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
On Saturday, March 22, Melissa Kirsch, writing for the New York Times wrote: Being new at something isn’t always pleasant, but beyond the discomfort, rewards await. Kirsch’s story was about her adventure in attempting to learn the ins and outs of Mahjong and I immediately thought of my dear friend Kathleen, who, by all accounts … More Pushing Our Boundaries
Wynne and I love talking to writers of all sorts and honestly, every time we do so, we learn so much. I guess that’s our ambition – to share nuggets of inspiration and motivation from those who share a love of creating and are infinitely passionate about it. All of which describes the talented Melanie … More Episode 102: Writer’s Lessons with Melanie McGauran
There’s a quote attributed to Robin Williams that I appreciate. I’m not sure if it’s a line from a movie or if it’s a quote from a stand-up routine, but it’s an example – I think – of the nearly infinitesimal distinction between comedy and tragedy. Love and loss. Williams revealing bits of his inner … More I Don’t Like January
(I wrote this story in October and have kept pushing it back into a corner. It always seemed like the wrong time to run it. I’m thinking now that the story was trying to tell me something. Maybe, it’s a great story to start the new year.) Legendary U.S. Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps won an … More Swimming against the current
It’s December that month full of magic. Christmas makes it a magical month. Twinkling lights, that first snowflake, comfort food and a warming fire all create an air of magic that sparkles like stardust in a dark velvet sky. Can we though, find magic any time we choose? Every month, every year, every season has … More The Real Magic
I was grumpy. I was up late working on a work project. And I was exhausted. Of course, the next morning I had an especially busy one. I would be in back-to-back meetings until late in the afternoon, when I needed to make several errands. One errand was to the local car wash to clean … More Looking for the beauty
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, I read a book about a guy who walked across the United States, connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. It was hard for me to wrap my brain around the idea, it seemed like such an impossible task. I couldn’t imagine how he could do it. The details … More Connecting the dots
When I was a kid, I was scared of the dark. I worried especially about the ghosts underneath my bed and things that went bump in the night. I was pretty clueless about what these mythical creatures might do or how they would harm me, but it didn’t stop me from coming up with horrible … More Things that go bump in the night
The Heart of the Matter 