Before the Lake

In the midst of today's topsy-turvy world, it's often difficult to find that quiet place where our minds can find respite from the difficulties that plague us. Before The Lake sets its sights on a journey that provides the reader with a momentary escape from the upheaval that often encircles us and robs us of life's joy.I grew up in a rural community in Franklin County known then as Hales Ford, Virginia which could have been considered a mirror image of those pictured in many books...
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In the midst of today's topsy-turvy world, it's often difficult to find that quiet place where our minds can find respite from the difficulties that plague us. Before The Lake sets its sights on a journey that provides the reader with a momentary escape from the upheaval that often encircles us and robs us of life's joy.I grew up in a rural community in Franklin County known then as Hales Ford, Virginia which could have been considered a mirror image of those pictured in many books about the South - backward and poverty stricken, because in all actuality it was. But there is another side to the story. It's told here in simplicity - through thought provoking memories of an era that is no more, memories that lie buried deep in the hearts of those who knew a time when faith was to be admired, when hard work was honorable, and when families were strongly united. My family that sprang from the loins of O. D. and Madeline Basham was and remains dear to my heart. My children and grandchildren are the fiber that creates the woman I am today. To me, family is next to God in my life. I pray for them, cry for them, worry about them, and love them. I cannot imagine life before or without them. They're all pieces stitched together into one beautiful quilt - just like the ones that Fannie Esker Madeline Altice Basham used to piece together, late in the evening when all the chores were left behind for that day and waiting for her tomorrow that would arrive at daybreak. If your only history lessons came from school books, these writings will give you insight into an almost forgotten past, but still a past that links you to its heart. Life was not always about frantic activity, instant gratification or sound bites; indeed, it was rich with personal contributions and intense involvement. Its lessons in humanity were warm with hope and triumph - deeply rooted values. I still love the romantic tunes from the '40s and the sometimes silly songs from the '50s. Often as I tune into an Oldies radio station, my broom becomes my dance partner and sweeps me backward in time to the place where I was born and reunites me with the sights and smells and sounds of the day that surround my spirit. I hear the call! As the mourning dove calls to its lifelong mate in the early morning mist or a gently falling darkness, it calls you now to journey back in time. Can you hear it?