• Philip Van Doren Stern, author of the short story that inspired the movie;
• Frank Capra, the immigrant who produced the film; 
• Jimmy Stewart, aka George Bailey.

Before the release of this perennial favorite, none of them were having a wonderful life.

The 1930s and 1940s, the decades in which the short story and the movie first appeared in public, were challenging for most Americans. Barely a decade after the Great Depression that left millions desperate, Europe’s Second World War erupted, eventually drawing in the USA. It was not a wonderful life for families who lost sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers in the war. It wasn’t a wonderful life at home either, as people made sacrifices large and small to support the war effort.

Once again, we see conflicts all over the globe displacing millions, destroying cities and lives, and turning colleagues and neighbors into enemies. May we find encouragement from the story behind the ever-popular movie “It’s A Wonderful Life.”  

Philip Van Doren Stern

This beloved film is based on Philip Van Doren Stern’s 1939 short story, “The Greatest Gift.” He was already a well-established author and editor when a dream inspired him to write the 4,000-word short story. When he failed to find anyone willing to publish it, he ran off 200 copies and sent them out as Christmas cards in 1943.

Stern wanted readers to see the value of each person’s life, especially in the midst of challenges, conflicts, and crises. What an appropriate message for all of us today. Reader’s Scope eventually published the story in 1944. That same year, Good Housekeeping ran it as “The Man Who Was Never Born.”  Stern eventually published it as an illustrated book, which is still available from Simon and Schuster as The Greatest Gift.

Frank Capra

Sicilian immigrant Frank Capra bought the movie rights and convinced a reluctant Jimmy Steward to take the part of George Bailey. It’s hard to imagine a Christmas season without this movie, but if our broken immigration system had not granted Frank Capra’s family entrance into the United States, we would likely not have this classic treasure. Capra, born in 1897 in Sicily, immigrated with his family to New York in 1903. His family traveled by train from New York to California, where Frank’s older brother lived. Capra recalled that they ate only bread and bananas for the duration of the trip because that was what they could order with their limited English. 

When World War I broke out, Capra enlisted in the Army and became a naturalized citizen in 1920. Influenza sent him back to his brother’s California home to recuperate. While there, he answered a call for a movie extra, which began his film career. By the 1930s, he was considered Hollywood’s most successful director, but in the years prior to that, he lived a rags-to-riches series of failures and successes. 

He was frequently unemployed, writing short stories no one wanted to publish and tutoring the son of a wealthy gambler for a place to live. After several failed directing attempts, he was so desperate he became a hobo, riding the rails. After a decade of filmmaking ups and downs, he directed the 1931 melodrama America Madness, the precursor to the 1947 “It’s A Wonderful Life.” The American Film Institute put “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the top of their “100 Years . . . 100 Cheers” list, naming it the best film ever made.

Jimmy Stewart – aka George Bailey

Jimmy Stewart played George Bailey in his first movie after returning home from the war. He was suffering from what today we’d label as PTSD. Author Ned Forney wrote about how Stewart’s war experiences shaped his role as the desperate George Bailey. Both the actor and the character struggled to overcome what appeared to be hopeless situations. As a pilot, Stewart felt enormous stress to prevent the death of his comrades. By the end of his service, he suffered what then was called “flak-happy,” that is, shell shock or battle fatigue.

Stewart has given hope to millions with his gentle spirit and compassionate words. The agonizing dilemmas confronting George Bailey were all too real to Stewart. Those closest to the movie’s production observed that Stewart wasn’t acting as much as re-living the trauma he’d faced as a pilot in the war. Until Capra approached him to take the role of Bailey in the movie, Stewart was considering giving up acting.

Our Turn

We can easily identify events that are distressing, depressing, and desperate. Might we also identify aspects of our lives that are wonderful despite the challenges and disappointments? I am grateful for the perseverance and fortitude of three men who have gifted us a movie that offers hope and inspiration year after year. Watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” is high on my list of ‘must-watch’ holiday movies each year. How about you? It can still be a wonderful life when we find ways to help each other along the way to a new and hopefully much better next year.

Thank you for taking the time to read about this classic Christmas movie. Share it with a friend or sign up for your own free subscription at HowWiseThen. I will not sell your information. SPECIAL DECEMBER SALE – BOTH MAYFLOWER HISTORICAL NOVELS FOR $35 OR EITHER ONE FOR $22. EMAIL kathrynhaueisen@gmail.com FOR DETAILS.

Mary Brewster’s Love Life and Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures: available wherever books are sold. Bookshop.org/Mayflower; Mary BrewsterAmazon.com/Mary Brewster’s Love Life
Amazon.com/Mayflower-Chronicles
BarnesandNoble.com/w/mayflower-chronicles
BarnesandNoble/MaryBrewster
Autographed copies are available on my website.

The post A Wonderful Life? appeared first on How Wise Then.

A while back, I had what was a fairly typical day in my new back-in-Ohio-where-I-grew-up day. I wrote about it and am sharing it here as the longer answer to how I like my retirement life.

A Typical Retirement Day

It began with coffee with Lisa, one of the first people I met when I moved into Homestead Village. She loves books and recently started a new position with a library close to where we live. I am over the moon excited to be friends with someone who works in a library! We often have coffee together, usually in the Homestead Village library, so that Brandi can join us and keep watch at the glass door overlooking the main hallway, where people come and go. He’s on full alert for Sandy, the office manager. If they see each other, he knows she’ll be back in a flash with treats for him.

The Great Furniture Swap

Though the next item is not a typical daily occurrence, it has been a regular activity as I’ve bought, sold, and swapped out furniture in the new apartment. The first loveseat was good, but I really wanted one that reclined. The space available can only accommodate a loveseat. Finding one with reclining seats, but no middle armrest, took from December to July. When my daughter, Karen, found one on an online marketplace, we jumped at the chance.

