Being Inspired by Others

Psalm 8

O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?

5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands. You have put all things under his feet,

7 All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,

8 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Being Shakespeare

As I work on my novel this afternoon I'm watching Hamlet with Kenneth Branagh. I am completely in awe of Shakespeare, the power of his lines so beautifully and passionately rendered. I have paused from writing more than a few times to feel the lines as they are spoken. Here is Branagh delivering the Soliloquy:



Kenneth Branagh and the entire cast, including Kate Winslet in the role of Ophelia, are awesome. (It's about time Winslet won an Oscar for The Reader. She's a fine actor.) There are many captivating moments in this production of Hamlet. Watch this:



The cast delivers stunning performances. But, of course, Shakespeare had to first write stellar lines.

Being Winter

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind

Blow, blow, thou winter wind.
Thou art not so unkind
As man’s ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remember'd not.
Heigh-ho! sing, &c.


-- William Shakespeare, As You Like It, 1600

Being on Stage

Life has many turns and shifts, many uncertainties and wonders. Embrace them. It's curtain time. It is for this moment that you have rehearsed. Enjoy it!

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,

--Shakespeare, As You Like It

Being James Reeb

There are many civil rights activists that I know, including Viola Liuzzo, a Unitarian mother from Michigan who was murdered after the Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama, and some that I am coming to know.

Today I learned of the sacrifice of Reverend James Reeb, the Boston Unitarian minister who responded to an urgent telegram from Dr. Martin Luther King to participate in a non-violent march in Selma, Alabama.

Many thanks to the Unitarians for their love, sense of justice, and bravery. It's not by accident that in the very heart of such unrest both were of this particular religious denomination from two different states. People of other faiths fought non-violently too.


Reverend Reeb and two other Unitarian ministers responded to Dr. King's call. The day after their arrival in Selma, he and the other ministers were beaten by four white assailants. Reverend Reeb later died after having taken blows to the head. Dr. King eulogized the good reverend:

"And if he should die, take his body, and cut it into little stars. He will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night"

These beautiful words from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet so eloquently describe the radiant life of James Reeb. He entered the stage of history just 38 years ago, and in the brief years that he was privileged to act on this mortal stage, he played his part exceedingly well.

With the election of Barack Obama, it is very important to remember that many people have brought us to this very day. These include dedicated Abolitionists who lead the Underground Railroad and the Iowan voters who delivered that initial victory for President-elect Obama, without which this day would not have been possible.

Being in the Circle of Life

William Shakespeare-All the World's a Stage (from As You Like It )

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

What is the significance of these lines in doing work that matters every day?