Before I share what I’ve come up with, I need to give a little backstory. For about twenty years now, I’ve been making solo trips up to the NC mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway. There’s something about the place that feels like a warm comforting hug. Some trips were merely to seek out blue skies and fall colors for the perfect photo shoot; others became moments where I was seeking myself.

I have TONS of photos I’ve taken in the high country, but this one from 2006 is one of my favorites for many reasons. It was at the Raven Rocks Overlook (BRP Milepost 289.5). At that time, it was easier to climb out on the rocks and take a photo (I was traveling solo, put my camera on timer on the hood of my car, and hurdled the fence in less than ten seconds – I was also 39 years old and much more agile!). I was just a few months recovered from a hysterectomy and was coming to the mountains to listen for guidance on questions I had about my life at that moment.

Anyway, back to my original topic… new lyrics.

I made a visit there about a month ago and stayed for three days, writing, soaking in the mountain air (and rain), and listening for a melody. Sitting on a bench, overlooking a place that has become special to me for many reasons of late, I shut my eyes and focused on the wind rustling through the trees and the birds singing just a few feet above my head.

And then, I heard them. Grabbing my journal and favorite pen, I wrote:

I come to the mountains to remember;
I come here to forget.
I come to the mountains to hope for things
That haven’t found me yet.

That was as far as I was able to get… but those four lines spoke volumes to me. And isn’t that what it’s about? Writing that’s meaningful, insightful, maybe even healing – whether or not it becomes a song?