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.

Grandkids Say The Darnedest Things

Posted on February 29, 2012 by russtowne

A friend shared these with me and I thought you might enjoy them too: 1. She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she’d done many times before. After she … Continue reading →

Posted in Grandparenting & Grandkids, Humor | Tagged age, aging, airport, babies, baby, cabin, child, childhood, color, colors, Dalmatrion, Dog, Family, fire, fire truck, fireflies, flashlights, funny, God, grandchild, Grandchildren, Grandkid, Grandkids, Grandma, Grandpa, Grandparents, Granparenting, humor, kids, learn, learning, Lipstick, logic, Love, Nostalgia, old, picked berries, pony, raspberries, story, teach, teaches, Tire Swing, vacation, visit, wisdom, wise, writing | 2 Comments

Life and Death, Duty and Loss

Posted on February 26, 2012 by russtowne

My wife and I started our day by meeting with several family members and friends at a charity breakfast to raise funds for the Gold Star Moms organization. Gold Star Moms have all lost a child who died in service … Continue reading →

Posted in Family "Fun", Quotes I Love, Random Thoughts | Tagged Afghanistan, breakfast, child, children, death, duty, dying, Gold, Gold Star, Gold Star Moms. living, heart, honor, Ira, Life, Love, military, noble, people, religion, sacrifice, service, son, star, Tecumsah, war | Leave a comment

Add Extra To Ordinary

Posted on February 25, 2012 by russtowne

I was headed out the door to meet with a new investment Client when the headline for an ad in an open magazine caught my eye: “Add Extra To Ordinary” What an extraordinary tag line! (It was for Bertoli Olive … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotes I Love, Random Thoughts | Tagged Caring, compassion, evening, extra, Friend, friends, Friendship, help, Helping, kindness, Life, Love, night, ordinary, thoughtfulness, understanding | Leave a comment

A Real-Life Quiet Hero: Dr. Tim

Posted on February 24, 2012 by russtowne

I just finished reading about a real-life quiet hero named Dr. Tim from one of my favorite sites, http://www.HeroicStories.org I recommend that you check out both that story and that site. Better yet, introduce yourself to Joyce Schowalter who keeps … Continue reading →

Posted in Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged bills, Caring, Dr., health, Hero, Heroes, Heroic, kindness, Money, payment, payments, self-employed | Leave a comment

Quiet Heroes

Posted on February 24, 2012 by russtowne

A friend from my childhood recently mentioned the movie “To Kill A Mockingbird”. It is one of my all-time favorite stories. That got me to thinking again about my favorite type of people: Quiet Heroes. They are the ones who … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Thoughts, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged Atticus, book, books, bravery, Caring, child, childhood, courage, fear, Friend, friends, Friendship, Hero, Heroes, Heroic, honor, honoring, humble, humility, kind, kindness, Life, Love, Mockingbird, movie, movies, obstacles, quiet, smile, stories, story, understand, understanding, world | Leave a comment

Another Reason to Dream Big

Posted on February 20, 2012 by russtowne

Here’s yet another reason to DREAM BIG: “You aren’t old until your regrets are larger than your dreams.” This quote was sent to me by a buddy. I don’t know who originally said it, but I like it a lot.

Posted in Quotes I Love | Tagged aging, dream. goals, dreams, Life | Leave a comment

What I’m Most Proud Of and Grateful For

Posted on February 12, 2012 by russtowne

I’m proud of my friends, investing ability and results, my redwood grove and fern garden, some of my songs and stories, and my dog Duke whom I mentioned in a recent post, but by far I’m most proud of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bicycling, daughter, Family, father, ferns, garandpa, grandchild, Grandson, investing, Mother, outdoors, redwood, redwoods, son, song, stories | Leave a comment

Duke

Posted on February 11, 2012 by russtowne

Duke, my Chocolate Labrador, turned 6 a couple of days ago. I thought of him when typing about kindness. When I’m sick in bed he quietly lays next to me, keeping me warm and watching over me, never leaving my … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged companion, companionship, devotion, Dog, dogs, Friendship, Labrador, Love, Loyalty | Leave a comment

Kindness

Posted on February 11, 2012 by russtowne

I came across a website called WisdomQuotes.com that I like. One can type in various aspects of wisdom and up pops a bunch of quotes on the subject. For example, I just looked up “Kindness” and 3 long pages of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aging, growing older, kindness, wisdom | Leave a comment

Porcelin Unicorn

Posted on February 9, 2012 by russtowne

If you haven’t seen the short video winner called Porcelin Unicorn, I highly recommend it. The video is short, and with almost no dialog tells a powerful and moving story. The URL is below. http://www.porcelainunicorn.com/