At last

Well, as you may have guessed, life has been hectic and crazy the last few days. I've carved out a little quiet spot amidst all of the boxes and chaos in the new house. I'll take a photo and post it soon. Right now I just wanted to give a little update.

Jacob is all set up for school tomorrow, and he's adapting surprisingly well. Probably better than I am. But all is well. We're slowly becoming more organized and figuring out what will need to be fixed/replaced in the house. We're also finding nooks and crannies for storage. The house in Fort Wayne had tons of storage space. In this house, it's just different. We have a big crawl space, but closet space is hard to come by. Figuring out where everything goes is just different. I have a lot more storage space in the utility room, for example, but less in the bedrooms, etc.

I had lots of help on Friday and over the weekend. The other pastor's wife, Jan, came and helped for HOURS on Friday, cleaning and scrubbing out the new kitchen. It was so awesome. I don't think my refrigerator has ever been as clean as it is right now. Even when it was brand new, it was dirtier. :) She was a huge help. My sister-in-law also came down with food, quick decision-making ability, and a get-to-it-quick attitude. My brother David shoveled out our ice-packed driveway for us, and my niece and nephews helped with emptying boxes and generally boosting us up.

What I've struggled with most during this entire process is the weight of the anxiety and stress of it all. Every afternoon, I feel like I just need to take a nap. Some days I do. I know that people have much bigger problems in the world, and I'm so glad that we can be a part of this new community to share God's good news with others.

Had a lovely sunny day here. It got up to 37 or 38 degrees. We took Lucy for a walk and found the bus stop for Jacob for tomorrow a.m. I'll try to write more updates tomorrow.

Going, going...

This is a photo of the moving truck pulling away from our house, on its way to Chicago (well, actually, on its way to Scott's office, and then on its way to Chicago). The house is empty and echo-y, but I've set up air mattresses in two of the bedrooms and snagged a couple of lamps to make the place at least a little bit homey.

The movers were really excellent. Very hard workers, pleasant, funny, and they took good care of our stuff. They wrapped every piece of furniture in pads and taped them, around and around until the pad would be in place. That may not sound like much, but we've moved several times now and while all movers do some padding, this is the most and best I've seen. It would be extremely difficult to ding or scratch furniture when it's so carefully prepared for the move. I highly recommend Bekins.

I'm dreading the time when the unpacking will come, because it's like a mini-explosion with every new box. They pack the items so well, with so much paper that it's a huge amount of rubbish at the end of the unpacking process, but I am confident things will arrive safe and sound.

So, tonight Jacob's basketball team decided they should all meet at Pizza Hut for a going-away bash for Jacob. Then tomorrow morning, I'll bring some treats for his class to have a mini-goodbye before we leave for Chicago around noon. I've been in contact with the new school district, and it sounds like they really do a lot to help transition new students, so I'm grateful for that. But it's not easy for a 14-year-old to leave his friends and school.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to starting afresh with a new (to us) house, a cleaned-out frig, walls ready to paint, and a new place to call our own. But goodbyes are always difficult--and I suppose that's a good thing too because it means we have friends we love.

Packing, Day 2

The house is now officially in total disarray. I find I'm looking forward to the time when all the boxes are gone, but I also know how strange it feels to live in a house with no furniture. But it's probably best with the animals to stay here and camp until we head off to Chicago on Thursday.

It's unsettling, to say the least, to see the house being dismantled around me. Unsettling, but because I've been through it before, not devastating. I at least know what to expect.

Our movers are professional and great workers, so we certainly can't complain about not having to do all of the intensive labor ourselves.

A primer for moving in January:

Pro - cold food can come with us in a box in the trunk.

Con - having to haul giant trash bags through mounds of snow.

Pro - having clear skies (at least right now)

Con - shoveling the driveway before we can get into the house

Pro - avoiding at least a portion of the winter blues because life is so chaotic

Con - having to get used to everything new in the cold

Pro - don't have to mow the grass next week

Con - hoping that our one surviving plant won't freeze in the trunk

Pro - knowing that God is taking care of us, in all circumstances

Thanks for all of the offers for help and concern. We're going to miss our Ft. Wayne friends, but I'm confident that our paths will cross again--and hopefully soon.

