RANDOM THOUGHTS: "Wild but fun"

Opinion

June 23, 2009

By Dorothy Brush / dcb1@frontier.net The Crossville Chronicle Tue Jun 23, 2009, 06:10 PM CDT

This column gave you the news that Michael Sims was appearing on the CBS Early Show on May 7. He was questioned about his new book, In the Womb: Animals. I was disappointed that it was such a short segment. Later I learned it was planned to be longer but, as anyone knows who watches news shows, other stories intrude at the last minute and plans change quickly. That was what happened in this case but Michael said, “It was wild, but fun.”

Beside me as I write is that new book. On the dust jacket of the 8x9-inch book are varying shades of purple transforming it into a visual delight. The upper half of the cover pictures a Golden Retriever puppy floating in the womb at day 63. This illustration of innocence is an invitation to open the book.

Sims carries this theme of innocence in the natural world throughout the book. He writes, “Every species makes babies in its own special way.” The reader follows the wondrous journey of the Golden Retriever, the bottlenose dolphin, the Asian elephant, the kangaroo, penguin, shark and wasp from conception to birth. Illustrations produced by a team of National Geographic photographers show the progress.

As this great-grandmother finished the book, her heart was silently singing “How Great Thou Art.” My early introduction to the mystery of babies was the stork. As years moved on, the subject was discussed among friends just as ignorant as I was. Hard to believe but, in 1940, when I entered nursing school one of our classmates shared her secret. She had no idea how babies got here. When the classes in gynecology came along and the whole process was explained, I remember to this day my feelings of awe and wonder at the miracle of making babies and their pre-birth lives.

Sims’ book presents the still tricky subject of conception to birth in a natural no-nonsense manner. I would suggest to parents that they look at this book and decide if their children would benefit from the contents.

It seems especially important because today’s youngsters are bombarded by sexual scenes and language by adults. Adults who grew up learning sex was a subject that produced snide remarks, dirty language or snickers which left young people with a distorted view of life’s beginning.

Michael Sims journey was different. He writes in his introduction, “I’ve watched the beautiful and mysterious process of birth from the outside so many times that I jumped at the chance to follow it from the inside” and when he was asked to write this book he couldn’t resist.

In the Womb:Animals is dedicated to Michael’s mother, Ruby Norris Sims, “whose tolerance for countless pets helped inspire a lifelong fondness for animals.”

Text Only

Opinion

Gary's World: The magical Star Wars summer of '77
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

May 24, 2012
Lion and the Lamb: When politics and religion meet
Several wealthy contributors to the Republican presidential campaign are once again trying to figure out how they can use a video clip containing three words that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright used in a sermon on April 13, 2003. Wright, now retired, had been pastor of the 6,600-member Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago when Barack Obama was a member there.

May 22, 2012
Random Thoughts: Returning vets fight fire
Cemeteries are given special attention this week in preparation for Memorial Day next Monday. During the Civil War gracious ladies of the south laid flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers from both sides. The custom spread across the country and was called Decoration Day until the early 20th century.

May 22, 2012
Tidbits: Finding more time in your day
If we had another two hours in every day, we'd all probably still be begging for just a little bit more to get all our stuff done before that clock strikes midnight and it's game over.

May 21, 2012
Stumptalk: Hooray for the innovators
In his brilliant article in the Free Market, Daniel Sanchez says, “There will always be a one-percent. The well-being of the 99-percent depends on who makes up the 1-percent: innovative entrepreneurs or the state and its cronies. This in turn depends on the ideologies adopted by the 99-percent.” This is the way societies have always been organized and always will be.

May 21, 2012
GARY'S WORLD: Graduates, create your own opportunities
Time flies. One day you have a baby boy who is fascinated with stuffed Miss Piggy and Kermit rattles and the next day he wants to wear his cowboy boots and hat with every outfit no matter what the occasion. Before you know it, he's playing in the elementary school band, going into high school, learning how to drive, driving to school, going to prom and graduating.

May 17, 2012
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Truly a January in May
“It’s June in January” became a popular standard after Bing Crosby introduced the song in 1934. A strange thing happened last week. I call it a tale of ‘It’s January in May.’

May 15, 2012
LION AND THE LAMB: Our challenged nation
Three major social justice issues have been a source of contention in our nation over the years, and interestingly, each of them has involved the subject of equality.

May 15, 2012
WE THE PEOPLE: Repressing the ‘Grapes of Wrath’
Sometimes a hole appears, ever so briefly, in the curtain that hides the plans of those who control our government. One such opening occurred when Alan Greenspan testified to the Federal Reserve Board on Feb. 26, 1997. During that testimony, Greenspan revealed that “worker insecurity” was (in his view) a boon to the economy, allowing productivity to increase without causing workers to demand increased earnings.

May 15, 2012
TIDBITS: Never stop moving forward, grads
This week is a week of celebration. According to my files of graduating seniors, Cumberland County will see more than 550 students earning their high school diplomas this week. Now, those youngsters will venture out into the world, armed with the knowledge and character instilled in them by their parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, teachers, principals, classmates, coaches and others.

May 14, 2012
More Opinion Headlines

Opinion

Search Results

RANDOM THOUGHTS: "Wild but fun"

Site Map

Contact Us