I recently took a big step toward improving my ability to write haiku*. I began a group mentorship project with The Haiku Foundation, online, through their blog. You can watch my adventure unfold here: http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/blog/ (search for Quicksilver). Please feel free to comment and offer your advice. 

Part of my education involves reading established English-language haiku. If one wants to write haiku, it is important to read many well-crafted examples. I also study articles and books on the subject and then, of course, I write and write and write. Once or twice a month I write a new article, looking for feedback, so that I can grow as a haiku artist. 

I discovered Montage: The Book through The Haiku Foundation: http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/publications/montage-the-book/. This book has been an important resource for me - it is the largest anthology of English-language haiku ever assembled. It is really the Who’s Who of English-language haiku. 

Each poem captures a special moment to the author, inviting the reader to share the experience. Each is perfect and rich, fully of vivid imagery. Here are a few examples:

among fallen apples

the stallion

stamps his hoof

- Peter Yovu

river rising . . .

the trees almost touch

their shadows

- Francine Banwarth

Sometimes when I talk to people about haiku they seem to feel that it is only for the elite. Anyone reading Montage cannot possibly have that misconception. It is such down-to-earth poetry. 

If you’re interested in a copy of Montage: The Book, it is only available through membership to The Haiku Foundation – http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/publications/montage-the-book/ However if you go to their site you will find a free online version that is magnificent!

 * Haiku is an art form that spans hundreds of years. In his book, How to Haiku, Jim Kacian, founder of The Haiku Foundation, said, “Haiku is a brief poem, which records an experience of a moment of revelation into the nature of the world, in an effort to share it with others.”

Why is my steak so tough? Have you ever wondered this? Discovering that the average consumer (let alone meat “expert”) had many misconceptions about beef, Lee O’Hara set out to clarify things in his book, Beef Secrets Straight From The Butcher.

O’Hara first became interested in meat in 1958, when he got an after-school job as a cleanup boy at Green’s Locker Service in Elk Grove, CA. O’Hara was a junior in high school at the time. In 1969, after he graduated from college, he was given the chance to buy the business. Over the next four years he expanded it to the point where he could sell it for a tidy profit. Needless to say, meat is in his blood.

 My knowledge of beef is very limited. I had always been impressed by the stamp that exclaims, “Inspected by the USDA”. That’s got to be good, right? Well, O’Hara explains that this is a legal requirement. If that’s all they can say about their beef, something’s wrong.

It’s a bit like going to a doctor and having him brag to you that he actually graduated from college. I would wonder what his ranking was in his graduating class. 

There are over 150 photographs and diagrams in Beef Secrets. I always wondered what the different cuts of beef were, where they came from on the cow and which should be used for which recipes. The photographs really helped me to understand. 

Sadly, today, you cannot go to your local meat specialist and get answers. If you don’t believe me, as an experiment, try going up to the meat person at your local supermarket. Ask a simple question like, “What part of the cow does the pot roast come from?” Trick question, pot roast is a recipe, not a cut. “Where does the ‘shank’ come from?” The answer is the leg. You may be surprised by what they say. 

If you enjoy beef and would like to learn more about how to shop for beef, pick up Beef Secrets Straight From The Butcher. You can purchase a copy here: www.beefsecretsbook.com. If you’re a vegetarian, O’Hara also has DVDs available about how to grow an amazing organic garden. You can check out a few trailers here: http://www.organichomegardener.com/

 Lee answers all his emails, so feel free to contact him through his website. Folks from around the world consult with him regularly. 

What do you do when life hands you lemons? You make lemonade. But what if you don’t know how to make lemonade out of those lemons? Sometimes it seems like there’s a secret recipe, an ingredient that you just don’t have. These are the times when you have to realize that the lemon isn’t the only component that goes into the making of lemonade. The ingredient missing from this metaphor is sugar - this is the feature that you must contribute to the situation in order to make your lemonade sweet and enjoyable. The sugar in this symbolization represents your own attitude toward the sour situations we call lemons. Without an optimistic outlook, you’ll be stuck drinking lemon juice. 