The view from where I sit...

What more is there to say? I now have floor-to-ceiling boxes in my house. Hopefully, I pulled out everything we'll need in the next couple of days. If not, there's a Wal-mart not far!

Moving, part 5: Chaos

From now until--I don't know--three or four weeks from now, the house will be in total disarray. (As one of Jacob's friends put it: "Your house looks like a tornado went through here.") I've accepted that fact. So, amidst the chaos this morning, I thought I'd jot a quick note before going to late service.

The last few days have been a whirlwind. Everything went spectacularly well with the closing, and Scott and I are now homeowners! It's going to take some time to absorb that fact, but we're really excited about owning our own home and making it ours. We got into the house on Friday and brought in a few things after shoveling a path through about 8-10 inches of snow.

Yesterday, was a basketball day for our son. His team is fun to watch, especially when they are well-matched to the opposers. Sadly, he's not quite going to be able to finish the basketball season, but he'll be able to play in most of these last games. It's going to be a tough week for him. I know he'll enjoy our new home, but it's always difficult to say goodbye, especially when you're young and haven't yet lived long enough to know that God provides everything that you need--including new friends--wherever you are.

The movers are coming tomorrow for packing, so today is the last-minute surge to get everything sorted and cleaned. I need to separate the things that we're going to take with us in the car, etc. The packing will take a couple of days, and then they'll load the truck on Wednesday, drive to Chicago on Thursday, and Friday the 15th will be our unloading day. I also need to clean out the big freezer and frig today, so if I show up on your doorstep with some random food item (like a package of frozen chicken thighs), don't be surprised.

Thank you for all of your good wishes and prayers during this transition. I have to apologize to my friends who may not be getting quick responses from me via phone or email. I miss you and can't wait to catch up soon (you know who you are!).

Moving, part 4

So today, I'm paying bills, changing our address, and getting ready to go to Elmhurst tomorrow for the closing. I'm also starting my online class this session, so I have a little work time and errands to run today before enlisting help from the teenage boy in my life to help with moving boxes.

On a different, slightly more random note, I keep thinking about John Lennon's song, "Imagine." For those of you who watched the live coverage of Time's Square on New Year's Eve, you may remember that they played the song one minute before the crystal ball started to drop before the new year arrived. This song seems to have evolved into a sort of "gospel" anthem of our time, for our culture. Imagine that everyone gets along and people everywhere have everything they need. It's a nice sentiment, and basically, I think the song is brilliant in its simplicity. I take issue with the line about getting rid of all religion as well as heaven and hell, but notice that he doesn't say to get rid of God. Maybe that's a slight concession to believers in God.

Scott reminded me of David Archuletta's amazing performance of this song on American Idol from a couple of years ago. Here's the link on You Tube in case you're interested (I'm sorry--I'm really having trouble with posting links on Blogger): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbejACVh8F4&feature=related

Moving, part 3

Today is a day to finish up things in the garages and move onto the freezer. Blech. First, though, I shined (shone?) my sink. So, if you have heard me talk about Flylady, you can tune me out. If not, it's a great website for anyone who takes care of a house to look at.

Flylady helps you gain control of housework and CHAOS (which stands for Can't Have Anyone Over Synodrome). She suggests simple, quick solutions to making sure your house is at least somewhat neat and tidy. Her rule of thumb that has always stuck with me is to have a shiny sink. Start there. Make sure your sink is free of dirty dishes, and shining clean. To do this the first time, fill up your kitchen sink with a combination of bleach and hot water. Let it sit a little while, and then drain. Wipe out with a clean towel, and you have your first shiny sink. Then try to keep it clean all day. Before you go to bed, wipe it out, shine it up, etc.

This philosophy to me says: start simple. Start with the little things (a made bed, a clean sink), and those little cluttery things won't stress you out.

So, here's my shiny sink with my pretty angel figurines (from my girlfriends and sister-in-law and mom). During the move, I'm trying to keep some areas of the house relatively normal. The sink is one of those.

Below are some cute pictures of the kitties and Lucy.

P.S. Sorry the spacing and font are so weird. I don't have time to fuss with Blogger! Grr!

