If you want to measure the impact of one radiant smile, consider the story of Jaden Ann Scrivener. A 16-year old so brightly lit from within that she lifted the mood of entire classrooms just by walking into them, Jaden died in a car accident on the last day of June this year. Three days [...]
Hindsight is 20/20, especially this year. With seven months under our belts, though, I think it's worth a peek back so we can start to move forward. For instance, I believe the year might have unfolded in a far less challenging way if we could have begun with one global statement of introspection and another [...]
Some seasons seem to pass more quickly than others, maybe because they are so sweet. Cherry season, for instance, rolls in gently on a cloud of soft, pink petals, produces bright red bursts of tasty fruit and disappears too soon, leaving behind an ordinary tree -- still sturdy, still useful, but far less interesting. Houses [...]
On a day so hot steam rose from the creek banks at Peabody Park and so humid it felt like you could reach out and wring water from the air, I strolled downtown to watch chalk artists paint the town. Covered in sticky colored dust (a hazard of their trade) they worked diligently on pieces [...]
Did I tell you the one about me, Travis Diener and the Kiss Cam? No? My sister Kathy will be shocked. She believes I have told that story to every living soul on the planet (and a few who have passed on as well). It goes like this: Several years ago, I sat next to [...]