The Great Perhaps, by Joe Meno, is the fictional story of one family’s journey to make the metaphorical lemonade. Jonathon, a college professor in search of the elusive giant squid, and his wife, a research scientist named Madeline, are attempting to raise their two daughters and fight to keep their family together. We watch as their teenage daughters, Amelia and Thisbe, do their best to define themselves in the midst of a world wrought by confusion and chaos while their paternal grandfather, Henry, is so ready to leave that world. 

Meno provides a detailed glance into the thoughts and feelings of each persona by dedicating every chapter to a different character’s perspective. This portrayal allows for a deep analysis of each character and left me frustrated with each of them in turn. There were several moments during my reading of the novel when I wanted to shake them all by their fictional shoulders until they understood that what was missing from their lives was an optimistic attitude, an appreciation for small moments of happiness when the rest of the world seems to be crumbling around them. They often left me so frustrated that I wanted to just scream at them that giving up is not an option, that they needed to keep working toward happiness. My urgings were unnecessary, however; they eventually figured it out for themselves. 

The Great Perhaps left me feeling more appreciative than ever for the small, ordinary things in my own life. The next time you’re feeling down about a sour situation, pick up Meno’s novel and let it remind you that everyone, even the happiest of people, receive their fair share of letdowns. The key is to keep trying, to keep moving on. 

==>Amanda Free is a Communication Major at University of Louisville.

Do you want to get out of debt? Do you feel powerless when it comes to money? Do you find yourself thinking you can get out of debt next year when you get a raise, after the tax refund, or before the kids go to school? Now those days have come and gone and you are deeper in debt and retirement is looking like a dream for everyone but you. 

I was just like that before reading this book. I was over my head in debt. I had tried every popular way to get out of debt including:  refinancing my home to consolidate debt (about every 2 years); purchasing a rental property for passive income; getting involved in several at-home businesses to make passive income but using all of my savings; and moving money from one credit card to another with 0% interest. After each move, it always turned out that I was deeper in debt than before I started. 

I read Dave Ramsey’s book, The Total Money Makeover, A Proven Plan For Financial Fitness, several years ago and thought that it sounded like it would be great for people that were not in control of their spending. Back then, I was not ready to admit I was not in control of my money. After all, I was smart and I understood math and business. His way just didn’t seem like it would work as well as my way. Two year later and $20,000 more in debt, I read the book again, but this time with an open mind and a realization that I had no clue how to control my debt. 

In his book Dave dispels all of the myths about getting out of debt such as:  why refinancing does not work; 90 days same as cash is not the same as cash; and moving credit card debt from high interest cards to no interest cards does not work. I read all of the stories about how families got out of debt in 12-36 months. Many were in the same situation as I am. I got my husband on board for yet another one of my get out-of-debt attempts. And after only one month, we decreased our debt by $3500 and now have a $1000 emergency fund. That was the best I have ever done. 

Dave breaks the debt busting strategy into several steps. The first is to get a $1000 emergency fund as quick as you can. If you have to sell something or get another job you need to do this first. I did not see the value of this the first time around and tried to skip this step and pay a bill instead. When my first unforeseen expense came up I used a credit card and felt like a failure again. The emergency fund is so you can pay for unexpected expenses without using credit. If you need to spend it you must get money back into the fund as soon as possible. 

The next step is to make a budget. I always thought I had a budget. I started tracking my spending for a month and found out we spent more on groceries and gas than I thought we did. My husband and I both found out we spent money on things the other didn’t know about. They weren’t big purchases but they added up and made the budget go into the hole almost every month. 

