…How did your meeting with Pope Francis go? Did he tell you about his visit with 105 comics? … He told them to keep up their efforts to “puncture pomposity” & “help us, with a smile, to see reality with its contradictions, & to dream of a better world!”

How are things in Italy? According to the Borgo Eganzia’s website “you can live nowhere else experiences” at their establishment…..

… Do you trust Hunter (RHB) these days? Psychology Todays says, “You can be compassionate without trusting.”…

… today is the Dragon Boat Festival, a Chinese holiday on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar. Some say the day honors the life of  Qu Yuan, a brave poet who stood up to King Fuchai (KF)….

When you were in Normandy, did you see the Longest Yarn exhibit of 80 panels of DDay scenes knitted & crocheted by crafters from around the world? It’s amazing that they were able to make something so horrific look cute….

It’s the 91st anniversary of the birth of my dad. He liked to say, “Keep smiling.”

…As I write this you are about to give your speech at Pointe du Hoc. I told my students about that spot yesterday. It’s similar to Pointe Reyes with its bluffs & steep cliffs….

Are you exhausted? The D-Day commemoration is heart-wrenching for me this year. I may be troubled because as the men who fought there pass on, the harsh realities of the Nazi regime become less tangible….

…To add texture to his D-Day book, he repeatedly visited Normandy so he could have a visceral feel for the place as he imagined what it would have been like to navigate the waves, hit the beach & traverse the sand while carrying 60-100 pounds of equipment. He swam in the ocean, slogged through bogs, & broke through hedgerows….

…As we reflect on people fleeing their homes, let’s hold the young men of Burma in the Light as they sneak into Thailand to avoid military conscription….

…I have spent my contemplative morning moments putting together slides for my acknowledgement of the Tianamen Square Massacre, 六四事件 in 1989….

…Are you familiar with the 62 paintings of the Peaceable Kingdom by Friend Edward Hicks (EH)? They are depictions of Isaiah 11:6–9 where the wolf dwells with the lamb….

… 372 years ago, Margaret Fell (MF) had a revelation when she heard George Fox asking, “what canst thou say (WCTS)?” She heard it as a call to take responsibility for her own spirituality & not depend on a minister or a book to guide her…

…Given that observation, I encourage you to do what you can to get Aung Sun Suu Kyi (ASSK) out of jail. She may have screwed up regarding the Rohingya, but she’s better than MAH….

… Please thank Kamala & everyone else involved in planning yesterday’s event at Girard College in Philly yesterday. Your refrain, “a promise made and a promise kept,” seemed to resonate with the folks in the audience….