The Road Not Taken

There is a reason that the poem below is so often quoted. The problem is we
seldom see its significance until reflecting back on our own lives. As Frost so

elegantly put it, until it’s too late to go back.

We all make decisions every day, from what clothes to wear to what toothpaste to

buy. The interesting thing is we rarely see when certain decisions…that road

choice, will alter the course of our lives. I don’t say this to paralyze but to nudge.

I would urge you to attempt to be cognizant of your choice of road. Be as aware

as possible.

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

SOUTHERNMOST- SEPTEMBER BOOK SELECTION

Every once in a while a book comes along that takes you with it; that absorbs you. Everything about Silas House’s novel, Southernmost, was that book for me. The last time I was that entranced by a book was when I read Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. It’s hard to define what makes a novel special for each individual. Sometimes it is the story, but often for me what immediately grabs me is the writing. Not only is this story fully original but House is a master craftsman.

Asher Sharp is a fundamentalist preacher in Appalachia. He has been sure of his beliefs all his life; even to the point of rejecting his gay brother at the insistence of his mother. During a catastrophic flood which destroys many homes and takes many lives in his town, he experiences an epiphany. It is this realization and its aftermath that completely alters his life and that of his son.

Because of this heart-change, he feels forced to make a decision that will transform the world he knows. As a result, he meets people and sees places that enrich him in ways he could not have foreseen.

If someone described this book to me to me, I’m not sure I would have been interested. Fortunately, it was once again a book club pick.

Don’t miss it.