Events & news
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Dear subscribers …
Mailchimp, the service that sends my email posts, has changed its free program limits. To curb new monthly costs — while keeping the subscriptions free to you — I’ll share fewer posts each week. Starting next month, I will stop offering email subscriptions to NEW readers, making “Life Lines” more like a private blog with a limited audience. Again, I will not charge you for a “Life Lines” subscription. If you currently subscribe, or if you start a new subscription by the end of this month, you’ll still get free “Life Lines” email updates when they’re posted. If you have friends who’d enjoy getting “Life Lines” posts, the time to subscribe is now, before the “Subscribe via…
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I’ll be back
Good morning! As noted in Monday’s post, COVID-19 knocked me down this week. I’m still in quarantine, not feeling like myself yet, and will resume posting next week. If you’re new to Life Lines, or have missed any recent posts, please visit www.laferle.com. The site features archived columns, photos, and links to featured articles that aren’t included with your daily email posts, so please visit the site if you want to view the additional material. Have a healthy and happy weekend! ~Cindy La Ferle
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The United States of Gun Violence
“I want to live in a country where my presence is not seen by some as an existential threat….I want to walk past the school where my son will attend kindergarten next year and see a place that will keep him safe. But this is impossible. We live in a country that has failed us. Where legislation is written — and erased — by the gun lobby. Where manipulations and distortions of Second Amendment rights prevent politicians from enacting any semblance of sensible laws that would at least attempt to prevent this. Where claims about what our Founders wanted supersede the slaughter we see right in front of us….There is…
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The smallest victories
“Letting go of big expectations allowed me to celebrate even the smallest victories, to be utterly in the winning moment and thankful for my current state.” ~Hillary Allen, endurance athlete A workshop student recently told me she experienced an epiphany after starting her daily gratitude journal. When she first began the practice, she struggled to find things “worth listing” at the end of each day. Then she remembered that small perks and simple pleasures deserved her appreciation. Once she started writing them down, she noticed that her days were filled with them. The beauty of a morning sunrise … A quiet hour of reading with a mug of coffee ……
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Book banning
“Ideas are only lethal if you suppress and don’t discuss them. Ignorance is not bliss, it’s stupid. Banning books shows you don’t trust your kids to think and you don’t trust yourself to be able to talk to them.” ~Anna Quindlen Last night, I had the pleasure of working at one of my favorite local libraries. Before my class started, I enjoyed a quiet moment, browsing the shelves and absorbing the ambiance created by so many literary choices. And then I thought about all the recent talk on TV about book banning. As my mother used to say, you can make just about anything twice as attractive or interesting by…