This week’s theme for my blogs is the collection of gold and gems that comes from an open heart hitting the open roads.  Welcome to the philosophy and practice of Art of the Heart.  Be it a joyful heart treading lightly on verdant footpaths or a lonely heart that is wound in the ribbons of past lives it is a practice of doing it for the love of it.

Part One – Onley in Virginia

Have you been to Onley, Virginia?  I stopped there overnight last week on my road trip to Virginia Beach to catch a band in the Mayhem Festival.

I walked into the hospice thrift store near Onley, a town with a small population (496 residents reported in the year 2000, household count of 223 and the size of 0.8 square miles) I was so happy and surprised to find a biographical book called “Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter “.  In addition, there was a Michael Franks CD “Sleeping Gypsy” which has the jazz-samba song “Antonio’s Song” (dedicated to Antonio Carlos Jobim.)

These treasure finds put a twist on the expression  – ” Onley” in Virginia.

I dedicate this poem to the lovely persons I met in Onley.  I’m thinking of you Jay, Laura and the staff and members of the East Shore YMCA; and finally there’s thee owner/manager of the motel where I stayed.  He got out of the quiet of his mosquito-netting tent.  He told me that it was just 3 days ago that he and his wife sold everything they owned to buy  and run a motel in Onley so that they can escape the noise of Norfolk.   I was heading towards Virginia Beach/Norfolk area to go to listen to the heavy metal sounds of “All Shall Perish” in the Mayhem Festival.

But the real purpose of the trip was to see the ARE (Association for Research and Enlightment) which was founded by Edgar Cayce.  That story will be in a later installment of the series.

Thank you.