Mary’s Song

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 […]

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Wreaths for All Seasons

More 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 […]

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Turkey Stupor . . . the Feline Solution

Turkey 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, […]

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Shadow Stroll

History 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 […]

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What the Heck’s a Fiddlehead?

An 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 […]

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