“You are your best thing.” ~ Toni Morrison
surprise
I was shocked when I got the mail today. In it was the recent copy of the Journal of Appalachian Studies. Inside was a review I’d written on Troublesome Rising, the book, back in late winter. I’d forgotten about it, but as I thumbed through the pages, there it was. I was on my way out the door to the first of two events memorializing Gurney Norman. I was slated to speak briefly at tonight’s event held at Worsham Theater in the student center, and so I found the arrival of the Journal not only a shock, but a sign. A sign from Gurney that all things come in their own time. If something is worth doing, it’s also worth waiting for. That idea was reinforced throughout tonight’s memorializations, as one writer, filmmaker, and friend after another talked about our beloved Gurney, the Merry Prankster of Eastern Kentucky, and his ability to see both reality and the possible (the two are not synonymous). It was a moving night, and tomorrow we will continue to celebrate Kentucky’s favorite son. I’m charging the camera batteries.
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