Themes Seen Today in our reading

Folk medicine and/or natural cures; understanding plant life and biology; old ways versus new technology; religious zeal and passion; following in the footsteps of another; philanthropy or giving of one’s self for a cause; hat blocking and service; discrimination based on race, gender, creed, or sexual orientation; love for history (dinosaurs) becoming an eccentric passion; reconciliation and respect after a past conflict (Sylvia and Seymour); homemade food versus processed food (old school diners); using construction to make memorials or tributes (folk art and grottos)