The third step and the one I am currently on, is the debt snowball. You list all of your debts in order of the smallest to the largest. It doesn’t matter how much the interest rate is or what the payments are. You pay the smallest first and then when it is paid off you put the monthly payment from that one on the next. If you have any extra money you put it on the smallest debt. You don’t spread the money out over all of the debts. Again I didn’t agree with this the first time so I generally spread extra money around but I never felt like I was going anywhere. 

He has a great program on his site to keep track of debt. You can also see how long it is going to take you to pay off the debt and what the impact would be if you had extra money to put toward the debt. For example, if I took a second job and put in all the estimated extra money toward debt, I could eliminate the debt in 20 months instead of 48 just by working a second job. It is funny how 20 months looks like a small amount of time when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In the rest of the book Dave tells you how to finish the emergency fund, maximize your retirement, build a college fund for the children, pay off the mortgage, and build wealth. If it sounds hard then remember his motto:

 “If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.”

 Get this book and begin to live like no one else.

While beginning the book, “Unwritten Letters Project” I was both intrigued and a bit skeptical. There are 107 pages of letters, and I didn’t think I would make it to the end. Who wants to sit and read about other peoples problems? Don’t we already have enough of our own? But that’s just it. By reading this book the realization dawned on me that I am not the only one with problems. It was kind of funny to think other people thought the way I did, and not only that but they have been in similar situations. I got to see how they handled it, and how it affected them. Can you believe it, there is a whole world of people just like you.

Not only did this book contain letters to the all too familiar family members and best friends, it contained letters to strangers, pets, God, crushes, roommates, and people they only met once.  There were even letters to homework, timing, depression, scars, drugs, and anger. With such a range of feelings put into black and white for the entire world to read, it has a sort of magnetic pull. You can’t put the book down, and quite frankly you shouldn’t. It will most certainly open your eyes, and make you grateful for the life you have and the people around you. It could be so much worse, and these letters will enlighten and inspire you.

My favorite quality the book posses is its natural feeling of simplicity. The writing is uncomplicated and straightforward, thus making it exceptionally powerful. The letters are written by regular people, which make this a book that is easy to relate to. It is like you are getting let in on a secret, a peak into someone’s private thoughts. It compels you to read on, so that when you finish it will seem like you know that person. It is an unparalleled feeling which you don’t have the pleasure of experiencing often.

With all of this being said, my piece of advice would be to find this book and buy it. It will intrigue you, and it will be much worth your time. As Ms. Boles said, “It’s Your voice, Your words, Your time.”

Author and 21-year-old student at Truman State University, Alex Boles, and LeClere Books, LLC, have released the “Unwritten Letters Project:” a book consisting of more than 100 letters from around the world submitted to Boles’ online blog unwrittenlettersproject.com  expressing in a letter what the mouth could not say. By visiting the site and reading your complimentary copy of the book captivating the world and crowding coffee tables, you will understand the importance of spreading Boles’ message to never be silenced. unwrittenlettersproject.com

Boles is the first undergraduate student to become published before graduation at her university in at least 25 years. Boles has started an anti-bullying campaign under the “Unwritten Letters Project” name and continues to speak with the youth of today about overcoming hardships. She has every intention to continue spreading her message, and we strongly encourage you to aid us in supporting her in this endeavor

Purchase Unwritten Letters Project at Amazon 

Do you have something that has been tugging at your mind? If you would like to write a letter visit unwrittenlettersproject.com, or comment if you have any thoughts. If you have read the book or some of the letters on the site we would love to hear what you think.

Megan attends Eastern High School in Louisville, Ky. She is interested in pursuing a career in journalism.

Let’s be honest. When taking a glimpse into one of the rooms of your house, you may come to discover the untamed monster called clutter has taken control of that room. What might have once been a clean, organized space has now become the landing pad for just about anything and everything you happened to be holding at the time. Since when did throwing things at random onto one of the ever shrinking empty spaces become a habit? Author Alison Marks in her book, “The Little Book of Freedom from Clutter,” tackles this exact issue and provides us with the tools and know-how to beat back the clutter and put our lives back onto organized tracks.

