Last year, as I was just starting out on my adventure into the world of inspiring organizations, I stumbled onto the Boulder Food Rescue. The founder, Hana Dansky, had done her own reconnaissance into our nation’s food cycle: we put “10 percent of our national energy budget, 50 percent of our land use, and 80 […]
As we prepare to give thanks, here is a beautiful book that reminds us of all that we have. Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp, illustrated by Erwin Printup In a video reading of his book, Mohawk Chief Jake Swamp tells us this is “an ancient message of peace […]
Thanksgiving week has arrived. Last year, this time, I wrote about my experiences with teaching my young kids to be thankful in a materialistic world. (See archives, November 22, 2015) This year, my now young adult children are showing me the life-sustaining fruits of teaching thankfulness to children. Many people are experiencing life-altering threats since […]
There has been a lot of airing of our divisions lately. It is enough to make anyone, no matter what side you take, curl up in despair. But there are some things basic to who we are as a nation, regardless of our individual politics, that we must stand up for. One of those is […]
I am back from my weeklong post-election hiatus. For half of our country, day-to-day assumptions about what our nation stands for were completely turned upside down. Maybe most heartbreaking were the children, looking to their grownups to explain. So here are a couple of books that might reassure just a bit. Are You My Mother? […]
Have you ever read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? Well, today was one of those for me — a rough day at the office. And I have to admit, I wallowed in it a bit. Not a great day for me personally. But as the day went on, I lifted […]
The election is less than a week away. I remember the days when my children were young and their excitement in accompanying me to vote. What’s it all about? Here are a couple of good books to explain. Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by LeUyen Pham When Grace’s teacher rolls out a poster […]
Back in the day, when I was just starting out on my own, one of my favorite music videos was Michael Jackson’s Thriller (if you haven’t seen it, you’ve got to check it out. Really.). I was not alone. Over 9 million people were transfixed by Michael morphing into a werewolf in the light of […]
I am exhausted. And stressed. Every day when my alarm goes off, I paw the bedside table until my fingers find my cellphone, then I bring the phone into reading position and check the latest news headlines. There is always – I mean always – at least one story related to the election. Usually it […]
New and Fabulous Eek! Halloween! by Sandra Boynton My pick for this year’s best new Halloween read. The chickens are scared…YIKES! There’s a pumpkin nearby with flickering eyes. And a mouse of enormous size. That’s not even the half of it. What the heck is going on?! A great board book from one of the […]