For all there is to say about policies and lawmakers and jockeying among nations, at the end of the day, the story is always, always, always about people. This image is from autumn in Ukraine, on the outskirts of Kyiv, taken by a friend before the Russian invasion.
The news has been consistently grueling for six years, Heather. You have more than earned your rest, and we are all grateful for your wisdom and your endless energy!
Poignant. This makes me so sad. My parents were Holocaust survivors. They had lives like this before their worlds blew up. But they met each other and life continues. I only can hope for the future for all of us.
This photo truly looks like a painting. Whoever took it knows how to utilize the camera in a way that makes greater sense of subject matter than any casual glance could provide. The serenity it projects makes a powerful statement about what has happened since.
Capturing the essence of things is the same skill you wield, Heather, in your written summaries of current news and related history. The pictures you paint with your words bring greater understanding, appreciation and depth of meaning to us as readers — Far more than what we get from our casual glances at what’s going on in our world.
So thank you for your faithful artistry to provide us a daily picture of what’s true and what’s important today, and how it relates to our past. Your letters provide a landmark upon which we can reliably steer our thinking and actions.
Apologies if I overworked the metaphor, but I cannot overstate the value of what you do. Your talent and your voice are sorely needed, and greatly appreciated.
What a beautiful, peaceful picture. I'm sure that similar places remain, but the year-long onslaught of pictures of destruction has been difficult, even for those of us who aren't experiencing it directly. Oh how I long for pictures and stories about poeple and ideology at their best, rather than at their worst. My political fascination has gone from hobby to avocation to awful horrific fixation to emotional exhaustion in about 9 months this year. All along I have looked hard for reasons to be optimistic about our collective instincts as a nation where it comes to representative governance. I see a few faint hints here and there. The latest is in the early polling numbers in states with early voting. I received my mail-in ballot in a state(Oregon) where all voting is "by mail", as well as my voter pamphlet. In spite of record amounts of spending on campaigns, it's amazing how little I know about both candidates and measures at the local, regional and state levels. It must be because I no longer turn on the television. I get some trash mail of a purely alarmist nature in the postal mail and a bunch of text message solicitations from candidates in the mid west and east coast. Why they think they can harvest money from someone with (503) area code is beyond me, but I'm sure they paid $0.0001 for my phone number, multiplied by several million and are blasting out their messages irrespective of where they land. The two relevant words for me at this point are "wheat" and "chaff". How can I find the sliver of information that is meaningful between now and post-election counting time? Perhaps I can't. Perhaps I should fill out my ballot as best I can, then turn off the news feed altogether until about November 12. Autumn is a time of turning inward. Plants are moving towards dormancy. The toys and tools of summertime are going into storage. Days are growing shorter, nights colder, rain is finally appearing in the forecast, sweaters and coats emerging form the back of closets. I'm not ready for the 2024 political season to begin a short 2 months after the midterm election. I need a break, where my attention can be turned to more personal topics than the existential angst of the political season. Most of all, I need to hear some topics that restore my faith in human-kind. I need to see images that are not all about destruction, famine, rising seas, drought, historic wildfires, pandemics and the like.
So beautiful and so peaceful. It is heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. Thank you for an image of peace and hope in an incredibly turbulent time
Dear Heather Cox Richardson, Buddy Poland, Nadia Povalinska and LFAA subscribers: I am thinking very much of our friend Allen Hingston who is leaving today for his home in Ukraine to bring his wife Tanya and dog Lucky to Canada for safety. Please join me in wishing them safe travel. May their love for one another, their kindness and beautiful spirits be blessed and protected. ‘... at the end of the day, the story is always, always, always about people' and nature; this earth; the colors of the sky, sea and land; the freedom for all, and the essence of life. Amen. 🌻
Thank you for that lovely photo. To me, it's also heartbreaking.
The news has been consistently grueling for six years, Heather. You have more than earned your rest, and we are all grateful for your wisdom and your endless energy!
