Author and poet Annie Dillard, born 73 years ago today, became the youngest American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize at age 28. Annie once said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” Continue reading
Month: April 2018 (Page 1 of 2)
When the Boston Marathon took place a few weeks back, in unseasonal sleety weather for April, it was the second place finisher who got my attention.
Sarah Sellers, a full-time nurse anesthetist from Utah, was unknown in running circles. She was actually asked to introduce herself at the press conference after the race. Continue reading
Tragedy struck Toronto this week when a 25-year-old man drove a rented van down the sidewalk on one of the busiest streets in the city. Ten innocent people were killed and 16 were wounded, many critically. Continue reading
I went to see A Wrinkle In Time with my daughter yesterday and it was magical. I read Madeleine L’Engle’s book as a child but didn’t remember the story. I was so moved by the movie’s message of being a warrior of hope. Of travelling to places that have only been dreamed about. Of fighting the darkness that manifests in people who put you down and judge you. Of being the light and overcoming hurt. Continue reading
Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking to 80 team members at a corporate lunch and learn about women who lead. I shared my publishing goal of one hundred rejections and all the lessons about success, failure, grit and resilience I learned along the way. I spoke about famous failures and regular folks who never gave up. Continue reading
When it comes to greatness, it’s inside all of us. And the only thing that lets it out is action.
Mozart composed over 600 musical pieces. Picasso created over 50,000 works of art. And Van Gogh painted 900 paintings. Continue reading
One hundred and six years ago, on April 14 and April 15, the Titanic sank to the bottom of the ocean. Fifteen hundred and three people perished. It was a terrible tragedy.
When I was back in Ireland recently, my cousin’s girlfriend told me a story. She said her great-grandfather had bought a ticket for the Titanic and was standing on the dock waiting to board. A man approached him and offered him double the voyage price if he would sell him his ticket. Her great-grandfather said no. Then the stranger offered him triple. He couldn’t turn down that amount of money so he reluctantly sold the man his ticket. Continue reading
After playing for ten years in the minor league, and working as a math tutor, Andre Ingram got the call he had been waiting for. At age 32, he made his debut this week in the NBA for the LA Lakers. Scoring four three-pointers and 19 points overall, it was a night that dreams are made of. The crowd started yelling, “M-V-P!” Some of the players on the team his age had already played almost 1000 NBA games. And this was Ingram’s first. Continue reading
As I drive around my neighbourhood, so many houses have hockey sticks out on the porch. It started when TSN Radio Broadcaster Brian Munz shared a text from his friend that showed a hockey stick outside the front door of his house with the caption, “Leaving it out on the porch tonight. The boys might need it… wherever they are.” And suddenly people around the world felt that they could honour the young Humboldt Broncos hockey players who were killed in the horrific bus crash by putting their sticks out too.
A small yet symbolic gesture that travelled around the world. From hockey families coast to coast to Canadian servicemen fighting for our freedom in Iraq, hockey sticks leaned on the wall outside the door.
It shows how much this accident has touched families everywhere. How fragile life is. And how it can change in a heartbeat.
May we keep the Humboldt Broncos in our thoughts and prayers and live each day with the passion and commitment shown by those young hockey players. And leave your stick out on the porch tonight.
From the moment we become a parent, and hold our child in our arms, we know we would lay down our lives for theirs. We want to keep them safe. We want to put them on our shoulders so that they can reach for the stars. But although our hearts grow bigger in that moment, a flutter also emerges. It changes the beat of our heart the first time they walk home from school on their own, the first time they get behind the wheel to drive, and every time we watch the clock and wait for them to walk back in the door. Continue reading