“Up until third grade, you’re learning to read. After third grade, you’re reading to learn.” I heard this statement for the first time last week, from the Executive Director of an organization that works with the entire family to help children succeed in life and fulfill their God-given purpose. I was at the facility to discuss a program that several members of my Toastmasters Club did for the staff a few years ago, and that we’ve been asked to do again. It was during a [...]
“If you see something, say something.” That slogan has existed since 2001, and came about in response to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Its original purpose was to remind people – at airports especially, but other places as well – to speak up and alert authorities if they see anything suspicious, such as an abandoned bag or suitcase that could contain a bomb. Over the years, the phrase has been used in other contexts as well – suspicious activity [...]
“What this angry world needs is a lot more hope.” That was the headline for an opinion column in our local newspaper last week. And it got me thinking. While I don’t argue with the value and importance of hope in our lives, I think there’s something else this angry world needs even more: respect. Treating others with respect is not necessarily the same as respecting them, although it would be nice to do both. But even if there are people who haven’t yet earned [...]
Every so often, I find myself quoting the author W. Somerset Maugham, who once said, “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” I thought of that Saturday while attending a “Writing Children’s Books” Workshop at Georgia Writers Museum. The workshop featured four successful children’s book authors, speaking about different aspects of writing, illustrating, and publishing. Their presentations included their own personal stories – how they got started, what inspired them, and best practices based on their experiences. [...]
The graduation ceremony for my Putnam Leadership class was last week. No ”Pomp and Circumstance” or caps and gowns, but it included speeches by the leaders of the program, announcements of our activities and achievements, and presentation of our graduation certificates. Plus a nice dinner and a gift bag. In addition to the graduates and instructors, several city and county officials attended the event. I always find occasions such as this to be bittersweet, representing both an ending and a beginning. They bring an end [...]
The only language I’m fluent in is English, although I know a handful of words and phrases – like hello, goodbye, good morning, good night, please, and thank you – in half a dozen or so other languages. And, thanks to watching Sesame Street with my kids when they were small, I can sing the numbers one to ten in Spanish. There are limited times and places I have the opportunity to use this knowledge, but I just learned a new phrase in Japanese that [...]
“A beer truck knocked down a power pole at the Plaza. Traffic is being rerouted, and your electricity is out. Merry Christmas!” That’s the text message I sent to my sister – who was out running errands at the time – when we got to her house, where we were staying overnight on our way to Minnesota a few days before Christmas. At first, she thought I was joking, but since there were no laughing or winking emojis accompanying my text, she quickly realized I [...]
It was an unusual day, to say the least. I spent a fair amount of last Wednesday morning at the police station and in court. And I spent part of the afternoon in the sheriff’s office. I was also in the city and county administrative offices and, for good measure, the county animal shelter – which is right next door to the sheriff’s office, although I don’t think they’re related. I hope you’ve already assumed I wasn’t taken to any of these places by the [...]
I love to cook and bake. I don’t do nearly as much now that our kids are grown and gone, but I still enjoy trying new recipes. Although I don’t subscribe to any recipe-related websites, articles regularly show up in my inbox with titles such as “20 meals to make in 30 minutes or less,” or “Twelve things to make in a muffin tin besides muffins.” I usually skim through them, and often find a few that I want to try. One that caught my [...]
At first it felt like I was living in a parallel universe. But now it feels – as Yogi Berra once famously said – like déjà vu all over again. I’m talking about the coronavirus, of course. Once my husband and I were vaccinated, it still took a little while for it to feel natural to go out without wearing a mask. Or to go anywhere other than for essential errands and appointments. But as people started getting vaccinated in greater numbers, and cases of [...]
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