Let’s start with the obvious: The COVID-19 pandemic has turned all of our lives upside down. Or maybe it’s inside out. Or maybe it’s some other contorted version of what life once was. We’ve all made adjustments—some small, some medium, and some very large. Dave Ursillo shares with us his family’s refreshingly creative reset of longstanding family traditions. Dave […]
This I Believe
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This I Believe New England – Cultural Appropriation
Cultural diversity and sensitivity are in the air, in unprecedented ways. Our nation clearly is in the midst of a much-needed awakening that’s forcing us to take a hard and nuanced look at our understanding and appreciation of race, ethnicity, indeed every form of difference we encounter in our lives. Teenager Karuna Lohmann shares with us her […]
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This I Believe New England – Complaining
Who among us hasn’t carved moments out of our lives to moan . . . and . . . groan. “If that kid of mine doesn’t clean her room, I’m going to bust a gut!” “Can you believe the prices on this menu?” “What in heaven’s name do I need to do to lose some […]
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This I Believe New England – About Despair
Every life is bound to have its moments of despair and sorrow, amidst the joy and merriment. The psychiatrist Irvin Yalom once said, “Despair is the price one pays for self-awareness. Look deeply into life, and you’ll always find despair.” What matters most, I suppose, is how we manage these painful moments, as we hear […]
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This I Believe New England – Right or Wrong
Our contemporary world seems saturated with complex black and white issues, especially our conversations about Black Lives Matter and other race-related challenges. Yet, our world is also filled with gray, make that many shades of gray. Many of us are wrestling with complex questions concerning race, policing, even whether and when to wear a mask during the […]
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This I Believe New England – Facing Demons
How many of us have been tempted to rush to judgment when we come upon displays of ugly behavior, whether on the smartphone or television screen, during radio broadcasts, or up close and personal in our daily encounters? We may wince when a spokesperson for the opposing political party opines in ways that seem completely […]
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This I Believe New England – Okay To Not Be Okay
Life certainly serves up its share of struggles. That’s inevitable, particularly in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. Those of us who are parents do our best to shield our children from life’s bumps and bruises, especially the significant, traumatic ones. Yet, no matter our noble efforts, children sometimes labor quietly with their internal anguish. Fourteen-year-old Alice […]
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This I Believe New England – A Beekeeper
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us so many life lessons in recent months. Chief among them is that nature is in charge in so many profound ways. Our lives have been upended as we’ve struggled to weave and dodge in response to this forceful infectious disease. Jennifer Bristol is here to remind us that we should always be […]
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This I Believe New England – Quest for Identity
Sorting out one’s true identity at any age can be a complex challenge. If we’re fortunate, we become comfortable in our skin as we travel life’s complicated path. As the narrator says in Ralph Ellison’s novel The Invisible Man, “When I discover who I am, I will be free.” Let’s listen to 13-year-old Tai Mertes’s nuanced quest […]
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This I Believe New England – Poems
Words matter. They matter a lot. We string words together in myriad ways. Sentences filled with compelling prose. Catchy phrases that inspire us. One-word exclamations, some of which are unprintable and can’t be said on the air. And then there’s poetry: the exquisitely careful, often delicate, assemblage of words that linger together artfully in ways […]
