The good light . . .
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 The good light . . .
It's Tiw's day . . . A three-day thaw is in the forecasts for TulseyTown. Light breezes bring a few clouds to otherwise sunny skies and this afternoon with upper 30's.
At least once a day: Stop. Be still for a moment. Look. See without labeling what your vision brings.
On this day in 1945 the Red Army entered the gates of Auschwitz in horrified awe of what they encountered.
On the same day in 1944 the Soviet Red Army ousted German and Finnish forces from Leningrad (what is today St. Petersburg), concluding an 872-day siege.
Today is the birthdate of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was born in 1756, Salzburg, Austria.
Mikhail Baryshnikov is 77 today. born in 1948, Riga, Latvia, U.S.S.R.
It’s the birthday of Lewis Carroll. The author of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, was born in 1832, Daresbury, Cheshire, England.
How Can We Fix America's Corruption Problem. – video from The Brennan Center for Justice.
Finding the light of America. – Robert Reich, Tipping Point, online for 1.27.26
Colorado poet laureate Andrea Gibson and fellow poet partner Megan Falley are the subjects of the documentary Come See Me in the Good Light, recently posted on Apple+ and which I watched last night with a box of tissues. The film documents their marriage and how they dealt with Gibson's terminal cancer diagnosis and impending death. She died soon after the film’s production ended. Searing emotionally and gently radiant, the film was directed by Ryan White and produced by comedian Tig Notaro, it won the Festival Film Favorite Award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and has been nominated for this year's Academy Award.
Two lines from the film to nudge you into seeing this wonderfully moving film experience:
“You can't take your gender with you to the other side. So consider: how hard are you holding on?”
“ Everything you are experiencing: Name it love. Everything you are feeling: Name it love.”
. . . I could wear my heart
on my sleeve and never grow
out of that shirt.
. . . every falling leaf is a tiny kite
with a string too small to see, held
by the part of me in charge
of making beauty
out of grief.
– Andrea Gibson, “How the Worst Day of My Life Became the Best.” From You Better Be Lightning. Button Poetry, 2021.