Recently, I visited the art museum in Denver’s Botanical Gardens. One of my favorite artists, Plensa, had a show. One picture was of a man and his son looking down a long tunnel. At the end of the tunnel was a question mark. That picture depicts the uncertainty that I feel these days and I suspect it’s how most of you feel.
We have no idea what the future holds. Especially if we are older, we can feel at the edge of our lives and at the edge of civilization as we know it. So many possible catastrophes await us. What will happen with nuclear weapons, climate change, the world economy and AI? For that matter, what will happen in the midterms?
When we think of the future for ourselves and all the children of the world, it’s easy to feel frightened and sad. However, my friends, here is what we can do to enjoy our own precious lives. Everyday we can look for kindness, for beauty, and for opportunities to laugh. And we can look for ways to help our fellow humans. These are the antidotes to despair.
Dear friends, in a couple months, I’ll be speaking about my latest publication of Letters to a Young Therapist. It was first published in 2004 but was reissued with a new introduction in 2016 and is now being reissued with another new introduction. I have just sold the Turkish, Arabic and Romanian rights. I’ll be at Francie and Finch on October 13 and at the Bookworm in Omaha on October 20. I hope to see you at one of these events!
Leslie Huerta of Francie and Finch asked me to share these links.
Pre-order Letters to a Young Therapist:
francieandfinch.indielite.org/book/9781541609570
Order any of Mary Pipher's books:
francieandfinch.indielite.org/search?q=mary%20pipher
francieandfinch.indielite.org
Looks like you haven't found the perfect book yet! Use the search tools above to search our catalog of thousands of products. Still can't find what you are looking for? Please contact us and we will b...Dear friends, Last night at the Ross Film Theater I watched one of the best films I have seen in a very long while. It was so beautiful that it made me cry, and yet, I left the theater feeling elated. The film is Mr. Burton and it tells the story of the actor’s childhood and first performance at Stratford on Avon. It is a magnificent story that reminded me of what movies can do for us at their very best. Please consider viewing it this week before it leaves town. You may see me there when you go.
Last week, under Trump’s orders, another alleged drug boat was shot in the Pacific near Mexico. As of May 5, 2026, 57 seagoing vessels have been destroyed and at least 192 people killed. Last week’s strike was photographed. I could see a small, ruined boat and a man floating on a plank not far from the boat. Two men had been killed but he survived, alone in the Pacific on a piece of wood with his companions dead. It was uncertain if the man would be rescued.
This image encapsulated what Trump has done to all of us. As Raphael Warnock puts it, “He has weaponized the politics of despair.” Of course, this applies to the frightened and most likely wounded man in the Pacific. But it also applies to all of us, watching hopelessly as our government has been coldly and systematically destroyed by the dictator we have in office.
Of course, we have more resources than the man at sea but, as of this moment, we don’t have enough resources to stop the destruction and save ourselves and our nation. I identify with the man in the water and I pray for his rescue. I pray we Americans will be strong, smart and brave enough to rescue ourselves, as well.