Author: still a dreamer

The Joy of Giving and Random Acts of Kindness

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Recently a friend from the other side of the country – Washington State, to be exact – sent me an e-mail with the photos below. Needless to say, the images have been collected by someone from all over the web and put together in that e-mail. I have  pulled them together for this blog post because I believe we all could use a little inspiration here and there and it never hurts to be reminded of the difference a small kindness can make, how a simple gesture can touch a heart and soul, and how there really is a great deal of kindness in the world despite what many sources would have us believe. We can always add to that, and it needn’t be on an official Random Acts of Kindness Day – it can be any day or every day.

Enjoy the photos. The e-mail began with this : If you never learn the language of gratitude, you will never be on speaking terms with happiness.

A father and mother kissing their dying little girl goodbye. If you are wondering why all the medic people are bowing,….in less than an hour, two small children in the next room are able to live thanks to the little girl’s kidney and liver.

The e-mail continued on with the following, which I have altered slightly to be more inclusive of all beings on Earth:

Every day, every day, you hear …
I WANT!   I WANT!  I WANT!
Every day you hear people saying what they want. Well, here’s what I want:

  • I want people who are sick to be healed
  • I want children with no families to be adopted
  • I want people to never have to worry about food and shelter and heat
  • I want to see a kinder world towards all animals on this planet
  • Most of all, I would like to see people start to care for one another.

May your heart be touched by kindness today and every day.

Les Mis – A Christmas Jewel

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There are some movies that, once you see the trailer, you already know you will see more than once. This is undoubtedly the case for me with Les Mis, to be released this Christmas.

Among the movie previews a friend and I were seeing was an extended view of how the new Les Mis was made and it’s unlike any other film musical to date; it’s filmed completely live with each actor actually singing their part rather than syncing to the voices pre-recorded. We were both blown away. I’ve known Hugh Jackman could sing … but Anne Hathaway? Amanda Seyfried? Russell Crowe? And the visuals … simply breathtaking. The trailer below and the piece on how the film was made moved me to tears. This Les Mis is already incomparable.

Take a look at the trailer here, or on the official web site, but while there, be sure to watch The Extended First Look.

 

Body Surfing – Anita Shreve

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One of the hallmarks of a good novel is that you cannot put it down; and for me, that was the case with Body Surfing by Anita Shreve.

In this novel, Shreve writes in current day with the New Hampshire shore as the backdrop. She studies the lives of her characters falling in love, in treacherous family rivalries, in kindness and resentment, in being lost.  Shreve’s writing is to the point. Nothing is wasted, and her pacing is flawless. She gives you exactly the details that are needed, but the depiction of her characters and their interrelation are what drives the story forward. She’s a writer that many of us could learn from.

In brief, this is the story of a young woman, Sydney, once married, once widowed, who takes on the summer job of tutoring Julie, the daughter of a fairly wealthy couple with a cottage at the shore. She hopes the experience will offer her some healing from her recent loss. Family gatherings soon introduce the couple’s sons, Jeff and Ben, both of whom seem to take an interest in Sydney. The mother, Mrs. Edwards, is immediately resentful; Mr. Edwards, eminently kind and caring, always wants what’s best for everyone. It doesn’t take long before events start to spiral out of control, and Sydney is caught in the intricacies of family relationships which are both hidden and destructive.

I really enjoyed the rapid pace of Body Surfing and how easily I was pulled in to the characters and their complicity. And I appreciated that while Shreve had me emotionally invested in Sydney, Ben, Jeff, Julie and the family, she did so without ripping my heart out. A perfect read for me right now.

from “The Lookout”

/ still a dreamer

“Imperial Self beyond self that I call my soul,
Climb up into the crow’s nest:
Look out over the changing ocean of my life
And shout down to me whither to change my course.”

 – Sarah Cleghorn
from “The Lookout”
 Portraits and Protests

J. K. Rowling – Her First Novel for Adults

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Did you know that J. K. Rowling has written her first novel for adults? The Casual Vacancy, published by Little Brown and Co. is making it’s debut tomorrow, September 27.

A member of the town council of Pagford, Barry Fairbrother, dies unexpectedly in his early forties. The competition for his seat is fierce, and further exemplifies that the quaint town with cobbled streets is not at all what it seems. In fact, everyone is at war with one another and nothing is as it seems.

Want to read more? Here’s J. K. Rowling’s web site with more detail.