Thanksgiving in Savannah

God is in the detail

Why Savannah?

My first visit to Savannah, years ago, actually began 40 miles southwest of the city at the 280,000 acre Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield, the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi River, home of the 3rd Infantry Division, where tank, field artillery, helicopter gunnery, and small arms ranges operate simultaneously throughout the year.

Our son, Stephen, was stationed here. He and Nancy Lusk married there at the base chapel and subsequently made Savannah their hometown. Stephen is a craftsman builder, Nancy is retired from Savannah College of Art and Design, and their son, Jesse, sixteen, is a student at the Savannah Art Academy. They are why I am here.

Savannah is said to have been a Christmas gift to President Lincoln in the Civil War. Union General Sherman burned Atlanta down before continuing the march south to Savannah. Upon his arrival, however, he was so moved by the city’s beauty he sent a telegraph photo to Lincoln, offering him the city as a Christmas gift.

Of the numerous times I’ve visited here, this is my second since Dixie’s passing, and the first with Gage, my new Labradoodle pup. Gage and I are looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner in their lovely Savannah-style home. Others of my family will be celebrating back in the Great Northwest.

God is in the detail

There’s an old saying, the devil is in the details, that is often used, but without a clearly defined meaning. In general, it means details are important and when overlooked, these details cause problems. An even older saying is God is in the detail (singular), attributed to a number of different individuals, most notably to German-born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969), and meaning when attention is given to small things, it has big rewards. Or, simply, that each and every detail has importance.

A detail I had missed

Savannah plays a significant role in my Illuminations award-winning novel, Redeeming Grace. While writing, I was careful to double-check each locale and descriptive detail with Stephen, who knows the city well, having lived and worked here for many years. But one important detail I missed altogether. Thankfully, the idiom proved true, God is in the detail.

A portion of the story takes place on nearby Daufuskie Island. I read up on it, looked at pictures, and mapped out a major thriller scene taking place there. As an afterthought, with a bit of downtime on my hands, I decided to visit the island.

I caught a small boat to Daufuskie out of nearby Hilton Head, South Carolina, then toured the island in an old school bus. All of a sudden, there in front of me was my missing detail. It was not on the island at all, but was what I could see from the island. I stood staring at the downtown skyline of Savannah in the distance!

This turns out to be a significant visual for my desperate heroine, one I had failed to note because I hadn’t taken the time to go there until now. An omission any local southerner would not easily forgive this Northwest writer who had chosen their environs as the setting for his story. It was back to the manuscript for me. Details.

It’s Thanksgiving week, but my son is at his work. He takes justifiable pride in beautiful repair and remodeling, and excellent finish work. At the moment, with two young champions he is mentoring in the trade, he is building a new 3500 square foot house. After this, a 5500 square foot home is on the drawing boards, waiting. Stephen will tell you as well, that for the true craftsman in any trade, God is in the detail.

Gage and I will wander old city streets with my grandson, Jesse, under moss-draped oak trees, past stately mansions and churches; maybe even Christ Church (Anglican), the first house of worship in the colony of Georgia, founded in 1733, with the establishment of the colony. We may enjoy strolling River Street again, always a pleasure, or visiting the City Market, there since the 1700s. God is in the details of history here.

John and Charles Wesley and Evangelist George Whitfield were here, arriving from England on 08 February 1736, after a rugged four month voyage, with a goal of sharing Christ with the Indians of the area. According to Wesley, “The first rise of Methodism was in 1729 when four of us met together at Oxford. The second was at Savannah in 1736 when twenty or thirty persons met at my house.”