“…Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.”
~ excerpt from “Kindness”

by Naomi Shihab Nye

Amid chilly temperatures, drifting leaves, stark tree branches, November is the month of thanksgiving, of small kindnesses that are really much more. Tender things that we hold close and remember, a warmth in the heart and soul that radiates. Kindness and love of each other is something simple and obtainable, far more valuable than any stock portfolio or fancy new car.

Some things I’m grateful for right now: fresh-ground coffee scent permeating the kitchen, a warm dog at my feet and blooming plants inside the house. I’m also grateful for running water, better vision, the car starting, dinner prepared by a friend and shared with love, a pile of library books and no more pest robo calls for the election!

What are you grateful for?

Community:

Saluda United Methodist Church will host its annual Turkey Dinner on Saturday, Nov. 10, 5-7:30 p.m. at Saluda School Cafeteria. Tickets are available at the door.

A Veteran’s Day ceremony with Dr. Jerry Russell to commemorate Saluda’s veterans and heroes will be held at the Memorial Monument on Greenville Street, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2 p.m.

Saluda Community Land Trust meets twice a month and would love to have you volunteer: our SCLT folks are an active group. Also,

Saluda Center would be glad to have your help too; whether Meals On Wheels, or another project; and Saluda School can always use tutors and volunteers of all kinds, just inquire.

Saluda Women’s Club meets Nov. 13 at 10 a.m. at Saluda Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall: choral students from Saluda School will be singing.

Autumn Care of Saluda, 501 Esseola Drive, will have a Red Cross blood drive on Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 1:30-6 p.m. Also, Autumn Care has announced that Rosemary Lopez, CNA and Nicole Galladay, transportation aide, were selected as North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association Fabulous 50 winners. Congratulations!

Saluda Single Women will meet on Nov. 15 at Saluda Center for a potluck dinner at 6 p.m.; all ages welcome. For more information, contact Judy Ward at Thompson’s Store, 828-749-2321, or Anita Moore, 828-749-3335.

Saluda Garden Club will feature John Vining on Nov. 19, 10 a.m. at Saluda Library.

Encore! Local goods and fall produce can be found at the Saluda Tailgate Special Market on Saturday, Nov. 24, 1-3 p.m., West Main St. parking lot. The SBA and tailgate market owe many thanks to the great vendors and those tireless volunteers who help make this all happen: Beth Carson, Nora Parks Anderson, Chuck Hearon, Walter Hoover, Howard Troxler along with Lynn Sprague and many more.

Mark your calendar and get your motorcycle spiffed up for the Polk County Annual Toy Run, Nov. 24, starting at Saluda Fire Department, 64 Greenville Street. Registration starts at 11 a.m.; the parade starts at 2 p.m.
For more information contact Barry Gee, 828-817-3084.

Love history and Saluda? Our Historic Saluda committee has been busy! For more information about the website (historicsaluda.org) or oral history project, contact Cindy Stephenson Tuttle at historicsaluda@gmail.com. Photographs are needed for the Arcadia Book project, a pictorial documentary of Saluda, to be released in 2013.
Photos will be returned in original form to the owner. Old streetscapes of downtown Saluda are wanted along with photos that help tell the story of Saluda’s past. Donations of old photographs or artifacts will also be accepted for the Historic Saluda archives. For more information, contact Carolyn Ashburn at 828-749-9886 or email carolyn@skyrunner.net.

Happy Birthday to Rich and Rita Igoe, Karen Johnson, Marsha Jenkins, Nancy Barnett, Dawn Pearson, Charles Pearson, Dusty Jespersen, Gwen Garren, Stoney Lamar, Jim Boyle, Tom Ellwood, Frank Beeson and Wendy McEntire.

Thank you, dear readers for reading this column. Feel free to contact me at bbardos@gmail.com; or 749-1153: I love hearing from you! You may also visit my website at bonniebardos.com for more writing and art, or find me on facebook.