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.

The Dreaded Couch

Posted on July 14, 2012 by russtowne

A recent post mentioned a married couple sharing a bedroom and in a comment an internet friend said something about being married for 28 years and sharing the same bedroom all that time. That got me to thinking about an … Continue reading →

Posted in Anger, Choices, Family "Fun", Forgiveness, Growth/Learning, Humor, LIfe Lessons, True Stories I've Written | Tagged angry, bed, bedroom, beloved, couch, disagreement, disagreements, motivator | 14 Comments

More Wedding Day Confessions (Sigh…)

Posted on July 13, 2012 by russtowne

Beloved and I were young when we got married. And we must have looked even younger than we were. I say this because when Beloved and I decided to stop at a motel on the way to our honeymoon location … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, LIfe Lessons, True Stories I've Written | Tagged aisle, barber, beloved, disco, freeway, honeymoon, motel, psychedlic, relatives, VW bus, wedding | 3 Comments

For Our Own Benefit Too

Posted on July 13, 2012 by russtowne

Life is a difficult ride. At times all of us will know pain, trouble, loneliness and struggle. That’s why it is so important for us to practice love and kindness. For your own benefit, as well as for others. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, LIfe Lessons, Loneliness, Love, Making the World a Better Place, Pain & Grief, Quotes I Love | Tagged believe, benefit, blog, difficult, enjoy, gain, Helping, istopforsuffering, kindness, loneliness, Love, others, pain, saying, struggle, touched, trouble, value, whole-heartedly, wisdom | 2 Comments

Beloved Can Relate TOO WELL To This Joke

Posted on July 13, 2012 by russtowne

When the Jones family moved into their new house, a visiting relative asked five-year-old Sammy how he liked the new place. “It’s terrific,” he said. “I have my own room, Mike has his own room, and Jamie has her own … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor | Tagged bedroom, dad, Family, house, Jones, Mike, mom, relative, Sammy | 8 Comments

The Antidote For Fear And Anger

Posted on July 13, 2012 by russtowne

I collect quotes and sayings. I even use what I consider to be the best of them (what I call “Truisms”) as affirmations. So in my travels, when I see a quote I like I tend to write it down. … Continue reading →

Posted in Anger, Fear, Gratitude, Quotes I Love | Tagged action, Anger, antidote, blog, fear, gratitude, stop, stuck, Tony Robbins | 4 Comments

Things Worth Believing In

Posted on July 12, 2012 by russtowne

One of my favorite movies is Secondhand Lions. Below is a quote from it that I love. It is a scene where an old man (portrayed by Robert Duvall) tells a young boy about things worth believing in: “Sometimes the … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Courage, Growth/Learning, Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Making the World a Better Place, Observations, Quotes I Love, Stories That Touched Me, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged believe, courage, good, honor, Love, Remember, Robert Duvall, Secondhand Lions, things worth believing in, virtue | 11 Comments

An Old Guy and a Bucket of Shrimp

Posted on July 12, 2012 by russtowne

An aunt sent this story to me today. I enjoyed it and thought you would too. I haven’t verified the accuracy of the story. I often find value in stories whether they are true or not. This one falls into … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, Choices, Courage, Gratitude, Stories That Touched Me | Tagged aunt, bucket, devotional service, Eastern Airlines, Eddie Rickenbacher, endure, grateful, gratitude, heart, hunger, In the Eye of the Storm, life-saving, max Lucado, miracle, miraculously survived, ordeal, pier, pilot, prayed, quietly, rations, rescued, rigors, sacrifice, Seagull, seagulls, shrimp, sun, survival, survival-technique, survivors, thank you, WWII | 25 Comments

Some Gifts I’d Love to Return

Posted on July 12, 2012 by russtowne

My last post where I said tough times are “lesson-rich” may have come across as glib. It wasn’t meant to be. While I believe challenging times are indeed lesson-rich and hold gifts for us, there are quite frankly some gifts … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, Dealing with Pain & Grief, LIfe Lessons, Observations, Pain & Grief | Tagged beloved, blood, blood transfusions, cancer, challenging times, daughter, despair, diagnosed, difficulty, gifts, Grief, happy, hospital, incurable illness, intensive care, lesson-rich, Life, pain, scare, survived, thyroid | 9 Comments

Lesson-Rich Windstorms

Posted on July 12, 2012 by russtowne

A lot of people are going through some very challenging (I like to think of them as “lesson-rich”) times right now. I saw this quote from wordsmith.org that seemed to fit the situation fairly well: “Should you shield the canyons … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, Growth/Learning, LIfe Lessons, Pain & Grief, Quotes I Love | Tagged anchor, beauty, cold, connect, connected, connectedness, darkness, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, fly, Grief, lesson-rich, light, pain, powerful, spirit, warmth, windstorms, wings, wonderfully, wordsmith.org | 4 Comments

Without the Statues

Posted on July 12, 2012 by russtowne

Another response to a comment I wrote today reminded me of a story set in ancient Rome or Greece, where someone who had observed many statues of great leaders asked the current leader–who was widely considered to be one of … Continue reading →