A summary of the July posts from the MORE TO COME newsletter.
As I’ve looked back over this past month—with all its heat, humidity, storms, mosquitos, and more—it would have been tempting to simply stay indoors with a book or in front of a screen. But the surprise is that July turned out to be a wonderful time to connect.
“Connect and commit” is one of my rules for the road of life. It is at the heart of living together as humans. To connect and commit we have to communicate.
It isn’t a rule I always adhere to, although it is among my aspirations. But in July I surprised myself, going to a ballgame with former colleagues, hosting a cookout with mates from grade school, indulging in my monthly meal at a favorite French cafe to gather pearls of wisdom from George, and spending the weekend with a treasured couple from Staunton.
There were multiple lunches to talk baseball, politics, spirituality, children, cars, hockey, existential crises, and just life. We had a picnic and night of live music with two couples. There was spicy Mexican food and a long, reflective conversation with a kind and thoughtful young woman dealing with a world that is often neither kind nor thoughtful. At the end of the month I’ve been trying—not always as successfully as I would like—to support Candice as we deal with life’s transitions and remember a life well lived
In thinking about how best to navigate difficult times in life few things work better for me than simply connecting with other people. Madeleine L’Engle wrote that even “in the midst of near despair” something can happen just beneath the surface and we’re suddenly “returned to a state of love again.” I believe, as does L’Engle, that we have the strength and gifts needed to resist despair. Love will return.
Let’s jump in and see how these thoughts played out in the MORE TO COME posts this month.
TOP READER FAVORITES
What constitutes a good life? was the top post of the month in terms of reader views. It was timed to arrive on the 100th anniversary of my father’s birth on July 5th. Tom Brown was not a wealthy man in the eyes of the world. But he was rich in so many ways that count. In his faith. In love of his wife, children, and extended family. In friendships that stretched across the globe. In his insatiable curiosity. In a deep belief in community and a deep, deep love for people. Making connections was who he was. Love was at the heart of a good life for Tom Brown.
Stories of the brainy librarian who confounds her handlers while running from a murderous ex was the other top-viewed post in July. Librarian on the run reviews a new work by Anna Scotti, a brilliantly conceived set of murder mysteries involving the librarian originally known as Lori Yarborough. It is sure to delight.
FROM THE BOOKSHELF
In addition to Scotti’s It’s Not Even Past, I featured reviews of four other books in the MTC newsletter this month.
- Madeleine L’Engle is a writer I turn to again and again, often during hard times. Love will return is my take after rereading her classic A Wrinkle in Time.
- In the past we have seen both extreme ugliness and bold reform when it comes to our democracy. Historian Jon Grinspan considers the disruptions following the end of the Civil War and dives deeply into the aggressive tribal partisanship that grew to be a defining feature of that era, as I note in The capacity for change.
- Grievance, fringe theories, and bad vibes is my review of Leah Litman’s takedown of what may be the worst Supreme Court in history.
- Having one murder mystery wasn’t enough, so I dipped back into that pool and read the first in what is now the 11-book Tess Monaghan series. I review Laura Lippman’s work in The dark secrets of Charm City.
- From the bookshelf: June 2025 is the regular monthly update.
MUSICIANS WHO CAUGHT MY EAR
I was able to reconnect with music this month through these three MTC posts:
- The best Irish band in bluegrass highlights JigJam’s returns to the DC area for a very satisfying concert in the Strathmore Music Center.
- Musical lineages was a piece tracing the work of new roots musicians back to the sources.
- The folk duo Watchhouse has a lovely new album out that continues to bring joy and happiness, as I highlight in Finding space beyond the to and ‘fro.
SEEKING BEAUTY AND UNDERSTANDING
Gardening, like so many good things in life, is about imagination coupled with effort, as I consider in With gratitude for the patience and hope of gardeners. And as we celebrated the 249th anniversary of Independence Day, Sustaining the dream through turbulent times was intended to remind us that there is still much work to do.
COMMENTS I LOVED
Two readers commented on Love will return and my review of the classic A Wrinkle in Time. Brilliant reader Anna wrote: “One of my favorite books as a child, and it holds up in adulthood!” Brilliant reader Sarah added that the book “. . . mesmerized me when I read it as a child and it has to be one of my favorite books ever. I am definitely going to reread it now. I also recommend Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by L’Engle.”
My thoughts on What constitutes a good life? elicited a number of kind remarks.
Similar to others, brilliant reader Ed saw reflections of his father in my remembrances. “I love that your Dad went out at all hours, to make sure someone in the Valley had her or his electricity. My Dad did the same thing, as a general practitioner with his small brown bag full of stethoscopes & tongue-depressors and other tools of his trade. Dad had patients all over Rockford, including the toughest part of town. Once, when I was about 12, I saw a pistol in that brown bag. When I finally mustered the courage to ask him why the pistol, he said ‘I never load it, but in some parts of South Rockford there are desperate people in the middle of the night who want the drugs a doctor might be carrying, and I’d hope that the pistol might scare them away.'”
Brilliant reader Sara, who I’ve known since elementary school days, wrote to say this about Tom Brown: “TB is an icon of goodness to me.”
DON’T POSTPONE JOY
Thanks, as always, for reading. Your friendship, support and feedback mean more than I can ever express.
As you travel life’s highways be open to love; thirst for wonder; undertake some mindful, transformative walking every day. Recognize the incredible privilege that most of us have and think about how to put that privilege to use for good. Women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, public servants, and others can feel especially vulnerable . . . because they are. Work hard for justice and democracy as the fight never ends.
But also keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable. Take time to dawdle and dream. Leave enough empty space to feel and experience life. Those gaps are where the magic begins. When times get rough, let your memories wander back to some wonderful place with remembrances of family and friends. But don’t be too hard on yourself if a few of the facts slip. Just get the poetry right.
Remember that “we are here to keep watch, not to keep.” Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. And bash into some joy along the way.
Life is finite . . . love is not.
Try to be nice. Always be kind.
More to come . . .
DJB
For the June 2025 summary, click here.
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Photo from Getty Images via Unsplash.
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