This I Believe Rhode Island

Learning from Past Mistakes

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 05:00:00 GMT

By BRIAN SHANLEY
William Cullen Bryant, the 19th century American poet and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post, once said, "remorse is virtue's root; its fair increase are roots of innocence and blessedness." Surely, all of us can recall misdeeds from our youth. True maturation, it seems, occurs when we are able to acknowledge our blunders and learn from them. And this is the stuff of Brian Shanley's poignant reflections.

Stories

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 05:00:00 GMT

By BILL HARLEY
Every one of us has lots of stories that define who we are. There are those life-altering events during childhood, perhaps our first love or heartbreak, or the stories that come out of our adult lives that are so very complex. Some of us are eager to share our stories with anyone who will listen, but as Bill Harley reflects in this encore essay, others of us are much more quiet about the stories that shape our lives.

A Poem Remembering the Station Fire

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 05:00:00 GMT

By DAVE DRAGONE
February 21, 2003. The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick resulted in 100 fatalities and over 200 injuries, becoming the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. Since then, Rhode Islanders have struggled to absorb the impact this singular event has had on the fire's victims and our entire community. In this week's This week we hear piercing words about the fire from poet Dave Dragone.

How Children Succeed

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 05:00:00 GMT

By MICHAEL OBEL-OMIA
Thomas Edison once said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Edison's astute perspective offers insight about human resilience, about our capacity to persist when things don't go as planned and when we stumble in life, as we all do. Michael Obel-Omia shares his own wise counsel about what it takes for children to navigate life's choppy waters and, ultimately, thrive.

Ukulele Power

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 05:00:00 GMT

By RACHEL WASSER
Think back to your days as a high school student when, perhaps, your days included a mix of intellectual excitement, social challenges, friendships, and, if all went well, wonderful developmental leaps. Most likely you yearned for ways to fit in and weather whatever adolescent challenges found their way to your door. Some teens find remarkably creative ways to do just that, as with 15-year-old Rachel Wasser.

Mindfulness

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT

By JAN KEOUGH
Mindfulness. For some this is a clich designed for the modern age. Perhaps it conjures up images of pensive acquaintances, eyes closed, sitting in yoga poses. For others mindfulness has much broader meaning, including paying close attention, with real intention, to our daily tasks and interactions with others. For Jan Keough mindfulness has come into her life in ways that are not at all trite and that are deeply personal.

Bullying

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT

By JESSICA CROWE
On May 4, 2012 Minnesota Public Radio opened a broadcast saying: "A funeral was held today in the small southern Minnesota town of Kasson for 13-year old Rachel Ehmke. The father of the 7th grader said she took her own life on Sunday after facing relentless bullying at school and online from a group of girls." Sadly, this is hardly an isolated event. Jessica Crowe reminds us that Rhode Island is not immune.

Bearing Blindness

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT

By NANCY JASPER
The renowned seventeenth-century British poet John Milton began to lose his sight in his early 30's. Milton spent considerable time reflecting on his blindness and wrote these poignant words: "To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable." Nancy Jasper shares her own poetic reflections on this remarkable challenge.

Second Chances

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT

By MIGUEL ROSARIO
Former Rhode Island Training School inmate Miguel Rosario reflects on the powerful meaning of second chances in life.

Art of Teaching

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT

By DAVID MELLOR
Albert Einstein once said, "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." That's a rather idealized vision of teaching, of course, and it doesn't always work out that way. Yet, as we hear from David Mellor, teaching can be full of wonderful surprises delivered in some rather delightful packaging.