Saturday, July 2, 2022
No Result
View All Result
SUBSCRIBE
The Chimney Rock Chronicle
78 °f
Broadway
76 ° Sun
74 ° Mon
75 ° Tue
77 ° Wed
78 ° Thu
  • Home
    • Pickup Locations & Sponsors
  • Columns
    • All
    • Book Notes
    • Eating Well in the Real World
    • Fishing with Mike
    • From the Potting Shed
    • Fulks Run Follies
    • Headlines from Plains Museum
    • Local Business
    • Local Legends
    • Musings from the Woodpile
    • Personal & Professional Development
    • Randy's Ramblings
    • Reflections from a Fuller Life
    • Sarah's Recipes
    • The Gospel Vault
    • The View From Here
    • The Wandering Wilkins
    • When This You See

    Headlines from the Plains District Memorial Museum

    Reflections from a Fuller Life

    The Wandering Wilkins

    Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

    Bass Fishing with Mike

    Book Notes:  Classic Southern Novels

    Book Notes:  Classic Southern Novels

    Gospel Vault

    Gospel Vault

    From the Potting Shed – December 2021

    From The Potting Shed

    Randy’s Ramblings – August 2021

    Randy’s Ramblings

    Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

    Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

    Fulks Run Follies

    Fulks Run Follies

    Sarah’s Recipes

    Sarah’s Recipes

    The Wandering Wilkins

    The Wandering Wilkins

    Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

    Bass Fishing with Mike

    Gospel Vault

    Gospel Vault

    From the Potting Shed – December 2021

    From The Potting Shed

    Trending Tags

    • Entertainment
      • All
      • Festivals
      • Kids Activites
      • Music
      • Off Broadway Players
      • Sports
      • Upcoming Events
      How I got involved with the Nantucket Basket

      Hunting for the Goldeneye

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing with Mike

      A Tribute to Bob Driver — THE BROADWAY SCOUTMASTER

      A Tribute to Bob Driver — THE BROADWAY SCOUTMASTER

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Ruritan Happenings: Blazing A Trail

      Ruritan Happenings: Blazing A Trail

      Welcome!

      A baseball memory from my dad, James Fulk

      1960 Twin County League Timberville Baseball Team

      1960 Twin County League Timberville Baseball Team

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing with Mike

      • Off Broadway Players
    • News
    • Lifestyle
      • All
      • Church
      • food
      • Health
      • Travel

      Beaten For Jesus

      Reflections from a Fuller Life

      The Wandering Wilkins

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing with Mike

      Photograph of Wes Dove

      Four Powerful Words …

      The Blessings of Friends

      The Blessings of Friends

      Photograph of Ken West, Jr.

      The Secret of Immortality

      Gospel Vault

      Gospel Vault

      Sarah’s Recipes

      Sarah’s Recipes

      Photograph of George Bowers

      Earthly and Heavenly Fathers

      Trending Tags

      • Golden Globes
      • Mr. Robot
      • MotoGP 2017
      • Climate Change
      • Flat Earth
    • Advertising
    • Home
      • Pickup Locations & Sponsors
    • Columns
      • All
      • Book Notes
      • Eating Well in the Real World
      • Fishing with Mike
      • From the Potting Shed
      • Fulks Run Follies
      • Headlines from Plains Museum
      • Local Business
      • Local Legends
      • Musings from the Woodpile
      • Personal & Professional Development
      • Randy's Ramblings
      • Reflections from a Fuller Life
      • Sarah's Recipes
      • The Gospel Vault
      • The View From Here
      • The Wandering Wilkins
      • When This You See

      Headlines from the Plains District Memorial Museum

      Reflections from a Fuller Life

      The Wandering Wilkins

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing with Mike

      Book Notes:  Classic Southern Novels

      Book Notes:  Classic Southern Novels

      Gospel Vault

      Gospel Vault

      From the Potting Shed – December 2021

      From The Potting Shed

      Randy’s Ramblings – August 2021

      Randy’s Ramblings

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Fulks Run Follies

      Fulks Run Follies

      Sarah’s Recipes

      Sarah’s Recipes

      The Wandering Wilkins

      The Wandering Wilkins

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing with Mike

      Gospel Vault

      Gospel Vault

      From the Potting Shed – December 2021

      From The Potting Shed

      Trending Tags

      • Entertainment
        • All
        • Festivals
        • Kids Activites
        • Music
        • Off Broadway Players
        • Sports
        • Upcoming Events
        How I got involved with the Nantucket Basket

        Hunting for the Goldeneye

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

        Bass Fishing with Mike

        A Tribute to Bob Driver — THE BROADWAY SCOUTMASTER

        A Tribute to Bob Driver — THE BROADWAY SCOUTMASTER

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Ruritan Happenings: Blazing A Trail

        Ruritan Happenings: Blazing A Trail

        Welcome!

        A baseball memory from my dad, James Fulk

        1960 Twin County League Timberville Baseball Team

        1960 Twin County League Timberville Baseball Team

        Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

        Bass Fishing with Mike

        • Off Broadway Players
      • News
      • Lifestyle
        • All
        • Church
        • food
        • Health
        • Travel

        Beaten For Jesus

        Reflections from a Fuller Life

        The Wandering Wilkins

        Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

        Bass Fishing with Mike

        Photograph of Wes Dove

        Four Powerful Words …

        The Blessings of Friends

        The Blessings of Friends

        Photograph of Ken West, Jr.

