I'm driving down the road by myself. No one behind me. No one in front of me. I notice a distinctive silhouette of a bird perched on a wire over a natural area. My foot lifts off the accelerator and I slow just a little to get a good look. "A kingfisher!" I say aloud to myself. Yes, I do talk to myself when I'm alone.

 "Beautiful".

  I'm instantly transported in time to the back seat of the car with my dad doing exactly the same thing. It hits me like a ton of bricks. I suddenly get…

I had a much different post in mind for today. I just can't bring myself to ignore the pit in all of our stomachs today.

 I'm personally shaken and sickened by the tragic shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut. All of us are. If you are reading this while this is still fresh, it's safe to say there are still tears behind your eyes. As a parent of an elementary school student it took all my reserves not to rush to our school and check my…

The books we read as children can have a long lasting affect on us. As children we were less judgmental, more open to new ideas and perspectives. Or maybe we enjoyed seeing validation of our feelings, seeing that our feelings are normal. There are a few books that stand tall in my childhood memory. I see them as an introduction to a great love. I learned from them that your ideas can be shaped and that your heart can be moved by a good book.

I'll tell you about one of my favorite…

 Books have always had a special place in my heart. Even as a young child I was amazed that I could be whisked away into another life and time while immersed in a book. As I grew, so did my love of reading. That feeling of being totally lost in a story is something that surpasses all other diversions for me. Even then, I sometimes look up, after a particularly great part, and am filled with awe in the author. "How did they do that?" To me it's like looking at an elaborate hanging tapestry,…