Autumn brings us so many gifts: leafy rainbows of yellow, red, orange, and brown; the smell of woodsmoke in the air; apple picking; pumpkin carving; and the sweet, raucous pleasures of Halloween. . . .

Too often, we judge our self-worth by our talents, our achievements, or how much others love, appreciate, or desire us. ..

Ugh, the editorials these days. So hard to read, even harder to process. Soaring prices, deadly outbreaks of preventable diseases, and wars . . . It’s enough to make a person despair about the current state and future prospects of humankind. And yet . . .