Just be there and keep it real. Well, that was easy. Oh, you’d like me to elaborate? Sure thing . . .

Here is a piece I wrote for the introduction of a book my daughter Ariana is compiling of stories told by foster youth. Those stories will be the heavy part, but hopefully this piques your interest in the meantime.

Many have noted the irony of Valentine’s Day coinciding with the 2-month anniversary of the Newtown massacre. Many have also chosen love as the antidote to the madness and as the way out of the despair. Every day is a good day to declare that “love wins,” but this is a particularly timely opportunity to affirm that. I truly believe that if love is strong in our hearts, it wins because it shapes our reality and thus has the potential to guide our every action.

Drunken louts in bars? Road-raging Hummer-drivers? Vitriolic right-wing politicians? They all fear me. I know you might think this is because of my massive pectoral muscles (why thank you) or my angry profane outbursts, which nobody can verify ever having seen but which are the stuff of legends documented in the bark of the mighty…

Little things can have a big impact. Especially in a time of tumult like this, we must remember that each loving, caring or otherwise positive action is fundamental to our personal well-being and that of the world at large.

We must evolve past this culture of violence, and I believe we can. This is the only way for any good to come out of the tragedy of children being murdered.

What are the issues that make child sexual abuse such a difficult subject to openly discuss? This is an important topic, as an open conversation can profoundly impact children’s vulnerability to abuse.

On Labor Day weekend I got to have the profound joy of walking Ariana down the aisle as she married a wonderful guy. Meanwhile, 2012 has been a year of upheaval for loved ones unlike anything I’ve ever experienced – people moving great distances, major professional transitions, physical and mental health struggles (including a wave…

As a teacher I am always working to figure out where to frame up on the continuum between being nice and encouraging vs. “keepin’ it real” in a way that might come off as harsh to students. I discuss this in the context of music study, since that’s what I do, but I think that the principles apply in many (though admittedly not all) other areas.

Fourteen years ago today Kate and I got married. Last year I wrote about our vows, stating then that we succeeded in identifying principles that would make up a code of ethics for our married life, but the vows didn’t include overtly appreciating each other. I get it now.