Tiny yet forceful, Swedish-born Tova Lindgren Sullivan is determinedly self-sufficient. But his waning months are brightened when he strikes up a friendship with the night cleaner, a recently widowed woman in her 70s.

He isn’t happy about his captivity or his impending demise. Dubbed Marcellus by the aquarium owner’s daughter, this cephalopod, who was taken into captivity as a juvenile after being badly wounded by a wolf eel, is approaching the end of his four-year lifespan. In Shelby Van Pelt’s feel-good first novel, “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” the titular clever critter is a giant Pacific octopus at the fictional Sowell Bay Aquarium in Washington state. If viewers learned anything, it is that octopuses are smart and sentient. “It’s passed from one person to another to another.”Ī surprise source of joy during the first year of the pandemic was a gorgeously filmed underwater documentary “My Octopus Teacher,” about a filmmaker who forges a relationship with an octopus in the cold waters of a South African kelp forest. One antidote is becoming attuned to the divine nudges to express kindness. But his goal is to encourage his audience to tune out the algorithms of fear that fill our phones with gloomy headlines. Williams says that the term “God” makes some fear that he’s going to start proselytizing. During a podcast interview with playwright Father Edward Beck, they discuss how stories can “inspire and heal because they connect us with the loving vitality of soul in each of us, and make it conscious to us.” Mr.

Williams equates the process of creation to prayer. Another example is Thomas Keown’s charity Many Hopes, which helps free children in Africa from injustices such as modern-day slavery. Mr. “And yes, there’s horrible things happening, but in the midst of this darkness, there’s always a little flicker of light.”He cites how the husband of an editor of his book flew with ex-servicemen to Poland, loaded a truck with medical equipment, and drove into Ukraine to teach civilians battlefield triage.

His new podcast and a forthcoming book focus on glimpses of God in everyday life.“I’m talking about moments of grace, tenderness, unexpected compassion,” Mr. He’s launched a multimedia project titled “Glimpses,” a counterpoint to the darkness in the news. Williams felt a divine nudge to quit Hollywood. The ensuing sitcom was “Home Improvement.”More recently, Mr. it will be a top 10 show.” The comic was Tim Allen. An inner voice told him, “Do this show with this man. During Matt Williams’ career in television, he often heeded “a divine nudge.” The writer, who got his start at “The Cosby Show” and later co-created “Roseanne,” recalls lunching with a Canadian comedian.

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