Book Recommendations

 1. "The Island of Missing Trees" Elif Shafak 2021

  2. "What to Do, How to Live" Josh Cohen 2021

3. "To the Bright Edge of the World"  Eowyn Ivey 2016

4. "Nudge: the Final Edition" Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler 2021

Where are the strong, and who are the trusted?

" Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?

 Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?

Where have all the flowers gone?

Young girls have picked them everyone

Oh, when will they ever learn?

Oh, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the young girls gone, long time passing?
Where have all the young girls gone, long time ago?
Where have all the young girls gone?
Gone for husbands everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?


Where have all the husbands gone, long time passing?
Where have all the husbands gone, long time ago?
Where have all the husbands gone? Gone for soldiers everyone Oh, when will they ever learn? Oh, When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the soldiers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the soldiers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards everyone 

Oh, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the graveyards gone, long time passing?

Where have all the graveyards gone, long time ago?

Where have all the graveyards gone? 

Gone to flowers everyone

Oh, when will they ever learn?

When will they ever learn?"

Pete Seeger 1955

Dated yes, but still a song to make you think. Described by many as a song of hope and peace. I am not sure I see the hopeful part there. Mr Seeger says he was inspired to write it by a book about the Cossacks in Russia in the 19th century...Have we learned anything?

I remember listening to this song on my father's reel to reel tapes in the 1970s when I was a young child. My father was no beatnik:) He was a naval officer for 20 years who spent time serving on submarines during the Vietnam War. He did describe himself as a pacifist, but he did his duty, serving his country, trying to serve others. He was a complex person although he would claim not to be. He lived his life trying to follow his ideals of honesty and humility and tried to pass on those teachings to his children. He was so impactful because of how he lived, not what he said.

 You are a complex person aren't you? You are not consistent in all of your thoughts and beliefs but you try right? We are all complex individuals...We all have our scars.

I just want you to know. I am labelled as a member of "the woke mob" that politicians run ads about as evil people that must be defeated. I am a Pediatrician-have been for 26 years. I run an early literacy project to help get kids reading. I have a Little Free library in front of my house in suburban PA. I have been married for 32 years. I have 3 children. I have 2 rescue dogs (currently). Am I evil in your eyes? If so, I'd like to talk with you one on one and share some stories... yours and mine.
Peace out.
Sheila