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What a childhood prank taught me about peopleAs a child, my prank-loving self collided with my compulsively honest one. I learned that even the strictest teachers can laugh at a joke 鈥� sometimes.
On an island, you can become oneIn my mind鈥檚 eye I was the solitary inhabitant of Gr铆msey, as much a part of the island as the island and all its graces had become a part of me.
After 9/11, this chaplain sows seeds of religious understandingAfter the 9/11 attacks, our essayist, a chaplain,聽was suddenly in demand to explain the roots of violence in Islam, Judaism, and 海角大神ity.
An Afghanistan veteran鈥檚 jagged path from war to peaceAn Afghanistan veteran reflects on his path from war to peace and the need for both separation and connection in order to heal.
Why tender grass requires nerves of steelThe Greek gods should have given聽Sisyphus a lawn mower instead of a rock, and put him in Coral Gables instead of on a hill in Hades.- Lords of the ring saladFamily reunions were measured by how many times this dish was served. With my mom gone, no one can make it quite the same 鈥� but we try.
Now I know how Elizabeth feltOne day in Thailand I found myself bathing with elephants. I thought of our pet duck, Elizabeth, who used to hop in the tub with my daughters.
How Mom subtly put the heat on DadDad decried air conditioning, and he and Mom were a united front on the matter 鈥� until mom had some cash of her own.
The first time I made 鈥榞ood trouble鈥�I was a college student in Wisconsin in 1965 when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.聽urged us 鈥� all of us 鈥� to come to Selma. We went.
My daughter had confidence enough for both of usMy task was to build a bunk bed for my daughter's dolls.聽I knew next to nothing about woodworking, but to her, I was an expert.
Farewell to a tree: An ancient maple held memories, sons, and wildlifeThe silver maple in my front yard was the first thing visitors noticed. 鈥淗ow old is it?鈥� they asked. 鈥淗ave you ever climbed it?鈥�
Buoyed by an ever-evolving ocean of used booksAs the demands of my life change, so do my tastes and my wants. These internal changes are physically seen in my ever-changing library.聽
Parents, everywhere I turnFor this obliging son, there鈥檚 no escaping parents鈥� watchfulness and care, from the U.S. suburbs to a village in Senegal.
Why I choose to send tactile textsBefore she had a phone, my grandmother would write postcards to her friends inviting them to routine activities, like having tea or going on a walk.
My little chickadee: I know what he likes me for. But is it love?Feeding one of the chickadees that nests in my yard has led to a fascinating human-animal bond. But is it love, or does he just want some mealworms?
In a crisis on the farm, I learn 鈥榯he wisdom of no escape鈥�The ewe was in distress,聽and Will and I were the only ones available to help. We went to the barn, each to do something neither of us had done before.
Announcing E.B. White鈥檚 beloved riverThere鈥檚 something about a line of poetry that anchors me to pleasant memories of Maine. E.B. White thought so too.
Watching for some good in dark timesWe鈥檇 decided to sell our home. But first, we鈥檇 have to deal with two hugely overgrown hollies that have overtaken the front of the house.
Prize, annoyance, memento: The many meanings of my jade bangleOur essayist鈥檚 jade bangle has been a prize, an annoyance, and a symbol of lost opportunity. Now it reminds her of who she is.
Uncle Cliff, found in a cup of camomile teaSuddenly I鈥檓 transported to聽my grandma鈥檚 farm, where you could never be in trouble.
