There’s a first time for everything…a baby’s first step, first smile, first word. A child’s first day of school, first best friend, first date. A first love, first heartbreak, first…you name it and there’s a first for it.
Sometimes that first inspires laughter.
Sometimes it invokes a waterfall of tears.
Sometimes it conjures up a feeling of…well…have a look… Continue reading
There are times in life when we are faced with, at least what we perceive to be, an insurmountable obstacle preventing us from attaining a specific goal. We hit a brick wall and see no way forward. We moan. We blame. We stomp. We scream. We hem and haw, throw our hands up in disgust and walk away, only to never know the joy we might have experienced had we refocused our intention, dug in, and powered thru…
much like our tenacious furry neighbor, Sugar, did today. And who knows? In Continue reading
Beth Terrill at NorthSouth Books and Elena Rittinghausen at NordSüd Verlag have bought world rights to
There Are No Dragons in This Book, a debut picture book by Donna Weidner (l.), illustrated by Carla Haslbauer, about a dragon explaining to readers that there are no actual dragons in the book… except for him. Publication is scheduled for spring 2024; Stephen Fraser at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
Alice Wetherby-Pimms was at it again. Although she claimed to have done her best to rein in the part of her responsible for her unkind actions on numerous occasions, the child was simply unable to contain the spiteful goblin living within her small, plump frame.
If you ask anyone in the village, they’ll not tell you otherwise, as her most recent villainous act was witnessed by the family’s faithful groundskeeper whose gentle son had borne the brunt of the girl’s anger the day the boy lifted his gaze from the flagstone floor in her presence. It was only to Continue reading
A clear blue sky and warm inviting weather reigned supreme as prolific indie author Jacqueline ‘Jacquie’ H. Faber recently read three of her picture books to a group of children and adults at Sausalito Books By The Bay.
And what better way is there to begin than with the tale of SuperGoldfish when the view out the bookstore window is stocked with yachts, sailboats, and dinghies moored in a tranquil harbour.
Once SuperGoldfish discovers his super power (no spoiler here 🙂 you’ll Continue reading
In 2012 my husband and son had the great honor and pleasure of meeting with and filming zen master, global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh in conversation with Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk and old friend. They spoke about their common work for peace, the powers of love and gratefulness, freedom and the search for happiness, among other things. The young monks of Plum Village added their personal stories and the effect practicing mindfulness has had on their lives.
May Thich Nhat Hanh’s memory and teachings continue to inspire us
all the days of our lives.
The following quotes are a few of my favorites. Please feel free to share yours too…
When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight. Continue reading
Sanskrit translation:
May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.
As it often happens when I choose a random animal subject from my photo library, it offers a message that strikes home. In this case Ram represents boldness, new beginnings, Continue reading
WARNING: This is not my usual punny Halloween vignette. Why? You’ll see…
Pale webs of blue veins, barely visible beneath their translucent skin, resemble a roadmap. Dead end alleys lead to narrow lanes, spill into broad streets, and widen into main thoroughfares.
The thoroughfare, in Ivy’s case at least, pulses with life. But just barely.
The interlacing design mirrors the fine, bone china tableware her father had shipped home from Denmark while on a business trip when she was nine. He said the pattern, Blue Fluted Royal Copenhagen, reminded him of her, his most precious child.
“How so?” she asked, wrapping her Continue reading
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