Sometimes, when I turn on the news and hear the cacophony of harsh words that jar the soul, I begin to think we’ve lost our humanity. These words that blare from our radios and televisions can be so hateful and deliberately controversial that they serve only to polarize and make us question, what is truth? There has been a bright spot recently, though, in the most unexpected place. While Hurricane Florence hit our East Coast with a thunderous, debilitating blast of water and wind, it appears … [Read more...]
Nature Versus Nurture
History abounds with stories about infants being raised in the wild by animals. From Rudyard Kipling’s’ endearing "man-cub" Mowgli, to the famous twin founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, who legend has it were suckled as children at the breast of a she-wolf. So, imagine my surprise when I recently read a story in “The Guardian” about a Spanish man, now in his 70s, who as a 6-year-old child was sold by his father into slavery to herd sheep. He soon escaped into the mountains of southern Spain … [Read more...]
Remembering What’s Important
Recently I’ve been thinking about the division in our country and what can be done about it. As I’ve pondered the topic, I began watching all three acts of the play Our Town, by playwright and novelist Thornton Wilder on YouTube. I remember seeing Our Town in my school’s auditorium when the thespian club presented it when I was in high school. The show is the most-performed play ever in America since its creation in 1938. Some of the themes in it are similar to the recently released … [Read more...]
Honoring Senator John McCain
The recent death of Senator John McCain has evoked significant commentary from all sides of the political spectrum about the nature of his legacy of service to our nation. What is indisputable is that McCain fought his final battle with cancer the same way he conducted himself during years of distinguished military service – with bravery and dignity. Many years ago, before my husband, Larry, deployed to Vietnam, we were both acutely aware of McCain’s capture by the North Vietnamese after … [Read more...]
Animals Have Feelings, Too
While watching the news during the past few weeks, I was especially moved by the story of Tahlequah, a female orca in the waters north of Seattle whose newborn calf died shortly after birth. While I understand that we humans too often tend to anthropomorphize animal behavior, what happened next was so relatable and moving to me as a mother. Rather than abandon her calf’s body to the ocean, Tahlequah buoyed its body up onto her back, carrying it for 17 days before finally relinquishing it to a … [Read more...]
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