Americanism Redux March 26, your today, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago, in 1776 Every sense you have says the same thing—a big, new reality is all around me. From what I see, hear, smell, and feel, it's true, it's now, and it's going to stay this way. And yet, the thought of applying a label, of giving it a name, seems hard. Yet...it's easy for others. … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux–March 19, Your Today, 250 Years Ago, In 1776
March 19, 2026 by
Americanism Redux March 19, your today, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago, in 1776 (I'll explain in a bit) Victory. Success. The big win. We all want them. Until, that is, someone chimes in with one particular question: now what? * * * * * * * The Day The Redcoats left Boston. Quickly it became known for exactly what it was: evacuation day, … [Read more...]
Learning From The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Day 47
April 28, 2020 by
In Ohio, a temporary hospital. The trends are bad, no matter what they tell you, but that's not the whole story. More to tell, more to know. Day 47, October 24, 1918. Today, people are jumping in, taking action, making a difference in the circles around them. Water on the rock—though pressures from influenza do wear us down, at the same time they reveal beauty, worth, and essence. As tidal … [Read more...]
Learning From The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Day 42
April 23, 2020 by
Dr. White's workplace When can it become just too much? One of the too-much times can be when a bad thing you didn't expect joins the bad thing you're already coping with. And the more sudden, the more jolting the second bad thing is...well, it can be very hard to absorb. That's the start of Day 42 in the home called Place. He is Homer. She is Bertha. They're the Places, Mr and Mrs … [Read more...]
Learning From The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Day 39
April 20, 2020 by
Mail carrier In New York City, on the 39th day since the outbreak at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, begins October 16, 1918. A mail carrier walks down the street with a mask on his face. An office worker sits at her desk, typing a letter and wearing a mask on her face. Across the city, if the reports are accurate, more than 400 people die today of influenza or a related illness. And the hard … [Read more...]
Learning From The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Day 28
April 9, 2020 by
Seattle Mayor Ole Hanson, 1918 Change is a constant but not all constants change overnight. Only some surge, or plunge, to that level. Today, on Day 28, overnight is now and lasts for a full twenty-four hours on October 5, 1918. Overnight, a ban on all indoor public gatherings begins in Seattle, Washington. Mayor Ole Hanson declares that the only public gatherings allowed will be those … [Read more...]
Learning From The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Day 18
March 30, 2020 by
A Jackie Band near Winnekta, Illinois, 1918 News large and important. Printed in newspapers, transcribed on telegrams, written in letters. Read by thousands, read by dozens, read by one. Word is spreading about life in a world that is—like it or not, choose it or not, know it or not—abruptly new. Day 18, September 25, 1918. For the thousands... A leading newspaper in Charlotte, North … [Read more...]
