Poems, stories, and reflections
In this holiest of seasons, we can choose to become our best in the coming year . . . gentler, empathetic, forgiving of others–and ourselves–with the strength to love and the energy to let go of worn-out disagreements. Our humanity drives us to certain foibles, yet the transcendent Christmas spirit wills us to practice Christ’s […]
MoreMore than a festive decoration, the wreath symbolizes all that is holy—the circle of perfection, life, and eternity. A plastic one does little justice to the season. Rather, a wreath bearing its sharp pine scent brings a breath of nature into our homes. Last week I wandered through the mistletoe theme of the 230-year-old Lynchburg Community […]
MoreWhatever your faith, there is a season of goodwill and the love of family on holy days. “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year,” Ebenezer Scrooge promised in A Christmas Carol. Well written, Mr. Dickens. If I could keep that promise, then I would feel humanity to […]
MoreTurkey stupor. Turkey daze. Turkey hangover. Call it what you want. It’s the Friday moment you open the fridge door, and the carelessly foil-wrapped carcass bursts forth. OK, so I was in lard mode last Thursday and didn’t neatly package parts for the three days of the post-Thanksgiving special: turkey-and-cranberry sandwiches, turkey soup, turkey potpie, […]
MoreI always hated beets—until I met Jeffrey Robey at the Lynchburg, Virginia, Community Market. All summer he was my go-to guy for fresh yellow squash and tomatoes. Now he is the king of all things green—collards, kale, and mustard greens. At least those are my top three picks when I stop at his outdoor stand, […]
MoreRemember Highlights magazine and the search for “hidden pictures”? Quick! Watch the birdie—and smile!
MoreHistory rests quietly in the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery on the otherwise lively University of Chapel Hill Campus. Oaks, maples, cedars, and pines shade this death march through time, which began with George Clarke, a Burke County student at the university, who died September 28, 1798. Monuments, obelisks, tables, slabs, and nameless fieldstones mark the […]
MoreAn 18th-century French botanist trekked 8,000 miles of Appalachia, foraging for unclassified flora. Along the way, he plucked a fresh, furled fiddlehead here and picked another one there. Fast forward more than two centuries later, and the Fiddleheads do the plucking and picking. In 2009, four guys jamming in Dahlonega, Georgia, finished the night as […]
MoreIf you want the best-laid travel plans delivered to your door, go to Em’s on the Road—great rambles through the South, Midwest, and beyond. Here you’ll discover the best of America’s regions. You’ll get insider info . . . one-of-a-kind shops (fashionable, funky, junky) . . . architecture (pioneer, preservation, modern, and more) . . […]
More