On Being provides this 8-minute meditation on one of my favorite quotes: Rilke’s Living the Questions. Krista Tippett shares the quote, frames its potential for impact, and offers a method for processing the questions rolling around in our hearts.
Say what else is true: poetry, conflict, friendship
The Poetry Unbound newsletter from Pádraig Ó Tuama reminds us that there’s more than the “yeah, but” or the “and yet” or the “however” in poetry, in conflict, in relationships, in life. There’s the “also.” Pádraig Ó Tuama writes (excerpt):…
Asking for & responding to: encountering some sacred mystery in the word Help
On Being’s The Pause Newsletter featured Pádraig Ó Tuama’s reflection on help Ó Tuama writes (excerpt): . . . Depending on your personality, it can feel like hell to ask for help. It starts off sounding like hell too, but…
When you make room in your heart for LOVE, how much room do you save for hate?
“Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply; expect little; give much; sing often; pray always. Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine.” –Malcolm James McLeod, The Culture of Simplicity
“Not Broken But Simply Unfinished”: What were you doing at 22?
NPR featured the extraordinary performance by National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman.
“On the Pulse of Morning”: Maya Angelou’s reflection on her inaugural poem
The Atlantic has Brian Resnick/National Journal’s May 28, 2014 article on Maya Angelou’s reflection on her 1993 “On the Pulse of Morning”: “In my work, in everything I do, I mean to say that we human beings are more alike…
Make it up as you go: quarantine + talent + a good heart = sharing your love with the world
My sister sent me this link to the song: The Keep Going Song by The Bengsons. Perfect with that first cup of coffee to start your day!
Sacredness: every human life
Pope Francis’ Message on George Floyd (excerpt): My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life. At the same time, we…
Hope and patience in life’s uncertainties
In his Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote: Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a…
The Dos and Don’ts of Being
Camille Rainville’s poem “Be a Lady, They Said” popularized in the video narrated by Cynthia Nixon.
Welcoming words for New Year’s 2020
Good Housekeeping highlights 50 motivational quotes about change as we head into our new year! They include: Rainer Maria Rilke: And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been. C.S. Lewis: You are never too…
Keeping your inner peace
The recent article on finding the calm in your chaos reminded me of this quote attributed to Saint Francis de Sales: “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace…
What would Paul do? Dignity in divorce
USA Today/AP highlighted Paul McCartney’s desire to maintain his dignity during his divorce from Heather Mills. The former Beatle told Radio Times Magazine: “As Winston Churchill once said, ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going!’ . . . The only…
Nights and weekends
The Houston Chronicle shows us a man who lives in Dallas, works in Houston, handles business trials and writes about a minister having an affair (excerpt): For the past five years, when James Jordan hasn’t been handling cases as a…
Among back issues of The Signal
AP reports Walt Whitman’s 117 year old advice, recently discovered by The College of New Jersey’s Nicole Kukawski. Chris Newmarker writes (excerpt): “First, don’t write poetry; second ditto; third ditto,” Whitman says. “You may be surprised to hear me say…
See Dick and Jane
The New York Times notes the passing of Nancy Larrick at 93. Jennifer Bayot writes (excerpt): Dr. Larrick considered the standard reading workbooks of the 1950’s, with their picture games and stories about Dick and Jane, insulting to even a…
Men and women in the movies
The American Film Institute announced its nominees for the top 100 movie quotes. The 400 excerpts include: MELVIN UDALL You make me want to be a better man. AS GOOD AS IT GETS SUGARPUSS O’SHEA I love him because he’s…
Writing from the heart
The New York Times gets Judy Blume talking about writing. Jennifer Goldblatt writes (excerpt): “I didn’t know what I was doing,” Ms. Blume said “I was just free to write spontaneously, from the inside and not worry about what I…
Nothing but the truth
Lee Robinson gives us her poem “The Rules of Evidence.” Note that this is art, not advice for conducting a real trial. Or is it? Read the poem and you decide (excerpt): What you want to say most is inadmissible.…
“wondering if people are thinking of me”
The New York Times gives space to D. Nurkse and creative writing workshops for kids in custody. The article links to the poems of 6 teenage inmates at Rikers Island. D. Nurkse writes (excerpt): In 1998 I was hired to…