Born to Seaward

A couple of weekends ago I read the book Yesteryear I lived in Paradise . Written by Myrtle Scharrer Betz, (from her memory at the age of 87) the book is the story of 51 years of her father's life from the time he arrived in the United States until his death in 1934. Myrtle's father Henry homesteaded 156 acres of what is now Caladesi Island (located off the Florida coast near Dunedin) in the 1890s. Myrtle was born on the island in 1895 and recalls her life as an only child, having lost her mother at the of seven, bringing to life the events she experienced with her father on what was then known as Hog Island. Myrtle passed away in 1992 at the age of 96. Just as she had requested, Myrtle's ashes were scattered in the waters of the Gulf. A number of recently discovered photos have been included in the book that were not available at the time of the first printing.

When I opened the book and read the Poem Born to Seaward I knew I wouldn't be able to put it down until I finished it. I've included it here for you.

Born to Seaward

Knowing how sea oats lean upon the wind,
Their silken rustle as the bend and sway,
And having had the sound of breakers dinned
Into your ears day after long bright day,
How can you turn you inward with good grace;
Toward towering mountains or a fertile land?
How can you even dare to set your face
Away from sea oats leaning to the sand?

You will not love the wheat fields or the corn,
The mighty rivers or the shallow rills;
Not in a thousand years, if you were born
To seaward, will you come to love the hills.
Better to give up all else than to be
Your whole life sick for sea oats and the sea.

Anonymous

If you enjoy reading about Florida history, or have a little saltwater running in your veins and would like to experience the life and times of early settlers who did too, you will enjoy this book. I did!