Richard W. shared a post on February 5, 2025
Love Radiates Even on a Frosty Morning

Love Radiates Even on a Frosty Morning

A Moment of Satori Sparks an Awakening in My Soul

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 37 seconds

As I stepped out into the brisk morning chill, the sun began ascent, painting the sky with soft hues. With each step of my walk, the world felt like it was waking up alongside me.

When I emerged from the public restroom in Nomahgen Park, the sun broke free from the grip of the trees and spilled its golden rays over the frozen lake, transforming the landscape into a breathtaking display of winter beauty. I halted, captivated, and snapped a photo, but it was more than just a picture—a moment of “Satori,” an awakening that stirred my soul.

These Feet Were Made for WalkingIn that instant, the rays of light seemed to shift, wrapping me in a warm embrace of love and hope. Everything around me felt alive, and I understood that even the coldest morning could hold such radiant magic.

As I walked through the door, I made my usual routine of checking for any urgent emails or phone messages. It’s a habit I’ve formed over time, yet I’ve never encountered anything so pressing that it could hold up my breakfast plans.

But today, it broke the mold. I stumbled upon a heartfelt email from my friend Bernie Wagenblast, the voice behind Cranford Radio. He was grateful for my recent blog post about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Service Award. I rarely receive feedback on my writing, and this message made me pause for a moment. I often wonder if my words are reaching anyone beyond myself, and today, that little spark of connection felt like a much-needed affirmation.

The moment I glimpsed the email, the opening line piqued my interest: “I was so happy to read your latest blog post! Thank you for noting our conversation. Our friendship is one I cherish.

As I dove deeper, my excitement grew. We shared a love for Welcome to The Big Dipper, the musical I had been traveling to when I was caught in the subway turnstiles when Cindy notified me I would receive the award. Bernie had seen the show just three weeks earlier and even participated in a lively panel discussion afterward. How thrilling! Our connection over this enchanting production felt even more substantial.

As the sun climbed higher, casting a golden hue over the chaos unfolding from the coup against the federal government, I couldn’t help but reflect on the stark realities of our world. To find some tranquility amidst the turmoil, I dove into the pages of Martha Beck‘s “The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self.” I sought solace and clarity with each word, hoping to navigate the storm before us.

Ms. Beck offers concrete options for regaining integrity, which she defines as coming from “the Latin integer, which simply means ‘intact.’ To be in integrity is to be one thing, whole and undivided. When a plane is in integrity, all its millions of parts work together smoothly and cooperatively. If it loses integrity, it may stall, falter, or crash. There’s no judgment here. Just physics.”

Reflecting on the days following my wife’s passing, I realized how enlightening it might have been to dive into her book then. It sparked memories of reading David Brooks‘s “The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life,” a work that resonates deeply with me now. Both authors delve into the profound journey of uniting our mind, body, and soul to pursue a meaningful existence. Mr. Brooks eloquently outlines the four pillars that shape a life filled with purpose: commitment to a spouse and family, dedication to a vocation, embracing a philosophy or faith, and engagement with a community.

Looking back, I wonder if I even recognized the existence of a first mountain in my youth. The answer feels like a resounding no. Yet, when I met my wife, it seemed we were both instinctively scaling that second mountain, believing it was the only path worth following if we were to repair the world.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink, my mind drifted to a profound thought from Viktor E. Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning.” He wrote, “Love is the most powerful force in the world. Our salvation is through Love and in Love.” His words echo deeply, reminding me that amid life’s challenges, love ultimately guides us and gives our existence meaning.

A Dancing Yahrzeit Candle

Rituals matter as much in the modern world as ever in human history. The annual Yahrzeits have helped me find peace, solace, and a way to live without Jan. When I sat down, I felt closer to God than ever.
Richard W. Brown May 31, 2024

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Love Radiates Even on a Frosty Morning
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All Fours: A Novel

Read: May 2024

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All Fours: A Novel

by Miranda July

Today, I started reading All Fours: A Novel by Miranda July. A semi-famous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country from LA to NY. Thirty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, checks into a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in an entirely different journey.

Miranda July’s second novel, a testament to her unique approach to fiction, confirms the brilliance of her storytelling. With July’s wry voice, perfect comic timing, unabashed curiosity about human intimacy, and palpable delight in pushing boundaries, All Fours tells the story of one woman’s quest for a new kind of freedom. Part absurd entertainment, part tender reinvention of the sexual, romantic, and domestic life of a forty-five-year-old female artist, All Fours transcends expectation while excavating our beliefs about life as a woman. Once again, July hijacks the familiar and turns it into something new and thrillingly, profoundly alive.

When you purchase a book through one of my links, I earn a small commission that helps support my passion for reading. This contribution allows me to buy even more books to share with you, creating an incredible cycle of discovering great reads together! Your support truly makes a difference!

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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: A Novel

Read: July 2024

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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: A Novel

by Gabrielle Zevin

I delved into the pages of “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: A Novel” by Gabrielle Zevin. The narrative unfolds the lives of Sam and Sadie, two college friends who evolve into creative partners in video game design. Their journey is a tapestry of fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and a form of immortality, all woven into a unique love story that captivated me like no other.

This love story uniquely portrays the challenges and triumphs of a relationship in the context of their shared creative endeavors.

On a bitter-cold day in December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees Sadie Green amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom.

