Home by Another Way
Page 10
Some of the writers who have written books about faraway places that they loved now say they wish they had never written the books at all. Enough armchair travelers, under the influence of their books, got up out of their chairs and got on a plane to see for themselves the things that make such places so wonderful—simplicity, solitude, beauty, and so on—and these things have disappeared under the weight of it.
St. Cecilia is a small place, and though the Ministry of Tourism there might take exception, I am loath to do anything to create a stampede of tourists. I have never actually created a stampede with any of my books before, but I am taking no chances.
That said, there are some names for people in the book that I want to be sure you know are true. One of them is my name.
The other name is Sara. I do not always put my family’s names in my books. But I cannot write about home without saying the name Sara. I cannot even find home without Sara, and if I could, I would not go there if she was not going to be there.
The gratitude is due to the people of St. Cecilia in general. And in the specific it is due Kathryn, Julie, Derrick, Daisy, Jane, Eulyn, and Debbie.
And to the people at WaterBrook Press—particularly Steve and Shannon and Jessica and Dudley and Ginia and Carol. And to Don, who is traveling in another circle these days but who has not been forgotten.
And, as always, to Ms. Lil of Linda Lane, queen of the red pencil, without whom I cannot make books at all. And to Ms. Dupree of Arab, without whom I do not get a chance to try. And to Miss Jones, without whom these sentences would be less than they are now.
If you do find St. Cecilia, look us up. I will be happy to see you.
The truth is that finding a faraway place that is home to you the way St. Cecilia is becoming home to us is up to you, wherever it may be. Home is always where you find it, anyway. The trick is to keep looking for it and to be wise enough to say yes to it when it finally finds you. Namaste.
R. Benson
Seastone, St. Cecilia, West Indies
Kingdomtide, 2005