In her book, Marks compares decluttering your life to the analogy of strengthening a muscle. She states that the more you use it, the better you’ll get at it. I couldn’t agree more. However, these words are much easier said then done. I myself have developed quite the clutter problem, and getting rid of useless “stuff” seems like a daunting and time consuming task that, frankly, I don’t really feel like tackling. I think, “I’m doing fine with how I go about things now, and even though it may be a little messy I have a good rhythm and I get through”. But why just get through when you could feel clear of troubles and free from the many “things” that overwhelm you? If we just try to change the way we live our life by clearing out all the unnecessary junk, not only will our house feel more like a home, life in general will feel more joyful and you will finally be able to relax and support what really matters to you. 

The intimidating battle of decluttering your life is not going to be effortless. It’s going to be difficult to break habits that have been built up for a good long time. Nevertheless you can do it! Marks give several ways to defeat years of clutter practice, such as going around and picking up items and then asking yourself if it is really something you need. Or finding your clutter spots, and writing down the magnitude at which the decluttering process will take. Another great question she suggests to ask yourself is if your house burned down, what would you miss? All of these and more are provided for you to cross the finish line into an organized way of living.  

Marks reminds us that it is important to remember that decluttering your life is a process, not an event. I’m sure we have all heard that most things worth doing take time. Something as big as decluttering can take awhile, but the results are everlasting and rewarding. She tells us that perfection is an ideal thing to strive for, but being human we have to be patient with ourselves and just keep pushing through to the end. I can personally say that I have set many goals for myself, and I can start out ready for the work and potentially long hours. However, half way through, it seems I get stuck or I have lost sight of the importance of my goal. Marks repeats to us that if we just stick with it, don’t lose your steam, and reach for the finish, then we will be rewarded in a number of ways. 

So take another look around that room again, and imagine that space free from clutter’s messy grip. You don’t have to settle with the way things are, and you can make things better by simply getting rid of the things that clog up your lifestyle. Live the happy, clear, fulfilling life free from the things that tie you down, and breath in that sweet victory.

Any tips on how to keep clutter out of our lives? Please share!

Have a little faith. It sounds simple, but as we all know, it can be hard to do.  It sometimes seems like life is just one big struggle to find faith - in ourselves, in those around us, and of course, in a higher being. Mitch Albom’s Have a Little Faith is an account of the eight years he spent getting to know his childhood rabbi in preparation for writing the old man’s eulogy. Over those eight years, Albom also became familiar with the pastor of a poverty-stricken Christian church in Detroit. The lessons Albom learned from these two men impacted every aspect of his life, and gave him the ability to have a little faith.

This was my first encounter with any of Mitch Albom’s work, and I have to say that I was impressed. Have a Little Faith is well-written and enjoyable to read - once I picked it up, I absolutely could not put it down. Albom’s journey seemed to resemble my own experiences with faith, which made me feel a little less alone in my individual struggle. Seeing how both the rabbi and the pastor relied on their faiths to get them through problems in their very different lives reminded me that we’re all together in this journey, regardless of our various backgrounds, ethnicities and religious beliefs.

Have a Little Faith is full of wisdom and inspiration. If you’re looking for some help in your struggle to find faith, or if you’re just looking for a good book, you should take a few minutes to read it - you’ll be glad you did.

It was not the story I loved, even though the story was captivating, thrilling and suspenseful with shades of Shakespeare's Hamlet throughout. Nor was it the dogs or the human characters, although they too were engaging and tugged at your heart both with goodness and evil. It was the writing. I got sucked in by the writing.

“Life was a swarm of accidents waiting in the treetops, descending upon any living thing that passed, ready to eat them alive. You swam in a river of chance and coincidence. You clung to the happiest accidents—the rest you let float by. You met a good man, in whose care a dog would be safe. You looked around and discovered the most unusual thing in the world sitting there looking at you. Some things were certain—they had already happened—but the future could not be divined. Perhaps by Ida Paine. For everyone else, the future was no ally. A person had only his life to barter with. He felt that way.”