These friends, who have been close since childhood, take bold steps, borrow money, and seek favors. Even before they graduate from college, they have birthed their first blockbuster, Ichigo. In a blink, the world is at their feet. Sam and Sadie, not yet twenty-five, are shining with brilliance, success, and wealth. But these attributes can’t shield them from their emotional rollercoaster of creative aspirations and the heartbreaks that come with it.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin‘s Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow provides a profound exploration of the diverse nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our deep-seated need to connect: to be loved and to love. It’s a journey that will make you reflect on your life and relationships.

When you purchase a book through one of my links, I earn a small commission that helps support my passion for reading. This contribution allows me to buy even more books to share with you, creating an incredible cycle of discovering great reads together! Your support truly makes a difference!

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Keepers of the House

Read: May 2021

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The Keepers of the House

by Shirley Ann Grau

The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau is a book that I read a portion of for a college class, but for reasons that I cannot now remember never got around to reading it from cover to cover. In the early stages of grief, I found a copy in our bookshelf and said, let me read it now. It was a decision that I did not regret.

Having grown up in the American South, the book resonated with me, as did the sections I read fifty years ago. It’s a many-layered indictment of racism and rage that is as terrifying as it is wise.

As someone who likes history and values the importance of place, the book’s focus on the continued ownership of the same land since the early 1800s by the Howland’s provided a broad historical perspective. Abigail Howland has learned many important family legacies, but not all.

However, when William’s, her grandfather, relationship with Margaret Carmichael, a black housekeeper, is revealed to the community, the racism and fury boil over. Abigail chooses to get even with the town her family built by punishing them.

The Keepers of the House is a book that I wish I had read in its entirety half a century ago. Having read it now, I recommend it to all who care about life and community.

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The Days of Abandonment

Read: July 2024

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The Days of Abandonment

by Elena Ferrante

I’ve just started reading The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante after finishing My Brilliant Friend. This book is among the New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. I chose to read it after watching An Undoing, a documentary about healing from an abusive 20-year marriage using unstitching wedding garments, one stitch at a time.

The film was part of the first night of the International Women’s Film Festival in Cranford. Although, except for one brief moment, I have never been in the same situation as the woman in the short video or Olga, the protagonist in the novel, I choose this as my next book to read. Of course, Ferrante’s writing is known for rich character development and powerful prose.

The Days of Abandonment follows the gripping story of an Italian woman named Olga, whose husband suddenly leaves after fifteen years of marriage. With two young children to care for, Olga finds it increasingly difficult to maintain her previous lifestyle of keeping a spotless house, cooking creative meals, and controlling her temper. After encountering her husband with his much younger lover in public, she even resorts to physically assaulting him.

In a “raging, torrential voice,” according to The New York Times, Olga describes her journey from denial to devastating emptiness. Trapped within the four walls of their high-rise apartment, she confronts her ghosts, the potential loss of her identity, and the possibility that life may never return to normal.

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Brooklyn Crime Novel: A Novel

Read: October 2023

Brooklyn Crime Novel: A Novel

by Jonathan Lethem

I recently recommended reading “Brooklyn Crime Novel: A Novel” by Jonathan Lethem. The story is set in 1970s Brooklyn, where a daily ritual occurs on the streets. This ritual involves exchanging money, surrendering belongings, and asserting power. Violence is promised everywhere and becomes a currency itself.

Regardless of race, the street is like a stage in the shadows for the children. In the background, other players hide, including parents, cops, renovators, landlords, those who write the headlines, histories, and laws, and those who award this neighborhood its name.

Although the rules seem apparent initially, in memory’s prism, the roles of criminals and victims may appear to trade places. The voices of the past rise and gather as if in harmony, then war with one another. A street may seem to crack open and reveal what lies behind its shimmering facade. None who lived through it are ever permitted to forget.

Jonathan Lethem has written this story with kaleidoscopic verve and delirious wit, making it a breathtaking tour de force by a writer at the top of his powers. He has crafted an epic interrogation of how we fashion stories to contain the uncontainable: our remorse at the world we’ve made. He is known as “one of America’s greatest storytellers” by the Washington Post.

The Jan Lilien Education Fund sponsors ongoing sustainability and environmental awareness programs. Gifts made this month; I will match dollar-for-dollar. All donations are tax-deductible.

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Whale Fall: A Novel

Read: July 2024

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Whale Fall: A Novel

by Elizabeth O'Connor

I have started reading “Whale Fall: A Novel” by Elizabeth O’Connor. With its unique blend of loss, isolation, folklore, and the journey of self-discovery, this debut novel offers a compelling narrative set in 1938 on a remote Welsh island. The story is catalyzed by the arrival of a dead whale, a powerful symbol that sets the stage for the characters’ journeys.

The story revolves around Manod, a young woman who has spent her entire life on the island. Despite their island home’s harsh yet stunning surroundings, Manod yearns to explore life beyond it, a desire that will resonate with many readers.

As two English ethnographers arrive to study the island’s culture, Manod sees it as a potential escape from her community. However, her growing involvement with them triggers a profound internal conflict. She grapples with the dilemma of pursuing her desires or remaining loyal to her community. This struggle resonates with the universal human experience, making it a compelling read for many.

‘Whale Fall‘ vividly portrays the tensions that surface when one person’s aspirations threaten the unity of a community. O’Connor’s narrative skillfully depicts the community and Manod on the brink, forced to confront a world that seems to infringe upon them. This evokes a sense of admiration for O’Connor’s storytelling prowess, making it a must-read for literary fiction enthusiasts.

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