Breathtaking, briefly and beyond
People with a great mind are a dime a dozen. People with a great heart are few. People who use their strength in service to a great mind with great heart…priceless. I am grateful for these people. They are humble and unassuming. Like the tiny maple saplings we bought for a dollar two decades ago […]
Eternal flame
Today we remember President John F. Kennedy, on the anniversary of one of the most heart-breaking moments in our national history. We’re compelled to stare at the images of the motorcade and the bedlam. Pour over accounts of the man who shot him or not, was it conspiracy or not, was it even this man […]
This one’s for you
What if you get to the ripe old age of, let’s say, over 50 and you realize you haven’t accomplished much? You know. You haven’t been successful in business, haven’t revolutionized a product or a process, haven’t been invited to speak before large crowds, haven’t even written a break-out novel. Heck, what have you been […]
The swiveling sit-upon
To be honest, people are a little miffed with me. They want me to join their group and contribute to their effort. To lay my logs upon the fire they are building and stand by to watch it grow. What a glorious sight. What a powerful flame. What a warm feeling, to gather around that […]
Are there layers to listening?
Folks today listen fast. We have to. We have information coming at us from all directions at rapid fire pace. Young people are unfazed by this. They’ve grown up with it and seem to have perfected the technique. The young woman at the register was completely amazing. I approached her to exchange a pair of […]
Dangling from the high bar
I’ve never been much good at pull ups. I find this true with lots of folks, especially women. We don’t have much upper body strength – or at least not enough to hoist our girth all the way up to pull our chins up and over that bar – so we wiggle and wriggle. Stress […]
Just live it
It’s not enough just to think your way through life; you’ve got to be an actor in your own life, too. We can study it and intellectualize it. We can define it, explain it, ruminate on it, chew it up and spit it out. We can prove it or just really, really believe it. But […]
The creating life
Creative people. Creative types. You know those people. The right-brained oddballs, who dress funny and speak funny and are just out there, you know? As much as I hate to admit it, I have labeled them this way. It’s an adjective I have used for those I am a bit jealous of because they have […]
The wide arc of change
Every generation sees change that needs making. Wrongs that need righting. Laws that need repealing. Injustices that need addressing. The young want to turn things around on a dime, right now. I love that about youth. They want things to be different and they want to be the difference. Age and wisdom teach that change, […]
Saved from our past by the arts in our present
The Loving Story is a documentary focused on Richard and Mildred Loving and the landmark 1967 Loving vs Virginia Supreme Court case that led to legalization of interracial marriage in all states. This was screened for Charlottesville area high school and middle school students as part of the Virginia Film Festival which celebrates its 26th […]