If you haven’t heard, here in New England there is an ABUNDANCE of SQUIRRELS. They have been pictured happily swimming across lakes and sadly squished along highways. In a recent trip to southern NH, we counted 15 in about three miles on the interstate. Needless to say, the carnage has captured our children’s interest. “Mom,… Continue reading An Ode to Squirrels, 8th Graders, and Middle School Teachers
Thank you for “Back to School” back pack drives like this one sponsored by our fabulous Bridge Project for our students who might otherwise show up to school with nothing but a smile, and, sadly, not even that. The intention is for all students to be granted a new school bag with some essential items… Continue reading Beyond the Back Pack: Stocking the Stoke for School
When your otherwise coordinated husband falls out of his wheelchair not once but twice in one week, we know the world is extra topsy turvy. When it’s mid April and snow and freezing rain continue to fall angrily outside, I question Mother Nature’s decision making process. When bad things continue to happen to good people–… Continue reading Are You There God? It’s Me, Heather…
When I set out to write a realistic fiction novel, True North, I knew one of my main characters would be a dad with a spinal cord injury who was a good man, with a dark secret in his past, and a fairly significant character flaw. As a high school English teacher for 20 years,… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Blog, March 26, 2018: “Tracking Our Character”
The snow fell steadily. Plows made loud noises around us. Yet, amid the noise, amid the shuffle of life, 70-something middle and high school students standing in a circle held 7 minutes of silence and then shared bios of the people who were lost in Parkland, Florida during a school shooting. This was a non-sanctioned,… Continue reading Why We Walked Out Today…
Today is International Women’s Day 2018, and I felt compelled to write something. Anything. However, nothing inspired me because, since Parkland happened, my brain has been cycling in this school safety- gun violence- rut. I couldn’t think of a specific person or angle or clever hook that would suck in my audience with a positive… Continue reading Channeling Mother Teresa for Character and Barbara Washburn for Adventure on This International Women’s Day 2018
