My youngest child, not yet two years old, has discovered Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree.   “Tree! “Tree!” He begs, pleads, and ultimately demands.  I have read it to him four times today.  It was a light day. I hate The Giving Tree.  I remember it vaguely from my own childhood, when it was read to […]

I recently gave the keynote at the City of Eden Prairie’s annual appreciation banquet for commissioners and board members.  The event honored  volunteers who assume community leadership positions requiring time, effort, and energy.  As I reflected on their work, I realized that perhaps the greatest commitment they make might be summed up as follows: They […]