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To be seen

The thing we want most is to be seen in our fullest,” says David Brooks, The New York Times columnist. “The thing we fear most is to be seen at our fullest.” I heard Brooks speak recently at Arts & Letters Live in Dallas. His new book is How to Know a Person—The Art of […]

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Feminism

“The patriarchy is stony,” writes Isabel Allende. “Feminism, like the ocean, is fluid, powerful, deep and encompasses the infinite complexity of life. It moves in waves, currents, tides and sometimes in storms.” I just read Allende’s book The Soul of a Woman. Some of the book is very interesting, and some of it is not […]

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Simple pleasures

Fall leaves, cooler weather and a cup of tea. Simple pleasures. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea.” I hope you enjoy some simple pleasures today. –Joy

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Try sitting and thinking

It’s okay to do nothing. That’s why I love this quote from playwright Lorraine Hansberry. “Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.”

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The arc of justice

I always thought that this was a quote from Abraham Lincoln, but Jon Meacham, in his book And There Was Light–Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle, attributes it to Theodore Parker. I hope we are bending toward justice. “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe: the arc is a long one, my eye […]

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Be still

Rushing. I think I have lots to do. Maybe a bit overwhelmed. “I’ve been thinking,” says Emily St. John Mandel in her book Sea of Tranquility, “a great deal about time and motion lately, about being a still point in the ceaseless rush.” –Joy

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Summer trips

Even though I am anticipating summer trips, I found this quote recently in a restaurant and realized how true it is. I can’t wait to go on a trip, and I know, too, I will be glad to return home. “A man (or woman!) travels the world over to find what he ( or she) […]

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Joy and sorrow

Lots of sorrow and a little joy. Lots of joy and only a bit Of sorrow.             Who can know The formula beforehand? These are words from How Beautiful the Beloved by Gregory Orr.  One of the best kinds of friends are friends who give you a book—a book you never would have read if […]

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Kind, but strong

Jacinda Adern, New Zealand’s youngest ever prime minister, is resigining. After 5-1/2 years as the country’s leader, she concluded, ” “I hope I leave New Zealanders with a belief that you can be kind, but strong, emphatic, but decisive, optimistic, but focused.”

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Be positive

Yes, I had COVID. But, I didn’t go to the hospital. I don’t have long COVID. I am much better. I am going to count my blessings and have a positive attitude during 2023. That’s my Resolution #5. –Joy

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