To the editor:
When I needed to belong and needed fed, Wills Creek gave me sanctuary, held my hand and a family. To the hills and bends of Wills Creek, I offer refuge and I'm here because of you.
When I needed protection and something in which to believe, Yellow Creek gave me heroes and hope. To the friends and families along Yellow Creek, I remember and I honor you. When I questioned my faith and felt rejected, Cross Creek found the light inside me and fueled its enlightenment. To the vestries along Cross Creek, I worship and flare because of you. When I was stagnant and lost, Beaver Creek gave me adventure and purpose. To the memories of Beaver Creek, I remember and I love you. To those along Yellow, Cross, and Beaver who can no longer hear these words, I miss and celebrate you.
When I was ignorant and illiterate, Short Creek nurtured my mind and expanded my thinking. To the teachers along Short Creek, I thank you and I teach because of you. When I needed to create and forge a union, Kanououara gave me curiosity and generations. To the stories and wonder of Kanououara, I speak and respect because of you. When I needed darkness and thrills, Grave Creek gave me a mound of experience and undertaking. To the spirits and providers of Grave Creek, I explore and daunt along with you.
When I needed majesty and beauty, Short Creek gave me wings of grandeur and nests of liberty. When I needed support and humility, Buffalo Creek gave me patience, passion and lessons in protection. When I needed an escape and a belonging, Harmon Creek gave me companionship and a den of camaraderie. To the allies and productions of yesterday, my scars and pride remind me you were real.
The tributaries of this valley not only sustain me, they pour love, family, and acceptance into me. Their many runs, they flow reminders and memoirs of the past to make me who I am today. When I need reminded how to love, when I need pulled from depression, or an enterprise of adventure, these runs spring me back to life.
The two most precious things in this world are blue and green. The blue of love's eyes and the green of the forests' canopies. It is in them I find my life bountiful. The blue eyes of today and the green canopies of yesterday keep me going and in return, make this valley beautiful. They make me who I am, and for that I will continue to carve and provide for my future self and others.
River Hunter Wiley
Bergholz