In the famous animated movie about Pinocchio, the free-spirited puppet sings about not having strings to make him fret, frown, or move around. In this human experience, strings could be allegorical for many things. Pinocchio mentions being worry free. As part of his quest to become a real boy, he has to learn to make…
Each time a new technology alters our society there is a necessary adjustment period. This was true centuries ago with the introduction of a written alphabet, and it was true only a few decades ago with the introduction of computers and the internet. These things are completely standard today, but that came with growing pains…
Melissa Crutchfield, director of Community Impact for Episcopal Relief and Development, explains some of the work she is involved with through her organization to help people find the power within themselves to improve and change.
Changing the World Word by Word Shelli Spotts is a writer. She holds a master’s degree in creative writing, belongs to a writers’ group, and teaches college students writing and composition. You will see she has mastered the art of writing when you read her work and experience her poetic gift of weaving a tapestry…
I have a mental picture I carry of my four children. It is of a blustery day on a rugged Oregon beach, black rocks jutting out of the water, the sky a washed-out blue overhead. In rolled up jeans and sweatshirts zipped tight against the cold July day they are busy flirting with the crashing…
THE MODEL OF POWERFUL IMPACT “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” said Mahatma Gandhi. He understood The Model of Powerful Impact. Change starts from within. When we recognize that we have the power to change our circumstances, we inadvertently enact a change on our community and the world. I’ve recently been…
In our busy and hurried world, there are many priorities for parents as they raise their children. A most valuable priority is to instill within their children a passion for learning and a desire to seek for wisdom and knowledge. Being so busy, how can we as parents do this? We can have our own…
Two Poems and the Power to Choose As a little girl I remember sitting at my father’s feet as he would recall classic poems and teach my five siblings and me the principles that could be derived from each masterpiece. Two in particular piqued my interest as a little girl and have stuck with me.…
“You gotta have heart,” says the song about a down and out baseball team. John Sudbury isn’t a lyricist, but he could have written those words. He has a heart as big as all outdoors and encouraged those who played football or baseball for him to take heart and give it their whole-hearted effort. He…
When Corrie was asked what motherhood looked like to her as a woman with no children of her own, she shared her experience as a teacher, and how she becomes a mother figure to many of the children she has the privilege of teaching and the impact good parents have in their lives: Which children…