When Water Falls from the Sky What if we had no word for rain? What if, generation after generation, we simply called it water-falling-from-the-sky? “Words. I’m surrounded by thousands of words. Maybe millions. Words have swirled around me like snowflakes – each one delicate and different, each one melting untouched in my hands. Deep within me, […]

Jesus and the Tooth Fairy Q: What do Jesus and the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus have in common? A: Grown-ups told us stories about them when we were children. And then one day we realized the grown-ups had been lying.  Yes, they did it because they loved us and they wanted us […]

You might agree with John Pavlovitz or violently disagree.That’s not the point. But regardless of whether or not you agree with his position, you have to admit that he writes powerfully and clearly. Pavlovitz posted this essay on May 4, 2020. He is a pastor in North Carolina. Freedom is an unearned privilege—and you have […]

Brad says, “Unlike the millennials, I don’t use filters to make my photos cool. The only filter I used was shooting through a rainy windshield.”

I’m 21 years old but my thinning hair makes me look about 30. I consider this to be my greatest asset. I walk the retail sidewalks, looking in windows, deciding if I will go in. A peddler goes door to door unthinkingly, playing the odds, tossing his pitch to anyone who will catch it like […]

I like Brian’s poem, don’t you? It reminds me of something I read once:“Books, like friends, should be carefully chosen. They influence you even when you don’t think they do.” – Indy Beagle

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When Water Falls from the Sky What if we had no word for rain? What if, generation after generation, we simply called it water-falling-from-the-sky? “Words. I’m surrounded by thousands of words. Maybe millions. Words have swirled around me like snowflakes – each one delicate and different, each one melting untouched in my hands. Deep within me, […]

According to a story at TheStreet.com, “Movie-theater chain AMC  will no longer screen films made by Comcast-owned Universal Pictures after Universal opted to bypass theaters and release its ‘Trolls: World Tour’ animated movie directly to consumers amid the coronavirus pandemic and global lockdown.” “Effectively immediately AMC will no longer play any Universal movies in any of […]

Wanna hear something else that’s kind of interesting? Just a few hours after the wizard wrote about Paul Giamatti’s Dad for today’s Monday Morning Memo, Paul Giamatti showed up on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Tessa in the winds of La Mancha

Hoots and Thomas are wonderful Wizard of Ads partners and they are magical when it comes to fundraising. Read Donoricity by Steve Thomas.

In 1842, Fred Barnett Miller of New Orleans – an employee of the Federal government – was told to relocate “out west” to a little settlement called Rillo.  So Fred made the trip to Rillo and immediately went to the telegraph office. Upon his arrival he paid the telegraph operator to respond to all telegraphs sent […]

John Engelbrecht handed me a sealed envelope 13 years ago and said, “Someday I’ll be gone. When that happens, give this to my son.” The time has come for me to give that envelope to his son. John Engelbrecht, in good spirits, died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack on Saturday, April 18. I liked […]

The Wisdom of Early Reinvention A few years ago, Yvon Chouinard was asked, “How do you know if you’re making the right move? He said, “It’s a lot of gut instinct. If you study something to death, if you wait for the customer to tell you what he wants, you’re going to be too late, especially […]

I love the smell of wood burning fires, rainy days and salt air. I love my gardens, birds on my feeder, Critters in my yard …and my cats. I love my friends and neighbors and my family. Listening to music, beautiful things, children’s laughter, Reading a book in the sunroom…in my favorite chair. I love […]

Thanks, Geno! You’re right. That guy is amazing. He takes things that don’t belong together, and then makes them fit. Which is the point the wizard always tries to make during Day Three of Magical Worlds.  Do you remember what you wrote in Chaotic Ad Writing? A lot of people remember years later because of […]

I love thick novels and biographiesGetting lost in a good story.Spending time in nature.Deep conversations with good friends. I love rock-climbing with my daughters,Hiking and running and camping.I love being forgivenAnd being married to my best friend. I love traveling and seeing new places.People-watching in airports And immigration queues When I choose wisely. I love […]

Indy,Here’s my list: I love gadgets when they work,Unexpected perks, Walking dogs at noon…And tunes.​ I love the blue in my wife’s eyes, Road trips in July, Counting off the miles…​And smiles.​ ​And I love you, too.​​ I love Sunday Afternoons, Sunny days in June, Not using the word like…​And bikes.​ I love helping out […]

The last Keeper of the Light got up to snuff it out. No candle can rival the sun when it shines, even if it doesn’t often shine at this end of the world. Still young, the candle had only been lit for one night. The hand that held the flame was young, too, with barely […]

I noticed you put “Dust in the Wind” in last week’s rabbit hole. That song has been in my head since Tuesday evening when my youngest brother called to tell me that our Mom had died. Mom got her first pair of shoes from the welfare lady when she was seven years old. She said they […]

“The house has grown into a knowledgeable witness. It has been party to early seductions, it has watched homework being written, it has observed swaddled babies freshly arrived from hospital, it has been surprised in the middle of the night by whispered conferences in the kitchen. It has experienced winter evenings when its windows were […]

Your Mama told me you’ve been troubled.Your Mama told me you’ve been sad. Your Mama told me you’ve been worried;That things are lookin’ pretty bad. I told your Mama not to worry.I told your Mama not to cry.I told your Mama we’d come through this.We’re invincible, you and I. She said to tell you that she […]

“Enjoyed the show, Ryan is BRILLIANT … might i recommend you invite an IDIOT for the next show so you two can SPARKLE … it’s similar to why you hang out with fat friends, it’s so you look skinny. Yes, i would volunteer but i can’t drive 1000 + miles just to make you two look […]