Sometimes I am amazed as I uncover a few jewels of the history of the area where I live. It seems that right across the creek where I sit is the old road that led to Stuart and Martinsville, Virginia. It is more evident in winter, after the trees and ground cover have disappeared. According to the locals, it was once a wagon trail and eventually a gravel road. In the 50s, they decided to build a road and bridge that bypassed the old road, allowing for easier, quicker travel to other areas of the region.
Recently, I discovered that the old post office was just a few hundred yards from my property. Ever since this discovery and the discovery of the old wagon trail, I have had moments when I pretended I was back in time, with no road noise, intently listening for the sound of a wagon as it maneuvered along the old trail. What it must have been like to be on that wagon or on horseback.
Then there are the people, especially on the wagons. I am sure they were interesting. Families headed to a new destination, men taking supplies or produce to the nearest market, or going to visit a distant relative.
But change was coming, and it took the form of the automobile. The horseless carriage was to become the means by which time would speed up. Roads were no longer able to accommodate both; graded stone roads replaced mud and rutted roads, which were prone to flooding.
The lantern swaying on the old wagon was replaced by a steady flame from the automobile's acetylene lamps. Times were changing, and the speed of it was just the beginning. Gone were the days of a slow-paced wagon, when one could wave a hand and holler out “Howdy” and maybe have the weary traveler stop for a spell, with small talk over a cool cup of water or even a meal. Southern hospitality, oh, how it is missed.
Today, changes are happening so fast. The list is more than I can describe in this short blog. One can only wonder how a society can adapt at such a rapid pace. I am not sure that we will.
Changes can be troubling, and as I look at the news and the events unfolding, again I am reminded of Jesus’s words to His disciples about changing and troubling times. “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:6-8
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