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.

Praise: A Potent Verbal Vitamin

Posted on April 19, 2012 by russtowne

“ There is no verbal vitamin more potent than praise. ” — Frederick B. Harris (From Forbes Thought Of The Day)

Posted in LIfe Lessons, Praise, Quotes I Love | Tagged Forbes, Frederick B. Harris, potent, praise, Thought for the Day, verbal vitamin, vitamin | Leave a comment

In Places No One Has Ever Been

Posted on April 18, 2012 by russtowne

“The one who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The one who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been.” –Albert Einstein

Posted in Courage, Creativity, Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Optimism, Quotes I Love | Tagged Albert Einstein, Einstein, find himself, follows the crowd, in places no one has ever been, walks alone | Leave a comment

Sometimes…

Posted on April 18, 2012 by russtowne

Sometimes when things appear to be falling apart, they may actually be falling into place. I saw the above comment somewhere recently and wrote it down. It has sometimes been true for me and hopefully for you too.

Posted in Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Optimism, Quotes I Love | Tagged appear, appearances, falling apart, falling into place | 1 Comment

6-Year Old’s Lemonade Stand Raises $10K to Fight His Dad’s Cancer

Posted on April 17, 2012 by russtowne

Despite having cancer, Randy Cox is a lucky man, and I’ll bet he knows it. His six-year old son Drew Cox started a lemonade stand to help raise funds to fight his father’s cancer. What happened next was truly inspiring. … Continue reading →

Posted in Generosity, Inspiring, Making the World a Better Place, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged $10, 000, boy, cancer, cars lined up around the block, donations, Drew Cox, Family, inspiring, It's a Wonderful Life, kid, kindness, Lemonade stand, Life, long and healthy life, Love, neighbors, Randy Cox, six-year old, son, wonderful | Leave a comment

People Who Rekindle the Inner Spirit

Posted on April 17, 2012 by russtowne

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” -Albert Schweitzer (I … Continue reading →

Posted in Inspiring, Making the World a Better Place, Optimism, Quotes I Love | Tagged a helping hand, a kind word, a reassuring look, A.Word.A.Day, Albert Schweitzer, Anu Garg, burst into flame, fire, flame, hand, Helping, inner fire, inner fire goes out, inner flame, kind, kind word, lit, lit my fire, making the world a better place, ready smile, reassuring, rekindle, Schweitzer, smile, thank, thank you, thankful | Leave a comment

Fifth Grader Creates A Video Game For His Blind Grandmother

Posted on April 17, 2012 by russtowne

When a fifth grader wanted to be able to share the video game fun for his beloved blind grandmother, he created one from scratch, and in the process won his school’s science fair. http://tinyurl.com/7v98wdm

Posted in Creativity, Grandparenting & Grandkids, Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged blind, blind grandmother, fair, Fifth-grader, game, gandma, grandmother, School, science, science fair, video, video game | Leave a comment

True Nobility

Posted on April 16, 2012 by russtowne

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” –Ernest Hemingway I saw the above quote on a friend’s Facebook page, liked it, and wanted to share it with … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotes I Love | Tagged Ernest Hemingway, fellow man, former self, nobility, noble, superior, true | Leave a comment

Jet Engine Technology Helps Woman Speak Again After 35 Years

Posted on April 16, 2012 by russtowne

A doctor recently used jet engine technology to help a woman speak again after a car accident that silenced her 35 years earlier. I love to hear how creativity and technology work together to help to create modern miracles. http://tinyurl.com/7me3rvz

Posted in Creativity, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged 35 years, create, creative, creativity, doctor, engine, hear, help, jet, jet engine technology, Love, miracles, modern, modern miracles, silenced, speak again, speak car accident, technology, together, woman, Work, work together | Leave a comment

You’re Doing It Right!

Posted on April 16, 2012 by russtowne

I just saw a fun bumper sticker: If what you’re doing is making you happy You are doing it right!

Posted in Humor | Tagged bumper sticker, fun, right, what you're doing, you're doing it right | Leave a comment

Never Too Old

Posted on April 14, 2012 by russtowne

I just saw a fun and inspiring short video of a bunch of 66-80 year olds from a retirement community form a flash (or should I say “dance”?) mob at a local shopping mall. Looks like their having fun while … Continue reading →