Standing Corrected

by   August 28, 2026 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

Many years ago a fellow member of a church I then attended gave me a small piece of paper. As he handed it to me, he said, “I’ve always tried to live this poem.” On the paper was printed “A Better Way”  below which were twelve lines of rhymed poetry. At the bottom of the  page was printed Edgay [sic] A. Guest. While I did not like the poetry in and of itself, I did like the message by Edgar A. Guest.  I tucked the small rectangular piece of paper in my Bible and read it or referred to it often. Recently I even used all twelve lines of A Better Way in an essay. Until yesterday.

Yesterday our pastor used a poem in his weekly message to the congregation. He shared how he had read the poem in the 7th grade and was influenced by it. The poem he referenced was Live Your Creed by Langston Hughes. My wife noticed the similarities between Guest’s and Hughes’ poems, and she asked me about them. Oh, what I discovered about the poets and me.

 Edgar Guest was born in Birmingham, England in 1881, and his family moved to Detroit, Michigan when he was ten. When his father lost his job, young Edgar worked odd jobs after school and in 1895 was hired as a copy boy for the Detroit Free Press, where he would work for almost sixty-five years. When he was seventeen his father died, and he began working full time for the paper. He slowly worked his way up and his first poem appeared in the paper in 1898, and by 1904 his weekly column, “Chaff” was published. Eventually his verses became the “Breakfast Table Chat” which was syndicated to over 300 United States newspapers.

Guest broadcast a weekly NBC radio program from 1931 to 1942, and in 1951 his show “A guest in Your Home” appeared on NBC television. He published over twenty volumes of poetry and has been called “the poet of the people.” Concerning his poems, he said,   “I take simple everyday things that happen to me and I figure it happens to a lot of other people and I make simple rhymes out of them.”  Edgar Guest died on August 5, 1959.

Now, I was more familiar with Langston Hughes and his poems. I had even taught some of them and admire his work. However, after much looking on the Internet and reading the listed poems in the PDF of The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, I can find no poem titled Live Your Creed composed by Hughes.  I did find many praises to the poem for its inspiration written by ordinary folks like me, but no references from serious scholars.

The two poems are too similar: The Sermons We See begins: “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day”, and Live Your Creed, as quoted by several admirers,  begins: “I’d rather see a sermon than to hear one any day.” One word (in bold) difference. I found that Guest wrote his poem in 1926 and that the poem I had carried all these years was just the first two stanzas of Guest’s four stanza poem and “A Better Way” was not the title. The original poem had been all hacked, and I had blindly accepted the fake. Now I know better, but I still have not found out all I want to know about the poem alluded to Hughes. I now stand corrected and better informed about Guest and will continue reading and searching more about Hughes.

Bennett Place Historic Site

by   August 27, 2026 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Bennett Place Historic Site

   James Bennett had purchased 200 acres of land along Old Hillsborough Road near Durham Station in 1846. The road connected Raleigh, the state capital, to Hillsborough and more. The Bennetts farmed and sold goods to make ends meet, including benefitting from renting enslaved labor to complete skilled jobs. Very popular was enslaved shoemaker Jacob Boreland.  They liked the land along the roadway because of easier sales to passers-by, including travelers.

    James and Nancy Bennett had lost two sons and a son-in-law during the Civil War, two of which died while in the Confederate Army. Life was hard during the war and the family faced economic uncertainty.

     After General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, many considered the war over, but large Confederate armies still existed. The largest of these armies at the time was led by General Joseph Johnston and was centered around Durham and Raleigh. Many of Lee’s soldiers did not accept the surrender and traveled to North Carolina to join with Johnston. His army had swelled to 90,000 soldiers at the time, yet Johnston believed the cause was lost. Food, clothing and ammunition were all in short supply.

     Union Major General William T. Sherman’s army had continued its path of destruction through the deep south. Johnston hoped to negotiate favorable surrender terms for his remaining soldiers. Sherman and Johnston agreed to meet along Hillsborough Road and the Bennetts were the first homeowners to let the officers and their staffs meet on their property.

       The discussions for surrender were not simple, and the first draft was not accepted by Washington government officials. After the third meeting, all held in the parlor room of the Bennett house, an agreement was reached. Most of the same terms agreed to at Appomattox were finalized. During this time, the Bennett family remained in the kitchen, a separate building as was often the custom during this time period.

      The original chimney still stands but the house was reconstructed, as was the kitchen and smoke house. Benefits of having a separate kitchen also included limiting pests, noise and intense heat from cooking. The smoke house was used to cure and store meat, with about 150 pounds of ham on hand during the negotiations. A small dairy house is also on the property, used for storing butter and milk, as well as other kitchen foods.

    There is also a reconstructed bandstand on the property, simply because it was moved here in the 1920’s to avoid demolition. A Unity Monument was erected in 1923 to represent national healing after the Civil War.

          There is a wonderful yet small museum on site and a short documentary movie that adds more information on the surrender. There is a nice picnic site, and cars have easy access back to I-85.

    The final surrender was signed on April 26, 1865, and about 90,000 southern soldiers laid down their arms. This historic site is well worth visiting and is not far from Stagville, one of my favorites. The Duke Homestead is also nearby, but I have not visited it yet.

     Running and racing are just around the corner, after the late summer break. Next Saturday, on August 29th, we have the SRR Prediction Run 5K. 8am at the City Park shelter on Lake Drive in Salisbury. No watches, no phones, no timing devices can be worn or carried, and you’ll have to predict your time. The closest to their guess gets a new pair of running shoes from Ralph Baker Shoes and another pair of shoes and other door prizes will also be given. Breakfast will be served too.

