In this beautiful book, the Rev. Kerry Krauss journals through one year of the Covid epidemic, March 2020 – March 2021. It is a perfect companion as you reflect on your own Covid experience.
Kerry captures his daily walks with keen observations and evocative descriptions of his small corner of the world – Door County, Wisconsin. These daily meditations are packed with hard-hitting critiques and bold looks at grieving hearts and broken spirits. But like life itself, there are also moments of playfulness and joy. Whether it is about jobs that he has had, injuries he has endured or difficult people he has known, the stories in These Days are told with a lighthearted, generous spirit.
But don’t be fooled by the beauty and poignant stories. There is plenty to think about as you engage with Kerry’s wide range of smart friends, i.e.:
- Leonardo Da Vinci, the Mona Lisa and sage advice for living a good life
- Poet Donald Hall who writes of “accrual of small triumphs” – (accumulation)
- Alfred Wegener and plate tectonics
- Augustine of Hippo, 4th century scholar who advised “Sing but keep going”
- Martin Luther – simul justus et pecator – at the same time saint and sinner
In addition, you will find many references that will tweak your interest to read more or provide witty remarks for your next party or picnic, such as:
- Greek Mythology’s story of the spring season
- The lyrics of American Pie and “The Day the Music Died”
- A Merriam-Webster Twitter which gives all the new words introduced in the year of your birth
- A story on page 169 about the equinox which will help to explain the picture on the back cover
Throughout These Days, there are many words to add to your vocabulary: facultative (something about winter wheat) and proprioception (spatial awareness) plus a list of phobias, including arachnophobia, which Kerry suffers from.
This is a book to savor leisurely, one day at a time or to steal away on a rainy day to read from cover to cover. The book invites you into the life of a pastor in Covid time, a husband and father relishing time spent with family and above all a man of faith. This is faith expressed in his love of God, of creation, of all creatures (except spiders) and faith that speaks to a hope for the future. Buy it, read it and share it with your friends.
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Kay Ward is a bishop of the Moravian Unity living in Watertown, Wis. These Days is available from the Interprovincial Board of Communication, online at store.moravian.org, or by calling 1.800.732.0591, ext. 703.