When I started this Grow Appalachia journey I had no idea what to expect but every intention of it being awesome.  During our first year, our Leslie County crew grew to be a family and I learned more from my participants than I could ever have dreamed.  As the season winds down and the leaves begin to fall I am faced with the challenge of letting go.  I wonder if trees have a hard time letting go of their leaves?  All of those tiny parts of itself – working together for months, weathering the storms, soaking up the sun.  To be sure – I am not a tree, but our Grow Appalachian community is definitely a living, breathing organism and it is hard to extract myself from something I love so much.  However, the season also reminds us to rest, and that is something I desperately need.  I look forward to the opportunity to turn inward and that requires letting go.  I know my Grow Appalachia family is in good hands.  We will have our harvest celebration on October 28th and I want to say THANK YOU to you all for supporting me and our work to create a gardening program in Leslie and Perry counties!