In the third grade my teacher handed out Weekly Readers, a children’s version of a newspaper, at the end of one day for the class to read together. It was 1980 during the Iran hostage crisis making that the main headline. As we read the article together, I was overcome by sadness for the hostages and their families. I was quiet and shy back then, but I was sure if I could somehow contact President Carter, I could help. All I needed was to talk to the people responsible for the crisis and tell them how sad the hostage’s families were, tell them how much the hostages’ families missed them and loved them, remind them of their own families and how they would feel if someone did this to their
It’s easy to be happy in October. At least it is for me. The sweltering humidity of August is gone. The bitter cold of January is still in the distance. I walk in the forest with a warm or cool breeze at my back. The smell of smoldering fire pits wafts over backyard fences. The colors of the trees gradually and magically transform each day. And I get to watch it all. And I get to smell it all. And I get to feel it all. It’s so easy for me to be happy in October. In life we all have our own version of October. The times in our lives where happiness is effortless, where we don’t even have to try to experience peace. It just happens. It’s just easy. It’s just perfect. And then th
