Some music stays with you your entire life. Here’s is a beautiful love song for my spousal unit. I’m grateful to her, and to the talented musicians of It’s A Beautiful Day. Let A Woman Flowby David LaFlamme and Pattie SantosI let my woman flowTo her own natural rhythmI let my woman flowTo her own natural rhymeGetting […]
Category: Hopeful Songs on Dismal Days
In the spring of 2015, Pope Francis released a profound encyclical (letter) to the world called “Laudato Si’” (“Praise be to you”). The letter lays the moral foundation for our collective obligation and responsibility to protect Mother Earth. In Pope Francis’ case, he uses the teachings of the Catholic Church to build the foundation of […]
And the sun pours down like honeyOn our lady of the harbourAnd she shows you where to lookAmong the garbage and the flowers- Suzanne, by Leonard Cohen Our Lady of the Harbor Elder G, is life impossible?
Tove Jansson‘s Moomin character, Moomintroll, famously says, “I only want to live in peace, plant potatoes and dream!” This quote reflects a desire for a simple, peaceful life, finding joy in everyday activities and imagination. The quote is often associated with the Moomins’ idyllic world and the value of small pleasures. I only want to […]
The Seven Sisters are referenced in Kahlil Gibran’s masterpiece, The Prophet. The reference is not related to the Pleiades, the goddesses immortalized as stars in the sky. Rather, the Prophet describes the Seven Sisters when asked about the place of pleasure in our lives. The Prophet says that we should embrace pleasure, but do not […]
Categories
Mother’s Day 2025
Today is a reflective day. It is Mother’s Day in the USA, and, as you can imagine, it often times brings up bittersweet memories. Mother’s Day can be a time of warmth and gratitude, but also of longing and reflection. Memories of our mothers, grandmothers, or those who nurtured us can bring both joy and […]
Don’t have the inclination to look back on any mistakeLike Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break– Bob Dylan / Every Grain of Sand Cain, according to Christian mythology, is the firstborn human, the son of Adam and Eve, and older brother to Abel. According to Genesis 4:1–16, Cain treacherously […]
What can Vasyl Velychkovsky’s life teach us in today’s troubled world? That’s a deeply meaningful question, — and one worthy of time, reflection, and many conversations under twine-strewn stars. We do live in troubled times. We hear the old boots of authoritarianism echoing down new hallways, polished with modern excuses and rationalizations. And yet, in […]
Kindness doesn’t scale like tech, but it transforms like art. Today, we’re writing about a recent article in the Guardian newspaper. The article describes a memoir written by Bernadette Russell. She decided to do an act of kindness every day for a year. Interesting idea, right? A year of daily kindness is such a rich […]
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy EveningBy Robert FrostWhose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village though;He will not see me stopping hereTo watch his woods fill up with snow.My little horse must think it queerTo stop without a farmhouse nearBetween the woods and frozen lakeThe darkest evening of the […]