Category Archives: Inspiring

Hawa Abdi: “Equal Parts Mother Teresa and Rambo”

Posted on July 22, 2012 by russtowne

I just read an amazing article about Hawa Abdi but it was so profanity laced that rather than subject you to it, I went to Wikipedia and found a much-abbreviated version of this amazing woman’s life. She has stared down … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, Choices, Compassion, Courage, Generosity, Healing, Inspiring, Making the World a Better Place, Patience & Persistence, Stories That Touched Me | Tagged doctor, Dr., gyn, Hawa Abdi, militia, Somalia, Somalians, warlords, wikipedia, Wikipedia.org | 8 Comments

I Love Happy Endings

Posted on July 20, 2012 by russtowne

Remember that bullied bus monitor? People from around the world have donated $700,000 to her to send a message that they’ve had enough of bullies and that most people aren’t bullies. Here’s a URL or link to a beautiful story … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundance, Bullying, Compassion, Dealing with Pain & Grief, Generosity, Healing, Inspiring, Making the World a Better Place, Pain & Grief, Stories That Touched Me | Tagged bullies, bus monitor, donations, retirement, suicide, vacation | Leave a comment

The Great Blindini

Posted on July 19, 2012 by russtowne

I have a friend named Brent who is blind. He is also a magician. He calls himself The Great Blindini. Here are some snippets from a recent newspaper article about him: Magicians often don a blindfold at some point during … Continue reading →

Posted in Attittude, Choices, Courage, Creativity, Fear, Growth/Learning, Healing, Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Making the World a Better Place, Optimism, Stories That Touched Me | Tagged amazing, blind, blindness, Brent Gifford, children, courage, entertaining, fear, Friend, great, Hawaii, libraries, magic, magician, The Great Blindini | 25 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

That Which Lies Within

Posted on July 6, 2012 by russtowne

I read somewhere recently that life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself. While I like that saying a lot, and believe that is certainly true on some levels, I also believe that life is very much about finding … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundance, Attittude, Compassion, Healing, Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Love, Making the World a Better Place, True Stories I've Written | Tagged awakenig, Caring, compassion, gentl touch, gentle, healing, help, Hope, kindess, kindness, learned, Love, shine, smile, smiles, spirit, support, touch, warmth | 10 Comments

The Kind Road

Posted on July 4, 2012 by russtowne

One of my goals with this blog is that when writing a humorous post I want to always take the kind road, mostly laughing at myself (I can take it), while elevating and inspiring others. I also tend to follow … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Discipline & Consequences, Growth/Learning, Humor, Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Love, Making the World a Better Place, Observations, Praise, Quotes I Love | Tagged 4th of July, Ben Franklin, Benjamin Franklin, elevate, Fourth of July, humor, humorous, July 4th, Mikey's Funnies, understand, wise | 4 Comments

Stunning Views From the International Space Station

Posted on July 2, 2012 by russtowne

These views are incredible. And humbling. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120305.html I love the lightning storms too. Russ

Posted in Abundance, Inspiring, Nature, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged International Space Station, ISS, NASA | 4 Comments

A Warm Heart on a Cold Day

Posted on June 24, 2012 by russtowne

From the time I was a young boy all the way through my most of my thirties I tended not to fit in with most of my peers. I was introverted, socially awkward, lacked confidence, and often felt shunned and … Continue reading →

Posted in Gratitude, Growth/Learning, Healing, Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Love, Making the World a Better Place, Praise, True Stories I've Written | Tagged boy, boys, cocoa, heart, hot chocolate, kids, kind, kindness, polite, share, snow, trip, warm, young | 14 Comments

I Can Save THIS One

Posted on June 24, 2012 by russtowne

I remember reading a short story with a HUGE message years ago that had a big impact on me and how I view life. It went something like this: One day a little girl was walking on a beach with … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Growth/Learning, Inspiring, LIfe Lessons, Making the World a Better Place, Observations, Parenting, Stories That Touched Me | Tagged dad, father, girl, little girl, mom, Mother, ocean, parents, sea, Star fish, starfish, tide, water | 8 Comments

Way Ahead

Posted on June 23, 2012 by russtowne

“No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow your progress you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.”–Unknown So simple, yet so true–as are most ideas that truly matter. I said “simple” rather than “easy” because … Continue reading →