Heart, Mind and Body

Early Saturday morning, I parked near the Lake Monocan clubhouse and unloaded the lemon poppy seed bread I’d made that morning, a large bag of trail mix and other materials for the day. It was the annual Women’s Retreat for Bethany Lutheran Church. Spring rains had...

Dogwoods

Cornus florida, the flowering dogwood native to eastern North America, is Virginia’s official state floral emblem and state tree. In spring, dogwoods flower in clusters surrounded by large bracts, which unfold in either white or pink. Tight-clustered fruit, oval red...

Love Story

“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Remember that line from the 1970 movie and novel by Erich Segal? Ali MacGraw’s character said it to her husband played by Ryan O’Neal, about mid-film when he started to apologize for being angry. He repeated the line at...