David Wroblewski does a masterful job in keeping you glued to the story through his words. Although the story spans several generations of both dogs and humans, and the author weaves time, space and people in and out throughout the pages, the main part of the story follows the human character Edgar, a young man who can not speak. There is no physical reason why he can’t, but he does all his talking to both his family and the dogs through signing. Since the Sawtell dogs are being trained to be better reasoning dogs essentially through hand and visual signals, it all connects.

“That had been the moment she’d realized how he carried things around inside, things entirely separate from her. Five years old, barely in kindergarten. She had no idea where he’d heard of hypnosis. She couldn’t remember seeing anything on TV that might have put it in his head. She didn’t think any of his books mentioned it. Wherever he had picked it up, he’d been walking around with that idea for weeks,--months, maybe—without mentioning it even once. Just watching, thinking, wondering. That was the kind of boy he was. And she realized that he was, in some sense, already lost to her—had outgrown her in some essential way. He wasn’t keeping secrets. If she had known to ask him if he was interested in hypnosis, he would have told her. He just hadn’t offered the information because she hadn’t asked.”

The story bounces around from a first to a third person perspective, from one character to another (including dogs), and from one time span to another. Sometimes, it reminded me a little of The New Yorker Magazine stories, where there doesn’t always seem to have an ending until you really think about it. But again, the writing holds it together and makes it work as a compelling story as each chapter adds to the last, even though they may be stories within stories.

"Now Almondine occupied his thoughts. He hadn’t seen her for two months or more and suddenly it felt like he’d been severed from some fundament of his being. At the end of the next day or the day after that, they would be joined again. Perhaps she would have forgotten his crimes, for which he wanted more than anything to atone. Everything that had happened to him since he’d left made him think of her. Others dreamed of finding a person in the world whose soul was made in their mirror image, but she and Edgar had been conceived nearly together, grown up together, and however strange it may be, she was his other. Much could be endured for that. He also knew that she was old, and he had squandered some portion of their time circling in the woods, blind, confused, stopping and starting with only vague notions of what to do . Without the strangest kind of intercession he might never have seen her again. Perhaps only when he’d become an old man would he realize how reduced he’d been by that decision, how withered he’d become, away from her.”

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is author David Wroblewski’s first novel. Lucky for me, he is working on his second. If his writing in his second novel is even half as good as in his first book, I can’t wait.

Three Cups of Tea

Authors Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Our world is growing at an alarming rate, and it has become so easy for a person to feel incredibly small and alone. What can one person do, after all, to impact this world?  Billions of human beings, all with their own problems and their own solutions - how big is one person compared to all of this? Three Cups of Tea, written by authors Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, is proof that one zealously committed person can have a much bigger impact on the world than you might think. It is the story of “one man’s mission to fight terrorism and build nations… one school at a time.” 

            In 1993, after a failed attempt to climb one of the world’s most inhospitable peaks, Pakistan’s K2, an experienced mountain-climber named Greg Mortenson found himself hopelessly lost. After wandering through blistering cold weather and dodging deadly slopes for several hours, he began to fear that he would never find his way back to civilization. Eventually, however, Mortenson stumbled upon the welcoming, however primitive, village of Korphe.

            After regaining his strength, Mortenson accompanied Haji Ali, the leader of Korphe, to the village’s “school”. Upon arriving at the site, he found not a school by modern standards, but eighty-two school-age children huddled together on the bare ground. Using sticks as pencils and dirt for paper, the children practiced lessons that they were taught by the single teacher who came to teach them three days a week. Inspired by the motivation of these children to learn, Mortenson turned to Haji Ali, placed his hands upon the old man’s shoulders, and said, simply, “I’m going to build you a school”.

