I have determined that I am an admirer of great communicators. I know there are some that immediately link this to Ronald Reagan, and he is an excellent example, but communication occurs on so many levels that to limit it to speech alone would be to ignore so many others.
When I was young, I read Jack London’s Call of the Wild. I can still see Buck as he stands over the snow-covered valleys. Earnest Hemingway, even with his sparse sentence structure, was able to transport the reader to Paris, Spain, or elsewhere and plant us in the story in such a way as to cause us to feel we are intruding in the moment. Contemporary writers are seemingly held in lower esteem, but when I read David Baldacci’s Wish You Well, I am there on that mountain in Virginia.
Not novelists only, but essayists, magazine writers, columnists all provide me with the enjoyment of seeing an idea shared in such a way as to capture my attention and my thoughts even if we disagree on the subject matter. A well-reasoned position well stated is a pleasure to read. I appreciate a wordsmith. There are two men within my circle of friends that I admire: Danny Grizzle and Bob Gambill. If you have never allowed yourself the time to read their posts, you are doing yourself a grave disservice. Read and enjoy the play of words across your screen. They will move you.
I love singers (I am married to one!), particularly those that tell me a story. Sometimes it’s a song they have written, sometimes it’s one they make their own. Listen to Bonnie Raitt sing “Home” and tell me you don’t grow a bit misty-eyed, and maybe long for something past. Listen to anything by Frank Martin Gilligan: “Silver Dollar”, “A Piece of Ireland”, “Children of the Gael”. You will be connected to those places and people and may never forget them. Listen to Reneé worship. You will be in His presence if you allow it.
I could continue (and I wish I could), but I think you see my point. I strive to be able to communicate like these above, and, maybe over time, I will get better.
Randy's Thoughts 