Kim Pentecost

I have arrived in South Carolina. I pulled into town on a Tuesday night in a torrential downpour, which, in some traditions, is a sign of good fortune. We rarely got rain like that in Colorado. Even though I couldn’t see a thing, I loved it. I came across what I now know is the connector (bridge from Mt. Pleasant to Isle of Palms), drove by my soon-to-be-home, took a quick tour of the island and went back across the connector to a hotel. The next morning broke sunny and bright. I expected it to be cool and dry after the rainstorm. I stepped outside into to a heavy, damp heat that took my breath away. I was in the south.

I headed back to the Isle, too excited and nervous to worry about the heat and, at the same time, being very greatful for AC. As I went onto the flat part of the connector, there were beautiful great, green marshes with small waterways running through. There were egrets, heron, gulls, hawks and smaller common birds. I was definitely in strong like with this place. As I hit the top of the connector, where tall boats can pass beneath, the Atlantic came into view. I could not breathe. My chest stopped moving. I was excited and overwhelmed. No time to process. Had to meet my landlady and get the keys -- I have a home!!!

I nestled into my almost beach house, with the bare essentials of life and began to catch up with everything that had been on hold since the beginning of May! It took me 3 days to walk the block to the beach; I finally went Friday after work. As I walked across the dunes, I wondered if this place would have the feeling – the feeling of home. I had been too busy to really think about it until now. What if this was just another stop, albeit beautiful, along my journey? It was time to see, to feel and to know – honestly know in my heart and soul. I raised my head and looked at the water. I stepped from the soft sand of the dunes to the hard sand of the beach and started to cry - I was home. For the first time in 55 years, I belonged somewhere. It is not where I had ever expected; yet it is exactly what I have always been looking for in my heart.

I just couldn’t get my heart and my head to agree until now. I now know what that feels like to have home. It is the most amazing feeling. Every place I have lived and visited in this country and the world has been remarkable and welcoming. I have been blessed over and over. Each place has given me something unique and critical to my journey and growth. Every stop has brought me closer to here. Neither was I ready nor willing, until now, to be in a place so incredibly singular to my previous experience. I would have been too restless or expectant. Time and place have come together.

Of course, I still have the ability to complicate my life though I know that being here is going to offer me the opportunity to embrace simplicity in living. Being here has already brought healing on every level. I have met new friends; had houseguests; learned how to treat mosquito bites (again); seen how the storms change the whole terrain of the beach; laughed until I couldn’t stand up; been awed by sunsets and nature; been called m’am more times in one day than I knew possible; eaten sweet, fresh delicious food (which, I have to admit, I didn’t expect); met caring, loving people and – it has only been two weeks.

This is my new beginning. Thank you all for being a part of my journey. I look forward to all that is in store for us. I look forward to how being in this place will affect my life and my work. The potential is thrilling. This place has already brought me a peace that I have always known in my heart and could never feel in my body. It is good. May I say, just one more time, I am home.