                Those seven words launched a chapter of Greg Mortenson’s life that would lead him through the most desperate areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan to change the lives of thousands of children. Even after the events of September 11, 2001, Mortenson continued to fight illiteracy and ignorance in these areas of the world.

            The message in  Three Cups of Tea is absolutely inspirational. Greg Mortenson’s efforts have given the promise of a bright future to thousands of children across Pakistan and Afghanistan. This book is perfect for anyone looking for a little bit of hope and inspiration.

Review by Candace C. Davenport, JD

I was initially not looking forward to reading this book because I know I was going to find out everything I hadn’t done to plan for my retirement. I thought I was going to feel guilty and at a loss, realizing that I was too old to make any plans. I was pleasantly surprised that I had actually had made some good decisions (almost by accident)! However, the huge amount of knowledge I gleaned from this book was definitely worth any trepidation I had in the reading of it. And, even if I won’t be able to use much of the information for my own retirement, I have two grown children that I will certainly pass this information on to so they can start planning.

Rick Rodgers starts out his book by telling the story of Frank Richardson, a very successful man who unfortunately, never planned for his or his wife’s retirement. As a result, when he died and subsequently his wife died unexpectedly, their children, rather than receiving over 4 million dollars of inheritance, ended up paying over 85% to various taxes. After setting this scenario, Rick takes you through all the steps needed to keep as much of your hard earned retirement money as possible.  With The Three-Leg Stool™ approach to financial security, the author makes it both easy to understand how to achieve this retirement security and gives you steps to keep on track after you  have established your plan.

The concept of the three legged stool is based upon three components of a tax-effective financial structure: Leg One—Tax-Deferred Savings Strategies; Leg Two—After-Tax Savings Strategies; and Leg Three—Tax-Free Savings Strategies. Once you understand the concepts behind each leg and how they work together, Rick gives you steps to take to start your retirement plans for you, your spouse and eventually your kids. 

The first leg, the tax-deferred savings strategies, is comprised of 401(k) accounts, traditional IRA accounts, and annuities to help you with income taxes while you’re still working. Money you put in is not taxed now, but when you eventually take it out. The second leg, after-tax savings strategies, is comprised of your bank and brokerage accounts, investment real estate, or anything that isn’t a retirement account. The money is taxed before it’s invested. But when you eventually get to use it in retirement, it will not be taxed. The third leg, tax-free savings strategies, includes funds such as Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k)s. You do not receive any immediate tax benefits, but all funds withdrawn from a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k) after you turn age 59½ is tax-free. With all three “legs”, Rick goes into great detail making sure you understand exactly what they are, how they work, and why you should be using each leg in conjunction with each other. 

Throughout the book, Rick adds his own tips and case studies, all of which are educational and informative. He also attempts to explain Social Security for those of us who may have never understood how it works. Finally, Rick talks about how you can plan so that the IRS doesn’t take 85% like it did with poor Frank Richardson. Since Rick is a CFP, CRPC, and Certified Retirement Counselor, he is more than qualified to educate about what is clearly his passion. The bottom line? I was very glad that I took the time to read about a subject that is complex and complicated, yet made very understandable by Rick Rodgers.

About the Author

Rick Rodgers, CFP® is an author, keynote speaker, wealth manager and President of Rodgers & Associates, “The Retirement Specialists”, in Lancaster, PA. Rick’s articles on retirement planning have appeared in Wealth Manager magazine, CPA Magazine and Physician’s Money Digest. He also writes a column for Lancaster County Magazine titled “It’s Your Money”. Rick has appeared numerous times on WGAL TV to discuss financial issues in the news. He was called upon by WITF radio for a special appearance on Smart Talk in October 2008 to discuss the financial crisis as it was unfolding.  He has been quoted in the New York Times, Money Magazine, Investment News, Smart Money magazine, Central Pennsylvania Business Journal, Harrisburg Patriot News and Lancaster Newspapers

To Purchase The New Three Legged Stool, A Tax Efficient Approach to Retirement Click here