• Living Vertically,  The Mystery of Marriage,  The Story

    Monday Morning Marriage

    You’ve seen a bumblebee when it bounces frantically, persistently into the window, unaware of the clear and solid obstacle between him and the luscious bouquet of wildflowers on your sun porch? The squirrels and robins watch this bumblebee and try to shout to him “it’s no use!” but he doesn’t seem to get it. He thinks he can fly through the…

  • Living Vertically,  Our Kids, Our Family

    Spitting Chicklets

    Jack’s Tough.  He’s hung out his whole life with his much-older brothers and his teenage sister, and he can hold his own in a game of “Oh yea? Take that.” But. There’s this weird thing happening this year with a couple puny 4th grade bullies on the elementary school bus. These kids don’t even look tough and they cower in…

  • Living Vertically

    Festival, Don’t End!

    My first writing festival!  Like a 13 year old girl on Rodeo Drive, I cannot possibly see all that is luscious.  Today’s Day 3; I need to make room and shake out some of the vibrating energy in my fingers…. I want to be able to carry around the speeches and conversations with me like a little shot of 5-Hour…

  • Living Vertically,  The Story

    BLUE LIKE JAZZ

    It finally came. Like many, I followed closely as my best-friend-Don (who I’ve not yet technically met actually in real person face-to-face) struggled and amazed everyone with the whole GET IT TOLD process.  The BLJ book, the other book about the making of the movie, the funding of the movie, the almost not movie …. (inhale) and now the public…

  • Living Vertically,  Our Kids, Our Family

    Scandalous

    It seems like a good day to repost this. I got caught shoplifting when I was 18 years old. I know, I know.  REALLY late bloomer.  The security guard’s cold hand clenched my left wrist as I attempted to leave the store without paying for the pair of jeans that hid in my bag.  The crime took place in a Hudson’s…

  • Living Vertically,  Serving, Leading,  The Mystery of Marriage

    How Fashionable Are Your Scales?

    We all have ‘em. We have lots of them and they are blocking our view. They block a clear view of our parents, our business situations, our finances, our children, our miraculous spouses and ourselves. We have scales on our eyes. Important aspects of understanding and knowledge; grace and compassion, even intelligence. All distorted because we have scales. Some people have scales…

  • Living Vertically,  The Mystery of Marriage

    How Dare He.

    I’ll be clear. For approximately 22.2 years I’ve been planning to write a book. (You, too?)   Now in my 40-something, fabulous, post-transformation healthier place, I’m endeavoring to bring that dream to life. It’s going to be great. I quit not-one-but-two fairly big jobs. (Ok, one was bigger than the other.) And now I humbly devote myself to balancing my time…

  • Living Vertically,  Our Kids, Our Family

    Strategic Teenage Parenting??

    Even though I am now on my own as a periodic consultant and should-be-committed-writer, I still very much enjoy my subscriptions to the agency trade and business publications that flicker in my inbox.  Today’s gem was from Inc. Magazine.  Here’s the original opening set-up. 6 Habits of True Strategic Thinkers by Paul J. H. Schoemaker You’re the boss, but you still…