With songs like 'Respect', 'Think', 'Natural Woman' and 'A Change is Gonna Come' drifting in and out of my mind, and with the world honoring the late, great Aretha Franklin; once again I think of the impact that the written word has on humankind. While it is true that in some cases Aretha was the vehicle of these words and not necessarily the writer, her role in bringing the message of these words to a broad, wide and diverse audience in a meaningful and impactful manner, is

I have been 'collecting books' ever since I can remember. Without thinking about it too much, books and living expenses both fall into the category of 'basic necessities' – everything else is nice to have. I have the same attitude when it comes to getting books for my kids. If like me, while wandering through a bookstore, they see a book that they would like to read, I don't really count it as a gift or a special purchase. If the book has found them, it apparently possesses s

When I was in elementary school I wrote a story about a ladybird who was unable to fly. The story was inspired by 'real-life events'. My sister and I, in our many outdoor pursuits, rescued a butterfly with broken wings. We placed her gently in a shoe box. We lined the box with leaves. We set her up on the highest spot in the box, and while my sister shouted words of encouragement, I demonstrated how to fly: running up and down the garden, my arms flapping wildly. My story wo