Photo of the Day: Pope John Paul II Statue, Stockbridge, MA

The National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, perched on 350 picturesque acres in Stockbridge, MA, known as Eden Hill, is one of the more unique Roman Catholic sites in New England. A prior post of mine dealt with its history, while another focused on a striking statue, “Pondering Jesus.”

This particular outdoor statue illustrates the statement by the charismatic Pope John Paul II at the start of his period as pontiff in October 22, 1978: “Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ.”

Quote of the Day (Dancer Margot Fonteyn, on Life, Haphazard and Beautiful)

“If I have learnt anything, it is that life forms no logical patterns. It is haphazard and full of beauties which I try to catch as they fly by, for who knows whether any of them will ever return?”—British ballet dancer Dame Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991), Margot Fonteyn: Autobiography‎ (1975)

Photo of the Day: Lenox Library, Lenox, MA

I took this photo while in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts in late August. The Lenox Library began when Mrs. Adeline Schermerhorn, a wealthy summer resident of Lenox, bought what had been the former county courthouse. The property began to be used three years later. It was added to the National Historic Register in 1973 and renovated from 2002 to 2004.

Tweet of the Day (Comic John Lyon, on Important Work E-Mails)

“Is there a way I can filter out all work emails except the ones telling me there are donuts or cake in the office?”—Comic John Lyon, tweet of Feb. 2, 2016

Photo of the Day: Lydia Musco’s ‘Stack C,’ at The Mount, Lenox, MA

Lydia Musco is the creator of this abstract sculptural form. It is part of the outdoor sculptural exhibition “Nexus,” running from June 1 to October 31 on the grounds of The Mount, novelist Edith Wharton’s marvelous summer residence in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

Quote of the Day (Christopher Morley, on How There Is ‘Only One Success’)

"There is only one success: to be able to spend life in your own way and not to give others absurd maddening claims upon it." —American journalist, novelist, essayist and poet Christopher Morley (1890-1957), Where the Blue Begins (1922)