FRONT ROYAL, VA. — I come to you as a proud member of the Roanoke branch of the NAACP, and I send greetings from my president and dear friend, branch president Dr. Brenda Hale. I’ve lived in Roanoke for nearly 40 years, first as a newspaper reporter, then as a wife and mom and teacher, and most recently as the...

Gardening is an instrument of grace. … Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. — May Sarton This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. A few years ago, I...

As I stood in the rain Monday outside Congressman Ben Cline’s office to announce that I was not backing down from running against him; as I worried about friends and relatives who will soon lose their Medicaid, some of whom have already lost their jobs to AI and offshoring; as I fretted over farmers struggling with...