“You have no idea how long something you say can stay inside someone’s mind.” ~ Scarlett Leithold
Monk’s Mound
Here’s how my vacation went. I’d been planning a trip to my beloved Oklahoma since I wasn’t able to go last year to celebrate Angie’s 60th birthday – thanks Covid-19 – but then dad broke his back two weeks before. As time drew closer to departure, it was clear he wasn’t going to be okay any time soon (including an overnight hospital stay this past Wednesday). I had to cancel Oklahoma. It just isn’t possible for me to be gone that far from home for that long. Instead, yesterday, Stacy and I drove to see Kelly and Craig Barnes in St. Louis where we hugged a lot and ate way too much, then stopped by Cahokia Mounds in Illinois on the way back to Lexington. And that was my vacation. Though extremely short and not as planned, it was just what the doctor ordered. The heart felt love, many laughs, and gratitude we all felt from being in one another’s company has buoyed me for the troubling times ahead. I am so, so grateful I was able to eek out a little time.
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If you are not familiar with Cahokia Mounds, it is an Illinois State Historic site just across the river from north St. Louis near the convergence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. “The remains of the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico are preserved at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Within the 2,200-acre tract, located a few miles west of Collinsville, Illinois, lie the archaeological remnants of the central section of the ancient settlement that is today known as Cahokia.” Mary Carroll-Hackett first told me about Cahokia several years ago. I’ve driven by it thousands of times but never knew a thing about it until she clued me in. We didn’t have long to explore, and the weather wasn’t exactly hiking weather what with the downpours and all, but the awe of the place certainly wasn’t dampened. It is remarkable to suddenly see enormous man-made mounds rising from the plain. One minute it’s flat as can be then – BOOM – mounds everywhere. Of course I bought a book so I’ll be learning more. If you ever have the opportunity to stop by Cahokia Mounds, do it. It’s one of our country’s most valuable hidden treasures.
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