Dinner with Friends -- You Don't Have to Dine Alone

I have been talking with a lot of people about the benefits and challenges of retirement. Retirement can be very stimulating, but it can also be very isolating. There are lots of challenges -- finding a new peer group, keeping in touch with family and friends, staying healthy, starting over… So let's talk about finding friends to share our meals and start the conversation.

Don't Lie to Me! A few thoughts for parents and teachers (maybe grandparents too)

Lying. As a parent (or teacher), the worst thing you can do to me is to lie. I can hear myself saying, “You’ll be in more trouble if you lie about it!” To this day, nothing hurts my feelings more than to have someone lie to me. When a child lies, it is a plea for help. Please read on.

I saw an article on a Facebook page today that caught my attention. Sliding Doors STEM & Dyslexia Learning Center has a very informative Facebook page, and I learn something new every day. (Full disclosure: I am on the Board of Directors for this startup non-profit – and am wildly enthusiastic about it!) If you mistakenly think Dyslexia is just transposing numbers, check it out! Here is the link. Kids who struggle with Dyslexia face an uphill battle, but once fought, their educational experience (and therefore the child) is transformed. I have never seen anything like it!

Has the 2016 Election Changed Us?

Has the 2016 Election changed us? Let’s hope so! Democracy must be renewed periodically in order to reflect the wants and needs of the electorate. This election season has tested and tried the voting public for over 14 months. If we don’t come through it with a stronger sense of who we are and what our country stands for, then we will have wasted a great opportunity. I, for one, hope that all the angst we have suffered as a country will have redemptive value. If it only serves to divide us, then we are in trouble.

Fighting the Good Fight

As I watch the political drama day after day, and see far the public discourse has sunk, I keep looking for the Knight in Shining Armor to ride in on his/her white horse to come in and save the day! Now that we are less than a month away, that seems highly unlikely. What we really need is the unassuming Frodo Baggins and his gardener Samwise Gamgee!

Teaching Your Child to Love to Read

Parents often struggle with this question – how do I get my child to read? The real question is “How do I get my child to love to read?!” To ensure success in school, the greatest gift you can give your child is the love of reading.  Here are a few tips:

Remembering My Mother

Time. We only get so much time. When all is said and done, it’s not how much time we have, but what we do with the time that we are given that really matters. My mother died two years ago today, so I have been thinking about life, love, and family. Mother was 87 when she passed, and lived a full life. Daddy had died when she was 60, leaving a big hole in her life. As I look back, she was an amazing woman. Actually, they were an amazing couple!

Teamwork!

I have been thinking a lot about the subject of teamwork this year.
I love being in a big family – your classic team! It’s so interesting to see how we all have the same background, were raised by the same parents, lived in the same cities under the same basic house rules, and yet we have different talents, skills, and interests.

October 1, 2016

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe,and  stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."  -- A. A. Milne