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.

Changing the World

Posted on May 17, 2012 by russtowne

“Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” – Maragret Mead There is power and wisdom in these words. And hope for the few to be able … Continue reading →

Posted in Courage, Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Optimism, Quotes I Love | Tagged change, change the world, Margaret Mead, never doubt, small group of people, world | Leave a comment

Courage, Love, Peace, Inspiration, and Talent

Posted on May 17, 2012 by russtowne

Originally posted on GYA today:
If you’re still not sure about any of them …this ought to do it.

Posted in Abundance, Courage, Generosity, Gratitude, Healing, Inspiring, Making the World a Better Place, Optimism, Parenting, Praise, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged Abundance, Aussies, Australia, Beatles, courage, dreamer, Emmanuel Kelly, Hope, Imagine, Inspiration, John Lennon, Love, peace, powerful, powerfully touched me, talent, the world will be as one, X Factor | Leave a comment

The Song In My Heart

Posted on May 16, 2012 by russtowne

“A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.” -Donna Roberts A buddy posted this quote on FB and I like it. Thought you might too.

Posted in Friendship, Healing, LIfe Lessons, Making the World a Better Place, Quotes I Love | Tagged buddy, Donna Roberts, Facebook, FB, Friend, heart, sings, song | Leave a comment

Abundance: Unconventional Education

Posted on May 16, 2012 by russtowne

A friend sent an article today that outlined a series of experiments regarding educating students the results of which I found most remarkable. I believe you will too. It was posted on DelanceyPlace.com. The article is dated 5/15/12. Here’s the … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundance, Creativity, Education, Growth/Learning, Making the World a Better Place, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged Abundance, computers, creative, Delanceyplace, Delanceyplace.com, education, India, Indian, Indian physicist Sugata Mitra, physicist, students, Sugata Mitra, teachers, unconventional, unconventional education | Leave a comment

Smile! You Are Great! You’re Amazing!

Posted on May 15, 2012 by russtowne

I just finished watching a video called “Validation”. It’s longer than a typical YouTube vid, but I found it interesting, fun, and ultimately heart-warming. I recommend taking the time to watch all of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao&feature=youtube_gdata_player http://tinyurl.com/2f8wavc

Posted in Fun Vids, Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Making the World a Better Place, Praise, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged amazing, great, smile, validation, you are amazing, you are great | Leave a comment

Posted on May 14, 2012 by russtowne

I highly recommend following the link to the YouTube video. What an amazing young man and mind-set. I just discovered Jolyn’s blog but based on this one post I like what I see and plan to explore it further.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

“To Have a Simple, Honest, Honorable, Life”

Posted on May 14, 2012 by russtowne

I love to read stories about people who overcome adversities. They inspire me. Below are snippets and a URL about one such man. I believe you’ll find his story remarkable and inspiring too. NEW YORK (AP) — For years, Gac … Continue reading →

Posted in Courage, Gratitude, Growth/Learning, Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Optimism, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged bachelor's degree, cap and gown, classics, Columbia, Columbia University, fiesty, Gac Filipaj, graduate, graduated, grateful, honest, honorable, humble, Ivy League, Ivy League school, janitor, Roman, Seneca, Serb, simple, spirit, Yugoslavia | 2 Comments

What I Learned from My Son and Dandelions

Posted on May 13, 2012 by russtowne

When our middle son was a young teenager, one of his chores was to mow the lawns. One day as I walked into the house after work I noticed that the front yard had dandelion stems in it that were … Continue reading →

Posted in Growth/Learning, LIfe Lessons, Observations, Parenting, Relationship Lessons Learned, True Stories I've Written, Uncategorized | Tagged angry, ask my heart, ask my heart for a second opinion, chores, consequence, consequences, dandelions, heart, house, lawn, learned, lesson, lesson learned, lie, lying, middle son, mow, promise, promised, puff balls, son, swore, Trust, trusting, truth, Work, yard work | 1 Comment

Golden Truth

Posted on May 13, 2012 by russtowne

“Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold.” -Leo Tolstoy I saw this quote at Wordsmith.com and like the quote and the comparison. Truth, like gold, … Continue reading →

Posted in Friendship, LIfe Lessons, Observations, Quotes I Love | Tagged Anu Garg, friends, Gold, Leo Tolstoy, precious, rare, Tolstoy, truth, Wordsmith.com | Leave a comment

My Recipe For Life

Posted on May 11, 2012 by russtowne

I believe that most people feel that life is very complex and complicated. That is understandable. There is so much information, regulation, conflicting needs and priorities, entities telling and selling what we need and should do, partisanship and rancor, choices, … Continue reading →