Comfort Found in Comfort, Texas

We came to roost last night near a little Texas town north of San Antonio called Comfort (just a wee bit east of Kerrville) in what is known as the Texas hill country.  The big Texan sky had darkened with clouds throughout the afternoon and by the time we reached the RV park the rain began to come down.  But we were near “Comfort” and we were not affected by the rain or the mud it produced.  Dry, warm, and cozy, we enjoyed a nice dinner in Odysseus and later a peaceful and restful night’s sleep.

The village of Comfort (population around 2,500) was established in 1854 by German immigrants.  These settlers were “freethinkers and abolitionists”.  Downtown Comfort (which I just might drive through this morning when it stops raining) is said to be one of the best preserved historic business districts in Texas.  The people who live in Comfort today are mostly descendants of the original pioneer families of the 1850’s and 1860’s.

During the Civil War thirty-five German settlers from Comfort were killed by Confederate soldiers (Battle of Neuces) as they made their way to Mexico in opposition to the secession of Texas from the Union.  In 1866 the Treue der Union Monument (Loyalty to the Union) was erected in Comfort in honor of those thirty-five “freethinkers and abolitionists.”  Some statues and monuments need to be removed and some need to be retained—and this is one that should be retained!

The word “comfort” is defined as “physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint; the easing or alleviation of a person’s feelings of grief or distress.”  A “comforter" refers to a warm quilt.  Thinking, reading about, and being near the village of Comfort,  Texas, eased and alleviated some of my distress about our country’s present direction and attitude.  Knowing Comfort, Texas, and those freethinking and abolitionist immigrants were and are still in existence, felt like a warm quilt over my chilled spirit.  How comforting to spend just a few hours near Comfort.

As the world is meant to be....
Brother and Sister consoling and comforting
one another.