Kung Hei Fat Choi
February 2, 2011
It feels appropriate to bring in the year of The Rabbit with this gentle and reflective poem by Lao Tzu, who is attributed with the writing of the “Tao-Te Ching”. According to Chinese tradition, The Rabbit is a lucky sign and ushers in a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves.
What means more to you,
You or how important you are?
What would you miss more,
You or the things you own?
If you’re stingy, it will cost you in the long run.
If you hoard, you will lose in the long run.
But if you’re humble enough to be generous
You can be generous to yourself.
You’ll know how to start over
When the path you are on is blocked,
You’ll know you can start again.
~ Lao Tzu
James Mercer Langston Hughes February 1, 1902-May 22, 1967
January 30, 2011
My People, Langston Hughes The night is beautiful, so the faces of my people. The stars are beautiful so the eyes of my people. Beautiful, also, is the sun. Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people. A book that brings this poem to life, My People by Charles R. Smith Jr. won the 2010 […]
Children never outgrow Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) by Lewis Carroll (January 27,1832)
January 26, 2011
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a classic— each year new children discover the book and many people I know (myself included) never outgrow their affection for Alice and her cronies. The book is one of those gems where— in addition to a story line filled with a mixture of whimsy and clever plot turns—many of […]
Martin Luther King and his dreams.
January 18, 2011
Martin Luther King’s dreams defined him. One of his dreams was “… that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” The poem, What Happens to a Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes is […]
Ben Franklin (January 17,1706) and the Public Library
January 17, 2011
How did the public library come to be? Most Americans in the 1730s had limited access to books. They were rare and expensive and there were no public libraries. Only the very wealthy and the clergy had access to large numbers of books and Ben Franklin, being the pragmatist that he was, set to change […]
