“…Every one of us is called upon, perhaps many times, to start a new life.  A frightening diagnosis, a marriage, a move, loss of a job…And onward full-tilt we go, pitched and wrecked and absurdly resolute, driven in spite of everything to make good on a new shore.  To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another-that is surely the basic instinct…Crying out: High tide!  Time to move out into the glorious debris.  Time to take this life for what it is.”

Barbara Kingsolver, High Tide in Tuscon

Barbara Kingsolver, a Kentucky native, is one of my favorite authors.  My son introduced her work to me after he read The Bean Trees for a high school English class.  He insisted I read it and when your son tells you to read something, you know it must be special.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book and continue to read and contemplate her work.  The way Kingsolver writes and the stories she tells resonate with me. Her prose and poetry magnify the importance of maintaining hope in a world full of social injustice, environmental chaos and tragedy.  Her work has often been referred to as a form of activism.  Reading her books awakens and challenges me to think beyond myself and embrace my community.  This world community of ours that needs so much hope and love right now.

I am truly inspired by the staff and patrons that bring so much joy and love to the Dv8 atmosphere.  I am continually blessed to serve old friends, meet new ones and get to know the folks I work alongside.  Not only does Dv8 Kitchen offer exceptionally delicious food, it exemplifies the spirit of community.  There is so much good in this world and a really nice slice of this can be found at 867 South Broadway.

We all have “glorious debris” to share, learn and grow from.  It encourages us and challenges us to love and lift each other up and remain hopeful about the future that we are destined for.  Let us remain committed to do just that…on every shore.

Melissa