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.

Finding Our Way Back To Each Other

Posted on March 18, 2012 by russtowne

I just heard a powerful and inspiring TED talk by Dr. Brene’ Brown about Vulnerability and Shame. I highly recommend that you invest the time to listen to it. Some of my favorite parts: Vulnerability is NOT weakness. Vulnerability is … Continue reading →

Posted in Courage, Friendship, Healing, LIfe Lessons, Quotes I Love, Random Thoughts, Relationship Lessons Learned, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged antidote, bad, birthplace of innovation, Brene Brown, change, courage, creativeity, dare gretly, Dr. Brene' Brown, empathy, empathy is the antidote to shame, find our way back to each other, guilt, I am bad, I did something bad, inspiring, judgement, judgment, me too, path, powerful, secrecy, Shame, silence, strength, struggle, vulnerability, weakness | Leave a comment

Finding the Light Within Yourself in Moments of Darkness

Posted on March 17, 2012 by russtowne

We all go through tough times. Sometimes even excruciating ones. If you are going through such a painful situation right now, this post is dedicated to you. I don’t know who wrote the paragraph below, but I believe it captures … Continue reading →

Posted in Courage, Healing, LIfe Lessons, Random Thoughts | Tagged believe, darkness, dedicated, difficult, difficult times, disappointment, excruciating, failure, find the light, find yourself, hardship, heal, healing, light, loss, moments of darkness, painful, painfulsituation, strength, stronger, survive, the light within, thrive, tough times, weather storms | Leave a comment

I Believe…

Posted on March 17, 2012 by russtowne

I relative sent an email to me with the title “I Believe”. I liked it and thought you might too. It has been edited for brevity. I Believe… That just because two people argue, It doesn’t mean they don’t love … Continue reading →

Posted in Courage, Forgiveness, Friendship, LIfe Lessons, Quotes I Love, Relationship Lessons Learned | Tagged angry, argue, attitude, change, circumstances, control, cries, cruel, cry, forgive, Forgiveness, friends, Friendship, healing, hurt, I believe, Love, loved, loving, relatives, strength | Leave a comment

Friendship

Posted on March 16, 2012 by russtowne

“It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us.” -Epicurus, philosopher (c. 341-270 BCE) Based on how long ago Epicurus lives, it seems safe to say that some things … Continue reading →

Posted in LIfe Lessons, Quotes I Love, Random Thoughts, Relationship Lessons Learned, Uncategorized | Tagged A.Word.A.Day, Anu Garg, better frirends, blessed, celebrate, comfort, compliment, confident knowledge, Epicurus, false friend, false friends, focus, focusing, Friend, friends, Friendship, good friends, great comfort, Happiness, knowing, learning, lives, losses, making the world a better place, mourn, ricjer, safe, share, wins, Wordsmith.com | Leave a comment

Spontaneous Rescue Efforts By Many People Saves Stranded Dolphins

Posted on March 15, 2012 by russtowne

I’ve heard of stories where dolphins have saved drowning humans, and today I saw a heart-warming video where a bunch of apparant strangers spontaneously worked together to save a group of dolphins that were in danger of dying. If different … Continue reading →

Posted in Dogs & Other Wonderful Creatures, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged danger, different species, Dolphin, dolphin rescue, dolphins, greater hope, heart-warming, Hope, humans, peril, planet, rescue, save, species, strangers, video | Leave a comment

The Wrong Kind Of Clever

Posted on March 15, 2012 by russtowne

My latest songwriting project tells the story of a man who must come to grips with the price he has paid for being far too clever for his own good. In a dream he learns the brutal truth and it … Continue reading →

Posted in Forgiveness, LIfe Lessons, Song Lyrics I've Written or Co-Written, Song Updates, Songs I've Written or Co-Written | Tagged bank account, bed, brutal truth, car, chasing fame and fortune, choking, clever, conuest, cunning, darkness, false friends, fame, Forgiveness, fortune, Friend, friends, game, good, grabbed, habits, Happiness, heart, joy, lasting, lasting joy, lies, Life, lifetime, lifetime of habits, long-term pain, Love, loved ones, lover, lovers, Money, neck, need, needs, past, Pleasure, poem, poetry, puzzle, redemption, richer, short-term pleasure, sng, Songwriting, story, The Wrong Kind Of Clever, tomorrow, tonight, trophy, truth, value, Wealth, wreck, your past is just a story | Leave a comment

Making A Difference

Posted on March 13, 2012 by russtowne

I will sometimes re-post something for readers who found this site in recent months. Below is one such re-post. Russ Remember the hit song from awhile back that included these words?: Don’t Laugh At Me Don’t call me names Don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Bullying, Courage, Healing, LIfe Lessons, Making the World a Better Place, Random Thoughts, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged #1 hit songs, #1 hits, admire, Arabic, beautiful, bullies, bully, bullying, English, eyes, faculty, God, God's, God's eyes, heart, Hebrew, hit, Hope, indifference, Japanese, kind, kindness, laugh, like, Love, music, pain, parents, perfect, perfect wings, Pleasure, positive difference, respect, School, schools, Serbian, song, songwriter, spirit, Steve Seskin, students, successful, wings, working together, world | 1 Comment

To The Stars, And Beyond

Posted on March 12, 2012 by russtowne

A friend on Facebook posted this quote. It resonated with me and I thought it would with many of you, too. “And finally, I believe in my whole race. Yellow, white, black, red, brown –in the honesty, courage, intelligence, durability….and … Continue reading →

Posted in LIfe Lessons, Quotes I Love, Random Thoughts | Tagged black, brothers, brown, courage, decency, durability, endure, evolve, Friend, friends, goodness, great contributions, heairless embryo, heart, Heinlein, hers, his, honesty, insatiable curiosity, intelligence, noble essential decency, opposable thumb, oversize brain, planet, race, red, resonated, sisters, skin of our teeth, stars, survive, This I believe with all my heart, to the stars, to the stars and beyond, unlimited courage, white, yellow | Leave a comment

Woman Rescues Driver Who Flipped Her Off

Posted on March 11, 2012 by russtowne

It has happened to most of us. A driver flips us off or gives some other rude gesture, then speeds off down the road. That happened to a woman in Crystal Springs, Florida, but what happened next is the reason … Continue reading →

Posted in Courage, Forgiveness, LIfe Lessons, Random Thoughts, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged catalyst, catalyst for change, change, choices, crash, Crystal Springs, daughter, drive, driver, driving, empathy, fiery crash, flip off, fliped off, Florida, Forgiveness, giving the bird, kind, kindness, Kristin Dominy, recover, rude gesture, woman | Leave a comment

I Just Returned from a Memorial Service of a Man I’ve Never Met

Posted on March 11, 2012 by russtowne

I just returned from a memorial service of a man I’ve never met. He was a distant relative of my elderly father-in-law who would not have been able to go if I hadn’t taken him. The deceased was born in … Continue reading →