Blog No. 285: Elephants, Heather Cox Richardson 6/25/2026, About Denmark

Elephants

Courtesy Weird, Strange and Interesting Things

I have always had a special place in my heart for elephants as the smart, emotional, self-aware and highly social creatures that they are. In fact when Gert, my husband died, one of my thoughts was to look at elephants and how they grieve as a model for how I was going to survive this major event in my life…. Turns out these magnificent pachyderms, who today are in enormous danger due to ivory poaching, human-wildlife conflict and habitat destruction, did have an answer.

When one of their herd member dies, they hold a vigil around the body. And they stay there, in silence, for hours, not making a single sound. Making sure the elephant in grief knows they are not alone and surrounded by love and empathy.

According to the Grief and Loss Center of North Texas, “we humans often struggle to find the “right” words to say when in the presence of someone who is grieving. We try to help by saying something, but the reality is that people who are grieving don’t have a need for words. They simply need family and friends to gather around them in sacred silence to assure them they are not alone.”

I think we need to look at the animal kingdom a lot more often to teach us important lessons on wellbeing.

Wanda Sykes Illustration, courtesy RaLiz and RedBubble

Heather Cox Richardson Important Post

Photo courtesy Robert Shetterly. Click image above to read about his work

I have written about Heather Cox Richardson several times on my blog as I consider her America's history teacher, one of our most national treasures, and a voice of sanity and reason in these very troubling times. Her facebook talks are always interesting but her June 25, 2026 talk struck me as really important and it stood out as something I really wanted to highlight and share here. In my opinion, it is something everyone needs to hear. She starts off about how crucial it is to get our terminology straight and I won't go over every point she makes here--she is much better at explaining things herself-- but for me, the main gist where she hits the nail on the head, as usual, is that what is being termed "socialist" or "communist" right now is not radical at all taken in historical context. Believe it or not, the REPUBLICAN PARTY! platform of 1956, which she reads in her talk, contains so many of the ideas that are being deemed radical today. Please take the time to listen to her whole talk and share it far and wide. It is forty minutes well spent!

About Denmark

Painting of the Week

An impromptu art show this week on the lawn of Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico.

Charity of the Week:
Doctor's Without Borders

Book of the Week

About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.