    Then on September 12, it is the Run for the Word 5K and Fun Run in Landis. This race funds the Bible teachers in the South Rowan area schools and is known for its fast course. It is a fantastic event for walkers and virtual runners too, those who want to support the race but can’t do the distance on race day.

      And just ahead also is the fall Beginning Runners Class, starting September 8th at 6pm at the Salisbury PD. The class lasts for eight weeks.

    Look for all these events and more at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

Gotta’ Run: Bennett Place Historic Site

Living Off The Land

by   August 26, 2026 with No Comments

Living Off the Land

by Lynna Clark

Did you miss the holiday? No, not Mother’s Day. You can’t miss that if you watch television at all. Every jewelry store on the planet makes sure to remind us. Last Saturday was not only Cinco de Mayo, the day for which we stock up on limes and avocados and don’t know why. It was also Naked Gardening Day… according to our cousin Michael. The event seems to be an important one to him as he always reminds us of it on Facebook. Thankfully we don’t live near the man as we choose not to observe the holiday. Our garden is not that big. We did however get our binoculars out and keep them handy in case our neighbors decided to celebrate.

Though we didn’t observe any tiptoeing through the tulips, we did discover a family of groundhogs. The daddy is huge and looks like a bear when he stands on his hind legs. Not like a Kodiak but more like a miniature brown bear with a long tail. His fur is reddish and fluffy but I was not fooled by his cuteness. A few summers ago either he or one of his cohorts stripped the leaves off my mom-in-law’s tomato plants leaving only a naked stalk. The daddy groundhog’s wife is gray and smaller. She tends to make her way over to our yard when she notices the truck is not in the carport. The ground there is soft and dusty and she seems to enjoy rooting around in it for some reason. I nearly soiled my undies the other morning when I stepped outside unaware of her presence. She stood on hind legs as if questioning my being in her space. So I did what any normal person would do. I barked like a dog until she waddled home on her short chubby legs.

Sorry. I have no right to make fun of anyone’s short chubby legs. [Yet another reason to refrain from observing Naked Gardening Day.] I must add she was surprisingly fast for such a plump creature. She scooted her fluffy body under the neighbor’s shed and peeked out at me. Even with binoculars I couldn’t see through the lattice where she hid. I envisioned her gathering her one pup near her side and warning that if a person acts that strange, especially in broad daylight, they probably have rabies.

Hopefully she will not be back. This is the first time David has tried having a little garden in a long time. All he wants is a good tomato sandwich, a few cucumbers for pickling, and a couple zucchinis to make bread. Is that too much to ask? It only cost us $537 to build a raised bed, haul in good dirt, pay the kid next door to help us unload it, and buy the few plants.

Oh and cages for the tomatoes. It makes me laugh at how tall they are compared to the tiny plants inside. David looked at them the other day and spoke with his dry humor. “Somebody has high hopes.”

Yep. We are determined to eat something from our backyard this season… living off the land and all.  I just hope it’s not groundhog.

Home Sweet Salisbury

The Emptied Nest

by   August 23, 2026 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Photos and videos of families dropping off children at college have filled my social media feed in August. Family and friends made treks to colleges near and far, tools in hand, supplies being stocked, beds and desks being assembled. There are smiles and hugs but also tears.

While releasing our children can bring bittersweet tears, tears are not necessarily the only measure of love. The heartache of this moment does not look the same for each family.

Some families rejoice in new chapters as they see their children spread their wings, while also mourning their empty nest. Perhaps the child contributed joyfully to the environment of the home. Their absence in the daily routine will be greatly felt.

Other families are almost paralyzed without their children at home. Sometimes a parent’s identity is wrapped in parenting for 18 years. While children are finding themselves at college, parents are wondering if they have to start all over, finding themselves as well.

Still, for other families, the feelings may be things they do not want to say out loud. There is a sense of guilt in being glad at the release. Maybe, like some birds that leave the nest, they dirty the nest in the months and weeks leading up to departure. “Why has she or he been acting so distant? Why is our relationship strained when it wasn’t before?” Some argue that this is a defense mechanism as these young spirits are anticipating change that they may not even be fully ready for. Others have been dirtying the nest for years – rebellion, loss of love, confusion. Many things can put a strain on relationships despite a parent’s best efforts to provide a loving environment.

Wherever you find yourself in these scenarios, here is some encouragement:

* Your child does not have to navigate this new season alone. The children of Israel were encouraged that their God would go before them as they entered the Promised Land, facing insurmountable odds. He would not leave or forsake them (see Deuteronomy 31:8). God cares for your child (and you!) as well. We can entrust our children to their Creator’s care for their physical and spiritual well-being.

* If you’re uncertain (like many parents) that you did enough to prepare them for all that is ahead of them, recall how God was faithful to His people in the Old Testament during their distressing time of exile. Through raging waters and fiery trials, He was with them (see Isaiah 43:2). We, too, are often unprepared for hard times. We can pray our students will lean into the One who loves them and can protect and direct them. (See Psalm 121 for more encouragement.)

* For those whose goodbyes were marred by a dirty-nest departure, you do not have to feel guilty about feeling peace when your child is gone for a season. Just as Jesus left His disciples with a declaration of leaving His peace with them upon His departure, He can do the same for you, even in the midst of strained relationships. He can even do the same for your child. Pray that they will know that Peace is a Person.

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