Chicken soup comes in all different guises
November 27, 2013
I am thankful to all the authors who have enriched my life with their wisdom, humor and compassion. So much I who I am and what I do comes from the books I have met in my life. Thanksgiving celebrates our capacity to be thankful usually with a culinary feast but I believe that chicken soup is not the only ‘comfort food’ we can offer people. And let me draw attention to children for a moment. 
I believe that if we give children the love and attention they need and we put in their memory banks, the wisdom and sentiments from the best of books for children, they will have what they need to go out into the world, thrive and be their best selves. Every parent wants the best for their child and engaging with children through conversation about what matters—provides parents a vehicle to offer children our attention, our hearts and our minds. I do believe that attention is the greatest gift we can offer children.
When I want to ponder the idea of being thankful, I often think of Emily in Wilder’s Our Town who said: “I didn’t realize all that was going on and never noticed. Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you.”
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.
Lincoln and Winnie the Pooh knew that Winston Churchill was right: Short words are best, and the old words, when short are best of all.
November 19, 2013
Referring to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address as a sound bite might sound blasphemous but in fact it has the hall marks of a well written sound bite: short, sweet, to the point and delivered in just over two minutes. In just over 2 minutes, Lincoln reiterated the principles of human equality. Lincoln’s carefully crafted address, secondary […]
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: The most important three-minute speech ever delivered.
November 19, 2013
President Lincoln delivered the 272 word Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863 on the battlefield near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” It might sound irreverent to refer to the […]
Play is the work of childhood.
November 7, 2013
A mind at play is the source of our most creative thoughts and overuse of technology can make it difficult for the mind to play. Children need time and space to be—to play, to daydream, to imagine, and to create. Too much data coming in with technology compromises the very activities that allow us to […]
Empathy 101—read a story.
October 31, 2013
It’s hard work growing up and nobody said it was easy to be a good parent. Children need attention, love and guidance to thrive. A child’s emotional intelligence is key to their personal success and happiness. Empathy is one of the most important qualities parents can help their child develop and comes into being with cultivation, […]
