Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for humankind,
 for he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things. – Psalm 107:8-9

Yesterday, casually strolling the neighborhood with Max, it occurred to me how incredibly blessed my life is right now (yeah, I know, it’s a recurring theme!).

Consider the following:

I am married to the most amazingly wonderful woman imaginable; I have a beautiful family, including four exceptional grandchildren; we attend a church full with good people who have welcomed us with open hearts; I am retired, yet still working as much as I would like; at my check up last week my doctor diagnosed me as a 68-year-old Mary Poppins (Practically Perfect in Every Way); we live in this charming restored home, right in the middle of historic Tarboro; I have a state of the art kitchen and access to all the food I could possibly want; we reside in this unique community, surrounded by cultural opportunities for learning and enrichment…. Oh, and did I mention Max, my faithful Golden Retriever?

I’m not sure if there is a “textbook definition” ideal location for a writer to work. Maybe it would suggest a classic restored period home adjacent to two intriguing, storied churchyards? Or living in the historic section of a classic Southern small town? Or recommend working somewhere surrounded by people with interesting stories and within walking distance of the town library? Best of all if the writer is also part of a community like a historic church, brimming with legends and personalities and bona fide characters?

Or, best case scenario, all of the above? That would be amazing. But of course it already is, right here at my fingertips.

I sit here at my desk sometimes, deep in the throes of a story, and all I have to do is lift my head and look through the front windows to have all the atmospheric inspiration I need. Or I can walk a block or two, soaking in the load mansions, the live oak, the southern magnolia and the antebellum overtones.

This really is a great place to work. A good place to live. A sweet place to love. A blessed place to be grateful. An idyllic writer’s niche where I can craft my next book.

Thanks, Tarboro; thanks, Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church: you feed my soul – DEREK