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Recently I was going through a folder I’ve held onto over the years, which has some of the poems I wrote the old-fashioned way, with a piece of paper and a pencil or pen, along with some similar keepsakes. Among the other pieces in the collection, my mother is a major contributor. She has always had a great way of giving things that feel special enough to make me want to keep them forever.

Flipping through that folder, looking for something to share with Mom when we visited in January to celebrate her retirement, Read more

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Urban Lee Ridings and “Who Lives Alone?”

Posted on 03.10.10

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From Mom, June 6, 1984, my high school graduation day.


Throughout our lives, my brother and I have enjoyed the wealth of blessings that come from having a mother who is extremely nurturing, strong of heart, spirit and mind, and uniquely powerful as a communicator, mentor, friend and survivor. Today is her last day at work, where she is effectively graduating into retirement, and Scott and I are joined by many others in our extended family in feeling extremely proud and joyful, knowing how hard she has worked for such a long time to get to this moment in life, the epitomy of dedication, perseverance and responsibility. To give you a sense of her graceful ability to share touching words which have put our most precious life moments into profound perspective — which is something she’s done consistently throughout our lives — I’m sharing the letter she wrote for me on my high school graduation day, over 25 years ago.

Mom, you are such an inspiration, such a wonderful friend and guide. You are a blessing, in every sense of the word, and as you move into phase-next of your life, we wish you all the things you have wished for us, in spades. Enjoy!

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June 9, 1984: Dedication, from Mom

Posted on 01.29.10

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Dec. 24, 2009: Winter family get-together

Posted on 12.24.09

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Yesterday I wrote a piece for my agency blog entitled “Start cultivating your creativity right now.” In that, I published an excerpt from the forthcoming book “An Illustrated Life” contributed by graphic designer, illustrator and book artist Roz Stendahl. Here are her words, which really made an impression on me:

“I love blank pages. They scream possibilities to me. They clamor for attention. They call to me from across the room while I’m trying to do other work.”

Looking back on my own experiences as a would-be writer over the years, it’s easy for me to see that my own relationship with the blank page has been challenging. Read more

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1986 – 1988: Facing-down the blank page…

Posted on 06.19.08

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The ‘Bumper Crop’ series has at least one more entry, but requires a bit more work on my part before I can post the rest of the story. In the meantime, I wanted to share something from a more recent work. After we moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains almost exactly seven years ago, I found my creative writing energies more or less depleted. Soon, being a father added a new dimension to my life, and the one creative project that stayed on my agenda was to write an epic poem for Amelia, detailing the first day of her life from my perspective. That took over a year, and eventually it may find its way on here. After finishing that, in the moments when life and work settled down, I began to wonder what should come next. The answer found me in the form of a new project I conceived, and dubbed “Ramble.” Read more

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January 17, 2008: Ramble #17

Posted on 06.03.08

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