October 22, 2026
Opinion
Celebrating 250 Years with Gratitude
If you were born in the United States of America, you have already won the lottery of life.
You’ve done enough
Does anyone know U.S. history well enough to remember Joseph McCarthy? He was a Republican senator from Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. He is best known for his campaign against communism in America, alleging communists, Soviet spies and sympathizers had infiltrated many institutions within America, even claiming he had a list of 200 communist spies and sympathizers within the U.S. State Department. The McCarthyism era died when, in court, Boston lawyer Joseph Welch finally proclaimed “You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?” With that proclamation McCarthy’s career effectively ended and McCarthyism faded away. His claims were simply lies.
The Farmer
We were honored to host our 6th annual Farm-to-Table event this weekend at The Silos at Promise Manor – below is a snippet of my heart that I was able to share with all in attendance. I was recently asked in an interview why we saw such importance in farm-to-table dinners and agriculture. It didn’t take me long to begin answering because of my deep roots planted in our family’s 300-acre century farm in Lynchburg, but I realized in that moment that living in these sweet small southern farming towns is such a blessing and gift. The young girl on the other end of the phone was not from here yet she wanted to feel the essence of our why. She wanted me to take her on a journey of beauty and grit that she may had possibly never experienced herself. I had to slow down answering her question because I wanted her to not only hear the words but feel what it means to be rooted in farming. Our children are 6th generation on our family farm and in 2019 when I registered our farm with the state, I realized then that it was no mistake that God had placed our family on that land for such a time as this.
World Cup Soccer, super great! – I guess
Every four years when World Cup soccer comes around, it transforms ordinary people into soccer experts. Suddenly your neighbor, who only watches fishing shows, tries to explain to you the tactical brilliance of the 4-3-3 formation. Just last week, he thought VAR was an electric car.
Practical steps to lower debt
Sometimes, life has a way of throwing curveballs at us when we least expect them. A car repair, medical bill, unexpected home expenses, job change, or even a season filled with special events and family activities can disrupt even the most carefully planned budget.
I’ll sit this one out
Back in 1975, Tom T. Hall sang, “I like beer, it makes me a jolly good fellow. I like beer, it helps me unwind and makes me feel mellow. Whiskey’s too rough, Champagne costs too much, vodka puts my mouth in gear. This little refrain should help me explain, as a matter of fact, I like beer.” Up until then, Tom T. and I agreed on almost everything. We both loved old dogs, watermelons, little baby ducks, and pickup trucks. But we parted company on beer.
Maine, a political Rorschach test
Bryant Pond, Maine Spending time in Maine this month, it occurs to me, it is just like other states. It has a flag, people, and divided politics. I have absorbed the state’s entire political philosophy: form a committee to investigate having a committee, postpone the decision until mud season is over, and do it again. It is a place where kids whose parents sent them to Skidmore, Oberlin, or Vassar College can be unemployed with little judgement from the locals. It is a state with liberal colleges that invent majors to prove that everything bad is the fault of Republicans, its leading export are Champaign Socialists.