August 19, 2026
Opinion
On & Off Earth – Change is the only true constant
Growing up in Richmond, we occasionally took a road trip to visit family west of Lexington. That meant driving Rt. 250, Broad Street Road, prior to the construction of I-64. Along that fairly straight but rolling drive, we were always on the lookout for the first cresting of a hill when we could see the mountains far off in the distance. I had a flashback to those days recently in Louisa because it is in Louisa where you can first see those Blue Ridges.
Thoughts from the Crossroads – Hollywood
It takes my husband and me forever to watch a movie at home. We’re forever pressing the pause button so we can get a snack. Or let the cat inside from the screen porch. Or go to the bathroom. Or get another snack. Or let the cat back out. You get the idea!
Blessed Assurance – Abide with us
When I design worship services, I plan for all of the parts to amplify the theme for the day. The one wild card each week is the children’s time, what we like to call “young disciples’ time” at one of my churches.
Thoughts from the Crossroads – Army Museum
Dear Readers, recently I visited the National Museum of the United States Army, located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Blessed Assurance – Friendship
Ihave been blessed to have many friends over the course of my life. I have very few “close” friends – those are the chums from my youth, the ones with whom I grew. Common wisdom states that it gets harder to make and keep friends as we age. I have not found that to be true.
Roadside History – Swan Tavern and Jack Jouett
Captain John Jouett, Sr., and his wife Mourning Glenn Harris were the parents of John Jouett, Jr. (Jack). Jack’s father owned and/or operated the Swan Tavern in Charlottesville and farmed a property near Cuckoo at a crossroads in Louisa County. Jouett family ancestors were French Huguenots emigrated from Normandy in France to Rhode Island in the American Colony, and later to Virginia in the early 1700’s. Louisa records for September 14, 1767, show that John Jouett renewed a license to keep an ordinary (tavern) in his house at a farm in Louisa County. 1
Blessed Assurance – Growing up
For all of us at some point in our lives we dreamed about being older. The older kids always had more freedom (at least that was my perception) and they were able to do so much more than I.
Thoughts from the Crossroads – Monticello
Dear Readers, Independence Day has come and gone, but America’s semiquincentennial year continues! Famed Virginian Thomas Jefferson was pivotal to the colonies breaking away from England, and today I’m writing about his mountaintop home, Monticello. I’ve been there many times over the past couple of decades and it’s always a fun and interesting experience. The first time Rick took me to see Monticello, I remember he deliberately paid for our tickets in cash. That meant he was given back change, and part of his change was a two-dollar bill! How often do you see that? He promptly handed it over to me as a little souvenir of my visit, and I admired TJ’s portrait on the front of the bill. I thought it was so cool that Monticello did that. Of course, instead the twodollar bill, Monticello could give back 40 nickels, which sport a likeness of Monticello on their reverse side. But that would be much heavier and bulky!