Dear You,
Welcome to my window. Here you’ll find the world as I see it. I hope the thoughts, favorite writings, pictures, and human connections I’ll be sharing here will spark something to ponder in your mind.
Best wishes.
Barbara
INTRODUCTION
“How do you feel about anonymity?” That was the question asked of a 20-year-old English major looking for her first job as a writer at Hallmark Cards. I had already succeeded with the application (a series of writing assignments relevant to greeting cards). I had been flown across the country by the company for the in-person interview. (Pretty impressive for a girl in 1967.) My publication record at that time? A handful of poems in the college literary magazine. Anonymity was the least of my concerns. Landing a job with a stellar company? That was my idea of success. I soon said “Yes” to the job offer I got that day. The decision lasted 41 years.
BECOMING TRANSPARENT
When I become transparent,
I shall be a glass,
or prism or a waterbead
upon a vein of grass.
When I become transparent
I shall be the sky
or a single facet
in an insect’s eye.
When I become transparent
the universe will be
a little less invisible
through my transparency.
Barbara Loots
The Lyric
Making America Great
WHAT AM I HERE FOR? What if the United States were known as a spiritual light in the world and not as a moneybags bully? Wouldn’t that be great? Historically, citizens of this country have stated our aspirations. For example, “liberty and justice for all” and “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” In reality, we’ve glossed over the hard lessons of our past and failed to live up to the promise of our original
WHAT I’VE LEARNED FROM WORDLE
Today it dawned on me that I’ve struggled with the same difficulty since the 3rd grade–and not only in arithmetic. In 1953 or so, Mrs. Britten wrote on my (probably perfect) report card, “Barbara can be careless.” Evidently, that comment was burned into my brain, since I still remember it after most of a lifetime. But why did it pop into my mind today? Because of WORDLE. To tell the truth, I resisted doing the