Summer’s Permission Slip

Now that I’m retired and no longer living by the seasonal rhythm of an educator, I’m discovering the need to be more intentional about my approach to summer living.

Regina Brett, who became a global sensation with her vital newspaper column “50 Life Lessons,” wisely said:

“Summer is the annual permission slip to be lazy.

To do nothing and have it count for something.”

Several summer pastimes spring to mind, activities that might be seen as “doing nothing,” yet they offer quiet meaning. May I suggest you take a well-earned permission slip and enjoy one of these gentle pursuits or other compatible ones.

  • Sitting on a Bench: Observing, your outer or inner surroundings, without a device, without a book. Just savouring presence.

  • Floating: Being buoyed by water, your body and thoughts are both carefree.

  • People-Watching: Noticing others quietly, sipping something cool, engaging in a gentle study of human nature.

  • Walking Without a Destination: Wandering without a route, seemingly aimless, but truly a walking meditation.

This summer, I’m letting the season be a permission slip to slow down and simply be. Wherever you are, however, you choose, may this summer give you permission to simply be.

-Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ

Images: Luke Dean-Weymark/Chris Galbraith/Unsplash

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
— Henry James

A Moving Memoir

Adding My First Memoir to My Lending Library

I’ve just added my first memoir to my bookcase and what a heart-stirring introduction to the genre it turned out to be.

As my new colleague, ChatGPT, explains:
A memoir is a form of nonfiction where the author reflects on personal experiences and memories, typically focusing on specific events, themes, or periods in their life—rather than recounting their entire life story, as an autobiography does.

That definition came to life for me through The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse by Vinh Nguyen, released on April 8, 2025, ahead of the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.

Nguyen was one of the many Vietnamese “boat people”, refugees who fled the country by sea after the fall of Saigon in 1975. Alongside his mother and siblings, he escaped in a crowded boat, part of the mass exodus of those seeking safety and freedom across dangerous waters. His father fled separately and then vanished without a trace. The memoir traces not only Vinh’s harrowing escape but also the emotional terrain of absence, longing, and inherited memory.

The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse contains all the key features of a memoir: it’s written from Vinh’s perspective, it focuses on his memories and reflections, and it shows, often through dialogue, how personal experiences shape an individual, through offering lessons and insights.

Nguyen himself describes the memoir in this way: “It begins with memory and it moves forward. As it moves forward, it hits the limits of memory. And so increasingly, the book becomes speculative. I moved towards thinking about what could have been—what did I want to have happened?”

I discovered The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse through the Amnesty Book Club, which featured it in celebration of World Refugee Day on June 20th.

Amnesty also hosted an online interview with Vinh Nguyen offering listeners a thoughtful, vulnerable conversation that adds even more depth to the memoir’s reading experience. With Amnesty’s permission, I’m sharing the link to the recorded interview with Vinh Nguyen here.

If you’ve ever wondered how personal memory and historical events intersect on the page, this memoir is a beautiful, poignant place to start.

P.S. For those interested here is the link to join the Amnesty Bookclub.

-Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ

image: Nathan Dumlao/unsplash