It is worth noting the recent and sad passing of 97-year-old Louis Zamperini, a man whose life story was defined by his spirit of resilience.
Everyone encounters challenges and traumas in their lives but Zamperini’s were of a sort that would have crushed most people. No matter what came his way — imprisonment during World War II, torture, substance abuse, he never gave up.
To me, his life is a unique resource. When the Japanese capture him, and he is held captive and tortured, he digs deep within himself and finds a way to go on, even though he is … Read More
We all have sat through graduation ceremonies that we thought would never end.
The reading of the names of the graduates seems to go on and on and I usually zone out until I hear the name of the person that I care about. Then I suddenly pay attention, take a few pictures and clap and yell for the graduate I know.
But as mundane and routine as a graduation ceremony can sometimes be, think about the families behind each one of those names and the hours of work and the years of love and constructive support that went into… 
“Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told, ‘I’m with you, kid. Let’s go.'”
~ Dr. Maya Angelou
Let’s go indeed! Did Dr. Maya Angelou take every opportunity to grab life by the lapels? You bet she did!
Every day she grabbed life by the lapels and the seat pants and she held on for dear life, inspiring and showing us through her writings, speeches and screen presence the true passions of her life: civil rights, being kind, education and striving to do the best in whatever you are doing.
Resilience, beauty and grace; thy name… 
Angry grief is not pretty; especially the white hot, messy anger that Richard Martinez is feeling.
Uncomfortable as it is to watch, everything Martinez is feeling is normal and human. He is expressing the rage and the sorrow he feels right now at the tragic loss 0f his son. We aren’t used to watching someone freely express their unfiltered, raw anger about the loss of a loved one. Our culture sends us the message that it’s better to keep a lid on it. Don’t emote all over the place.
Yet Martinez has experienced a shock, a deep loss that is… 
“This I Believe” is a fantastic book that keeps on giving inspiration to me.
I recently discovered this book quite by accident. I was in Richmond, Virginia with my son and his girlfriend and we came upon a local non-profit that was giving away books for free. I couldn’t believe it. Free. Books.
Free books are irresistible to me. This would be similar to offering the editor of Vogue free clothes and accessories. A room of tables full of all kinds of books just waiting for someone to come along and adopt them and take them home. Where do I… 
“Give yourself the gift of time in coming to answers for your life. . . .
It takes time, and a lot of introspection and soul-searching,
to get clear about what you really want to manifest in your life.”
~Author David Emerald… 
Television doesn’t always get it right when trying to show the raw emotional effects a person experiences after learning of a death but Sunday’s night’s episode of The Good Wife came very close.
As is true in real life and acted in The Good Wife, everything instantly changes as each character finds out that attorney Will Gardner (Josh Charles) has been shot in a courtroom shootout and killed by his own client: the look on a person’s face, the tone of their voice, the way they carry themselves. Something gets turned off. There is a dazed and dull feeling after… 
