular Sunday church attendance our family engaged in created a beautiful and reassuring rhythm to our lives that I still dance to. 

Every year when I eat Hoppin' John I think of that Shoney's. I picture my tall, skinny brother trying to look tough and I remember how still I sat.

Just as you can today, we stepped out through the steel door and were greeted by the most magnificent view of the ocean.

There wasn't enough room in that boat for me and the crab. So I got out. Right in the middle of the creek.

To our friends from other places who have discovered the beauty of the South, let me assure you that the screen door is open and we're setting another place at the table for you.

The Chapel of Ease is a charming and graceful spot, but is also a place where the realities of living on a lonely sea island in the mid-19th century are evident.

As with most things about our Sea Island home, fall is gentle; a gradual softening of the temperature, a mellowing of the light.

If you happen to have information on the whereabouts of The Shrunken Head, please fess up. We miss him.

How will I find myself if the place where my heart resides changes so much I can't recognize it?

If you’re in need of a change in mindset, some perspective, or just a mental deep breath, get to the Beaufort waterfront as quickly as possible. Take a seat in a swing. Use your foot to gently propel yourself back and forth. Then wait for the magic to happen.