Hello and welcome to part 8 of our journey through North Carolina.
From Brinegar Cabins in Traphill, NC, we were back on the Blue Ridge Parkway to see what was up beyond the next bend only to discover signs for the town of West Jefferson, NC. As we strolled the town streets we came upon Ashe Arts Center where we could hear live music coming from inside. We headed inside and enjoyed a great jam session with local musicians paying tribute to a Vietnam Veteran who had completed 3 tours of duty in that war. A great time was being had by all and, during a break, a community spokesperson presented the guest of honor a handmade quilt. It was in special recognition of their respect and love for him and his service to our country. It was extremely touching to hear the humbleness of this man’s experiences. Mike, we are so proud of your service and you are a real hero in our eyes.
(To view the video, click in the image above.)
Well this is it for today. We hope you come back and see how the trip unfolds as we share more of the USA Through Our Eyes. Until then be safe.
Amen!!!
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Thank you Peter. We wish you the same. Blessing’s.
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I love your faces. I’m happy to meet Grandpa and Grandma with lovely faces and positive mindsets to life. Best wishes, long life and prosperity.
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One step at a time and you set the example of be consistent in making those steps.
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We really need to honor our Vietnam veterans more. So wonderful to hear this story. And, thank you for your kind note! I’m feeling good about the progress I’m making on some longer projects – we will see!
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Thank you Theresa. It was a touching moment to stumble upon. Mike, the guest of honor, was such a gentleman and so touched by the gathering. We can imagine that moment and the feelings you will have when you are once again honored for that book that will be on the NY Times best sellers list for the 2 year in a row.
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I love the live audio paired with the still photos. Very lovely.
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Sounds great! Its a promise, we will!
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Somehow I think your going to see a whole lot more! And you had better share it… 🙂
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This is so nice to hear you note. Thank you so much for these kind words.
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I will make time for a veteran any time!!! They are truly the reason we have to enjoy our freedoms and to me are so under appreciated many times so I was thrilled reading your post!
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This is awesome to hear you say. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that folks honored him. Another one of those happened upon moments that we were blessed to record. We recorded lots of audio but there was so much background noise that it was hard to make out. Thanks for making time to share.
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God bless Mike and I thank him for his service. So glad you posted this as I love to see anyone honor our vets! Beautiful!
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🙂
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Those are the gems, at least in my experience 😊😊🌷
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Thank you Laina. So true. Those unexpected times!!!!
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What a neat service! 😊😊. The best memories often materialize without plans. What a blessing! 🤗❤️
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Thank you. God willing our hope is to keep on keepin on.
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So well put. I hope you get the opportunity to travel as much as you want to, and that each journey is satisfying, meeting your expectations.
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Thank you for your words of encouragement. You are so right about slowing down enough to recognize and appreciate them. Why did it take us so long to figure that important fact out beats us. I guess age produces wisdom.
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Always.
xx, mgh
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This is great to hear our post gift a lift to your day Madelyn. We are so glad having you along with us.
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The joys of life are always the little things. The trick is slowing down enough to recognize and appreciate them. Your videos give us a short cut & make it easier😉
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I love your posts – I do my best to keep up in real time, but sometimes life gets busier, too much time goes by and I need a catch-up session. I always leave uplifted.
xx,
mgh
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This will be great to see them. I’ll have to snap a pick of mine since you asked.
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It was funny because some of my “manly” friends teased me about it. I was proud of it myself. Real men quilt!!!! And I bet I’d have your dads endorsement of that fact, lol.
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Thank you Eugenia. What a special moment it was too. This guy, Mike was so touched with the celebration they threw him. As we talked later he kept getting teary eyed sharing many of his stories. Quite a hero he is. It is so nice to have you make time to talk with us.
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They are usually floral and designed in different patches of colourful fabric. I will post some pictures as a few people have asked me.
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Thanks Madelyn. It was a special moment to stumble on. The guy, Mike, was so appreciative. We had the privledge of talking with him afterwards but the recordings didn’t come out good enough to share some of his stories. They left impressions on us though. We have such respect and admiration for our men and women of the military. All they do so we can have the freedoms we do is a tall debt they don’t ask to be repaid. Its always so nice when you make time for out post Madelyn.
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I would really love to see that quilt. It sounds fabulous.
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What kind of quilts does your dad make?