After coffee with Lisa, I headed out to the next town east of here – Pataskala. I love saying that name. There, I found exactly what I wanted —a leather double-reclining loveseat in excellent condition. The family selling it had about a week to empty the house, as they were moving the house was due to close soon. I assured her I wanted it, but needed to sell the other one first to make room for it.

A Plan Comes Together

Back on the online marketplace, Karen found a couple who wanted the other loveseat, if we could deliver it to them. Well, that involved my brother’s truck. Being approximately thirty years old, it required some coaxing to start. That required moving it a few feet from where it was parked, front end in, under a set of shelves in the garage. Thanks to my father, who insisted I learn how to drive a stick shift, I sat in the driver’s seat while Karen and Uncle Bruce, as everyone except me calls him, pushed it out a few feet.

Bruce is quite the wine-making master. While the truck battery charged, we adjourned to his family room to sample his latest wine-making efforts. Very good. With a charged truck at the ready, we maneuvered the old couch out of my apartment into the truck. A cross-town adventure relocated it to a couple who live about two blocks from where I used to live years ago. The next day, we went to Pataskala to claim the new-to-me leather loveseat.

It Takes a Team

The back comes off the loveseat, but not easily. It took quite an effort from the man selling the loveseat and Karen on the floor trying to loosen the bolts to release the seats, while the woman of the house shone her phone’s flashlight on their efforts. Uncle Bruce, granddaughter Erin, and I stood around supervising.

By mid-evening, the loveseat was relocated, reassembled, and reclining beautifully in my apartment. My role was doling out cash for gas and dinner as compensation for the effort. I love the new seat. It works well for naps, reading, computer work, and TV watching.

Making New Friends

The great loveseat transfer took more than one day to complete. However, on the day I first visited the leather one, I returned home in time to meet a couple of women from our church at the apartment of the Syrian refugee family our congregation is assisting in their efforts to resettle in Columbus. They had arrived the night before.

Until they boarded a flight in Amman, Jordan, to head to Ohio, they were living in a refugee camp in Jordan. They’d been there a full decade, virtually the entire lives of their children. I wrote more about that in Pilgrims, Refugees and Immigrants. What I noted in my journal was this: “We met at the family’s new apartment. Their little girl is adorable. Their son is polite and friendly. The parents are delightful. Bless them as they adapt, and perhaps someday return home.”

Two weeks later, the church formed a tutoring team to bring the parents up to speed in English so they could start ESL classes. They are motivated, but are starting from scratch – learning the English language ABCs and reading from left to right. When people ask, “Why don’t they speak English?” I want to ask them (but don’t – what would be the point?) – “How many foreign languages do you speak?” I love this country, but sometimes we are so arrogant and clueless.

But Wait, There’s More

We showed the adults how to use the stove and oven, as well as how to adjust the apartment’s temperature. I went through a picture book with their daughter. Their son was outside kicking a soccer ball around with a boy about his age. [Update: The son is now on a community soccer team.]

Next up, I spent time with my daughter to distract her dogs if they started barking while she was occupied running her first solo appointment for a new online job. The job involves helping people select the photos they want from their professional photographer’s session.

Maybe that wasn’t the most typical day, but there have been many like it. I love being retired in Ohio.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Share it with a friend or sign up for your own free subscription at HowWiseThen. I will not sell your information. Select a monthly newsletter and/or weekly articles about whatever’s on my mind that week.

Mary Brewster’s Love Life and Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures: available wherever books are sold. Bookshop.org/Mayflower; Mary Brewster
Amazon.com/Mary Brewster’s Love Life
Amazon.com/Mayflower-Chronicles
BarnesandNoble.com/w/mayflower-chronicles
BarnesandNoble/MaryBrewster
Autographed copies are available on my website.

The post The Retired Life appeared first on How Wise Then.

Nancy said that the group’s first selection was The Faith Club: a Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew, by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner. She explained, “Every year we choose another book and continue our conversation, even moving to Zoom for a time when the pandemic would not allow us to meet in person. Today we call the group ‘Women’s Voices.’”

Safe Place to Meet and Learn

When women provide a space where those present feel safe, a close community forms, wounds heal, seeds of hope grow, and much more than discussing books takes root and grows. Nancy asked members of the group what drew them to participate and shared their responses with me.

Mary Davis, a member of a United Church of Christ congregation, said she joined because she was missing the daily diversity in her life that she had treasured when she was teaching and had a wider variety of contacts and interactions in her life. “I was missing the variety of experiences from my mostly white, middle-class life. Besides the great camaraderie, I appreciate the interactions with these women and their religious communities.”

Feeling Valued, Accepted, and Appreciated

Bertha Ibarra Parle, a Catholic, said, “We come from different religious traditions, yet we each feel valued, accepted, and appreciated.  Through the readings and discussions, we are challenged to grow and learn from one another. We are all on different paths, all with the same purpose: to know and love God and serve others.”

Samia Nazir, a Muslim member of the group, said, “Previously, I was involved in the Islamic Art Society, a majority female-dominated organization. I am also involved in the Hijabi Project 101, where I feature biographical YouTube stories of women who wear the Islamic headscarf. With each new female featured, this has become an ever-enlarging sisterhood for me. With the intention of further expanding my female kinship, I joined the Women’s Voices forum.

She added that Women’s Voices provides a wealth of experience shared by the ladies, each with a unique vantage point, coming from different experiences and at different stages of life. The group includes atheists, Catholics, Muslims, married, widowed, divorcing, single, conservative, and liberal. Though the differences are endless, participants form a common bond.

