I'll Go First
If you don't mind...
Writing a newsletter like this really suits an over-sharer like me right down to the ground. IRL, not only do I tend to blurt too much, but I’m first blurter in most conversations. Oh, I listen to my companions for sure (gotta catch my breath SOMETIME), but then I’m back at it, dishing on and on, on a wide variety of topics. But in this enchanted E-Musingland, I can treat you all (subject you, even?) to my ramblings, with no fear of pesky interruptions! Ready? Strap in, folks—here I go again!!
ARTICLE: THE HIDDEN POWER OF GOING FIRST
See what I just did? Immediately shared an article that touts the value of being first to talk. But seriously, it makes some very good points. Remember, someone has to get the party started—might as well be YOU!
REALLY FUNNY MOVIES: DUCK SOUP IN PARTICULAR, THE MARX BROTHERS FILMS IN GENERAL
I’ve been a fan of the Marx Brothers’ inspired insanity most of my life. My favorite of their movies? A Night at the Opera? Animal Crackers? Tough call, but I’d go with Duck Soup, wherein Groucho becomes the inept dictator of the bankrupt nation of Fredonia. It’s filled with comedy gold (including the hilarious mirror scene with Groucho and Harpo), so do treat yourself to the whole movie. I present this musical number without further comment…
For more Marxiana, I highly recommend…this nifty collection of still photos and dialogue from the movies, with an intro by Groucho himself! It’s available used in good condition from various sellers on Amazon…
BITE-SIZED DOSES OF HOPE AND INSPIRATION: ON THE ROAD WITH STEVE HARTMAN
I LOVE Steve Hartman’s “On the Road” segments on the CBS Evening News. Over the years I’ve shown them to my Confirmation classes (and one of my pastors used them in sermons). My friend Julie shared that these heartwarming stories are also used by teachers all over the country, to encourage their students to be kinder people (Hartman even created a Facebook group for teachers, with lots of resources, called Kindness 101).
I challenge you to watch a few of these stories and NOT be inspired (and hopeful!)
A MEDITATION ON TREES… AND LIFE
I wrote this last week for our church, inspired by the baby pear trees in our yard…
A Tree Grows in Oreland
by Elise Seyfried
“Slice a pear and you will find that its flesh is incandescent white. It glows with inner light. Those who carry a knife and a pear are never afraid of the dark." --Yann Martel
Meditation:
It’s only recently that our family has attempted to grow plants in our backyard. For decades, we relied on the forsythia, azalea bushes and tiger lilies planted by the house’s former owners. We were too busy growing kids, we reasoned, to try growing anything else. But Sheridan has taught us that one can do both. To that end, he bought two pear saplings a few years back and has been tenderly nurturing them. Last week, wondrously, they began to blossom.
As opposed to the majestic Sitka spruces in the Olympic National Park rainforest, which can live a thousand years, pear trees have a much shorter lifespan, 30-40 years on average. But that still means it’s highly unlikely Steve and I will outlive ours. We hope to someday taste their sweet fruit, but even that joy is not promised to us.
So can I still revel in these baby trees? I may never eat a pear from them, but no one can take the glorious sight of their blossoms from me. Can I cherish life one blooming season, one glorious day, one luminous moment at a time? Martin Luther, asked what he would do if he knew it was his last day on earth, replied that he would plant a tree. Sheridan no doubt would agree. I am learning to agree also.
SONG: TREES WE’LL NEVER SEE—AMY GRANT
BLOG PREVIEW: DIVIDE AND SLUMBER
As a middle of the night waker-upper, I was fascinated to learn about the (very) old custom of dividing the night into first and second sleeps (one sleep, two sleep)…eight consecutive hours of shuteye? WAY overrated!
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
I know life can really feel like just one long, straight slog, an exhausting marathon with no water bottles or granola bars. But if we pan out, we can see the deep-and-wide richness of it all. That’s what I wish for you this week, my friends—for me, too.