This I Believe: New England

After almost 15 years on The Public's Radio, This I Believe - New England draws to a close this week. Frederic Reamer shares these final thoughts on the series.

Every one of us has a story - make that lots of stories - that define who we are.

Every life is filled with change, some unbidden and some welcome.

It's a truism that adolescence poses all manner of challenges, not the least among them sorting out one's identity.

Forgiveness is complicated, especially when we've been mistreated badly. Perhaps we think we should be able to rise above our anger and resentment and utter those simple words, “I forgive you.”

The disturbing headlines seem nonstop: Revenge drive-by shootings.

All of us have memories, some joyful, some painful, and some that are, well, mainly complicated.

Perhaps all of us are exhausted emotionally by the painful, steady stream of news about conflict in our world.

How many of us have spent years driving and walking through familiar local neighborhoods without pausing to think about the rich and complex history that preceded their current configuration?

Our contemporary world seems saturated with complex black and white issues, especially our conversations about Black Lives Matter and other race-related challenges.

Many of us, no doubt, have been wondering during the past year whether there are any blessings to be found underneath the complex layers of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his novel A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway wrote “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.

Life is filled with all manner of challenges -- some small, some medium, and then there are the ones we don’t like to think about.

Sadly, our world seems so filled with conflict.

There is so much to worry about in our world today: political turmoil, civil unrest, a pandemic, climate change.

The words that come out of our mouths matter.

Our nation’s history is replete with inspiring and poignant examples of self-sacrifice on behalf of the commonweal.

For many of us, our recent transition to a new year was filled with a complicated mix of relief, sorrow, gratitude, and hopefulness about what lies ahead.

There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has left so many of us feeling stuck with stay-at-home admonitions, frustrated by social- and physical-distancing protocols, and mired in sameness and more sameness.

Do any of our lives unfold without moments of regret?

Along with so many parts of our lives, the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated theater and arts venues that are at the heart of our community.

The word pandemic is now a central element of our vocabulary.

Here’s the headline: Journalism in the United States is at a crossroads, and that’s not hyperbole.

Who hasn’t noticed that life sometimes brings us its share of uninvited disappointments – some trivial, some truly profound?

Humor seems so necessary, especially now.

As we march through our lives, it seems inevitable that we’ll look in the rearview mirror and reflect on our complex journeys.

Let’s start with the obvious: The COVID-19 pandemic has turned all of our lives upside down.

Cultural diversity and sensitivity are in the air, in unprecedented ways.

Every life is bound to have its moments of despair and sorrow, amidst the joy and merriment.

There is no denying that the subject of race is in the air.

Our contemporary world seems saturated with complex black and white issues, especially our conversations about Black Lives Matter and other race-related challenges.

Perhaps it’s a truism, but it sure does seem that the older we get, the more we appreciate life’s fragility and are better able to feel gratitude for whatever good fortune comes our way.

Life certainly serves up its share of struggles.

For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic has enhanced our appreciation of basic human connection.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us so many life lessons in recent months.

Sorting out one’s true identity at any age can be a complex challenge.

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned all of our lives upside down.

So many of us are facing hard truths about racism in our country – both its painful legacy and its disturbing contemporary manifestations.

There is no doubt that all of us are coping with unprecedented challenges as we live amidst the swirl of health care challenges, social unrest, political turmoil, and glaring inequities.

It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has rewritten the rules governing our daily lives.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us so many lessons about what matters most in life.

We’re living in a time when the concepts of culture and community have taken on new meaning, especially in the midst of intense national discourse about race, ethnicity, and diversity.

Let’s start with the obvious: The coronavirus has changed all of our lives in so many profound and unbidden ways. Don’t all of us have a new-found appreciation of life’s fragility and tenuousness? And, yet, amidst this pervasive challenge many of us have managed to find precious, if all too rare, moments of beauty. Let’s listen to John Minahan’s wise and timely insights.

If we’re fortunate, we have genuine heroes in our lives.

Perhaps most of us have spent some time anticipating our own deaths, our own mortality.

"There but for the grace of God go I.

All of us need help at some point in our lives—sometimes at many points in our lives.

It’s no secret that many people struggle in life: job-related problems, relationship challenges, mental health issues, financial uncertainty.

Many of us have known friends and loved ones whose minds and mental faculties have slipped away as some form of dementia has tightened its unrelenting grip.

No doubt you have noticed how our lives ebb and flow, much like the seasons.

Who among us hasn't carved moments out of our lives to moan .