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Wasn’t that a beautiful gift. Its something he’ll treasure for life we’re sure. That is neat you dad makes quilts. You don’t often hear of men doing this. I must share my career required I wear a tie and through the years acquired over 300 of them. So when I retired I though wouldn’t it neat to make a quilt out of them. Well, this is what I did. What an adventure it was laying out the pattern, selecting the batting, thread, needles and a machine. I learned sooooo much. It turned out incredible if I might say so. I even have some great scars from the needle pricks in my fingers. I have a new found respect for quilt makers.
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Thank you for stopping by and checking in. Aren’t those spare of the moment occurrences a welcoming moment in a day.
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Thank you. We just so appreciate those flash moments that you jump out and grab you. The fellowship time was wonderful. It is so nice of you to make time to talk. How is hubby?
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We are so happy you are with us Brooke to enjoy the moment. It was such a welcomed moment and the folks were so welcoming. Some communities we visit we don’t want to leave. We’re sure you have encountered a few of those moments yourself on your travels.
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A great video – a very special treat making your adventure so worth while.
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Wonderful to see that a Viet Nam vet was being honored. So much healing still to be accomplished after the way those vets were treated on their return. And what a great way to honor someone – with a quilt that represents time, appreciation and love, and a concert for joy and good vibes.
So great that you stopped to be a part of it and that you shared it with us. Thank you.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD/EFD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to educate a world!”
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How lovely to have made a gift of a homemade quilt. My dad makes quilt and the time and effort is huge. A wonderful gift to keep for ever.
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So cool to stumble onto things like this. Thank you for sharing your adventures with us!
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What a beautiful moment! I’m glad you were there to capture it — and grateful that you shared it with us, too.
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Oh, thank you for taking us along on your adventure. There is nothing better than finding yourself suddenly immersed in a time and place that is far removed from you ‘real life’, but in that moment it feels like you are home. Beautiful share…
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So true.
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except those moments when the boat capsizes or the money belt gets left behind, lol. Even those are some precious moments though.
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Amen to that!!!!
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Thank you! Yes we do live in an amazing, beautiful country. Some days are better than others, but I believe we still desire to do good. 🙂
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Definitely! The unplanned moments are sometimes the best 😉
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Thank you. It was such a wonderful moment to wander in on. Amazing what those unplanned moments can yield. Sounds like you’ve had a few when your gps goofs up.
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I really enjoyed the video, thanks for that cool photo collage! Great post!
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You are welcome. We are out often yes but hope to be out much more in the months ahead. Our travels put us in places that perhaps some would not go but its there that we see the core of what makes this country great. Each encounter has yielded much learning for us and opportunity to walk His word.
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Thank you for that! Do you travel most of the time? If so, that must be a real blessing for you!
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Thank you. We are pleased you liked it and made the time to let us know.
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Awesome slide-show! What a humbling and fun experience 😁✌🏻
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Isn’t this true Sharon. Those serving in the military and their spouses are heroes in our book. They keep the light of freedom glowing. We are an amazing country. It is so nice knowing that you have this interest. And it is nice having you along with us and making time to talk with us. We love sites like yours that care.
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I love hearing about our heroes here. I’ve listened to WWII Veteran’s speak. Simply amazing how positive so many remain after all they seen.
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It was wonderful Sharon. What a moment we were privileged to be part of. Thank you for making time to read our post and share thoughts with us.
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Very touching…thank you for honoring a wonderful Veteran. Brought tears to my eyes, must have been wonderful to see.
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Thank you Steve. It seems each time we get out there amongst the communities we encounter so many wonderful moments. We always walk away filled. Its so nice having you with us and sharing your thoughts.
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Thank you Sarah. It was a delight to discover it and then to meet the people and talk. Isn’t it great when we discover those things we didn’t expect too and walk away stoked.
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Thank you! Quite the area and one with lots of history to absorb and sift through. Its always good hearing from you Stephen.
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🙂
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Another great adventure! That’s what you can find very often “on the road!” Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Steve
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What a wonderful event to stumble upon!
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What a great adventure!
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❤
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Thanks Ann. As always, its nice hearing from you and to know you are with us through our journey.
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It sure is. Thank you for being with us and making time to talk with us.
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Great to see, hear and read Tom and Audrey, greetings from al little country to a great.
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The journey is impactful.
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Thank you Anne. Like you mentioned in your last post about reviewing video and how it reveals so much. Its so nice to have you with us and letting us know you through your thoughts.
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Thank you. We feel so blessed to be able to travel as we do and the best part is having folks like you making time to talk with us and the joys of learning from each other.
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I so enjoy your videos. They are delightful and capture the essence of the places so well.
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Sounds love like so much fun guys!
Enjoy💖
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