Sharing Vulnerabilities and Secrets

Presbyterian Elizabeth Jeter agrees. “The fact that we have come from different faith traditions and have opened up in that area has led to our opening up in other parts of our lives: our vulnerabilities, our secrets, our fears, our joys. It has led to our feeling safe and wanting more time with each other.”

Penny Leas claims no particular faith affiliation, but finds, “As a result of joining this wonderful group, I’ve spent the last fifteen months helping Afghan refugees receive clothing, housewares, carpets, and furniture to help make their families more comfortable as they adjust to life in a completely different culture and part of the world.”

Better Understand Our World

Hindu member Ooma Lakshmanan said she joined, “To better understand the world we live in. I found like-minded people who I think I can truly call friends.”

Episcopalian Linda Barry said, “ I have come to call people of many faith traditions and no faith tradition friends. I have broadened my understanding of God, and I see God in those I meet as a result of my connection with this group.”

Baptist Ann Sullivan noted, “My brain and my heart have grown through the books we have read and the connections I have made with women of many faiths or no formal faith connection.”

Diane Hunt, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints community, said those who participate in such a group should “Expect to make new and genuine friends. Expect to have your ideas, beliefs, and reality challenged. Expect to deepen your faith and strengthen your beliefs. Expect to be enlightened, loved, and listened to, as well as lift, love, and listen to others.”

Mary agrees. “If you are interested in expanding your horizons and learning about other cultures/religions/experiences, this is your group.”

No Monopoly on Truth and Goodness

Asked about things they learned that they hadn’t realized they needed to know, Mary said, “Through this group, I learned the world is a lot smaller. When the floods hit Pakistan last year, they affected family members from this group. It wasn’t just something that happened on the other side of the world.”

Diane, “I do not have a monopoly on truth and goodness. Anyone who brings joy and goodness to the world is worth knowing.”

Samia said, “I learned to be a listener so I can learn. We believe our own views and experiences are the most dominant narrative in the world until we hear the personal accounts of others. In this forum, I had to detach my emotional self from anything I shared. This forced me to be objective about my experiences. It felt like a big step towards growing up, which I will probably be doing in other ways till the day I die.”

How Much Alike We All Are

Linda noted, “My life is enriched by new ideas. It is critical for me to hear the voices of people whose lives are different from mine. I see how much alike we all are.  I see how I may worship in a different way from you, but I have come to know that no matter how a person worships he/she was created by God and is much loved.  And there are things to learn from each person I encounter that enrich my life.”

Penny said, “I have spent much of my life meeting and working with people from different countries and faith traditions, and I believe this experience is invaluable to becoming a more open-minded and well-rounded person.  Having lived my whole life in Texas (thus far), I realize how easily I could tuck myself into a silo and never meet anyone with different experiences than my own, so instead I purposely expose myself to people who have a broader experience of the world through their faith, their culture, and the details of their specific lives.

Diane summed up the value of getting to know people from cultures different than our own. “Anytime we expand our circle of relationships to include those who look or think differently from ourselves, there is space to understand and love more deeply. An ability to sympathize and even empathize becomes a reality as we share our vulnerabilities and listen to learn. Interacting with others who desire to understand makes the world more tolerable, good, and joyful.”

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Retired Librarian Nancy Agafitei has put together a list of resources the group has used. You can download it here. Share it with a friend or sign up for your own free subscription at HowWiseThen. I will not sell your information. Select a monthly newsletter and/or weekly articles about whatever’s on my mind that week.

Mary Brewster’s Love Life and Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures: available wherever books are sold. Bookshop.org/Mayflower; Mary Brewster
Amazon.com/Mary Brewster’s Love Life
Amazon.com/Mayflower-Chronicles
BarnesandNoble.com/w/mayflower-chronicles
BarnesandNoble/MaryBrewster
Autographed copies are available on my website.

The post Women’s Voices appeared first on How Wise Then.

The Columbus Metropolitan Library Festival was the library’s first Book Festival, planned to celebrate its 150th anniversary. They estimate over 30,000 folks came out to check out the festivities. It was 18 months in the making and involved dozens and dozens of staff and volunteers. Over and over again, I heard people saying they hoped this was the first annual event. The Columbus Metropolitan Library has many good reasons to be very proud of an event that was well planned, expertly executed, and a tribute to books and the people who love them.  The 2023 Book Festival was a success on steroids.

Highlights of the Library

The Mirror Couple

I had a wonderful weekend at the Columbus Metropolitan Book Festival and thought you might enjoy visiting it via some of the photos I took. This was one of the best-organized events I’ve ever attended. The pre-event details were numerous and helpful.   It began on Friday evening with a reception for the authors, donors, and vendors, featuring appetizers and an open bar. This couple, known as the Mirror People, wandered around to keep things interesting. We also had the opportunity to explore the tent filled with books, music, and movies. I only came home with one book and three movies. This couple wandered around entertaining us.

Meeting Other Authors

Meet the authors panel

First thing Saturday morning, I moderated a panel with three talented authors. It was inspiring to meet (L-R) Erin Bartels, Lynn Blackburn, and Shelley Shepard Gray.  All their books are fascinating, and my list of books to read grew by leaps and bounds after meeting the authors in person.

Topiary Garden

I signed up for a booth, figuring it would be a canopy, table, and chairs. I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was a tent along a path that meanders through to the Topiary Garden. There is a small museum about the park only a few yards down the path from the booth, so I took time to visit it. The park is situated on the remnants of the Old Deaf School Park. The parkland dates back to the early 19th century when there was a dormitory and campus associated with the Deaf School. It’s a fascinating story that I’ll cover another day. For now, here’s a glimpse of a few of the charming items in the park.