Moving, part 2

So, these are the counting-down days to the move, filled with the fun of sorting, cleaning, packing, and generally getting everything messy.

This morning I started in on the garage. Ugh. Cleaning a garage. In winter. In freezing temperatures. After mice have visited.

The kerosene heater helped to ward off the cold. I had to empty the thing out anyway to get it ready to move.

Here's Lucy in the garage, looking a little shell-shocked. I successfully sold her two dog crates this morning to a lady who runs a dog rescue. I thought that was great. The woman told me that she recently got a 6 year old dog that is pregnant, so she needed the large dog crate right away for her.

While moving around totes and sorting stuff, I discovered another dead mouse. Sad, long story, but suffice it to say that I'd rather have dead mice than a non-working blower on the car's heater. The second photo shows the remnants of the mouse nest.

The last photo is of my small bird nest collection (which, of course, were all gathered without babies in them).

Maybe later I'll post a before and after photo of the messy garage/clean garage, but I am too tired right now to finish.

Moving to Chicago, part 1

Well, I decided that while I'm in the middle of a relocation to Chicago, I'd keep a commentary going on my blog so that people can see what's up (if you wish to). I hate it that I haven't had time to keep in touch with all of my friends as well as I should, so here's a "form letter" type of way to communicate.

This weekend, we went up for a couple of days to get Scott settled in at his temporary lodgings while we await the closing of our house (set for this coming week). Here are some photos I snapped along the way. This is on the Metra commuter train in-bound to Chicago.

We decided to visit the John Hancock Observatory. Really awesome 360 degree views! Loved it.

Here's the view from the bottom:

And here's the view from the top:

This week will mean more cleaning at the house while I sort, sell, and give away stuff we don't want or need anymore. So, if you happen to want a 5-foot artificial Christmas tree or an extra large dog crate (or any other random item), just let me know!

More updates soon!

St. Nicholas Day is coming!

Here is the cover of a book I wrote, illustrated by Chris Ellison, published by Concordia Publishing House. It is called St. Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend.

St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6) always sneaks up on me because it comes just on the tails of Thanksgiving. But it's a great day to celebrate, especially to share with children the gift of giving.

While many legends and myths surround the person of St. Nicholas, we do know a few things about him for sure. We know he was a Christian pastor. We know he was a Christian bishop. We know he lived in what is modern-day Turkey around A. D. 200-300s. He is best known for his generosity and his gift of gold to a family with three daughters in need of dowries.

I think it's safe to say that he practiced generosity as an extension of the compassion and grace he received from God. This motivation to do good because good has been done to you is what I love best about Nicholas. It's not a call to works of charity because of duty. His example serves as a model for us to give back from the good we've received.

On the night of Dec. 5, encourage your children to set their shoes beside their beds, ready to receive a treat from St. Nicholas. Give them some gold chocolate coins or a small treat. Remind your children that all good gifts come from God and serve as reminders of that best gift of all--the redemption God gives through the gift of His Son.

This is pretty funny...

This is from:

