Canadian Software Engineer Zamir Khan Is Helping Millions of Families to Hug Again

COVER STORY—In this issue of ReadTheSpirit magazine, you’ll meet the young Canadian software developer and entrepreneur Zamir Khan, who stumbled onto a powerful way to help men, women and children create meaningful connections through a service he calls VidHug.com. In fact, global research shows that isolation and exclusion are the two greatest threats to our health and wellbeing. We talk with Zamir about how he discovered the power of video greetings—and the easy-to-use global service he launched as a result. Please, enjoy this Cover Story and share it with friends. After reading this story, we guarantee you’ll be tempted to go create a VidHug yourself—or maybe a loved one will want to do it for you. C’mon, this is a powerful story to share.

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We Are Caregivers

So, what is this collective challenge we face after more than a year of enforced isolation? In our We Are Caregivers section, this week, we have an excerpt from the opening pages of our new book, What Now? A Guide to the Gifts and Challenges of Aging. This is a thoughtful reminder to all of us that reaching out to make meaningful connections actually contributes to our health and wellbeing.

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Why do we need hugs?
Because life is a cycle of joy and grief.

BENJAMIN PRATT adds an absolutely remarkable column about the goodness of grief—or, rather, the inevitable challenges of moving from grief back into the risks of our world, once again. This column ranges far and wide—from fond memories of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts to the suspense of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, from Tennyson to a bittersweet song from Northern Ireland. Please, enjoy this column and share it with friends this week.

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And, Pawsing in Memoriam for Penny

MARTIN DAVIS adds to our reflections on grief—and the need to reconnect with others to share our stories—with this wonderful column about his beloved Penny.

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Speaking of Wise Companions … 

Larry Buxton Is Our Video Companion as Millions Hear about David’s Life

IN OUR FRONT EDGE PUBLISHING COLUMN, this week, we welcome Larry Buxton’s invitation to all of our readers far and wide to serve as a video companion this summer as we explore the life of the heroic and often troubling King David. Catholic and Protestant churchgoers by the millions will be hearing about David’s life during worship services through June, July and much of August this year. Larry explains this special, global, Christian focus on David—and offers a free 10-week video series of inspiring introductions to those weekly stories about David’s adventures.

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Holidays & Festivals

Christians Celebrate Birthday of the Church

PENTECOST is the festival’s name and columnist Stephanie Fenton has the story.

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Plan Ahead for Memorial Day Weekend

AAA forecasts travel up 60% from last year

MEMORIAL DAY, MAY 31—Americans feel comfortable traveling again this year, but the advice from travel experts and civic leaders nationwide is: Plan ahead. Check online for the latest details concerning your destination. Many pandemic restrictions are still in place. ALSO—Millions of American veterans and their families also remind us that the holiday honors far more than barbecue and swimming pools. Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton has our story.

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WANT TO SEE ALL THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just visit  InterfaithHolidays.com

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns:

1. FANNY’S JOURNEY—Ed writes, “Director Lola Doillon’s thrilling film, set during the Nazi occupation of the northern part of France, was inspired by an autobiographical Israeli book by Fanny Ben Ami.“
2. BILL CAIN and THE DIARY OF JESUS CHRIST—Ed is offering a multimedia treat for our readers. On the occasion of Bill Cain’s new book The Diary of Jesus Christ, Ed reviews and recommends that book. IN ADDITION, Ed hosted Cain for a 41-minute Zoom interview that you can also enjoy at the end of the book review.
3. SIX BALLOONS—“Marja Lewis-Ryan’s film about a woman plagued by visions of drowning while trying to help her addicted brother is not for the faint-hearted. The script, which the director wrote and based on the experience of her producer Samantha Houseman, immerses you in the dilemma of the heroine.”
4. MONSTER—”Anthony Mandler’s feature film debut is as timely as the news headlines, even though it was filmed four years ago. Centered on the life of a 17-year-old Black film student, the script was adapted from the novel by Walter Dean Myrs. Though well received three years ago at Sun Dance, the film has languished until now, with Netflix picking it up.”
5. THUNDER ROAD—”Jim Cummings wrote, directed, starred in, and even wrote the music and co-edited, this unsettling film about a Texas police officer who seems to be on the road to a mental breakdown. The film is billed as a comedy, but it often veers far more toward tragedy, with a few laughs in between.”
6. WOLFWALKERS—“Irish filmmaker Tomm Moore rounds out his colorful mythical trilogy of animated films by reversing the negative image of wolves in Little Red Riding Hood. And what a glowing film this is, rising to the level of his magical The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014).”
7. NIGHTJOHN—Ed reaches back to 1996 to recommend a film now streaming on Amazon. Ed writes, “Director/writer Charles Burnett’s adaptation of Gary Paulsen’s award-winning young-adult novel about slavery and literacy is a fine tribute to the freeing power of the latter.”
8. TWO DISTANT STRANGERS—”Trayvon Free’s and Martin Desmond Roe’s Oscar-nominated short film is about a man caught in a time loop. There are numerous variations in the details of the incidents of his street encounter with a white racist cop.”
9. IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU—Ed praises this Oscar-nominated animated short about a family in distress. “I am glad I knew virtually nothing ahead of time about directors Michael Govier and Will McCormack’s incredibly hard hitting film, so my review avoids spoilers. But, seldom has so much emotional impact been lodged in such a short film.”
10. SPIRITUAL AUDACITY: The Abraham Joshua Heschel Story—”Thanks to Martin Doblmeir’s PBS documentary, Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel will become a better known figure to millions of viewers. Now available on DVD, this is a worthy addition to his other filmed biographies of great thinkers and movers—Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dorothy Day, Reinhold Niebuhr, all brave thinkers who have had a deep impact upon the modern world.”

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