Meeting Other Book Lovers

Booth #47

The tent protected us from the rain on Saturday and the heat on Sunday. Lots of folks stopped by to learn more about the story behind the Mayflower. I enjoy sharing some of my research resources with others who want to know more about the story behind this famous voyage. If that’s you, one resource I recommend is an amazing website managed by Caleb Johnson. Mayflower History has enough information about the ship, the voyage, and the people on it to keep you busy for hours.

Family Time

On my breaks, I wandered around admiring all the families spending time together exploring the many book options and enjoying a day in the park. With their permission, I took photos of these two parents enjoying a lovely day in a beautiful place. I hope one day these children will realize how fortunate they are to have parents who spend time with them enjoying some of life’s simple pleasures such as taking time to read together and stroll around a beautiful park.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Share it with a friend or sign up for your own free subscription at HowWiseThen. I will not sell your information. Select a monthly newsletter and/or weekly articles about whatever’s on my mind that week.

Mary Brewster’s Love Life and Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures: available wherever books are sold. Bookshop.org/Mayflower; Mary Brewster
Amazon.com/Mary Brewster’s Love Life
Amazon.com/Mayflower-Chronicles
BarnesandNoble.com/w/mayflower-chronicles
BarnesandNoble/MaryBrewster
Autographed copies are available on my website.

The post Book Festival appeared first on How Wise Then.

Daily Habits Impact Mental Health
By Roanne Johns

Too often, the stigma around mental health leads to unhelpful silence. Many people recoil at the mention of disorders like depression or anxiety, as if even mentioning a troubled condition puts one at risk of acquiring it. Yet it must be understood that, especially in this day and age, mental stability is cultivated, not assured, and talking about mental health is far more productive than letting the subject fester in secrets and painful quiet. It’s time to admit that everyone struggles with mental health sometimes and we all must find routines to maintain our psychological equilibrium. Here are four daily habits that can contribute to improving mental health.

Nurture Proper Posture

The way you physically hold yourself can affect your mental well-being. If you’re often hunched over and caved in on yourself, not only will your bones, back, and neck ache—the bodily discomfort will spike your stress and anxiety. In contrast, sitting and standing straight can boost your energy and mood. Your posture might be difficult to improve by yourself, however, so consider investing in ergonomic furniture—equipment designed to optimize your body’s comfort and position. The best ergonomic chairs should be durable and sturdy, with customizable seating to give your back excellent support. For example, the Steelcase Gesture Chair has a 3D Live Back support that adapts to your spine’s curve and movement, allowing you to stay in a healthy ergonomic posture no matter how you sit. Nurture a proper posture to boost your mental health.

Eat Intuitively

Today’s photo alteration tools that divorce image from reality, make the ideal body type more unrealistic and ridiculous. Yet still, many try to diet their way to that ever-elusive beauty standard, deteriorating their physical and mental health in the process.

Complicating your relationship with food that nourishes you can harm your internal well-being. The more healthful option overall is to let go of aesthetic ideals and simply eat when you’re hungry. That doesn’t mean indulging in every appetizing whim, of course. Instead, intuitive eating means paying attention when your body tells you what it needs and giving it sustenance freely.

According to a 2021 study, doing this predicts better psychological health and lower disordered eating. If you’re having trouble adjusting to this mindset, you can leverage a healthy eating app like Way, which encourages you to be mindful of your eating habits. You’ll be able to reflect on your attitudes toward eating and organically shift your behavior. Eat intuitively every day for better mental health.

Take up an Art

Art fulfills an essential function in our lives, and taking up a method of self-expression can help boost your mental well-being. This is backed up by research. For example, a 2021 study found that singing in a choir is associated with better mood and quality of life in healthy older adults. Those who regularly participated had the added benefit of better verbal flexibility. Choir singing provides an accessible way to unleash your creativity and communicate your thoughts and feelings, as well as opportunities for health-giving socialization. If the thought of performing in front of a crowded room doesn’t sound appealing, that’s alright—your art can be anything. Pick up any creative hobby that inspires you, such as painting or baking. Practice it consistently and watch your mental health improve.

Connect with Your Faith

Your mental health is related to your spiritual health. A 2020 study found that spirituality is positively related to psychological well-being and linked to health-related behaviors, demonstrating that undertaking spiritual practices—especially for those already invested in understanding the human mind and spirit—benefits your mental state. How you apply this is up to you and your faith practice. The crucial aspect is that allocating time for prayer, meditation, or your faith’s equivalent will bolster you mentally.

Your mental health is important and should be cultivated with care. Follow the four daily habits above to keep your mind healthy.

Roanne Johns is a stay-at-home mom training to become a licensed planning family consultant. She loves to help others through her writing, whether it be through advice or real-life experiences. Outside of her work, she does volunteer work in her community and caring for her grandfather who has looked after her since she was young.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Share it with a friend or sign up for your own free subscription at HowWiseThen. I will not sell your information. Select a monthly newsletter and/or weekly articles about whatever’s on my mind that week.

Mary Brewster’s Love Life and Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures: available wherever books are sold. Bookshop.org/Mayflower; Mary Brewster
Amazon.com/Mary Brewster’s Love Life
Amazon.com/Mayflower-Chronicles
BarnesandNoble.com/w/mayflower-chronicles
BarnesandNoble/MaryBrewster
Autographed copies are available on my website.

The post Four Small Steps to Mental Health appeared first on How Wise Then.

Heather Cox Richardson has written a succinct and helpful summary of our country’s beginning. Our history is complicated. It doesn’t help us move forward together as a country to cast dispersions on those with whom we disagree or who have different cultural and social biographies than our own. Our country has a long history of good times and bad times. It seems as if Charles Dickens’ opening lines in his 1859 Tale of Two Cities were written for us living here today. “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Small Events Lead to Big Changes

Our astounding achievements and prosperity have lulled us into believing all is well, or not our personal problem if all is not well for some. Political squabbling, global warming, and cruel injustices inflicted on some have created a sea of systemic sludge. Bit by bit, we’ve sacrificed safety and community for convenience, profit, and mind-numbing pastimes. Like the frog in the pot, the environment is deteriorating right along with the lifestyles we once took for granted. Insurance companies are starting to refuse coverage in the aftermath of relentless wildfires. The demand for affordable housing exceeds the available supply. We are no longer safe in our own communities as mass shootings have become virtually a daily occurrence.