GRAMMER MADE EASY

or

HOW TO RITE RITE

1. Don't abbrev.
2. Check to see if you any words out.
3. Be carefully to use adjectives and adverbs correct.
4. About sentence fragments.
5. When dangling, don't use participles.
6. Don't use no double negatives.
7. Each pronoun agrees with their antecedent.
8. Just between you and I, case is important.
9. Join clauses good, like a conjunction should.
10. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
11. A preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.
12. Don't use commas, that aren't necessary.
13. Its important to use apostrophe's right.
14. It's better not to unnecessarily split an infinitive.
15. Never leave a transitive verb just lay there without an object.
16. Only Proper Nouns should be capitalized. also a sentence should begin with a capital and end with a period
17. Use hyphens in compound-words, not just in any two-word phrase.
18. In letters compositions reports and things like that we use commas to keep a string of items apart.
19. Watch out for irregular verbs which have creeped into our language.
20. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
21. Avoid unnecessary redundancy.
22. A writer mustn't shift your point of view.
23. Don't write a run-on sentence you've got to punctuate it.
24. A preposition isn't a good thing to end a sentence with.
25. Avoid clichis like the plague; they're old hat; seek viable alternatives.
26. Comparisons are as bad as clichis.
27. Do not use a foreign term when there is an adequate English quid pro quo.
28. If you must use a foreign term, it is de rigor to spell it correctly.
29. Avoid colloquial stuff.
30. It behooves the writer to avoid archiac expressions.
31. Do not use hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it effectively.
32. Mixed metaphors are a pain in the ass and ought to be thrown out the window.
33. Placing a comma between subject and predicate, is not correct.
34. Parenthetical words however should be enclosed in commas.
35. Consult the dictionary frequently to avoid mispelling.
36. Don't use tautological, repetitive, or redundant statements.
37. Don't use tautological, repetitive, or redundant statements.
38. Puns are for children, not for readers who are groan.
39. The Passive Voice shouldn't be used.
40. Proofread carefully to see if you have any words out
41. Hopefully, you will use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
42. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
43. Always avoid any alliteration, albeit agreeable.
44. Contractions aren't necessary.
45. Who needs rhetorical questions?
46. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
47. Do not put statements in the negative form.
48. Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!
49. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
50. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
51. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
52. Be more or less specific.
53. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
54. The passive voice is to be avoided.
55. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
56. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
57. Understatement is always best.
58. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
59. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
60. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
61. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
62. Remember to finish what you sta

Six-Word Memoirs

In one of the e-newsletters I get on teaching, I saw this really cool writing assignment. The idea is to write a memoir in only six words. It's kind of like a really cool new form of haiku. Here is just one link to you tube videos of various groups of students across the country who have tried this activity. I started this activity with my writing students yesterday, and with only 5 or 10 minutes, some students came up with brilliant memoirs! Here is mine (but will probably write a couple of others):

Blonde doesn't begin to describe me.

So, you all should definitely try it! Leave a comment with your six-word memoir.

Super sweet dog

This dog speaks English!! The funny thing is that every time I play the video, my dog barks. Only she just says woof.

Individualism or Isolation?

This week I heard in the news that in Fort Wayne, the Catholic Diocese has determined that the best practice for their churches is to limit communion to individual glasses for fear that receiving communion from the common cup may pass contagious germs throughout the congregation. Bishop D'Arcy further recommends that no one shake hands during the passing of the peace.

Yesterday, I talked with a student whose friend's baby had H1N1 and while the family feared for the young one's recovery, is doing much better now, thankfully. But my student's comment about this was something along the lines of, "I don't want to touch anyone anymore."

Both of these situations touched a nerve. Over the summer I read a book called Generation Me by Jean Twenge. After years of research, she has come to the conclusion that the younger generation (born in the 70s, 80s and 90s) are more isolated and thus more depressed, anxiety, and lonely than ever before. I fear for us when our society--and even our churches are afraid to gather together.

We're already isolated enough. Instead of listening to the radio to wait for our favorite song to come on, we select our personal playlist on our iPods and plug ourselves in to our own little world. We cocoon ourselves by putting on those headphones and ignoring the person on the bus next to us.

Instead of talking problems out with co-workers and coming to solutions together, we immediately go to their superiors to complain.

Instead of going to a gathering, we sit behind our computer screen and de-friend people on Facebook whose opinions we don't share.

So, with all of these thoughts in my mind, I saw the news about the diocese changing the policies on communion and shaking hands and realized that not only is the policy an overreaction to the virus itself, it also serves as a way to isolate us further into our own little cocoons. Furthermore, studies over the years have been done which prove that there is no link between sipping from the Common Cup and getting sick. The American Medical Association did a study years ago that shows how unlikely people are to share germs by drinking the Common Cup. The study found that the precious metal of the chalice, the alcohol itself, and the fact that the chalice is wiped clean after each communicant drinks all lowered the risk of passing germs. I also found this good article in the L.A. Times about how communing from the chalice is much less risky than talking with someone in close proximity who is contagiously ill.

I have theological reasons for preferring the Common Cup, and for those reasons, I always prefer taking the Chalice.

But lately, I've also been considering the the sociological reasons. When we tune out the world and the people in our community and the person sitting next to us, we not only run the risk of perpetuating our own isolation and loneliness, but we cut off the other from a connection with someone else who is in the same boat, so to speak. People now are more depressed, lonely, and anxious than ever. The statistics are always on the rise, and I attribute that, at least in part, to our unwillingness to talk to one another, to cut ourselves off from community, and not shake hands for fear of getting sick.

