Monday, November 9, 2009

The Ruins of Jacksonville



We are set to leave Jacksonville Thursday and although a couple of my colleagues (not without cause) can be tough judges of Jax, it is hard to look unfavorably on the town which saw your child's first beach



fostered her watery curiosity



taught her to judge good shrimp



and to suck shrimp tails (unbeknownst to me)



saw to her first Halloween spin



her first wait for Dad in the clubhouse



gave her pause



taught her to love Spainish moss



taught us a few lessons in what it is to stand against the tides and persevere



saw friends assume command with undaunted courage and leave families behind to lead and protect



created this miracle



and left us all feeling stronger for having had this time.

If some of this seems to owe to this time in our lives, then I chose not to make the distiction between time and place. It was magical. I have loved these days, short as they were.

Onward.

8 comments:

susan said...

What a thoughtful post with beautiful images, words, and reflections.

LPC said...

Wonderful tribute. Onwards and upwards.

Southern Aspirations said...

what a great post- I love all the sentimental/key milestones you mentioned. Important to remember those.

And while Jax has its not-so-good places, there are also some super cute places. Have fallen head over heels for a few shops in that city and one of my all-time favorite breakfast places is there....

Deanna said...

May God Bless you where ever you live.
d

Karena said...

Poignant, so endearing. I happen to love Jacksonville. One of my dearest friends has lived there many years and is just now moving back to Kansas City.

The Countess of Nassau County said...

Kudos to whoever taught you the concept of gratitude, for they taught it well.

Jaime @ laviejaime said...

Great post.

Gwennie said...

You made me cry. That was beautiful.