White Horse Mountain, above, is at the end of Main Street in Darrington, WA where I was born and raised. At 6840 feet high, it towers over the town, which is only 600 feet elevation. "My mountain" is one of the things I missed most after Mom and I moved to Vancouver, WA in 1970. Fortunately, it is only a 12-minute walk from my Auburn home (since 1978) to where I can look across the valley to Mount Rainier.
Life in Darrington provided me with a wealth of invaluable experiences. The small town way of life. The fact everyone knew each other's comings and goings. Nosiness? Perhaps? We called it concern. Neighbors helping neighbors in times of trouble. They built the foundation on which so many of my stories, articles and more than 150 books are based.
A celebration of life for a minister's wife who lived to be well over 90 was attended by dozens of persons who had long since moved. One lady commented, "No one ever really leaves Darrington. Some just go away." I am one of them. My home has been in Auburn for the past 38+ years, yet part of me belongs to my beloved home town.An excerpt from the back cover of Going Home Again:
Thomas Wolfe said, " You can't go home again." Best-selling author Colleen L. Reece believes you can go home again. Here are 31 of her favorite magazine stories about growing up in an era of few material possessions but rich in love. Laugh cry, and rejoice with Colleen as family members
- experience joy, sorrow, disappointment, success
- are inspired by their ancestors' faith
- call on God in times of trouble
- are miraculously rescued from danger
Going Home Again available at Amazon.com.
11 comments:
Congratulations, Colleen! Yeah. I wish you many fun days of blogging.
A great start! Looking forward to more Reece's Ramblings (:
Thanks, "Andi" and Judy. I feel as if I am entering a whole, new wonderful world (at last).
Oh! You figured out how to put a different cover on. Great post!
Thanks. With this rainy weather I will have time to post more messages.
Congratulations on starting your blog. It looks great!
Thaks, Sandy. I plan to include writing tips, etc., as time permits.
I'm blessed to see that Mountain on my drive into work and you're right, you never really Darrington. :) Excited to see your journey here on the blog.
No matter how much the world changes, "our" mountain stands firm and constant; a symbol of inspiration that there are things that do last. Unlike Mt. Rainier and Mt. Baker, I don't think there has ever been signs of volcanic activity!
Oh, I understand your feelings about the mountains. My pomeranian and I
enjoyed a beautiful walk today in the Blue Ridge in Black Mountain where I live.
Congratulations on the blog. I will look forward to reading it, as much as I have
enjoyed your books.
Thanks, Yvonne. One of the few places I wanted to visit but never got to was your part of the country. Dad was born near Asheville. He said it was a lot like Darrington. No wonder so many Tarheels migrated to my hometown.
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