This is why the Fourth of July 2023 has me thinking about that poor frog. It adapted to its environment and continued to adapt until its life was in danger. I worry that we humans are doing the same thing. Solution? Be informed and read from a variety of sources. We can talk and listen to each other. Turn strangers into acquaintances and then, perhaps, friends. Get to know the people around you. Learn about our complicated past rather than trying to deny or gloss over the worst of times. That is the path to the spring of hope.

Thank You, Heather Cox Richardson

Here’s a summary of Heather Cox Richardson’s July 3, 2023, article about our earliest history.

• 1763 – The end of the French and Indian War led to an economic boom, as the French relinquished control of the western lands of North America, and expansion beyond the Appalachian Mountains presented new opportunities. The colonists owed a debt of gratitude to the British for their support throughout the war.
• 1765 – King George attempted to prevent another expensive war with the Indigenous people by prohibiting colonists from crossing the Appalachians. To recoup some of the costs of the previous war, the British Parliament imposed the Stamp Act, a tax on all printed materials.
• 1766 – In response to numerous protests, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act and instead passed the Declaratory Act, giving Parliament authority to make binding laws that impacted the colonists. The colonist had neither voice nor vote in Parliament.
• 1767 – When this news reached Boston, MA, local groups boycotted taxed goods and raided warehouses owned by those suspected of breaking the boycott.
• 1768 – British troops arrived in Boston to restore order.
• March 1770 – British soldiers shot into a crowd of men and boys. Five died, and six others were wounded.
• May 1773 – The British Parliament attempted to bail out the East India Company by granting it a monopoly on all tea sales in the colonies, which would result in cheaper tea for the colonists, thereby justifying the tea tax.
• Fall 1773 – Ships full of East India tea sailed toward the colonies but turned away when they learned trouble was brewing. Except the ship is headed to Boston.
• December 16, 1773 – Colonists dressed as Indigenous people and held the famous Boston Tea Party. Parliament closed the Boston port.
• 1774 – Colonial delegates met in Philadelphia to discuss how to object to British tyranny, while others stockpiled weapons and supplies and created a system of men who could be ready to fight at a minute’s notice. British officials ordered the arrests of Samuel Adams and John Hancock.
• April 1775 – British soldiers set out for Lexington to arrest Adams and Hancock. Several dozen minutemen greeted them. Shots were fired. Eight residents were killed, a dozen more wounded. The British soldiers attempting to return to Boston were shot at by minutemen. Causalities included 73 dead British soldiers, 49 colonists killed, and numerous wounded on both sides.
• Spring 1775 – The Continental Congress convened and decided to establish the Continental Army, with George Washington appointed as its commander. Some of the delegates wrote to King George, blaming the troubles on the king’s men who dealt out excessively harsh treatment, forcing the colonists to arm themselves, but pledging their loyalty to the monarch. Before their attempts to achieve a peaceful outcome reached King George in the fall of 1775, he’d already declared the colonies to be rebelling against his authority.
• January 1776 – Thomas Paine wrote his “Common Sense” pamphlet, blaming their troubles on the king and rejecting the notion that an island could properly govern a continent. The document spread throughout the colonies, prompting people to call for independence.
• April 1776 – various states wrote their own declarations of independence. The Virginia convention asked the Second Continental Congress to declare the United Colonies free and absolved of all allegiance to the Crown or Parliament of Great Britain.
• July 2, 1776 – The Second Continental Congress passed the “Resolution for Independence.” It was officially adopted on July 4, 1776, marking the final break between the colonies and England and confirming the conviction that a nation should rest not on the arbitrary rule of a single person and their hand-picked advisors, but on the rule of law.

So it was decided. So it was written. May it continue to be so as we trudge through the sludge we’ve accumulated through the centuries, making amends for the wrongs, adapting to new realities, and working together to reach that spring of hope.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Share it with a friend or sign up for your own free subscription at HowWiseThen. I will not sell your information. Select a monthly newsletter and/or weekly articles about whatever’s on my mind that week.

Mary Brewster’s Love Life and Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures: available wherever books are sold. Bookshop.org/Mayflower; Mary Brewster
Amazon.com/Mary Brewster’s Love Life
Amazon.com/Mayflower-Chronicles
BarnesandNoble.com/w/mayflower-chronicles
BarnesandNoble/MaryBrewster
Autographed copies are available on my website.

The post Fourth of July 2023 appeared first on How Wise Then.

I love everything about Les Mis as it is known in my family. I’ve seen it on stage in multiple theatres in two countries, wore out the cassette tape version, have two CD versions in my car, and frequently listen to them. The quote above is my favorite quote from one of my favorite songs from this immortal story.

Back in the late 60s, before we knew our daughter would soon be joining our new marriage, Jim and I had a dream about what could become our first home that wasn’t campus housing or a marginal apartment. He was finishing college at Bowling Green. I was in my first full-time adult job at The Defiance Collage 45 miles to the west. We frequently drove through the charming village of Florida about halfway between the two.

A Dream Forms

This route took us past what had once upon a time been St. Peter’s Lutheran Church. The congregation moved to a new location and sold the building pictured here.

Former St. Peter Lutheran Church, Florida, OH

Some gutsy older single woman, whose name I’ve long since forgotten, bought it and turned it into her home. She was ready to move on and put a “For Sale” sign out front. We stopped by one day on our regular travels between Defiance and Bowling to get the tour. It was love at first sight. We wanted to live there.

