Did I mention that Holly Hills Lane was born in South Jersey and calls our beautiful countryside it’s home? Here in the Southeast we live among rolling expanses of farmland, just a hop, skip and a jump away from some of the country’s most beautiful shore points. And to the Northwest we even have…mountains!
And yes, I know. You thought all of New Jersey was a still from a Soprano’s episode. Nope! And while you probably know more about our favorite musical sons, Sinatra & Springsteen (just to name a “few”), we have also been home to other prominent citizens who have also contributed to the tapestry of America.
Although not born in New Jersey, Walt Whitman lived out his years out in the only home he ever bought, just a short drive away from Holly Hills Lane in Camden County, New Jersey. The “good gray poet” is quite literally a national treasure. He rose to international fame with his “Leaves of Grass.”
Today his home in Camden is a New Jersey State Historic Site and a National Historic Landmark. The restored Whitman House welcomes visitors from around the globe who travel to South Jersey to witness the last worldly surroundings of America’s “Poet of Democracy.” If you’re ever in the area, be sure to visit. But if you don’t need to be in New Jersey to be inspired. I hope you can use one or more of the following excerpts from one of his majestic pieces, or pick up a copy of “Leaves of Grass” or another of Whitman’s poetic compilations to read.
Perfect Words of Whitman for Outdoor Weddings
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”
“We were together. I forget the rest.”
“Happiness, not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour.”
“These are the days that must happen to you.”
“The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.”
“Now I see the secret of making the best person: it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.”
“Love the earth and sun and animals,
Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,
Stand up for the stupid and crazy,
Devote your income and labor to others…
And your very flesh shall be a great poem.”
“I am satisfied… I see, dance, laugh, sing.”
“To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle.”
“I exist as I am, that is enough.”