Smith, Greg dot com

I love this new ad -- maybe you do to. But why am I spending a day's WTH post on it?

I get asked a lot what I'm trying to accomplish with Walk Thru History, what my motivation is. It's hard to explain sometimes. I suppose that I have things that I'm trying to accomplish or do (get readers, write a book, teach a class, lead chartered tours, etc.). But those are goals, not really motives.

All my life I've loved to learn about all the world, past and present. I'm fascinated by places, people, arts, sciences, movements, ideas, cultures, institutions. And I believe that to understand why things are the way they are in the present we need to learn about how they were in the past. And for me, the most enjoyable way to learn about how the past became the present has always been through stories.

Whether I'm physically traveling around the world or reading my way into new times and places... well, I just can't get enough. I've always loved the words (but not the music) of the old hymn _"ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL" _

_All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
He made them, high or lowly,
And ordered their estate.

The purple headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
To gather every day.

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well._

Anyway, here's the commercial I'm talking about. I just think it captures the way I feel about Walking Thru History: