Hobble Creek Review
Hobble Creek Review
Lisa Betz
The Women of Rappahannock County

In my mid-twenties I lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia
in a place called Rappahannock County.  It was a place like none I'd
ever been to.  Mountains that seemed at first a lot more like hills
defined the place.  The hazy ridges had their own personality from
day to day and seemed to emanate a gentle pulse.

A couple of years before I moved there my father had passed away.
This was where I spent the deepest part of mourning.  Initially I had
gone there because of a boyfriend.  Over the years I've wondered what
had prompted me to choose him.  In fact, I think the Blue Ridge
Mountains beckoned me.  I went for a visit and felt compelled to move
there.   Rappahannock County provided a place for deep hibernation.
It was a crucial experience for me.

For the first time, I was in the presence of women unlike any others
I'd met.  The women of Rappahannock County who left the strongest
impression were in their mid-forties.  They were mountain women
who wore long skirts that swayed when they walked and jewelry
made of crystals and silver.  They wore powerful, vibrant colors.  
They did not wear makeup or shave their body hair.  Their eyes were
bright and sparkled with a mysterious light.   They were beautiful.  
When you shook hands with one of these women, something
unexplainable happened to you.  There was a quality that seemed
wild, instinctive, deep and wise about these women.  You got the
feeling they could do anything.

Kathleen knew the ancient powers of herbs.  Sharon had survived
breast cancer.  These are two women I specifically remember but
there were others I encountered during this time in Rappahannock
County.   I remember thinking, how does someone like me become
someone like them?

There is an image in my mind of one of these women.  I only saw her
once.  She had long gray hair and ice blue eyes that seemed to bore
into you, yet they were kind eyes.  There was electricity in her
handshake and a most curious warmth emanated from her hands.  I
commented on the warmth and she merely shrugged.  I realize now
that she had a healer's hands.

This woman dressed simply and wore sandals.  She seemed like an
indestructible force, rooted to the ground.  Nothing could push her
down.  There was something magical about her, almost like she might
have the power to turn into a wolf in the moonlight and run wild and
free.

This place, Rappahannock County, had spirit power in it.  The power
of nature, the power of community, the power of women.  It was like
the feeling of power at Stonehenge.

After awhile, I emerged from my cocoon of mourning and realized
that my time in Rappahannock County had come to an end.  I moved
on with my life and pursued acting, healing and spirituality.  My
journey thus far has been an arduous one yet there is more
adventure to come.

The powerful women of Rappahannock County have left their mark
on me. They planted a wild seed in my soul.  They will never know
what they did for me.  I was there and gone in a blink of time's eye
but I was changed forever by them.  They showed me a beautiful
path.  They are sisters living inside me as my spirit power grows.  I
can only hope that in this life, I too can be a beacon of light for
young women, living fully in the power of womanhood.
Lisa Betz is a professional actress.  She recently returned to her
hometown to work on a collection of stories featuring the
panhandle of Nebraska.  Her poetry and prose has been published
in the Nebraska journal, Emerging Voices.  Lisa teaches a creative
writing course at the WNCC Harms Center and Speech
Communications at Western Nebraska Community College.