What had been the chancel was now her living room. She created her bedroom in the choir loft, accessible only by a steep flight of stairs. Under the loft area, she created a kitchen and bathroom. Where the pews had once been, she had all manner of interesting furniture and furnishings.

We drove the miles between Defiance and Bowling Green speculating on all the amazing things we could do with that space. The parties we could host. The fun it would be to make it our own. The beauty of the stained glass windows.

Financing the Dream

We had only one small problem. We were living on my annual income of $5,000, supplemented by the part-time student-rate income Jim earned working at the BGSU Radio and TV station. Our combined income was nowhere near sufficient to make a downpayment and manage monthly mortgage payments. We struggled to come up with our $75/month rent.

But that did not stop us from dreaming about how wonderful it would be to call the lovely brick building our home. Dreams generate enthusiasm and hope. We had plenty of both, if not the funds to implement our dream. We did have four employed parents between us. So we asked them for a loan to make the downpayment.

I do not know if they conferred with each other, but they all were in agreement. “No.” No discussion. No bartering or bargaining. Just one loud, clear, not-to-be-challenged “No.”

A Dream That Could Not Be

Life went on. Jim graduated. Carol joined us, followed after a couple of years by Karen. We rented a while. We bought and sold a variety of homes in a plethora of places. Over time I completely forgot about the little Florida church. Until a couple of weeks ago when I was back in Northwest Ohio. We drove from Defiance to Bowling Green, right through Florida. And there was the church! Only now, it is a library. A library! Perfect. Being the daughter of a librarian, I literally partially grew up in libraries. Being a pastor, I’ve spent countless hours in churches of all sizes and locations.

Librarian Megan was also part genealogist and part local historian. She gave us a great tour of the library. I’ve since donated two of my books to the collection in a place that never became one of my many homes. There are dreams that cannot be. Perhaps, because they get in the way of other things that were meant to be instead.

Dreams That Do Come True

Who knows? If I had lived there, might I have missed out on the many wonderful other experiences I’ve had since then? It is true. There are dreams that cannot be and storms we cannot weather. It is equally true other dreams come along that are meant to be. Writing has always been one of my dreams. That dream has come true in astonishing ways.

I never got to live in this little brick church, but now two of my books do. If your travels ever take you to Florida, Ohio, take time to check out this delightful little church-turned-library. Megan will show you great hospitality.

PS: Readers need not apologize for reading books on loan from libraries. People who love books and libraries are thrilled to support libraries. If you love a book, be sure to tell someone about it. Word of mouth is still the best form of advertising. Asking your library to order a copy of your favorite book, even if I didn’t write it.

Mary Brewster’s Love Life and Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures: available wherever books are sold. Bookshop.org/Mayflower; Mary Brewster
Amazon.com/Mary Brewster’s Love Life
Amazon.com/Mayflower-Chronicles
BarnesandNoble.com/w/mayflower-chronicles
BarnesandNoble/MaryBrewster Autographed copies are available on my website.

The post Dreams That Cannot Be appeared first on How Wise Then.

— William Stafford

It is Holy Week 2023. What I write today – Tuesday – will be delivered to your inbox on Good Friday. The verse above I found in a Tuesday Holy Week reflection by Diana Butler Bass in her newsletter “The Cottage.” I commend it for your own Good Friday Reflection. The term “Good Friday” is intentionally confusing as it refers to the specific day in history when Jesus was crucified. From our vantage point, we know that was the turning point, not the endpoint. But that day, those who had put their trust in him to turn a very bad situation around did not know that it was not the end. It was not a good Friday for them.

That day, they had no way of knowing he would not only return but would launch a movement that has shaped the world ever since. That day, they only knew the one they had trusted, followed, loved, and depended on to make their lives worth living had been taken from them through acts of violence.

Endings and Beginnings

That not-Good Friday, they were overcome with despair, frustration, fear, anxiety, discouragement, bewilderment, and a host of other jarring emotions. Much as I am this week – and perhaps you are as well. We’ve witnessed yet another slaughter of innocent grade school children. Meanwhile, nearly all media eyes are focused on a man who has had far more than his share of the public limelight. I’m not mentioning his name, and I’m writing this before we know the outcome of today’s court appearance. Nor am I rendering a personal opinion on the subject. When will it end? How will it end? Who knows? Surely, I do not. We are on the not-knowing side of a historical event, just as those dejected folks were two millennia ago.

Good Friday was not the end of the story. Much good has come from that day. The movement that began with a few frightened and discouraged people grew. At first, slowly, as the mighty sequoia starts from a small seedling, pushing its way up through obstacles of dirt and debris. Then more joined in, and more and more. Those who claim affiliation with that one man and what happened that one weekend centuries ago continue to have shaped society.

Love is the Trunk

A mature sequoia can rise 350 feet above the ground, with a trunk 20 to 40 feet in diameter. But that growth takes time. It may be 30 feet tall in ten years and only 100 to 150 feet tall in 50 years.

St. Catherine of Siena compared our lives to a tree. She wrote that the trunk is love, the core is patience, the roots are self-knowledge, and the branches are discernment. Love remains the most powerful force on earth, but it does not stand alone. It is sustained by patience and fed by self-awareness of both our individual worth and our capacity to influence others. It fulfills its purpose through awareness of where and how we can most effectively spread love.

Where to Focus

For the past few weeks, I’ve been in a weekly email exchange discernment process with another author about where to focus my writing efforts. I’m more than old enough to officially retire and savor the many wonderful opportunities before me now. But writing is as much an addiction as a craft or calling. I cannot not write. So the issue is not whether to write; the issue is what to write about and what to do with what I’ve written.

