Much of my work is about analyzing stories and they power they have in our lives. This morning I saw a US Presidential campaign ad that I thought told a really good story in less than two minutes. So I wanted to talk about that, but to be fair, I wanted to also talk about … More A Tale of Two Campaign Ads
Happy Fourth of July! Except for so many people, it doesn’t seem to be…happy, that is. The South and Midwest are suffering under dangerously high heat. The East Coast continues to breath air heavy in ash from the onging wild fires in Canada. There was another mass shooting Monday night for another unknown reason that … More America…the Beautiful? Or the Baffling?
As I read the news this morning about yesterday’s events at the US Capitol, the literature teacher in me could not help but recall the famous opening passage to Charles Dicken’s classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of … More July 23, 2022: It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times
As I write this post this morning, my heart is heavy, knowing the beautiful city show above, Kyiv (often also Westernized as Kiev), is under attack by Russian troops seeking to take over the country. There have been explosions and fighting and already hundreds of deaths and casualities, many if not most of them among … More Heroes
I couldn’t help it. I literally laughed out loud this week when I read in the Washington Post that Donald Trump had announced: “I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous,” Trump told [Wall Street Journal journalist Michael] Bender. “It’s actually an important event, an important time. But nobody had ever heard of it.” … More Juneteenth 2020
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?A nation turns its lonely eyes to you…–from “Mrs. Robinson” by Paul Simon (Simon & Garfunkel) I know my last post was dedicated to keeping up our spirits, but, wow… things have gotten so much darker than when I wrote that, which was only a few days ago. Then (mostly … More In Troubled Times, Our Nation Turns to…Trevor?
I started today as I usually do, with a two-mile meditative walk through our local peaceful and beautiful park-like cemetery. And as has been the case for the past several days, my mind and my heart were reflecting on the sad events at Charlottesville this weekend and the international fall-out of our personal, collective, and … More Lessons on Charlottesville from a Deceased Grandaddy
I teach both middle school and high school group literature classes, and once a month I do a poetry unit with the students. While some of them are into it, others doubt the relevancy of poetry to their lives. I tell them that many times, particularly during events of high emotion or great significance, poets can … More Mending Wall
This was a great weekend for me. While the backdrop nationally was President Trump’s inauguration and the peaceful protests for the rights of women, minorities, and the poor, my focus was a little more personal. Friday and Sunday nights we had parties (YAY!) where my son invited over his friends for dinner, games, art or music … More Mopping with Joy
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