I stopped in front of the house and double-checked the address. A family had been visiting our church for several weeks indicating they would like to unite with the church. Now I was about to visit with them about that desire.

A single white candle sits in my office. It’s unimpressive in physical size – only a little more than four inches tall and finger-width wide. Tiny balls of wax hardened where they spilled over the top and a blackened wick tell that the candle has been burned. The flimsy cardboard finger protector still rests about midway down the molded wax tube giving a bit of testimony about its use.
The candle was lit once—on Sept. 12, 2001.

As usual, this column is being written on Thursday. This happens to be Sept. 11, and is the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed so many innocent people and destroyed the World Trade Center as well as damaging the Pentagon.

Piney was thinking back to the days of good presidents. As he drove the streets of Tampa, he remembered drives in Paris. Piney didn’t think he had ever met 12 drivers that he found more interesting than the Paris Embassy motor pool drivers in those old days. There were a dozen of them. 

I didn’t like it when they rerouted the road, lassoing the Tobias-Smyth cabin in asphalt.

In philosophy class, we’ve been discussing “doxa,” the old Greek word for “appearances.” Why is our culture so obsessed with surface appearances?

The troops in blue march in battle line into town, and it is downright uncomfortable.
It is hot, and the soldiers wear wool coats buttoned top to bottom and wool trousers. Shoes issued that morning by the quartermaster are not quite big enough, and feet ache because the regiment had to climb the hill up uneven ground through the woods to reach the edge of town.

Go ahead and shake your head, but not at us or our bias. We wanted to give you a Republican and Democrat voice from each party’s respective conventions. We even had a likely candidate lined up from the Republican Party. 

Lou Brossy moved slowly.  He walked bent-down like an old woman toting firewood.  He wasn’t toting firewood.  Teardrops had wiped away the smile that had brightened his face days before.  Gloom followed him into the barn.
“You ain’t walking like a Marine,” said Paul Brewster. 

I enjoyed spending the Labor Day holiday with my friend Shane as we continued our Monday tradition of dining at Ruby Tuesday’s and catching a movie at the Marquee Cinemas.  That particular day, we saw the new Vin Diesel science fiction film, Babylon A.D., which opened there the previous Friday.  During its opening weekend at the Wytheville theater, Babylon A.D. was greeted with a promotional event, which featured representatives from such area businesses as Game Stop, March of Dimes, Wythe County Public Library, All God’s Creatures Animal Sanctuary and the Bird Sanctuary.  Face painting, games, prizes and several other elements of family fun were also featured.