The things I will miss about South Carolina when we head out for Asheville:

*Some of the ordinary folks in our small town who display little kindnesses, while struggling with either poverty or discrimination, or both.

*Some of the folks well off who pitch in to help neighbors who are struggling, regardless of race

*The cows and horses I pass nearly every day on the road from Kingstree to Asheville

*The hawks curcling the basketball court where I shoot around

*The grassroots Democratic group members who struggle against great odds to change the community for the better

*The tree frogs and crickets singing every night in our yard

*The South Carolina nod (People greet strangers this way often; I know it seems superficial, but it still makes me feel good)

*the mournful sound of the trains passing through town at night. Mournful, but also haunting, in a mind-expanding kind of way...

*Finally, the Clemson Tigers, a scrappy team, even when they lose

Actually, after we leave, I plan to come back to help Democrats in the 2010 campaign, and to maintain friendships that have blossomed over time. I'm a Carolina man now, and that includes both North and South.

P.S. We are going to make inroads against the Republicans; we are going to help Rob Miller defeat Joe Wilson, for one thing...

Things I will not miss:

*Defacto segregated schools

*The Confederate Flag on the State House lawn

*Too many factories and mills shut down. Too many storefronts boarded up