From the Heart

A Valentine’s Day pondering on empathy

Posted on by Jean Campbell

He can't take it away. He can try to erase history, but we will remember. He can try to discourage us, but we will persevere. He will try to be all-powerful, but we will dissent. He can try to silence us, but we will talk. We will write songs and stories in which he will not be the hero. The stories will be of the dystopian leader who tried to change the past and own the future, but he will forever be remembered as foolish, cruel, and greedy. The heroes will be those who refused to follow, who... Continue reading

An American Hero

Posted on by Jean Campbell

  When I hear of someone passing away in their 80's, my automatic response usually goes something like this, "Oh, so young." And then I remember, that's actually quite a bit older than the average age of death. My father, Lieutenant Colonel Julian Richard Campbell, died last Monday. He lived to 103. The survivor Dad thought of himself as a survivor, and you'd be hard-pressed to argue the point. On one occasion, as a pilot in the US Air Force, he navigated his Martin B-26 Marauder... Continue reading

Grace

Posted on by Jean Campbell

  I've been dabbling in this Spread Good Stuff business for years. Its focus has always been to contribute to the sustainable living movement, in particular; I strive to come up with and detail simple changes that are easy to accomplish... because living sustainably is not always easy, not when you've grown, learned, and live in the one-use, throw-away, convenience culture. Even folks I know that believe firmly in environmental science and the need for conservation are often not fully... Continue reading

My mother’s daughter

Posted on by Jean Campbell

  I have three sisters all from the same two parents. We are quite varied in just about every way you could imagine. We are brunettes and blonds. We are short and tall, thin and thick. We are Republicans and Democrats, we are Baptists and Buddhists, we are tree huggers and fashion aficionados. How can we be so vastly different? As a diverse team of individuals, each of us with our own strengths, my sisters and I have made up an impenetrable force in caring for... Continue reading