Poetry is a magical thing, like a well told story.  It has the power to transport us to another realm, another time, a new perspective.  By its metaphor it brings into focus things that cannot be explained, and by its beauty or its ugliness creates an atmosphere that communicates sentiments perhaps unfelt before.   We would do well not to neglect it.

Books of all kinds should be read, including history, philosophy, theology, fairy tales, essays, and great works of fiction.  Books introduce us to other worlds, both real and imagined.  In fact, it is the imagination that has the profoundest effect on who we are as human beings.  Some of my favorite authors are C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, G. K. Chesterton,  Kenneth Grahame, and Stephen Lawhead.

These are among the greatest gifts of God to mankind.  Tobacco reminds us of how short the span of our lives on earth will be, and ale reminds us of the goodness of our creator.  Ale has been called liquid bread by previous generations, and in this regard a friend has reminded me that it is useful for recalling to us the incarnation of our redeemer.  Dark, rich, frothy ale; truly the gift of a kind a loving God.