I'm not saying I want people to contract H1N1. Far from it. But being safe and smart with one's health while still connecting to others is important not only for each individual, but also for the community.

A book you must read

This week I finished the book Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. Kristin Gregory had recommended it to me (thank you, Kristin). I really loved the writing, the story, the Christian symbolism, the literary style. It was a fantastic read. Here's a little section I'm going to show my writing class this week:

“Just past midnight that hunched bundle behind the barn was me, Reuben Land, in deep regret. Skittish, that’s what I was, and unnerved about walking out into the dark. Here all day I’d imagined the glory of this act—waiting for a certain heaviness in the house, slipping on pants, ghosting down to the kitchen, pocketing gingersnaps, easing shut the door, crossing some hundreds of yards into Davy’s night—just thinking of it beforehand slid me into the company of heroes…. Wouldn’t I, too, defeat jitters and win out for Davy’s sake?” (Peace Like a River, Leif Enger, 223).

What I adore about this passage are three things:

1. Word choice - "ghosting" down the stairs, "pocketing" the cookies, the "hunched bundle." This little passage is brilliant in its economy of words--and not just the word choice, but the visual imagery created by those choice words.

2. Detail - the "gingersnaps" is such a small and seemingly insignificant word in this paragraph, but again, it represents the best of writing. I can feel the sweet spicy crumbs in my pocket, can't you?

3. The surprises - perhaps best of all in this passage are the surprises. Instead of the expected use of "quietness" or "stillness" to describe the house, Enger uses "heaviness." And isn't that just right? Isn't there a kind of heaviness in the wee hours of the night? I also loved the surprising sentence structure of that first sentence: "That...bundle...was me."

****

On another note, I've been enjoying my teaching at IPFW so far this semester, and now I am also tutoring ESL high school students. So I'm busy, but I love being in the classroom, and I am finding little pockets of time to write as well.

So great!

Check out this "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks. It'll get you giggling.

Adorable readers...

Thank you so much to Rachel for posting these adorable photos of her kids reading my books on her blog. Awesome!!

Connections

I've been ruminating about the book Generation Me by Jean Twenge, which I finished reading yesterday. The book is an exploration of the "iGen" or GenMe--the generation that follows the Boomers, so basically people born from, roughly, 1970 to 2000ish. The author makes the case that even though a generation typically describes a group of people born within a 20-year span, the generation following the Baby Boomers encompasses a wider span of time due to personality and make-up. I could write several posts on this book. She describes the culture and personality of the generation from the standpoints of: economy, material goods, sex, attitudes on race and gender, and many other aspects that typify people born in this generation. I am, by the way, sort of a fence-sitter. I was born in 1969. My oldest brother is a Boomer, but I see myself in a lot of the attitudes that Twenge ascribes to the GenMe group.

Tonight, though, I'd like to reflect a little bit on social and personal connections. GenMe'ers (or iGen'ers) are, not surprisingly, described as isolated and cut off from others due to our focus on the self. This is, Twenge strongly argues, due to the self-esteem education we received in the '70s and '80s ("you can be anything you want to be!"). We focus on ourselves, we believe in our dreams, we want what we want when we want it. But--Twenge warns--do not call GenMe'ers spoiled; after all, isn't this what we've been taught all our lives? That we're special? Unique? No one is like us? We deserve to have it all?

This enchantment with the self, along with advances in technology (I can set my iPod to my personal selection of music and shut out the world; I can Tivo my show and watch it whenever it's convenient for me, etc.), has, at least in part, cut us off from other people.

Wait a minute! I hear you say, what about email and the internet and texting and cell phones? Don't they connect us more?

Well, that could be true. But Twenge did her homework. Today's generation feels more isolated, cut off, lonely, and depressed than any other. It is counterintuitive, but true, if we can trust her studies.

So even while all of these thoughts ruminating around my brain, I've had some interesting experiences this summer. I helped my parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in June. At the party, I saw lots of familiar faces from my childhood--the parents of my brothers' friends, my piano teacher, family friends, friends from church...so many wonderful people.

