Author Archives: russtowne

About russtowne

I'm awed by the beauty of nature and the power of love and gratitude. Some of my favorite sensory experiences include waves crashing on rocky shores, waterways in ancient redwood and fern-filled forests, and rain. My wife and I have been married since 1979. We have 3 adult children and 5 grandchildren. I manage a wealth management firm that I founded in 2003. My Beloved is a Special Education teacher for Kindergartners and First Graders. I'm a published author of approximately 60 books in a variety of genres for grownups and children.

To Know Him Is To Love Him

Posted on January 24, 2013 by russtowne

Three high school nominees for Homecoming King decided that no matter which one of them won, they would give the crown to a young man with special needs. This was no prank or way to embarrass him. It was an … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Compassion, Generosity, Goodness, Kindness, Love, Making the World a Better Place, Stories That Touched Me, Youth | Tagged generosity, Homecoming Kings, Love, neurological disorder that inhibits learning and speech, Scotty Maloney, Williams Syndrome | 4 Comments

Why Stop At Lemonade?

Posted on January 24, 2013 by russtowne

“When life gives you lemons make lemonade” We’ve all heard that worn-out phrase before But why stop at making lemonade When we can have a whole lemon smorgasbord? We all get a lot of lemons in our lives from time … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Attittude, Challenges, Creativity, Poetry I Wrote | Tagged bars, coconuts, cookies, create, fun, lemon merangue pie, lemon pie, lemonade, lemons, Life, limes, pineapples, poem, rum, smorgasbord, tarts, time | 12 Comments

Who Are You Going To Believe, The Pillow Or Me?

Posted on January 23, 2013 by russtowne

(Source of photo: Forever Awezome) My Beloved has a wonderful black lab named “Sadie”. I say “wonderful” as in, “I’m full of wonder as to how she can eat so many pillows and even couches?!?!?”. Literally. So when I saw … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Human Hearts and Spirits

Posted on January 23, 2013 by russtowne

“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the human heart can hold.” …But if I might be so bold While I don’t know the exact amount From what I have found I believe The human spirit Can store … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundance, Love, Poetry I Wrote, Quotes I Love, Spirit | Tagged bold, heart, hold, human, Love, spirit, store, wordsmith.org, Zelda Fitzgerald | 5 Comments

It Does

Posted on January 23, 2013 by russtowne

My eyes don’t always get it right And even my heart is sometimes wrong about love So now I trust my spirit more than my heart or sight Because when I don’t know the answers To life’s toughest questions It … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, Choices, Love, Poetry I Wrote, Spirit | Tagged eyes, heart, life's, Love, poetry, questions, right, Russ Towne, sight, spirit, toughest, Trust, wrong | 6 Comments

Truth Beckons

Posted on January 23, 2013 by russtowne

Dare I heed its call? I’ve fought it for so long Did all I could to stall But I see now I was wrong But when bigotry was all I knew It was safer with my own kind So I … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Breakthroughs, Courage, Freedom, Growth/Learning, Poetry I Wrote, Suffering, Truth | Tagged beauty, breakthroughs, courage, freedom, growth, healing, poem, poems, poetry, suffering, truth | 4 Comments

Sing, Spirit, Sing!

Posted on January 23, 2013 by russtowne

I’d heard that when in doubt Or faced with a tough choice I should do the kindest thing But what I quickly found out Is that when I did It also made my spirit sing –Russ Towne

Posted in Choices, Kindness, Poetry I Wrote | Tagged choice, Decision, doubt, kindest, kindness, sing, spirit | 4 Comments

Posted on January 23, 2013 by russtowne

Originally posted on GYA today:
Here is one of Karen Salmansohn’s ingenious posters (one of my favs). Dream big, think happy thoughts, and enjoy! graphic credit: Notsalmon

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

“Nature’s Symphony” Is Finally Available For Sale

Posted on January 23, 2013 by russtowne

First off, a reminder for everyone: Please remember that you can hear my songs for free as often as you want by going to the “Songs I’ve Written or Co-Written” category in this blog. But for those who quite awhile … Continue reading →

Posted in Following Your Passion, Music, Song Lyrics I've Written or Co-Written, Song Updates, Songs For Sale That I Wrote or Co-Wrote, Songs I've Written or Co-Written, Songwriting Adventure | Tagged lyric, lyricist, lyricists, lyrics, music, nature, Nature's Symphony, sale, song, songwriting sites, symphony | Leave a comment

Hallway Torture

Posted on January 22, 2013 by russtowne

(This is a re-post for newer readers.) One of the toughest challenges we had as parents was regarding discipline. We wanted to be firm but loving and fair and for the consequences to be effective, age-appropriate, and child-specific. Unfortunately, it … Continue reading →