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The Death of Queen Elizabeth: Beneath the Robes of Royalty Lies a Human Being
Flesh and blood, bone and frailty, “for dust thou art unto dust thou shalt return” [1], this singular reality leaves even the greatest among all monarchs subject to death. And each of us as well. The reign of Queen Elizabeth II, longest in British history, extended over 70 years. During that time, 13 American presidents and 15 British prime ministers came and went, and countless world rulers have exited the stage of history. This image shows some world rulers during her 70 year reign. Her picture underneath them all, as if looking up, made me think of The Lord of the Rings. Only in this case, “One Queen to rule…
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Read to Expand Your Heart
My husband bought me two toy giraffes. I had admired these in the hardware store after I had finished reading the novel West with Giraffes. Surprising me, he said, “I guess you are in your Giraff-ic period. It follows your Llam-ic period.” He knows how to make me laugh. Previously, I have been a bit obsessed with llamas. Although I still “llove llamas,” I have a newfound love for giraffes. I am smitten. And here’s why. Nancy H. recommended this book. I have come to trust the recommendations of certain friends. They are like a rudder on a boat, steering me to discover books I would never come across otherwise.…
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The Gift of Imagination: Use It or Lose It
Imagination occupies space in the mind. But unless you and I use this space, it remains small. Truncated. truncated––cut short; less than it could be Merriam-Webster What feeds imagination? Curiosity. Eleanor Roosevelt’s book You Learn by Living, Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life, struck some of the seldom-used keys on a piano’s eighty-eight keys, reminding me that simply knowing musical notes is not all it takes to make music. Her book made me think about curiosity––how using our minds to think and learn expands imagination. “Keep alive one of the most valuable qualities a person has––curiosity.” Eleanor Roosevelt She makes the point that when a child’s questions are ignored,…
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Eleanor Roosevelt Gives Advice about Life
Isn’t she dead?, you might ask. Well, yes. Yet because Eleanor wrote a book, she still speaks, even though she is dead. More than sixty years after Eleanor wrote You Learn by Living, Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life, what reader doesn’t want to live a more fulfilling life? The book was first published in 1960. My used copy is a Fiftieth Anniversary edition, published in 2011, and reprinted in 2020. I ordered this book because someone said it would make a good gift for graduating seniors, either from high school or college. Books come to me in the most circuitous ways, how I hear about them varies, and…
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Shauna Niequist Talks About Change
In her latest book, I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet, Shauna writes about life after death––death of the life she thought she would live. “This is not about what I’ve been through; this is about what remains . . ..” “This book you’re holding is one I’ve been writing and rewriting for years, and as much as I’ve struggled with it, the struggle has healed me, helped me, and forces me to make sense of my story and our world––as much as anyone can. Being a writer means being committed to paying attention, to walking through the world as a noticer. It means finding language for the seemingly unspeakable,…
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“Un-distracted” in an Age of Wild Assaults
“To write a great book, you must first become the book.” Naval Ravikant Bob Goff becomes the books he writes. At least, he lives the book before he writes it. Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose Rediscover Your Joy Somehow, Bob freed himself from distractions in his own life to write a book that he hopes will help readers capture their own purpose and joy. Bob oozes authenticity from an oversized personality that spills onto the pages of the books he has written. Going. Blowing. Doing. “When it comes to the words we use, we’re never shooting blanks.” Bob Goff Bob wants to help other people realize the fullest potential in their…
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Affected by Addiction? How Reading Other People’s Stories Can Help
In early February, I finished reading Elizabeth Vargas’s book: Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction. Like so many other good books I have read, approaching the last pages, I wonder how in the world of words can the writer conclude their story in so few pages? Then, POW! Because all books have to stop on a page, (even though life stories continue to unfold), Elizabeth’s wrap-up punched a hole in this reader’s armor. Bodily reaction to the pain she so poignantly described included tightness in my chest, shallow breathing, leaking eyes, and an audible gasp as this book made me think about my mom. My mom was a…
