Never take it personally

True words. Our differences make the world a better place.

Michael A. Ventrella

There are classic movies that critics love that don’t interest me in the slightest. Oh sure, I can acknowledge they’re well directed, well acted, well written — but the subject matter bores me.

And there’s some music I love that other people can’t stand. I can see their reviews and I wonder if they’re listening to the same thing I am.

My wife is an award-winning artist. Despite her master’s degree, the work she’s sold, and the accolades she’s received, some galleries won’t even consider having her there.

And it’s because we don’t all have the same tastes. Imagine how boring the world would be if that was the case.

So keep that in mind when some people just aren’t interested in your book. Of course you think it’s great — you write the kind of book you like to read, after all. But not everyone has your taste.

You…

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Trump’s Attack On Democracy

We need to protect our Democracy.

charles french words reading and writing

(Photo by Sharefaith on Pexels.com)

What happened the other night in Portland, Oregon should have all Americans who believe in the Constitution, Freedom, and Democracy outraged and frightened. Please do not divert the subject by speaking about “riots”. That is an issue that is addressed by local and state authorities, not the Federal Government.  The President does not seem to care about the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

The Fourth Amendment says, “The right of the people to  be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Having Federal agents, wearing police insignia without identification of person or office arresting people without warrants and taking…

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The Purple Snapdragon

Never give up.

A Teacher's Reflections

Dear Purple Snapdragon,

Your stalk grew too tall.
You fell over every day.
I cradled you and propped you up.
Nothing worked.  Nothing helped.

Finally I let you go.
I put you in the garden to fend for yourself.
I gave you water and walked away.

And what did you do?

You made it on your own.
You are curving toward the sun.
You look proud and beautiful.

I gave you roots.
I gave you wings.
Both were hard.

I can’t stop admiring your beautiful curve as you find your way up.
Your pink sisters are welcoming you.
I’m so proud of you.

Flowers are like children.  They both need our care.  And when we finally let go, it is a beautiful thing.  Hug your child.  Smile when it’s unexpected.  Laugh a lot.  Listen.  Read together.  Let it go.  Look up and look down.

Because your child is a flower…

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Rest In Peace Rep. John Lewis

We need more people like John Lewis. He will be missed.

charles french words reading and writing

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lewis)

The United States of America lost an heroic figure with the passing of Representative John Lewis on Friday from pancreatic cancer.  (1940-2020)

Mr. Lewis was a major figure in the Civil Rights Movement and worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He participated, in the March on Washington, and he led the march, as a young man, across the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965. This would come to be known as Bloody Sunday because of the violence the marchers encountered, including Mr. Lewis.

He would later be elected to the United States House of Representatives in which he served for 30 years; he was frequently considered  to be the Conscience of America. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2011.

Among Mr. Lewis’ quotations are “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have…

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National Suicide Hotline

YOU ARE NEVER ALONE

via National Suicide Hotline

1-800-273-8255

Text: 741741

The Problem with Charity

rachelmankowitz

            I’ve always felt uneasy about giving charity. I can’t figure out which charities to help, or how to be helpful, or how to not feel guilty for all of the other charities I am therefore ignoring. As the Covid-19 pandemic has grown, I’ve watched others act generously, and give generously, and the peer pressure to do the same has been enormous, but still impossible to live up to.

“I don’t have peers, so I’m safe.”

We had a discussion about charity one Friday night at my synagogue, after hearing the results of a study that said the younger generation of Jews (AKA me) are not giving as much money to charity as previous generations. The consensus opinion among the older congregants was that young people don’t understand that charity is an obligation, and therefore they don’t even think about giving, either to their own communities, or to the needy…

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July Self-Promotion Party!

Looking for some good reads?

charles french words reading and writing

(Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com)

Hello to all the writers out there and reading this blog!

It is time for a shameless self-promotion party, so please do not be shy about your work.

Let the world know about your book(s)!

Shout to the world about your writing!

Tell us about your book(s), and leave an image and a link if you can.

In order for as many people to see your work as possible, please Tweet and reblog this post!

Please remember to be proud of your work!

Here is my self-promotion: my latest book can help writers who have issues with finishing first drafts of their books. If that is you, I offer direct, practical advice on how to Get The Draft Done! by Charles F. French.

Get The Draft Done! is available here: Amazon.com

Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.

Gallows Hill in paperback can be…

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Kindergarten Means “Garden of Children”

Lovely post about Kindergarten.

A Teacher's Reflections

My garden is a new venture every year.  We bought an older home with an established flower garden in 2002.  When summer arrived I couldn’t wait to see what  would bloom.  It was a joy to discover new flowers.  Since then, we have watched and learned, occasionally adding new flowers to the garden.  Yet, the changes every year are often drastic, thanks to nature.

These daisies were never there.  And now they are prolific.  Yet, no two are alike.  Big, tall, just budding, small… they’re all different.  

Flowers are much like young children.  They grow at different rates, have their own agenda, fight for the sun, take a backseat to other flowers… some are strong, some are weak.  I have watched our flowers grow and change for many years, like I have watched children grow and change over decades.

What have I learned?  Give them plenty of care, but…

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I Hate Masks!

None of us like them, but not to wear them is selfish.

Mitch Teemley

Note: Not an actual picture of me at a restaurant, but a very close facsimile.*

Last Sunday, my wife and I atein the fabled part of a restaurant known as “Inside.” Except for while we were actually eating (the intake of “food” requiring access to a facial orifice called a “mouth”) we wore our DYSC (Die You Stupid Coronavirus) masks.

And then we went to an even more exotic place, an art museum–one of those “Indoor” kind! And as requested, we wore our DYSC masks the entire time. All told, we had the cursed Alien facehuggers on for at least four hours.

And I hated it!

I have an aversion to discomfort. It probably has something to do with my OCD or my ADHD. Or maybe my PTBCD (Preferring to be Comfortable Disorder). Also, my nose runs when I wear my DYSC mask. Which means I sniffle non-stop, creating…

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SHROUDED

Dedicated to all those who lost their battle with Covid-19.

2020 dawned under the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic. Seven months in and we are still not out of danger. While some businesses have begun to open, many have not. Several never will. The long-range repercussions of lost lives, lost jobs, and extended isolation have yet to be felt.

View the video of SHROUDED here.

I started working on SHROUDED in late February.

The plaster core is painted with latex paint and four layer of marine polyurethane.

The next step was landscaping the installation site and putting in plants.

There are red and black tiles around the sculpture and ten pounds of glass stones.

Over time, the plants will envelope the sculpture, enrobing in in a natural shroud.

SHROUDED

But Not Forgotten