As my daughter Annie's tenth birthday approached, our friend Erik asked her what special gift she was hoping for. Without hesitation, Annie responded, "A crane." We all turned and looked…
Many moons ago, my husband, Bret, and I were running through a list of errands when we noticed that several of them intersected, prompting one of us to suggest, "Let's…
I have just returned from a week of complete seduction and surrender in La Ville-Lumière-Paris. Ah, Paris: flowing wine, warm and crusty bread, jaw-dropping architecture, subtle yet sophisticated fashions, beguiling…
In my last newsletter, I discussed "plain language"-- clear, simple writing that people can actually understand and use. I closed with the following statement: "Plain language alone is not enough…
Over the past week, I've been working (via an ongoing email exchange with my colleague Sandy) on a description in exactly 15 words (no more, no fewer) of the services…
When people inquire about my career path, the words that most frequently tumble off my tongue are "unusual" and "fueled by curiosity." Here's what I mean. My undergraduate degree is…
In case you haven't heard, the Red Sox won the World Series last week. Yes, my beloved team that "Reversed the Curse" in 2004 defied the odds yet again, going…
I have been following the case of Sarah Murnaghan, a dying 10-year-old girl who, after a federal judge granted her family's emergency petition, has become eligible to seek donor lungs…
This past Memorial Day I was greatly moved by news stories about the courage and sacrifice of so many in service to our country. It was also a quiet time…
We keep this great stack of cards in the dining room: it's called "TableTopics: Questions to Start Really Great Conversations." Questions range from "would you prefer to spend money for…