        The Secret of Immortality

        Gospel Vault

        Gospel Vault

        Sarah’s Recipes

        Sarah’s Recipes

        Photograph of George Bowers

        Earthly and Heavenly Fathers

        Trending Tags

        • Golden Globes
        • Mr. Robot
        • MotoGP 2017
        • Climate Change
        • Flat Earth
      • Advertising
      No Result
      View All Result
      The Chimney Rock Chronicle
      Subscribe
      Thank you to our Sponsors! Thank you to our Sponsors! Thank you to our Sponsors!
      Home Columns Musings from the Woodpile

      Musings from the Woodpile – December 2021

      The crackling fire gave way to burning embers that rose in the air and vanished in the chill of the open air.

      by Tad
      December 7, 2021
      in Columnists, Columns, Musings from the Woodpile, Tad Williams
      0
      0
      SHARES
      0
      VIEWS
      Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

      The crackling fire gave way to burning embers that rose in the air and vanished in the chill of the open air. The man rose from his knees and patted his fur coat. The white flakes of snow dropped to the floor and turned to water upon hitting the wooden floor. Waves of heat rose from the mug that awaited on the side table. The man fell into the chair and was swallowed by the darkness of the night. The light from a single candle and the fire of the open chimney danced from door knob to window pane to the man’s face.

      The face which was once rosy and full of white whiskers gave way to flushed, wind burned skin and beard that was damp from a night’s journey. The buttons of the fur coat were loosened and then looked upon by the man’s weary eyes. How many times he had looked upon these buttons. Their luster was nothing more than a dull glow after all these years. The right side pocket was missing several stitches and the trim around the bottom of the coat was marked by black soot.

      The man’s spectacles were placed gently on the side table. Deep breaths could be heard between the crackling of the wood on the fire. A small quilt was placed upon the man’s legs. How was he ever going to get warm enough? Why did he put himself through these winter night journeys? He can still remember the first night he made the trip. All his plans and preparations seemed to be for naught as time after time something went wrong. The first morning light arrived just as he was finishing his last delivery. His trip down memory lane was interrupted by the chime of the clock in the room. He glanced a quick look and could see it was five o’clock. In a few moments he would be out cold.

      A small book was lifted from the quilt that lay across the man’s lap. He flipped to the marked page and read one of his favorite quotes as he had read the book numerous times. “You mustn’t wish for another life. You mustn’t want to be somebody else. What you must do is this: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks.’ I am not all the way capable of so much, but those are the right instructions.”

      How the man had longed for a life so different from the one he lived. A life without lists. A life without deadlines. A life without little people. He dreamed of working the land. Perhaps owning a few acres where he could grow vegetables for the community. The people would come to him and not the other way around. He could own a store and sell all the neat things that a household could use. The people would come to him and not the other way around. Or he could be a lifeguard on the beach. The warm tropical air would be such a change for him and do his old bones some good. The people would come to him and not the other way around.

      His eyes began to flicker up and down with the rhythm of the shadows dancing on the wall. He lifted the mug to his mouth and drank until it was gone. Warm tea was what he thought about all evening as he made his way home. His thoughts returned as they always did this time of year about his place in the world. He was no longer a young man. Would he be able to make the journey next year? A line from Shakespeare’s Macbeth came to mind, “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”

      He placed the book upon his lap and sank deep into the chair. Our time in this world is fleeting he thought. Will this world remember me when I am gone? The thought was but for a moment then floated away in the shadow of a letter that said “Dear Santa…”

      Tad

      Tad

      Tad Williams was born and raised in Broadway, Virginia. Graduate of Eastern Mennonite University. Part-time farmer. Part-time hunter. Nutrient management specialist at Virginia Tech. Father to two sons. Husband to Erin.

      Next Post
      GUN DOC COMES TO TOWN

      GUN DOC COMES TO TOWN

      Latest Articles

      Church

      Beaten For Jesus

      by George Bowers
      July 2, 2022
      0

      A good friend of mine recently returned from a mission trip to a third world country.  Thankfully, he was able...

      Read more

      Headlines from the Plains District Memorial Museum

      July 2, 2022

      Reflections from a Fuller Life

      July 2, 2022
      How I got involved with the Nantucket Basket

      Hunting for the Goldeneye

      July 2, 2022
      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      July 2, 2022

      News & Story Ideas

      Let us know what's important & interesting too you!
      Article Type(Required)
      Your Name(Required)
      • About Us
      • Advertising
      • Contact
      • Pick Up Locations & Sponsors

      © 2021 The Chimney Rock Chronicle - Website & E-Commerce by Bare Web Design, Broadway Va.

      No Result
      View All Result
      • Home
      • Non-Profit
      • For Sale
      • Employment
      • National
      • Entertainment
      • Festivals
      • Kids Activites
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Church
      • Lifestyle
      • Travel
      • Tech
      • Health
      • Food

      © 2021 The Chimney Rock Chronicle - Website & E-Commerce by Bare Web Design, Broadway Va.