Best this month Gravity This film is a riveting tale of survival set in the terrifying
wilderness of outer space. Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a medical engineer on her first mission. After a deluge of debris hits the American spacecraft, she and a veteran astro- naut (George Clooney) must get to a working shuttle to take them back to Earth. It’s a battle against time and depleting fuel and oxygen levels. Unprepared for the many life-and-death
Imperfect Harmony:
Finding Happiness Singing with Others According to Chorus America, 32.2 million American
adults sing in choirs, and that number goes up to 42.6 mil- lion when you include children. In this delightful book, Stacy Horn shares her experiences as a member of the Choral Society of Grace Church in New York City for almost 30 years. She notes: “Singing is the one thing in my life that never fails to take me to where disenchantment is almost nonexistent and feeling good is pretty much guaranteed.” Horn writes about the church,
Author bio:
The Brussats publish the website www.SpiritualityandPractice. com where you can find more information about the items reviewed in this column.
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www.thelutheran.org
the perfectionistic choir direc- tor, her role as a soprano, blending in with other voices to make harmonious sounds, the positive impact sing- ing has upon being generous, the increase in levels of dopa- mine (feelings of pleasure) from singing, and the other highs that come from a group of people getting together to sing (Algonquin Books, www.
Algonquin.com).
decisions she must make, Stone admits that she would pray if only someone had taught her how. There are many images in Gravity that remind us we are
on a spiritual journey—from one of birth, through tribula- tion by fire, encounters with mysteries and rebirth in water. At the end of this film, superbly directed by Alfonso Cuaron, we recalled the words of German theologian Meister Eckhart: “If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is ‘Thank you,’ that would suffice” (Warner Bros. PG-13—intense peril- ous sequences, some disturbing images, brief strong language). DVD to be released Feb. 25.
The Voyage Every once in a while, a children’s picture book comes
along that stands out from the rest due to its parabolic prowess and philosophical riches. The story may be sim- ple, but the questions that it poses are universal. Hats off to writer Veronica Salinas and illustrator Camilla Eng- man for their collaborative effort on this story about an adorable little duck who is blown away from his home and plopped down in an unfamiliar world. Armed with the question “Do you know who I am?”
the little one has no success in communicating with a fly, fish or mouse. Another duck comes along and gives him some perspective on what is happening: “You are who you are.” With this key to understanding, this little duck reaches out to the other animals with a new respect for diversity. Once you know who you
are and embrace who others are, you will not be blown away by anything that comes your way (Groundwood Books,
www.houseofanansi.com).
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
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