As I cross the Bull River bridge there is something in the air that reminds me that this is where I need to be right now in my life. It is a place where I "ground" myself and find contentment even in those days of stress. It is the haven for my soul and my place to come and reflect and reconnect with people who started out as strangers only to become dear friends. It is a place to rejuvenate the heart and help it mend from the many breaks it has had in its life.
Crossing that bridge in the afternoon with the sun sinking behind you as you look East to the Atlantic and see the expanse of colors and shades of intensities between light and dark you realize that for some of us this is a special place.
There also is a smell to the island. I think it is that combination of salt spray and decay, paper mills and diesel fuel, and detritus from the swamps and low country. It permeates the nose as you meander across the causeway. It is always there. Intensities of the smell only vary depending on the direction of the wind.
It is at this island that now and then in life you get the opportunity to meet folks that end up becoming not just friends but dear friends.
Tim and Allison over on the adjacent Wilmington Island are on that list. This past weekend they were kind enough to host a "welcome back to the island" BBQ for us and some of our "dog park" friends.
Now, as most of you know I have written about Tim before in these pages - we share a common phobia related to monkeys - Allison, Tim's wife and most undoubtedly "better half," is a home office employee for Lockheed Martin and one of the most fantastic chefs I have had the privilege of knowing.
They also are the proud parents of a blonde Lab - Lucy, who like all our "kids" finds that way of creeping into your heart and grabbing hold not to let go any time soon.
I have found that you can often go through life and not take the time to sit and visit with strangers who may become friends and that is what this island provides me the time to do when I am here.
Kay and I are more than glad that we have had the opportunity to break bread, sip wine and jaw the bone with these two fine people that we count as dear friends because all too often we don't take that time.
"Happiness is time spent with a friend and looking forward to sharing time with them again," Lee Wilkinson said and I couldn't say it any better.
Love, peace and grace, Dr. Darryl
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