I cannot tell you exactly what the topic was, but I can tell you that this speaker on this day said “um,” “uh,” and “so” a lot! This stood out to me not as a critique, but as a reminder. I thought about my time as a member of Toastmasters International, an organization for public speakers who want to improve their skills. One of the many forms of training we received was how to minimize and ultimately eliminate filler words such as “um,” “ah,” “so,” and “uh.” We tend to use them to fill in the Continue Reading
Posts and Presence
According to the dictionary, to be present is to be with one or others in a specified or understood place at a specified or understood time. During our nation's current pandemic, I am what is considered an "essential worker." As such, while many consider us “heroes,” no school, no playdates, no dinner at their favorite restaurants, the cancelled summer camps, and postponed piano recitals make my trips to work feel more like another cruel unwelcomed reality my young daughters have to deal Continue Reading
The Next Right Thing
It is in the writings of Joshua, Moses' successor as Israel’s leader, that we get great insight into the lives of the 2nd generation of God’s chosen people. In chapter 3 they are at the banks of the Jordan River. Levitical Priests are carrying the Ark of the Covenant, God’s people are following behind, and the River is now the only thing standing between them and possession of the land God had promised their forefathers to give them. I use the term “only” rather loosely, given that this large Continue Reading