Month: November 2017

Keeping in Touch

  We all know the importance of keeping family and friends close. The value of a strong, supportive social network. How staying in touch with loved ones contributes to mental and physical health.    But sometimes, keeping in touch can be, well, complicated.    We might live miles, and sometimes continents, away from family and …

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Mired in the Mud … Thoughts on Poetry and Fiction and War

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that I usually write something about Remembrance Day in November.  For many years, I taught at a school named for John McCrae, who wrote the famous poem “In Flanders Fields,” so observing Remembrance Day was a big deal for us, teaching students about the meaning of Remembrance …

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Thoughts of Boots

I once had a biology professor who could see the lighthearted side of just about anything. I remember one morning he strolled to the front of the lecture hall, stood for a moment stroking his chin pensively, and began,”Imagine this. It’s a warm spring evening, and a young worm’s fancy turns to thoughts of love.” …

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