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Crossing the Red Sea

•Our best crop

•My brother Tom

•Coming out of the fire

•More than a truce

•the bears and the bees

•Billy Engelhardt

•Wherever we go

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people had entertained angels without knowing it.

Hebrews 13:2

My Brother Tom

was truly one of the more remarkable people that I have ever met.

Although he was only with us for 19 years, his contributions are so profound and memorable that his spirit and what he taught us continues to reverberate through our family and in his community more than 20 years after his death.

Tom learned to drive on the country roads of northern Maryland, a safe place to learn back in the early 70’s when the economy was more agrarian based, with less traffic. People drove slower.

Tom waved to each person he met on the road. He believed that the friendliness in this greeting was an energy that could be passed from person to person that one came in contact with, be it driving on the road or in person. As he came to each driver on the road, he would look their way, smile, and lift his hand and wave.

Years later, I felt Tom’s presence while driving on the country roads of eastern South Carolina. We took some of our honeybees to the fields and swamps along the Little Pee Dee River for the winter and are privileged to work in the community around the town of Mullins for part of the Spring Each year.

People wave to each other on the roads here. Friends, acquaintances, or strangers greet each other as they pass in their travels. There is a spirit of open friendliness. A few years ago, I realized how serious my friends take all of this when Ann Huggins scolded me for not waving on the road as we passed on the road earlier that day. I had missed her, not paying attention to the custom of this region. I tried to convince her that I was not a snobby Yankee, but just keeping my eyes on the road (or daydreaming). The next day I made sure that I was waving more.

My brother Tom was always encouraging people. The simple greeting that he gave on the road was another way for him to express his love. When back in South Carolina and waving to friends and others on the road, I think of Tom and this gift that he gave us.

Has God parted the waters so that you could walk through? Your contributions are welcome.