Return to Sequoyah

I’m headed back to Mount Sequoyah today, the retreat center that inspired the song. And, I’m heading back to see many of the very people that inspired the song, actually. One of our group of friends, Larry Norman, has orchestrated a reunion of sorts, and many of our old gang are up there all this week…some for just a day or two. I’m going up tomorrow, and heading home Friday morning…

And as I prepared to head out, it strikes me how weird it is to actually be living out something I wrote about in the song:

And if we never meet again, we wonder how we’ll cope,
So trust reunion’s not in vain, and in this trust keep hope.

May the seasons change, then back again, allowing me to see
All the friends and smiling faces that become like family.

Should be interesting, going back to see those good friends. Haven’t seen many of them since the day I wrote the song all those years ago.

It’s Spring at Sequoyah now. Haven’t ever been there in the Spring. Like the song says, we always went in October. But Spring is good. I bet it’s beautiful right now.

Many seasons have changed. And back again too. We’re all older. We have moved on with our lives, just as the song predicts. Still, though, it’s a good thing to keep up with old friends, you know? The older I get, the more valuable and rare they seem.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

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Eric Folkerth is a minister, musician, author and blogger. He is Senior Pastor of Kessler Park UMC United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. Previously, he was pastor at Northaven UMC in Dallas for seventeen years. Eric loves to write on topics of spirituality, social justice, music/art and politics. The entries on this blog reflect that diversity of interests. His passion for social justice goes beyond mere words. He’s been arrested at the White House, defending immigrants and “The Dreamers,” and he’s officiated at same sex weddings in his churches, in defiance of what some believe is Methodist teaching. Eric is an avid blogger and published author, and 2017 recipient of the prestigeous Kuchling Humanitarian Award from Dallas’ Black Tie Dinner. (Human Rights Campaign) Eric has led or co-led hundreds of persons on mission trips around the globe, to places such as Mexico, Haiti, Russia, and Nepal. He has worked with lay persons to build ten homes, and one Community Center, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Dallas. He’s a popular preacher, and often tackles challenging issues of social justice in his writings and sermons. His wife, Judge Dennise Garcia, is a State District Judge for Dallas, County. As judge of the 303rd Family District Court, she consistently gets high ratings from area lawyers, and was named “best judge” by The Dallas Observer. First elected in 2004, she was the first Latina ever elected to a county-wide bench in Dallas County, and is currently the longest service district judge in that district. She was re-elected for a fourth term in 2018. They have the world’s best daughter, Maria, and an incredible dog, Daisy. Find links to Eric’s music-related websites, at the top of this site’s navigation menu.

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