Have you ever been touched deeply by someone you barely knew? On May 1, 2013 a man named Wally Collins passed away. A few short years ago I sang at his wedding as he married one of the people I hold most dear, Mary McClean. They shared a brief, but beautiful love. It was moving […]
We all fear something. Often that something is between who we are now and who we want to become. The best way to expand your limits is to lean into your fear.
My daughter and I went to see the movie We Bought a Zoo yesterday. She and her friends loved it so much they clapped spontaneously at least 3 times during the movie, as did I right along with them. It warmed my heart to see three 6th grade girls so moved and inspired. They didn’t
While there is much we may wish we could forget about this day from 10 years ago, there is something I wish to remember. In fact I wish it were something we could all remember every day. On September 11, 2001 I was living in northern New Jersey about 35 miles from ground zero. Although
On May 16, 2011 I witnessed the final launch of the Endeavor Shuttle just 3 miles away from the launch pad. This is as close as any civilian ever gets. It was a truly moving experience. Somehow I cannot seem to find the words to do justice to the experience. What I can share with
John F. Kennedy, in a speech on May 25, 1961, declared “I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”. As I prepare for the extraordinary opportunity to be part of the #NASATweetup for
While watching the Academy Awards this year I learned about an amazing music teacher named Gregg Breinberg. The kids at PS22 call him Mr B. In a word: WOW! An article on the Open Education blog described Gregg in this way: “Gregg has inspired countless youngsters at one of those everyday public schools filled with kids
Jenifer Olson graciously agreed to write an article for Random Acts of Leadership based on her experience with the recent space shuttle Discovery launch. She provides us a very personal walk through the history of the space shuttle program and an opportunity at the end of this post that you don’t want to miss since
In honor of the 4th of July celebration in the United States I have been thinking about what freedom makes possible. Perhaps the most famous line from the Declaration of Independence is this: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
On 6/10/01 I wrote the poem below in memory of one of our children, Walter Contreras Valenzuela, Morristown, NJ. He was a young boy who was murdered in my town. I put a link in my last post “What Stands Are You Taking?” to this poem for those interested in reading it. The morning after
