My mother was born in Germany, was Lutheran and a Republican. My father was Irish, Catholic and a Democrat. They both had strong opinions, but they respected one another—or were smart enough to keep their discussions from getting out of control.
Most important, I think they kept their conversations on issues and not personalities. So my brothers and I grew up sort of ambidextrous, leaning to the right, to the left, but usually in the middle of the road.
That habit of questioning, noticing and writing things down followed Don through a lifetime of work, travel, family and late-night thoughts. The result is fifty-seven journals spanning sixty of his eighty years.