Welcome to Week 2 of

The Loft ~ A Wednesday Link-Up!

Come on up!

 

#TheLoft

 

You will find my Week Two post and the linky tool at the bottom, but first, may I remind you how The Loft Link-Up works?

 

The Loft is a place for conversation, community, networking, and Christian growth.

Each week we provide a topic to start the conversation.Then, Wednesday morning at 5am EST, the link goes live, and for 5 glorious days you can link up your post on that week’s topic. The linky will close at 5pm EST on Monday.

Each week’s gathering will be much like a group of friends sitting around a table at a coffee shop having a chat about a specific topic. So it will be at The Loft. Please make sure the post you link-up pertains to the chosen topic of the week. We’ll have fun topics, serious topics, practical, soul-ful, holiday, and so, so much more…we can’t wait to get started! This is not only a great way to connect with others, it’s also a fun and easy way to establish a writing habit. If you aren’t a blogger, you are welcome to join in by leaving your comments in the comment section.

Listening is a lost art. Especially in the blogosphere where everyone wants to be heard. At The Loft, we know that listening is rewarding and rich… surprisingly so. Please do not link and run. For every link you leave, please visit at least two other links.

 

To Participate:

1. Be creative. Feel free to use words, photos, video, audio, your family pet, whatever, to communicate on the weekly topic.

2. Listen twice as much. If you leave one link, visit two.

3. Be a community. Include #TheLoft graphic and/or hashtag in your post and social media so we can find each other.

4. Write like Jesus would write. We are a Christian link-up. Offensive or inappropriate posts will be deleted. No questions asked.

5. Be pertinent. Our heart is to build community and intimacy, and our means to do that is to build each link-up around a single topic. Please make sure your post is on topic.

 

 

When you link up at The Loft, your link will appear on two blogs! We’d love for you to visit The Loft co-hosts and know who we are:

Leah
Ruth

Today’s Topic: “The Place I Call Home” 

I’m excited about this week’s topic here at The Loft. I am eager to introduce you to my hometown, and to visit a few of yours in the link-up. I’ve lived in several places over these 50 years, but the majority of my life has been spent in this beautiful small town in the North Georgia mountains.

When I was growing up here, there was very little other than a few mom-and-pop stores, farms, and homes. The closest movie theater was about 30 miles away, while shopping was a bit over an hour away. We had a plethora of Baptist and Methodist churches, but little else to add flavor to the body of Christ in these mountains. Then, and now, our county boasts one school system with two locations.

As the years have come and gone, our county and town have grown. We now have four stop-lights, a 4-lane highway, Home Depot, Walmart, and rumors swirling of Chick-Fil A on the horizon. The body of Christ has expanded significantly to include Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran, Church of God, and a few non-denominational offerings. Our local park, Meeks Park, is a beautiful gem with trails, ballfields, picnic sheds, and streams. Just outside the county line Brasstown Bald Mountain rises majestically to the heavens. It is the highest peak in Georgia, and on a clear day one can see into five states.

We have four spectacular seasons in the north Georgia mountains, and festivals abound in each season. The area has several wineries, as well as a Farmer’s Market that is second to none. Farming used to be the primary industry here, but in the past couple of decades we have seen several large companies move in, employing many people in our county. Our area is a popular retirement haven, and thus, senior adults make up a sizable portion of the population.

Today it is my delight to share a few pictures of our little slice of heaven. The first pictures are my own, while the ones beginning with the waterfall through the last ones are courtesy of family friend and county commissioner, Lamar Paris.

I want to invite you to come visit the North Georgia mountains, and sample our southern hospitality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for allowing me to share my hometown with you! Now, let’s link up!

 

 

 

June 17th Topic: “Picture Prompt”: (take a look at the picture and use it as a prompt for today’s post. What thoughts come to mind when you look at it? What emotions does it enliven? Get those creative juices flowing and share your thoughts on the picture.)

 

 

I hope you will plan to join us each week at The Loft

#TheLoft

 

Now, it is time to LINK~UP. Please use the inLinkz tool and link up your post that introduces yourself to us.

[inlinkz_linkup id=528626 mode=1]