When our friend Mary Ivory told me early last year that she and her husband were going to volunteer to raise a puppy for Leader Dogs for the Blind, I asked if she’d be willing to write a blog post about the experience. Mary is a clinical professional counselor, social worker, life coach, and co-author […]

Turns out I’m in good company when it comes to interviewing people without seeing what they look like. Laura Hillenbrand (award-winning author of Sea Biscuit and Unbroken) and Fresh Air’s Terry Gross were both quoted in a New York Times Sunday Magazine story recently saying they actually prefer interviewing people that way. The article explains […]

The holiday season is already a blur, but one of the many things Beth and I did over the holiday season stands out clearly: We attended a Christmas Eve service at the 2nd Presbyterian Church on S. Michigan Avenue. Beth attended Lutheran Christmas services growing up, and because it was a ritual her mother Flo always […]

Today, January 4, is the birthday of Louis Braille. He was born in France in 1809, and his father had a leather shop. Note to children: be careful out there! Three-year-old Louis lost his sight after playing with his father’s sharp tools and accidentally poking his eyes. Louis Braille’s parents did what they could to […]

Sharing meals with visual artist Jennifer Lanski during my writing residency at the Vermont Studio Center last year gave me a new appreciation for art and drawing. I was all ears when Jennifer shared ideas for a new time/temperature series, and when I heard That series will be opening as an on-line exhibition tomorrow, I […]