Date: 2005-04-28
From: Miss Janet's House in Erwin

To: Super 8 Motel in Erwin
Miles today: 0.0

Hopeful:    Last night we stayed at Miss Janet's in Erwin, Tennessee. She is one of the warmest, most welcoming souls I have every met. I find that in each place we stay I learn more ways to be hospitable. Her big, old home is right downtown, and the first floor is completely taken over by hikers. She has a 15 passenger van and shuttles people everywhere. Yesterday we hit our first all-you-can-eat buffet at Pizza Hut for lunch. Yum!   As a lover of language, linguistics and culture, the trail is a fascinating place. We've met people from England, Germany, Scotland and Ireland, but have maybe been even more struck by the diversity in our own country. There seem to be plenty of hikers from the Northeast. Our friends Strider and Hot 'n' Sweaty have a thick New Hampshire accent. Then, in contrast, we know Noonin, who is classic southerner. In both cases, somtimes I have to listen extra hard to understand what exactly they are saying! It's more than accent, it's also the vocabulary. "Y'all" or "Yous" will change to "you guys" as we cross a few more state lines. Everything is a "coke" in the south, but farther north it wil be "soda". Being a minority as a midwesterner, we often get made fun of for wanting "pop".   Another ironic situation we ran into just last night was at the Chinese restaurant. It was decorated to fit the part, with soft Chinese music playing in the background, but then we were greeted by the blondest, sweetest, Tennessee "Valley Girl" that I've ever met. Every sentence ended with a giggle and her southern drawl was thick and charming in its sincerity. Instead of being put off by smelly hikers, many of the towns we've been in so far have demonstrated to me the southern hospitality that I've always heard about. It's in the people's smiles, the way they pull off the road to pick up hikers who are hitching, the unhurried way in which locals ask us how the hike is going, or go out of their way to help us out.   I've experienced new "cuisine" as well with the moon pies, sweet tea and grits.   Miss Janet has a question of the day at the breakfast table (there were more than 20 of us there this morning!). Everyone is asked to introduce themselves and answer it. Today's question was: "If you were a work of art, what would you be?" I hate those types of questions (well, I love to ask them, but hate to answer them), but it struck me exactly what I would be. I would be a stained glass window that reflects the sun in beautiful ways-- only I hope that I can reflect Jesus, the Son of God, in beautiful ways because He is the one who has changed my life and makes me "Hopeful"! Red Wing felt like he would want to be one of the many trees that we see along the way, that, amazingly look like they are growing out of a rock. They cling to it with roots wrapped around intricately. Each time we see one, we want to photograph and frame it. It reminds of how Scripture teaches us to build our house on the rock of Christ that will never shift, change or be shaken.    I think, however, that I may have a better thought than either of the "works of art" that we mentioned at breakfast. It seems that each person we meet, from wherever they come, or however they speak, or whatever they eat-- each one is a work of art, "fearfully and wonderfully made", as Psalm 139 says. We are in awe of God's creation as we traverse the mountains and the valleys of the AT, but most of all we see His beauty reflected in the people He made and loves.