The most moving essay Ive ever readBlack-and-white deserts + pointing at Bill Skarsgard in the airport security line (Issue #279)Published inThe Medium BlogSent as aNewsletter3 min readJust now--In 2019, around this time of year, Jenny Harrington published what is literally the most moving essay I have ever read a tribute to her eight-year-old son, Ewan, who passed away from leukemia. I still remember where I was when I first read it. I was in the middle of Mediums office at the time, at my standing desk, with my cup of very hot coffee from the bodega around the corner. It was like 8:30 a.m.? It was a Monday, if I recall correctly. I think I was the second one in the office that day. It was dead silent and I had a ton of work to do, and I was vaguely stressed about that. Then, I opened up Medium, came across this story, and started reading.Five minutes later I was crying. A lot. (People came in with their coffees and were like What is going on?)Since then, over 1 million people have read it. 412 people have commented. This response, from reader Peter Boyd, sums up why I had such a strong reaction: Somehow, Harringtons essay is about grief but manages to be uplifting, nuanced, and actually helpful.Im not sharing this because I want you to have to start your week bawling at your desk (even Boyd said reading it blew his whole work plan out of the water). Im sharing it because its the most generous essay Ive ever read.I think its rare to go through something as hard as losing your eight-year-old son to cancer, process that, and turn it into something that, in the words of one reader, should be read and distributed to every childrens cancer center in the country. The most generous part is the third magical phrase, which I wont quote here because pulling it out of context doesnt quite work, but youll see when you read it. Maybe save it until after work.Harris Sockel Also todayPlease enjoy these brooding and beautiful original black-and-white photos of the American Southwest, courtesy of Cynthia A Whelan in Live View.A middle- and high-school English teacher observes the slow decline of writing in her classroom and wonders if it will go out of fashion the way cursive did (although she mentions some students are reviving cursive and compares it to calligraphy). (Normi Coto, PhD in Age of Awareness)Can someone please send this to Nosferatu star Bill Skarsgrd? A Medium writer pointed at him in the airport and is very sorry. Thank you. (Aaron P Hess)Photo by Cynthia Whelan Worth rememberingConfidence comes from evidence, writes Brad Stulberg, author of The Practice of Groundedness. If you want to be confident about something, put in the reps and give yourself the evidence.