Armour of Light

Good News From Dana Perino

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Dana Perino And The Good News Is Book ReviewI knew I was going to enjoy Dana Perino’s book after coming across an article she published entitled: “Advice for Millennials: What I learned From My Quarter-Life Crisis (Yes, I had one).”

Discovering that the former Press Secretary for President George W. Bush had once been “racked with anxiety, filled with fear, and totally confused about what I was going to do with my life,” was more than enough to convince me to begin reading her book, And The Good News Is…: Lessons and Advice From the Bright Side.

Funny and moving, insightful and informative, balanced and practical, it is well worth the read, particularly for millennials who may be in the midst of their own “quarter-life crisis,” just as Ms. Perino describes experiencing in her early career. Read more

Life Wisdom For The Places You’ll Go

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8,789 words of wisdomAs college graduates toss their hats in exhilaration and Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go! resumes its seasonal place on the bestseller list, we tip our hats to a few lesser-known books for their equally important life wisdom, advice and inspiration.

While this list is certainly not exhaustive, the words contained within these books are timeless and true, challenging us to a continual commitment to self-improvement and encouraging us to live deliberately, creatively and thoughtfully.

We hope they bring you – whether you are a college graduate or a seeker of all things good – the same inspiration, comfort and encouragement they have brought us. Read more

Ex Machina: A Sci-Fi Thriller With Much to Ponder

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There are many reasons to be impressed with Ex Machina, the recently released, exceptionally well-done sci-fi thriller directed by Alex Garland, starring Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander. Most notably, however, is its ability to be both ordinary and unique at the same time.

As any good futuristic, mystery thriller does, Ex Machina forces viewers to question who knows what, who’s outsmarting who and what – or who – is real, perceived or imagined, holding its audience in a controlled suspense throughout.

A deeper dive into the core of the movie, however, reveals a strikingly smart, unique and profoundly powerful exploration into the very essence of existence, weaving together thought-provoking questions on everything from philosophy to psychology, language to sexuality, religion to death and art to technology. Read more

Happy Mother’s Day!

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Mother's Words of WisdomIn honor of all mothers and in celebration of Mother’s Day, ATG shares below a sampling of words used to describe mothers and motherly advice or wisdom recalled by daughters and sons in their very own words.
Laura O. says:

The one word I would use to describe my mother is:

Patient

The one phrase that has left an impression:

“Make it a great day!”

My mother said this to us before we went to school every day growing up, and now she sends me a text in the mornings, “MIAGD!” for short.

Read more

Oh, Happy May! Oh, Happy May…

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month of May poems“The Merry Month of May”
By Thomas Dekker (English Elizabethan dramatist, 1572-1632)

O THE month of May, the merry month of May,
So frolic, so gay, and so green, so green, so green!
O, and then did I unto my true love say,
Sweet Peg, thou shalt be my Summer’s Queen.

Now the nightingale, the pretty nightingale,
The sweetest singer in all the forest quire,
Entreats thee, sweet Peggy, to hear thy true love’s tale:
Lo, yonder she sitteth, her breast against a brier.

But O, I spy the cuckoo, the cuckoo, the cuckoo;
See where she sitteth; come away, my joy:
Come away, I prithee, I do not like the cuckoo
Should sing where my Peggy and I kiss and toy.

O, the month of May, the merry month of May,
So frolic, so gay, and so green, so green, so green;
And then did I unto my true love say,
Sweet Peg, thou shalt be my Summer’s Queen.

For some fun, lyrical poetry as we enter the Merry Month of May, enjoy our post “Digging Deep in the Garden of Poetry“; or for more contemplative poetry, see “Treasured Poems from a Treasured Volume“.

Boston: We Run Together

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Beacon Street BostonATG contributor Laura O’Neil reflects on the Boston Marathon and spirit of resiliency in light of the second anniversary of the bombings, below. 

“There’s still something so unifying about sport in its purest form, when athletes rise above themselves and touch greatness, and in doing so, remind us all that we also have greatness inside of us.”

April 19th, 2015: the day of the 119th Boston Marathon* – the second since the bombings – found Boston in the midst of the defendant’s trial. The morning was cold, dreary, and grey with rain threatening otherwise manageable running weather.

As I set out on my customary morning run down Beacon Street**, I was greeted by a heavy police force and military vehicles that looked out of place. I couldn’t help but wonder about the day: Which history will repeat itself? Will today be like 117 of the last 118 Marathon Mondays? Will it be a triumphant day full of sweat, tears of joy, and accomplishment? Or a darker day with the world’s attention focused on Boston for all the wrong reasons? Read more

A Dispatch from ATG: Discovering Mark Twain’s Hawaii

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Mark Twain's Letters From HawaiiWe’re wrapping up “All Things Hawaiian”! Check out our reflection on our travels in O’ahu, some interesting facts about Hawai’i, what “The Aloha Spirit” really means, why Kona coffee is so popular, what makes the Plumeria flower so special and the history behind legendary Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – St. Augustine (354-430)

St. Augustine might have reconsidered these words if he could have read some of the world’s most beautiful, informative and humorous travel writings that exist today, by authors ranging from Patrick Leigh Fermor, Bruce Chatwin, Alain De Botton, Bill Bryson and Bruce Feiler to M.F.K. Fisher, Peter Mayle, Frances Mayes, Elizabeth Gilbert and many others.

While nothing can quite replace the sensory experience of travel, “good”, substantive travel writing can easily transport one into another realm, allowing one to experience and become familiar with another land – as was the case for many Americans who read Mark Twain’s “Letters from Hawaii”, written during his travels for the Sacramento Union newspaper in 1866. Read more

Living & Breathing “The Aloha Spirit”

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The Aloha Spirit“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.” –Rita Mae Brown

Never before have I given so much thought and consideration to the symbolic nature of language as I did during a weeklong stay in O’ahu, one of the four main islands of a state that became the 50th in the nation in 1959.

Having faced various, and at times comical, communication barriers during travels in foreign countries, it seems rather odd thatHawai’i – an English speaking state – would end up having such a powerful impact. But, as was quickly made evident by the hospitality and generosity of a very friendly people, the Hawaiian language is more than just a fun sounding addition for vacationers in a paradisiacal setting: it’s a true representation of the spirit, philosophy and culture of the Hawaiian people. Read more

The World’s Most Interesting Easter Traditions

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Origin of Easter BunnyThis Easter season, we reflect on why traditions matter, offer both “old” and new delicious Spring recipes, and feature ATG’s pick of some of the most famous and unique Easter traditions from around the world, below:

“Tradition, symbolism and religion lie at the heart of Easter. It is the most important festival in the Christian year, marking the death of Christ on Good Friday and celebrating his resurrection three days later on Easter Sunday.  As a movable feast, Easter follows the lunar calendar – it falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon of the Spring Equinox. It is believed to derive from the Anglo-Saxon festival Eostre, which honored Eastre, the goddess of spring and dawn…” –Pippa Middleton, from her book, Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Family and Friends (see below)
1. GERMANY: Frohe Ostern!

Most interesting Easter tradition: Sommertagszug or “the summer day parade”

This parade takes place three weeks before Easter on Laetare Sunday (also known as mid-Lent) in the southwest provinces of Germany. It is intended to welcome the summer season and bid winter adieu.

The parade includes a Zug (train parade) full of kids dressed as little ducklings, with yellow rain jackets and ducks’ heads as hats, holding pretzels placed at the tip of sticks, which are decorated with ribbons and have an egg in the middle. Read more