On this annual procession through Good Friday to Easter, I wonder if anything I write will make even an iota of difference in influencing the current context of conflicts, hostility, cruelty, arrogance, and senseless slaughter of innocents all around us. I do not know. But like the sequoia seed pushing through the dark dirt toward the bright sun, I feel compelled to try.

Each One Reach One

Here is my idea. In light of all that is troublesome right now, think of one person you know who could use a word of encouragement. Call, write, or visit that person simply to stay connected. No agenda. No advice. No request. Just “I was thinking about you and wanted to connect.” That’s it. Just connect with one person and do what is within your power to make this Friday a good one for one other person.

Will that stop the school shootings? Probably not. Will that put an end to the contentious political environment? Not likely. Will that end cancer or resolve world hunger? No and no, but it will increase the level of love in the world through that one connection, and that matters.

“Quiet in the earth a drop of water came, and the little seed spoke: “Sequoia is my name.” by William Stafford.

Thank you for spending a few moments of your precious time reading along today. If you like what you’ve read, please share this with a friend. Or, if you’d like to join this growing online community, head over to HowWiseThen to sign up for your FREE subscription. I won’t sell your information. You decide if you prefer a monthly newsletter or weekly articles about whatever is swirling around in my mind that week. I’m often as surprised as you are by what I decide to write about.

Mary Brewster’s Love Life and Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures: available wherever books are sold. Bookshop.org/Mayflower; Mary Brewster
Amazon.com/Mary Brewster’s Love Life
Amazon.com/Mayflower-Chronicles
BarnesandNoble.com/w/mayflower-chronicles
BarnesandNoble/MaryBrewster Autographed copies available at my website.

The post Good Friday appeared first on How Wise Then.

”The Mayflower set sail for the New World from England in September 1620 with nineteen women among the 102 passengers. The passengers consisted of two groups. The smaller group were Separatists, English subjects who’d been living in Holland as religious refugees since 1608. The others were English residents added to the passenger list by the Merchant Adventurers. This group financed the trip and insisted that the additional passengers be included to increase the chances that the new settlement would survive and make them a good return on their investment.

An Increase in the Passenger List

All nineteen women survived the trans-Atlantic journey, including three women who were pregnant. The first woman to deliver her baby was Elizabeth Hopkins. She and her husband Stephen named their new son Oceanus since he was born somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. They traveled with three other children, two born to Stephen’s late wife, Mary, and one previously born to Elizabeth. Once they established themselves in Plimoth Plantation, they had five more children.

Mary Allerton delivered her stillborn baby while living on the anchored ship off the coast of Provincetown. She died a few days later, leaving behind three young children and her husband, Isaac.

Susanna White also delivered her son while still living on the anchored ship. She and her husband, William, named their baby Peregrine. They also had a five-year-old son, Resolved. William was among the many who died the first winter, leaving her a widow in a strange new place with a newborn and a young child.

Loss and Resolve

Her marriage to Edward Winslow on May 12, 1621, was the first marriage in the Plimoth Colony. Edward’s young wife, Elizabeth, had died in March, another victim of deprivations and the harsh first winter. An extended period of time to grieve was a luxury these desperate people could ill afford. Both the Whites and the Winslows were among the Separatists emigrating from Leiden. The couple had four children: Edward, John, Josiah, and Elizabeth, in addition to an unnamed child who died young.

Katherine Carver, another of the Separatists, was one of five women still alive when winter finally gave way to spring. She and her husband, John, married while living among other Separatists in Leiden. John Carver served as the group’s first governor until his death in April, from what was presumed to be heat stroke. Katherine died a few weeks later, perhaps from a broken heart at the prospect of going on without her husband and without any children needing her attention or offering her comfort.

Four Surviving Pilgrim Women

After Katherine died, only Susanna White, Elizabeth Hopkins, Mary Brewster, and Eleanor Billington still lived. Mary was married to Elder William Brewster, the designated spiritual leader of the emigrated Leiden community. They sailed with their young sons, Love and Wrestling. Their older children, Jonathan, Patience, and Fear, arrived at the settlement on later ships. Mary, being one of the older passengers on the Mayflower, often provided a home for orphaned children and young adults on their own. She was also one of a handful of pilgrims well enough to tend to the sick, nursing future Governor William Bradford back to health.

Eleanor Billington and her husband, John Billington, traveled with their young sons, John and Francis. They were part of the English residents foisted on the Leiden community by the Merchant Adventurers. The family caused much trouble in the colony from time to time. John was executed for murder in 1630. Six years later, Eleanor was sentenced to sit in the stocks. However, during that first winter, she pitched in to care for the many sick among both the Strangers and Separatists.

Read More in a New Historical Fiction Biography

More of the stories of those sturdy surviving Pilgrim Women are told through the historical fiction biography Mary Brewster’s Love Life: The Matriarch of the Mayflower. It will soon be available in print and eBooks wherever books are sold.

Parts of this article are based on information found in Mayflower History, Pilgrim Hall, and Women History Blog.

Thank you for joining our growing online community. If you appreciated this post, share it with one or more of your friends. Or, sign up for your own FREE subscription.

Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures: available wherever books are sold.
Bookshop.org (Support local Bookshops)
Amazon.com/Mayflower-Chronicles-Tale-Two-Cultures/
BarnesandNoble.com/w/mayflower-chronicles-kathryn-haueisen/
Autographed copies are available from my website.

The companion story told from the perspective of one of the four women to survive the first winter will be available soon in print and eBook.

The post Those Sturdy Surviving Pilgrim Women appeared first on How Wise Then.

Thank you Bishop Rinehart for your thoughts about applying an ancient practice to our very modern challenges. Though appropriate any time, Lent seems a particularly good time to incorporate this practice into our lives. Lent begins next Wednesday with Ash Wednesday.

