I don’t know why or how I got hooked on Rufus Wainwright’s music. Maybe it’s because he covers a lot of Leonard Cohen. Yesterday morning on my almost daily walk, I really listened to the words of Wainwright’s “Oh What a World.” It fit my mood as I tried to keep my mind from wandering away from the beauty and serenity of the world I was walking through. But it didn’t really work. (My mind that is.)

“Oh, what a world it seems we live in. … Why am I always on a plane or a fast train. Oh, what a world my parents gave me ….  Always traveling but not in love … Men reading fashion magazines … Wouldn’t it be a lovely headline? Life is beautiful on the New York Times….

We are home from Israel, and it is time to make a photo book that tries to capture the deeply touching experience of being there in these days and at this time. Everyone has put their favorite photos in a shared album and Sammy, and I are tasked with selecting those which will make it onto the pages of the book. There are all kinds of decisions to make: size; matte; glossy; lay flat; design by computerized algorithm or do it yourself or pay an extra fee to have a personalized live human consultant or even a hybrid where you use their templates. We are hybrid all the way although there is a great chat option where you can ask a real human how to …..

Which brings me back to “Oh What a World.” Sometimes I think we are on a fast train to destruction, and I wonder what kind of world we are giving to our children and grandchildren. Sometimes as I listen to the news or watch the network half hour, I say the last five minutes of “America Strong” isn’t enough. The plane we are on flies so high we can’t see that the grass is green and that green isn’t just one color. We call them shades cause I think we need to categorize everything. Trying to make sense of the beautiful chaos of nature.

And then this morning – “Four Hostages rescued alive in Gaza operation, Israel says.” (That’s The Washington Post.) Or “Israel’s Military Says It Rescued Four Hostages.” (That’s the NYT.) Maybe I am prejudiced (I am). I don’t see all the qualifiers when it comes to reporting how many died in an Israeli strike on Gaza. It is always a UN School but you have to read below the fold to find out that it was a haven for a Hamas unit.

I know I am rambling. I guess the theme is “Oh What a World.”

But right now, I am sticking with the rescue and return of the four hostages. That’s a photo for our book and another reason to love Israel.