9/13/15 RMB Very Good Lives

9/13/15 RMB Very Good Lives

Dear Rita Mae Brown,

When a person surprises you by being more than you expected, the world reveals itself to be little grander than you thought it was.

After reading my first Rita Mae Brown book, Alma Mater, I knew I wanted to find another RMB book to read. But, little did I expect, as I dug further, to be blown away by the author’s accomplishments. Nor did I expect to spend the next few years writing these letters.

When inspired by goodness, we are propelled by a force that is beyond human definition, to carry it forward.

My friend Teddy likes Harry Potter. The magical world created by J.K. Rowling captures hearts around the world. Often, when there is a wave, some unseen power drives it, magically.

Anything that captures Teddy’s attention receives closer examination, because the light she carries is important. It is the something that makes all things good.

I’ve watched the Harry Potter movies with nieces and nephews, there for the little ones more than the movies. Recently, I read the first book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Somewhere between the lines, and from the J.K. Rowling buzz, I looked for the thing that Harry touched on, but didn’t explain thoroughly.

I researched the author online and read another of her books under the pen name Robert Galbraith, Cookoo’s Calling. And, before continuing on the Potter series, I picked up a copy of Very Good Lives, Rowling’s commencement address to Harvard University graduates.

Surprise. I expected to see someone upbeat and encouraging say to hold on to your dreams, because they can come true. What I found was someone who has taken a very close look at our world, seen the good and the bad of it, then reached for the good to capture its light. And now, she shines it brightly.

This is a book I highly recommend, Very Good Lives.

In it is the goodness that must be carried forward.

All my best,

Loraine