When I was a kid in elementary school, I would often slur my “r,” “s,” “th,” and “sh” sounds. These sounds require more precise tongue and mouth movements. Many times children haven’t been naturally exposed to these sounds and need to work to build them up. I would get regularly pulled from class to spend … More No “one size fits all” solutions
When Bo Schembechler coached at the University of Michigan in the 70s and 80s, he used to warn his players to never go out past midnight, claiming that nothing good ever happened at that hour. Many a coach, parent and teacher have repeated the warning. It’s a reminder that when we are tired or mix in … More Getting an early start!
Courage inspires courage. My daughter picked up crocheting two years ago. Every time I see her, she seems to be working on some new project. She made a scarf for me last Christmas and she was teaching my wife how to crochet when she came home for a visit two weeks ago. My youngest son, … More Trying something new
When I was a young kid, my mother would tuck me into bed at night. I would often open up to her about whatever was bothering me. I would tell her about the problems I was having making friends or how I didn’t want to go to school the next day. She would listen intently, … More A sign of the times
And Now…for Some Lighter News… I’m no ornithologist. I took a guess at how to spell that five-syllable word and came up lucky. With all the ‘assists’ these days, I assume my supreme spell checker, assistant/BOT, “friend” on the other side of the screen would’ve corrected me if I goofed. If not, my bad. (Which … More From My Windowsill
Several years ago, a friend and coworker called me out of the blue and before I even had time to say hello, she was greeting me with the latest news. “Did you see the note I just sent you? Can you believe it? Another freaking org change? Can you believe this crap?” We were off … More The search for Bosom Buddies
I try to write a little each night. You know the tortoise from Aesop’s Fable, The Tortoise and the Hare — well, the tortoise and his “slow and steady wins the race” pace is me. Yes, imagine me with my hard outer shell cranking away each night at my laptop. In the story, the tortoise walks slowly … More The ups and downs of a writer
My wife had several children’s books sprayed across our kitchen table this week. Of course, I had to look at them. In that moment, I was nine- or ten-years-old again getting ready for elementary school and wolfing down my soggy cereal, while reading from whatever book gripped my attention that week. One of the books … More An open book
Let’s talk about the idea of light versus dark. There are a great number of social, cultural and religious ideals that offer a stark juxtaposition between light and dark. The viewpoint is often that darkness offers a state to be wary of, or has a capacity to undermine, or to the extreme, gives embodiment to … More Within Darkness There is Light
When my daughter was in high school, I would look over the essays that she submitted to her English class or for college admission applications. I would get out my red pen, it was really the “Track Changes” Tool within Microsoft Word, and highlight where I thought she should cut, use tighter language, or rephrase … More Role reversal: Learning from my kids
The Heart of the Matter 