At my house there is a trail that leads to a place known as The Flat Rock. It gets that name because it is a long, flat, gray stone that ends at the Uwharrie River. I have been told the stone stretches all the way to central Virginia, and yet it chose the five and a half acres of land I reside on to end. It is cool and mossy, even in the heavy heat of summer. It provides a small refuge against the world and all its burdens. The Uwharrie River is little more than a creek where it crosses through my property. It flows gently, making it a perfect place for children to swim. I swim in it, my mom swam in it, and my pawpaw swam in it. For all I know that lineage could go farther back, but I know for sure it has been a hallowed place for three quarters