Poignant. This makes me so sad. My parents were Holocaust survivors. They had lives like this before their worlds blew up. But they met each other and life continues. I only can hope for the future for all of us.
This photo truly looks like a painting. Whoever took it knows how to utilize the camera in a way that makes greater sense of subject matter than any casual glance could provide. The serenity it projects makes a powerful statement about what has happened since.
Capturing the essence of things is the same skill you wield, Heather, in your written summaries of current news and related history. The pictures you paint with your words bring greater understanding, appreciation and depth of meaning to us as readers — Far more than what we get from our casual glances at what’s going on in our world.
So thank you for your faithful artistry to provide us a daily picture of what’s true and what’s important today, and how it relates to our past. Your letters provide a landmark upon which we can reliably steer our thinking and actions.
Apologies if I overworked the metaphor, but I cannot overstate the value of what you do. Your talent and your voice are sorely needed, and greatly appreciated.
Lovely photo by Nadia Povalinska and thanks, especially, for the reminder that *all* this is about people.
Gorgeous photo. Ukraine is in my prayers every night.
Rest well, Dr Richardson! You deserve it!
Let's hope that beautiful scene (and those folks) are still in tact.
Thank you for your continued work, professor.
What a beautiful, peaceful picture. I'm sure that similar places remain, but the year-long onslaught of pictures of destruction has been difficult, even for those of us who aren't experiencing it directly. Oh how I long for pictures and stories about poeple and ideology at their best, rather than at their worst. My political fascination has gone from hobby to avocation to awful horrific fixation to emotional exhaustion in about 9 months this year. All along I have looked hard for reasons to be optimistic about our collective instincts as a nation where it comes to representative governance. I see a few faint hints here and there. The latest is in the early polling numbers in states with early voting. I received my mail-in ballot in a state(Oregon) where all voting is "by mail", as well as my voter pamphlet. In spite of record amounts of spending on campaigns, it's amazing how little I know about both candidates and measures at the local, regional and state levels. It must be because I no longer turn on the television. I get some trash mail of a purely alarmist nature in the postal mail and a bunch of text message solicitations from candidates in the mid west and east coast. Why they think they can harvest money from someone with (503) area code is beyond me, but I'm sure they paid $0.0001 for my phone number, multiplied by several million and are blasting out their messages irrespective of where they land. The two relevant words for me at this point are "wheat" and "chaff". How can I find the sliver of information that is meaningful between now and post-election counting time? Perhaps I can't. Perhaps I should fill out my ballot as best I can, then turn off the news feed altogether until about November 12. Autumn is a time of turning inward. Plants are moving towards dormancy. The toys and tools of summertime are going into storage. Days are growing shorter, nights colder, rain is finally appearing in the forecast, sweaters and coats emerging form the back of closets. I'm not ready for the 2024 political season to begin a short 2 months after the midterm election. I need a break, where my attention can be turned to more personal topics than the existential angst of the political season. Most of all, I need to hear some topics that restore my faith in human-kind. I need to see images that are not all about destruction, famine, rising seas, drought, historic wildfires, pandemics and the like.
Sleep well, and thank you for the great service you provide, being a grounded and dependable voice in the midst of this political chaos.
Beautiful! Pray for Ukraine.
Thank you for what you do.
Beautiful photo that hurts. Peace shattered.
So beautiful and so peaceful. It is heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. Thank you for an image of peace and hope in an incredibly turbulent time
Grueling and gruesomely hard to be with all that is happening. Thank you Heather for processing all of this with us.
Rest well and deeply, Heather. Thank you for all that you do.
Dear Heather Cox Richardson, Buddy Poland, Nadia Povalinska and LFAA subscribers: I am thinking very much of our friend Allen Hingston who is leaving today for his home in Ukraine to bring his wife Tanya and dog Lucky to Canada for safety. Please join me in wishing them safe travel. May their love for one another, their kindness and beautiful spirits be blessed and protected. ‘... at the end of the day, the story is always, always, always about people' and nature; this earth; the colors of the sky, sea and land; the freedom for all, and the essence of life. Amen. 🌻