I had a wonderful chat with Don and Lucy, the parents of my best friend in high school, Lori, who, unfortunately, could not make it to the party. But it was great visiting with her parents. Lucy said she'd been thinking about it and decided that I'd have never married my husband Scott if it wouldn't have been for Lori's grandfather. This seems like a strange deduction to make on the surface of it. My story is not all that unique: I went off to college, met a guy, and married him. Not all that unusual, right? Well, here's the thing.

Lori's family is Lutheran, and Lori went to a small Lutheran college in Ann Arbor, Michigan after we graduated from high school. I went the opposite direction, to Seattle Pacific Univ. But because of Lori's influence on me and our exploration of our faith together, I decided my freshman year of college to join the Lutheran church. That, then, led me to decide to become a Lutheran teacher, which led me to transfer to Concordia College in Ann Arbor, with Lori, which is where I met my husband, who later became a Lutheran pastor, etc. etc.

Lucy pointed out, though, that it was actually due to her father who insisted that all of his kids be educated in Lutheran schools which then influenced his family to remain Lutheran, and perhaps that influenced Lori to attend a Lutheran school. I then, being a new Lutheran, decided I'd go to the same Lutheran school Lori did...

The story gets a little long (and maybe boring), but after she described all of the connections, I had to agree: I would not be married to Scott if it weren't for Lori's grandfather.

And that is a little bit amazing to think about.

I mean, how is it that our lives collide and bump against each other, and we influence each other every day--even in ways we may not realize? Did Lori's grandfather sit in his rocking chair thinking about how his Lutheran beliefs would affect his granddaughter's friend and her husband? I doubt it.

But these are the sorts of connections that all of us have--and we may not even realize it. We think we're floating around alone in the world, and then someone like Lucy says, "well, you know, your life wouldn't have happened if it weren't for..." Sometimes life does feel lonely, but maybe we feel lonely because we've isolated ourselves behind our iPods and laptops. I'm not making judgements--I love the new technology as much as anyone else. But I wonder if it's that personal element, that person-to-person contact that we need more of, and my parents' anniversary party helped me realize that.

So do something social this week. Go to a restaurant with friends. Gather around a bonfire. Phone your childhood pal; even better, go for a visit. You're probably more connected to the people around you than you realize.

Blueberries

I'm not sure exactly what it is about blueberries that I love so much. They're a nice color, they're delicious, and they're easy to pick. But it's more than that.

When I think of a perfect summer in Indiana, I think of picking blueberries. I remember one summer, about ten or twelve years ago, a couple of friends and I took our kids blueberry picking. (Do you remember it, Kathryn?) That day--after driving out to the country in my friend's old giant sedan, with kids and sunny blue skies, picking blueberries from the bushes in rural Indiana--that day seemed to capture the essence of summer. And I think, somehow, it brought back the simplicity of my own childhood summers, running in the sprinklers, drinking from the hose, playing Green Ghost in the neighborhood.

So now, it's hard to keep me from Blueberry Acres in LaOtto, Indiana during blueberry picking season. And check out how delicious these recipes look. Sheesh.

Christian the Lion

The last few days I've been listening to a great story on audio book, The Lion Called Christian by Anthony Burke and John Rendell. It's the story of two Australian men who bought a lion cub (yes, a lion) from Harrod's Dept. store (yes, a dept. store) in London in 1969 or 1970. They kept the cub in their home in London and they tried to provide for his needs, but when he got to be about 150 lbs., they just couldn't handle the care for him. So, they enlisted the help of George Adamson who rehabilitated the lion into his natural habitat in Kenya.

Their story became popular when footage was uploaded to You Tube a couple of years ago. The footage shows the moment when Christian's former owners "Ace" and John are reunited with the lion after a year of separation. The lion is so amazingly affectionate to the two men that many people found it quite moving, and interest in the story was rekindled. A new edition of the book was published. It's really a remarkable story, and the book itself is quite well written, describing that amazing connection between animals and people.

Here's the link to the video. (And, no, this doesn't mean that I now want to own a lion...although the thought did cross my mind. This story is a great example of a cautionary tale against bringing exotic animals in domestic situations. However, listening to the story does make me want a kitten.)