One of my beloved teachers, the late professor Maria Hogan Butler, once quoted these lines to me in a letter -- words of encouragement when I sorely needed them. They come from Robert Browning's "Epilogue to 'Asolando'."
"One who never turned his back but marched breast forward,
Never doubted clouds would break,
Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph,
Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better,
Sleep to wake."
Hope can be a tenuous thing, but as we march forward, hope will be there.
Happy Thanksgiving, one and all!
And to you, Dean. Thank you for these words (which I'll be taking to Thanksgiving tomorrow).
Posted by: catriona | November 23, 2016 at 07:00 AM
Love you, Dean. And to you.
Posted by: hank Phillippi Ryan | November 23, 2016 at 07:57 AM
Great thoughts. Happy Thanksgiving.
Posted by: Mark | November 23, 2016 at 08:13 AM
And to you, too, Dean. Hope is all many of us have in these dark times, and it seems very fragile right now.
Posted by: Elaine Viets | November 23, 2016 at 11:22 AM
Lovely snippet from Browning. I hope your Thanksgiving is a happy one, with friends and/or family. And that it kicks off a great holiday season. 🍗🦃
Posted by: Kristin Lundgren | November 23, 2016 at 01:08 PM
Thank you, Dean. Never has it been so important that we all stand together.
Posted by: Patricia Orr | November 24, 2016 at 07:20 PM
Bravo, Dean! xoxo
Posted by: Dana | November 28, 2016 at 06:42 AM