I hadn't seen the sunrise in months until this morning.  The sky looked as if it was on fire.  Colors that none could have fathomed spread out against the sky as vibrant rays.  I couldn't keep my eyes from straying upon the beauty of the sky.  so many mornings out of the week I sacrifice the sunrise for slumber.  I awake to a glorious sun, or a foggy day.  This semester particularly, I've truly began to believe that weather can affect one's spirits in a very impactful way.  It makes me miss the Carolina sky that I've grown to love so deeply since being away.  Each time we cross back into Tennessee a sadness always arises within me as I come to terms with the separation.  Carolina is my home.  James Taylor got it right, "In my mind I'm going to Carolina."

I've been thinking a lot about home lately...especially with trying to figure out my SIP topic.  Thank goodness for the classes on memoir.  They have opened up my mind to the wonders of a story...my story.  So here's what I have so far... 

Tentative Topic

            I’d like to engage in the concept of “home” and how growing up in a small-town has shaped and influenced my perceptions on life, and people.  My idea is to write a creative non-fictional work by writing a series of letters (22 letters to be exact) to a family that just moved in next door to my home in Morganton, North Carolina.  Each letter will include a location, or a unique aspect found in Morganton that holds a special place in my memory.  The letters will be addressed to “The New Neighbors Next Door.”  There will be some letters for the children and for the adults—maybe even the family dog.  With each letter I desire to dig deeply into the intrinsic meaning of “home.”