Querera

When I was in 9th grade we did a writing assignment about this word. The teacher told us that it meant, "place of wanting." As I was googling around to confirm that for this post I discovered that actually, it means "wishes." That kinda wrecks the poetry of this post.

But it's always going to mean Place of Wanting to me. I've been thinking about places that I love today, with it being Earth Day and all, and I am always going to come back to this word. Even though I've found out that it means something different (maybe I'm not spelling it right?) I'll always think of my querera as being the place I go where my soul feels soothed. All of the tumblers and gears in my mind suddenly but gently fall into place and I am entirely at peace.


For me that place is Harpers Ferry, WVa. It's about thirty minutes from my home back in Virginia, and I worked there for three summers at the end of high school. That first summer I was 17 and had just finished my junior year of high school. Not only is Harpers Ferry breathtakingly beautiful, it was also where I was when I met or became close to some of my favorite people - we all worked together in this paradise.


That was the summer that my husband and I became something more than friends, and the summer that I learned to love my brother as a person and not just a brother. It was also when I became close to my two best friends, two wonderful women who make me proud to know them. I met my boss and her boss - aside from being excellent teachers, they are also excellent friends.


That summer I worked harder than I'd ever worked in my life and had a song in my heart the whole time.


That summer was 9 years ago now, and it still stands out in my mind as completely unique.

In my reflections on Earth Day, I wonder if that summer would ever have happened without the unique geography and history of that place. Would I ever have met, known, loved some of these people? Well done, Earth. Well done.



*I remember what I wrote about in high school - the roof outside my window at my parents' house. I had just figured out that I could take out the screen, brace myself against the sill, and stretch my foot out to get to the roof of the porch. My folks hadn't found out that I could do it yet, and they were FURIOUS when they did and tried to forbid me from doing it anymore. I was 14 and it was my room, so that didn't last long.

After they got how good I was at climbing out the window they gave up and started letting me do it and then go over the roof to hang Christmas garland on the front porch. I won't do it anymore though - I'm all old and less assured of my invincibility.