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To Be Here Now
To be here now, alive in the twenty-first century and smart enough to know it, you had to be…extremely — make that miraculously — fortunate in your personal ancestry.
The Lovely Ladies
For years I have met regularly with a pair of friends nearly as old as I am. We call ourselves The Lovely Ladies. We used to meet in one another’s homes. Now, of course, by Zoom.
What is the Theme of your Story?
I once heard a Newbery medalist tell of the time her grandson called to ask about the theme of her famous novel. He needed to know what it was for a class assignment.
She thought for a moment, then said, “I suppose the theme is . . .”
Loss and Growth
The day comes when remaining the same becomes more painful than the risk to grow.
Another Lesson
Another lesson I've learned along the way is that there are no truly original ideas.
Celebration in a Time of Loss
“Whoops!” I thought when I saw the quote posted in this spot last week. “That’s not what I meant.”
Wild Geese
You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
An Imitation of Other Stories
I have always loved stories.
I’ve spent my life creating stories myself, of course, but even more, I have spent it seeking out others’ stories. Immersing myself in the experiences, the griefs, the triumphs of human beings who never lived except on the page.
Let America Be America Again
O, let America be America again—
The land that never has been yet—