I've never been . . .

"I've never been this homesick before."

Now, I know that this line is from a good ole bluegrass gospel song that I've heard my whole life, but today, it has a different meaning to me. Or, I should say, for the past 10 months. The song is talking about how homesick we get for Heaven. Yes, I am very excited about being in Heaven. However, I am currently homesick for Winston and the South in general. God's country, as Cindy calls it.

The reason for my sickness is, in fact, knitting related. I love to listen to Limenviolet. As you may know, Miss Violet is in the midst of a project she's created called The Mountain Sole Project where she is driving down the Crooked Road in VA and creating knitting patterns based upon the history and bluegrass music of the area. While I have never lived in VA, the shots she's taken and the stories she tells sound very much like the place I did grow up just a bit north of Knoxville, TN. I grew up listening to bluegrass music; either in church or just on the radio. I grew up driving through the mountains and ridges and seeing the beauty. I grew up eating in little country diners and seeing old men on the porches of country stores. She's killing me with this!

Also, to add to the pain and suffering and envy, Miss V is planning to move to Greensboro, about 2 seconds from my chosen home of Winston-Salem. She even has the guts to go to Winston and visit the yarn store there (Knit Picky) that is the first yarn store I ever entered. Every time she talks about NC on the podcast, my heart hurts. And I was just in Winston not 5 days ago and had to leave to be back here in Boohio.

I took a rather rambling (but purposeful) road trip home to Knoxville to see my sick grandfather, go to a wedding in Marietta, and then to Winston for my classmate Eric's thesis defense. I spent from Friday to Tuesday in "God's country." It was heartbreaking to leave. And now, a limenviolet podcast from NC and the Mountain Sole Project. Sigh.

I have never been one to be homesick. Never. I love traveling. It has to be a really bad trip for me to want to come home. And I never really loved a place that I lived so much that I didn't like the next place I moved to. Now, I realize, that I never was far from my heart. The South, the Smoky Mountains, the land of good ole boys and porch swings. I actually ache sometimes to be back there. Granted, there are some good things about Columbus. It has a million of everything and my boss and thesis project are here. But my heart is 400 miles away.

I must say thanks to Miss V, however, for giving me some glimpses into the land that I love and for allowing me to see it all anew through her eyes. It just goes to show that it really is a wonderful place. It's not just me who thinks so.