Tuesday, August 31, 2004

George's Voyage to America

I'm a great grandson of a Englishman who sailed to America 140 years ago. My great grandpa George was a 29-year-old married father when he responded to preaching of Mormon elders and neighbors. Although he joined the church, his wife Ann did not share his enthusiasm for the new religion. He left her and an infant daughter behind, hoping they'd eventually join him. They never did. Although his diary has been published in print and elsewhere on the web, this is the first "blog edition."

George Finlinson's 1864 Voyage to America

Monday, August 30, 2004

Durante on Schnozzles

"All of us have schnozzles--are ridiculous in one way or another, if not in our faces, then in our characters, minds or habits. When we admit our schnozzles, instead of defending them, we begin to laugh and the world laughs with us."
-Jimmy Durrante, quoted in Laughter Therapy, How to Laugh About Everything in Your Life That Isn't Really Funny, by Anne Goodheart

Sunday, August 29, 2004

Signature Strengths

The highest success in living and the deepest emotional satisfaction comes from building and using your signature strengths.
-Martin Seligman