Lent and Learning to Fast Again

by Michael Rinehart

God cannot fill what is full. — Mother Teresa

The three disciplines of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Jesus instructs his followers on these three disciplines in Matthew 6:1-21, encouraging them to beware of showy self-righteousness. We tend to pray and give pretty well, but fasting is another matter. It is a blessing worth our attention.

Everybody fasts.

You have fasted many times. In fact, you fasted today. If you slept eight hours last night, you fasted or went without food for at least eight hours. If you finished dinner at 7:00 p.m. and ate breakfast at 7:00 a.m., you fasted for 12 hours. Your “breakfast” broke your nighttime fast. All of us fast, often without thinking about it. What would it look like to fast intentionally? What might be the benefits?

Partial Fasting

Fasting is not necessarily completely giving up all food. Much of the fasting in the Bible is partial fasting – giving up certain kinds of food or drink for a time. Additionally, fasting is more than abstaining from food. Fasting is abstaining from anything for a period of time: food, alcohol, sweets, smoking, speaking, sex, the internet, or television. If you’ve ever set aside or given up something for a time, you’ve fasted.

People fast for many reasons. A diet is a kind of fast. People fast as a way to protest or draw attention to injustice. Some fast for clarity. Others fast for health reasons, to reset their digestive system.

Fasting for Spiritual Growth

While all of these are good reasons, our focus in the 40 days of Lent is religious fasting for spiritual growth. In my own life, fasting has helped me become more attuned to the things of the Spirit, to listen for the voice of God, and to focus my prayer. Fasting has aided me in turning away from the god of the belly. We fast to empty ourselves, if only for a moment, so that there is room for God to fill us with love, joy, peace and so on. Fasting is powerful. A denied impulse focuses us. An empty stomach draws our attention away from the usual distractions of life, back to the reason for our fasting.

Christians have used the word “kenosis” (self-emptying) to describe the practices of humility, fasting and self-denial. Paul says in Philippians 2:7 that we are to have the mind of Christ, who did not exploit his divine status, but emptied himself, taking on the form of a servant. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus calls his followers to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him.

Many Biblical Examples

Jesus fasted at the beginning of his ministry. Consider the list of biblical characters that fasted: Moses, David, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Ezra, Jehoshaphat, Elijah, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Hannah, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego, Anna, Jesus, his disciples, Paul and others. You can meet many of these people in the pages of Learning to Fast Again: A Full Life through Self-emptying.

Fasting is not limited to Christianity of course, or even the Abrahamic faiths. Zoroaster fasted, as did Confucius. Plato fasted, along with Aristotle, Socrates, and Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine. Gandhi was a famous 20^thcentury leader because of his deliberate practice of fasting through difficult times.

It was common in antiquity to fast for multiple reasons. We tend to medicate our way through digestive and other maladies, but throughout the history of the world, especially among the poor, fasting was the way to feel better. Even today, many of us have heard from parents, “Starve a cold, feed a fever.” People would fast as an act of prayer or devotion. People would fast before battle.

Fast for Enlightenment

Learning to Fast Again is not about fasting to lose weight. It is about fasting for spiritual growth, awareness, and enlightenment. It is about making space in our lives for God to speak and act. We fast not to climb our way to God, through acts of self-righteousness, but rather to empty ourselves, so that we may be more open and aware to the movement of the Spirit.

Fasting is not universally commanded in the Bible. There is no legalistic case for fasting. We see fasting as an opportunity. We are under the freedom of the gospel.

A Word of Caution

A word of caution: Not all kinds of fasting are for everyone. Children, pregnant mothers, and the aged should not fast. Some medical conditions preclude skipping meals. If you are considering a complete fast, please consult your physician first to get clearance.

Learning to Fast Again is a 40-day devotional, study and workbook on fasting. It is the second in a series on the three disciplines of Lent: prayer, fasting and giving. Learning to Pray Again, Learning to Fast Again and Learning to Give Again cover the spiritual practices Jesus describes in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6.

Start Slow and Grow

Consider reading a chapter a day. Pick a few ideas that work for you and try them out. Start small. When one takes up running, one does not begin with a marathon. When one learns to play the piano, one doesn’t start with a Rachmaninov piano concerto. Start simply. Even if you’ve fasted before, begin again with the basics. Start with baby steps: a few hours of silence, or a meal. Find a group to fast with you and discuss the experience. Fasting in community is a powerful experience. It also provides support. Sometimes buddy power is stronger than will power.

When you fast, include prayer. Prayer and fasting appear together in the Bible constantly. Consider taking notes to record your experience. Start a prayer journal. Talk about it with a friend. In fact, if you or your congregation isn’t ready to jump into the topic of fasting Just yet, start with Learning to Pray Again: Peace and Joy through an Ancient Practice.

Fast with Joy

Above all, if you choose to fast, fast with joy. Fasting can be an act of contrition and humble repentance, but it can also be a powerful vehicle to invite a spiritual encounter. I pray these pages will spark your imagination into the joys of fasting.

Thank you Bishop Rinehart for sharing your insights into this ancient and beneficial practice. Michael Rinehart is the bishop of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod with offices in Houston and New Orleans.

His new book is available now at Amazon

Thank you for being part of this growing online community. If you appreciated this post, share it with one or more of your friends. Or, sign up for your own FREE subscription.

Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures: available wherever books are sold.
Bookshop.org (Support local Bookshops)
Amazon.com/Mayflower-Chronicles-Tale-Two-Cultures/
BarnesandNoble.com/w/mayflower-chronicles-kathryn-haueisen/
Autographed copies are available from my website.

AND, a companion story about the women who made the journey will be available soon.

The post Lent and Learning to Fast Again appeared first on How Wise Then.