I love Kentucky.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to take a prospective volunteer down to another county to check out our housing program. As we were driving, he kept commenting on how "beautiful" and "awesome" and "great" the landscape and the views were. I replied, "oh, yeah, it's really great," as I usually do when newcomers are astounded at the beauty of this area. I know it's beautiful; I know the culture is unique; I know that eastern Kentucky gets in your blood and has an appeal that can't be explained. But, this time, as I thought about how long I've been here and the things that have kept me here, I realized it really is great here. Really. I'm so thankful I got to be a part of his wonder and it brought me back to when I first visited Kentucky on my interview--when I drove up I-75 and saw the cliffs and mountains that had been carved out, when I came around a curve to a breath-taking view of the valley and the river below, when I drove into our little CAP valley to a collection of buildings with our little creek running through it (I just had a vision of Brad Pitt in A River Runs Through It, too bad that didn't happen). But, most importantly, I think about how all this (along with the opportunity to serve) brought me here, but it's so much more that has kept me here. It's the people....volunteers, participants, donors, CAP employees...it's the spirit....how you can almost touch the Holy Spirit and God's presence here...it's how people here really know what matters....how it's about relationships, not careers and money and how many things you can fit into your daily planner....these are the things that have kept me here. And regardless of where I end up at the end of my volunteer time in July, I'll take this with me. (I guess you can tell that I'm getting a little nostalgic at the thought of my time ending).

On a random side note, we now have bobcats roaming the woods around us...and screaming (is that what you call it? crying? warning us? communicating?) out at night....hopefully nothing to cause concern...