“It all comes to this: the simplest way to be happy is to do good.” – Helen Keller Inspired by Helen Keller’s beautiful quote, this is a good news post with gratitude galore – times fou…| Victoria Ponders
“When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or the life of another.” – Helen Keller My 86-year-old mother recently bought an Apple watch a…| Surprised By Joy
Do you remember Baskin Robbins and their 31 flavors? It seems we have 31 flavors of positivity these days. There is optimism, hopefulness, toxic positivity, resilience, happiness, joyfulness, IR…| The Heart of the Matter
When someone you admire offers praise, it’s a delicious gift! The talented author, Deborah Brasket’s new book will be available soon AND she found time to review “Surviving Sue…| Victoria Ponders
A few months ago, I wrote about musical memories and car songs. As I re-read the post this morning I smiled. Sometimes it’s good to revisit our own words and reel in the comforting reminders.…| Victoria Ponders
In this inspiring episode of the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast, Vicki Atkinson and I are talking with author and blogger from the Aspiring Blog, Ritish Sharma. Ritish and his co-author, D…| The Heart of the Matter
I can’t keep track of how many times the talented Elizabeth Wickham has pointed me to a terrific writing resource. She did so recently when she mentioned, “Writing Down the Bones”…| Victoria Ponders
There is so much about magic that is similar to writing – the timing, the paring down to create suspense, the need to dig deep in order to create a meaningful effect. Not that I make any clai…| The Heart of the Matter
Where did the time go? The band, Sister Hazel released “Change Your Mind” twenty-five years ago this month?!? When I looked it up, I was in disbelief. So, I checked and checked again, f…| Victoria Ponders
I have Elizabeth Wickham to thank for this post. Not that long ago, she mentioned her love of the book, “Writing Down the Bones – Freeing the Writer Within” by Natalie Goldberg. I…| Victoria Ponders
Did you catch Daniel Abrahams’ latest – “Writing is Rewriting”? Oof! It’s the space I’m in right now and when I stumbled across his blog post recently, I felt li…| The Heart of the Matter
On Saturday, March 22, Melissa Kirsch, writing for the New York Times wrote: Being new at something isn’t always pleasant, but beyond the discomfort, rewards await. Kirsch’s story was about h…| The Heart of the Matter
No one man can, for any considerable time, wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which is the true one. – Nathaniel Hawthorne When I…| The Heart of the Matter
I love a good Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, don’t you? There are many gems to choose from but when I stumbled across these words recently they gave me pause when I needed it. It’s been nearly tw…| The Heart of the Matter
I like pocket-sized wisdom. The sort I can carry around and invoke, as needed. And lately, I’ve needed all that I can summon, both to soothe myself and support others. I especially like these words…| The Heart of the Matter
There’s a quote attributed to Robin Williams that I appreciate. I’m not sure if it’s a line from a movie or if it’s a quote from a stand-up routine, but it’s an example – I think – of the nea…| The Heart of the Matter
Happy New Year, Friends! We’re taking a little liberty. Is it still okay to cheer in the New Year when we’re 10 days into 2025? We hope so! As we get rolling with podcasts in January, w…| The Heart of the Matter
Have you heard of Geena Dunne? Perhaps not. You might know her by her pseudonym, G.D. Anderson and this quote, made famous ten years ago but never more relevant for me than it is today: “Feminism i…| The Heart of the Matter
In this episode of the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast, I’m with my co-host, Dr. Vicki Atkinson, and writer and author, Brian Hannon. Brian is one of our colleagues on the Heart of the Matt…| The Heart of the Matter
Wynne’s done it again. Wynne has a knack for instilling confidence about all things technical. I think it’s her plain-spoken advice…tailored just for me (or so it seems) as she reminds me to stick …| The Heart of the Matter
Michelle Oram inspires me to tidy up, but not in the condemning, “hustle up and get ‘er done” kind of way. Michelle’s approach, told in her fabulous blog series, “Clutter Tales” is sensible, do-abl…| The Heart of the Matter
I love being a member of the Chicago Writers Association. Blog posts from author B.A.Durham from “Chicago Writes” pop into my inbox providing inspiration. Last month I shared some thoughts about on…| The Heart of the Matter
I have a friend who makes me believe in possibilities. I hadn’t thought of her in that way – ever – but after a three-hour catch up recently, I realized her friendship, our relationship (across 43 …| The Heart of the Matter
One of my favorite personality assessments provides insight about planning preferences. The need for organization and predictability vs. a love of keeping life loose, open-ended and spontaneou…| The Heart of the Matter
In this episode, Wynne Leon and Vicki Atkinson are talking about receiving unexpected feedback to our stories. We know we’re not alone in being surprised sometimes by how a story is received. We tell about an experience to a person or persons and then are shocked at how it lands. We thought it was funny and they thought it stupid. We thought it was deep and they only appreciate the surface. Whatever it is, it is out of our control for better or worse. When our inner editor starts curating t...| Spotify for Podcasters
I love swapping stories with Wynne on the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast. It’s a connection-making opportunity that continues to delight me, each and every week. This week? Wynne and…| The Heart of the Matter
“I have often had a retrospective vision where everything in my past life seems to fall with significance into logical sequence.”― Ansel Adams I wrote about a dear family member, almost a year…| The Heart of the Matter
In this episode, I’m with my co-host, Dr. Vicki Atkinson, and my delightful daughter, Miss O. Miss O shares a personal narrative that’s she written as an assignment in 3rd grade. And then she tells…| The Heart of the Matter