Summer break: “Waste” some time on something beautiful
I have another suggestion for your summer: “Waste” some time appreciating something beautiful. Go to an art museum, marvel at the paintings; attend the symphony, be taken up with the music; take a long hike, be absorbed by nature; sit on the beach, stare at the waves; seek out a flower garden and just smell […]
Summer break: Be with your friends
My second suggestion for the summer is to spend time with your friends. Now, you may be thinking, “Well, duh, Mr. Gibson – of course that’s what we’ll do over the summer.” But I mean: Be intentional about it. George Washington advised his nephew, Bushrod, that “true friendship is a plant of slow growth.” Now, […]
Summer break: Read a book because you want to, not because you have to
Well, it has arrived—the last week of school. And while our focus is still on finishing well, I thought I’d take the opportunity these last four days to recommend a few things you might consider doing this summer. My first suggestion: Read a book because you want to, not because you have to. Frederick Douglass, […]
On finishing and failure
In one of the best-known passages in the Bible, Paul writes to his protégé, Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Now, it is easy to think of Paul writing this to Timothy in a modern context: at the end of a successful career, passing the […]
“The snail reached the ark”
Do you ever feel like everyone else is making more progress than you? They find it easier to get things done, to reach the finish? Have you ever thought that Aesop’s fable about the tortoise and the hare is a nice story, but that in the real world, the hare actually wins the race most […]
“Looking back can sometimes help you on”
Yesterday we considered the art of finishing well and compared it to running all the way through the tape in a race. But the truth is, neither life nor school is a race—the goal is not simply to arrive at the end as quickly as possible. So, perhaps a better analogy is climbing a mountain. […]
The art of ending well
Ten years ago, at the Peachtree 10k Road Race in Atlanta, Ben Payne was approaching the finish line in first place. The Peachtree is the biggest ten kilometer race in the world, with over 50,000 runners participating each year on the morning of the 4th of July. Having pulled away from his competition, Payne raised his […]
Unsung Heroes: The people standing next to you
This week we’ve considered some of the unsung heroes of American history—the lesser-known, the unknown, and even the seemingly unheroic. But I imagine that at times all these characters seem quite removed from your own life. You probably don’t go home with Henry Knox on your mind. So, we will end the week—Teacher Appreciation Week, […]
Unsung Heroes: The unknown soldier
Henry Knox, Joseph Warren, William Eaton…they’re all lesser known heroes of American history. But at least we know their names and their stories. In Arlington National Cemetery, three American soldiers are buried at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: one from World War I, one from World War II, and one from the Korean War. […]
Unsung Heroes: William Eaton
I know that you’re familiar with the United States Marine Hymn that tells of the Marines going “to the shores of Tripoli”—but do you know what, or who, it is about? The song refers to an attack on the Tripolitan city of Derne in 1805, and the 8 Marines responsible for leading the attack that […]
