Back to Grundy

March 12, 2023

Grundy. It is odd to feel so deeply rooted and connected to a place in which I have never lived…and maybe more telling…have never spent more than 72 hours at a time visiting. But those steep, closely formed mountains with houses perched on every flat surface the deep, winding hollers can provide is buried in the depths of my soul. The lore of old family tales trickles down the creek and teases in the wind.

We lost my great aunt Sis last week. She spent the last several years in the kind of assisted living facility you hope to end up in- one that is kind, caring, and takes the best care of its residents. Christmas of 2019, the doctors predicted Sis had a month or two left….and here we are four years later! My dad and I went to see her last summer, she was able to recognize my dad after we told her who he was…. I was a friendly stranger to Sis. She smiled at me, gave me a hug when we went to leave, but there was no recognition.

The funeral was simple, fifteen of us gathered in the funeral home chapel where we have said goodbye to many family members over the years. The drive down to the cemetery was a solemn procession of five cars slowly winding their way down the ever curving mountain roads, with oncoming traffic pulling over to offer condolences in a momentary acknowledgement of stillness.

Every trip back to Grundy is a punch to the heart. With family dwindling, the main reasons to visit are gone. And you don’t really pass through a place like Grundy; it is out of the way and a destination unto itself…

I continue to be ever thankful for the timing of The Bluegrass Project of 2019. I spent hours with Sis that year, combing her already faltering memory for stories of the family, enjoying her smile and occasional laugh. To capture a moment in Dry Fork Holler, to sing into the musical ancestry that runs in my veins. To breathe in the mountain air and remember my foolish, talented grandfather and his siblings. Rest well Sis. You were deeply loved. Thank you for always opening your home to us, for having store bought chocolate cake and instant coffee, for answering endless questions and telling us to come back soon.

The Curious Case of the Pretend Librarian

December 1st 2021

I find myself these days smack dab in the middle of an actual, benefits included, full time job as a Library Assistant. Of course I am opposed to most things deemed “normal” so I definitely found a position in which this particular branch in located within a mall…. Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, clothing stores, guitar center and a Costco!!! I often stroll through Costco on my breaks for the “Costco Buffet” aka…..the samples. :) And can you really beat a hot dog and drink for $1.50???

If you were to ask me how I got here….. I’d probably mumble something about a facebook post about openings for substitutes and how I was bored sitting at home last winter when the garden didn’t need constant attention and somehow we would end up with the firm response of a shrug and…. “2020”. A year and a half ago, I was looking down the path of a year of travel. I had just released the Bluegrass Project, momentum felt small but growing (a trip to Europe was in the beginning stages)…..and just like for everyone else, it all came to a grinding halt. Where it has remained. I’ve done some freelance leading, spoke at a retreat, made countless worship videos, and tried to be open to the opportunities that came along.

So here we are. And other than learning the rhythms of an hour long commute and forty hours spent in one job (I mean, if we are honest, I used to work way more but it was spread across many jobs), I am loving it. There are so many, SO MANY parallels between this library gig and what I have previously experienced in the church planting world. There is a built-in customer base in our mall….not to mention the hundreds of employees that work amongst the H&Ms and JCPennys….. I have most definitely made best friends with Angela who works next door at LensCrafters. Haven’t made any mortal enemies yet….but give me time. :)

Oh the stories we will find….. The words expressed in the hallway outside the post office during its 12-1:15 daily closure for lunch could easily fill a coffee table book.

Merry Christmas!

December 1, 2021

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I hope this holiday season finds you and yours healthy and enjoying some festivities and merriment. :) 2021 has brought a few changes to my little corner of the world. Mitch and I are still happily living in the shed in Colonial Beach (current dream: buy a house, get four chickens, name them after the Golden Girls). We (me) spent the better part of 2020-2021 learning to garden, hang Christmas lights (won 2nd place AND a yard sign in our local competition last year!), bake bread….and generally follow all pandemic hobby trends… I stopped just short of the peloton craze because money. I'd like to take a moment to thank my family for putting up with all my "at-home" shenanigans!!

I started subbing as a Library Assistant with our regional library system this year and this fall, I was hired full-time as an Adult/Youth Services Programmer. If that sounds too “normal”, never fear…. it’s located inside a mall. So far I’ve made friends with the folks from Lenscrafters, spent my breaks eating all the samples at Costco and am working my way through the food court with ample amounts of pretzels from Auntie Anne’s. I’m hoping to infiltrate the inner gossip circles of mall culture and am always on the lookout for a flash mob.

There’s been a bit of music too; I led worship for five months with Ebenezer UMC and a few retreats this fall have felt like glimpses of the before times. I’m looking forward to at least the potential of travel in 2022! Like to your house….hopefully to give you a long, awkward hug and exchange our latest stories…. I’ll start with the guy who asked me to help him find books on how to talk to people (like girls) and a few weeks later returned with the skills and confidence to ask me out…. I still don’t understand the power I wield as a pretend librarian.

So here’s to hoping for all that 2022 can be. Know that I miss you…and your kids…. But probably most of all… your pets. I’ll be seeing you soon.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Love, Amy

Misheard Christmas Songs

December 28, 2020

Although I feel as if I’ve been playing catch up this holiday season, i.e. thinking up creative ideas with less time to execute than I would like, I did manage to join the game of Reels over on Instagram. After combing my list of friends for the odd ways their little ones sings Christmas songs, I turned them into short videos….and just for giggles, I compiled them all into one video….I was highly amused in the making of these vids…..and I think it shows!

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