When my dad died in 2019, we were flooded with condolences on Facebook. But there was one thing that permeated so many of them: a few lines of poetry that well-wishers included from various poems they had memorized in Dad’s high school English class, while proudly emphasizing, “I can still recite these lines today, thanks to Mr. Cloud.”
My dad insisted that his students memorize poems together as a class. He’d say: “Repeat after me. ‘Margaret are you grieving over golden grove unleaving?’”
No … [Read more...] about How To Memorize A Poem
What Stories Will Others Share About You?
I have a favorite pizza place from which my family has been ordering pizzas since 1972—that’s 52 years! I LOVE their pizza. But recently a friend shared a story with me about my favorite joint that left me, well, with a bad taste in my mouth.
It was my friend’s son’s 9th birthday party. The cake was baked and iced, the boys gathered, the pizza ordered.
Two giant-sized ‘zahs with the kids’ favorite toppings were delivered. As Mom and Dad pulled out the side tabs and opened the large … [Read more...] about What Stories Will Others Share About You?
One wish for yourself, and then another, just as big, for someone else
We arrive at the MET’s American Wing fountain around 11:45 AM. We are on a treasure hunt of sorts. What I don’t expect is how emotional this fountain will make me feel.
Our visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art was conceived six months earlier after I discover a gorgeously written book by Patrick Bringley, a security guard who spent ten years working at the Met. A writer by trade, Bringley finds himself adrift and seeking answers after the untimely death of his beloved older brother at the … [Read more...] about One wish for yourself, and then another, just as big, for someone else
New Book: Doing This ONE Thing Can Improve Your Life
I'm making small talk at a party this past June with a well-known local violinist. We finally land at a point of common interest—our passion for practice, whether in the arts or in sports. I’m an avid tennis player and Uli, the violinist, lifts weights.
“Ah, weight lifting,” I say. “I’ve done it off and on over the years. I know I should be doing it, but I always end up pulling my back out.”
A week or so later, an email arrives from Uli. “You should meet Josh. He’s been my wife’s and my … [Read more...] about New Book: Doing This ONE Thing Can Improve Your Life
An Antidote to Loneliness
I started crying almost as soon as I started singing. On a recent Saturday, I stood alongside forty other singers at a large church in Huntley. It was a rehearsal for a reunion concert made up of former singers who had sung in Concert Choir at the University of Illinois sometime during our director’s 27-year tenure (1982-2011).
We had one day to rehearse twelve songs and to prepare for a concert that night.
Everyone came willingly, and you could sense the magic in the air of being a part … [Read more...] about An Antidote to Loneliness