Favorite book: “My Antonia” by Willa Cather. It’s an elegiac novel set on the American frontier,  a beautiful portrayal of childhood, youth, and lifelong friendship.

 

Favorite movie: “A River Runs through It” (1991). Directed by Robert Redford and starring a young Brad Pitt, it’s set against a backdrop of Montana mountains and trout rivers. It’s a poignant portrayal of the challenges of family life, foregrounded by the realization that some things remain beyond our understanding.  The only response we can give is to love one another completely even without complete understanding.

 

Favorite piece of music: Tie between “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Simon and Garfunkel); “Rhymes and Reasons” (John Denver). These are powerful songs about friendship and caring for another person (or humanity as a whole) with kindness and empathy. As John Denver concludes, “Come and stand beside us, we can find a better way.”