Every now and then I go through the bookshelf to clear some books and just see what's on there. It's easy to overlook books that have been there for 20 years, and even easier to forget just why I have kept them. Sometimes I re-read the books. Sometimes I don't have to. Sometimes they help me remember who I was when I first read them. Sometimes they contain the perfect message for today, just dusty.
One kooky little book that always survives the bookshelf clean-out is Parables from Other Planets: Folktales of the Universe by Hugh and Gayle Prather, published in 1991. It reminds me of how timeless some messages are and how examples and stories (even stories with lots of made-up words) can be the most compelling ways to make any point.
Here's a snippet from this book that I find especially appropriate: "What will the future hold for you? Only the love you give today...The only recognizable artifact on this abandoned world is [that] message, carved in huge furrows on the planet's desiccated and ruined surface."
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Election Day
I love Election Day. It's not that the political campaigning (robocalls, ugly street signs and TV ads) will be coming to an end, although that is an added bonus. It's not even about winning or losing. It's the vote that I love. I know people who don't vote for whatever reason: "I'm not political," or "I don't want to be called for jury duty," or "I don't have time to be an informed voter," or "What is one vote, anyway?." But I have a brother in Afghanistan who is away from his family at least a year at a time doing difficult work in a difficult environment so this democracy can stand. The least I can do is vote.
My mom is an election worker and has been for as long as I can remember. She is always there to check people in at their small precinct and give them a ballot. One year tornados and thunderstorms were rolling through the area and the polls never closed. Neighbors checked in on the election workers all day, bringing them flashlights and food to keep the polls open so everyone would have a chance to cast their ballot.
Voting in the United States is a graceful way to make our voices heard. Yes, marching in the street, blogging, tweeting, mailing letters all work, too. As communication channels go, the vote--the opportunity to vote, the right to vote, even the messy campaigning--is as eloquent as they get.
My mom is an election worker and has been for as long as I can remember. She is always there to check people in at their small precinct and give them a ballot. One year tornados and thunderstorms were rolling through the area and the polls never closed. Neighbors checked in on the election workers all day, bringing them flashlights and food to keep the polls open so everyone would have a chance to cast their ballot.
Voting in the United States is a graceful way to make our voices heard. Yes, marching in the street, blogging, tweeting, mailing letters all work, too. As communication channels go, the vote--the opportunity to vote, the right to vote, even the messy campaigning--is as eloquent as they get.
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