Welcome—what’s your story?

LifeLines can help you share yours.

Subscribe to LifeLines by email to receive weekly tips and examples!

English spelling doesn’t make sense

by Melanie Jongsma, Wordsmith March 7, 2012 Writing (helping you share your story)

If you’re not sure whether “i” comes before “e,” or why fraught doesn’t rhyme with draught, there’s a good reason: English spelling doesn’t make sense. Well, actually, it does, but English is a conglomeration of other languages, so different words follow different sets of rules. In German, for example, the second vowel in a two-vowel [...]

Keep reading →

Love story

by Melanie Jongsma, Wordsmith February 29, 2012 Story Breaks (sharing my own random stories)
Thumbnail image for Love story

Last week my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. My siblings and I threw a party for them, and it was a lot of fun. In fact, I think the party and the events leading up to it highlighted two main reasons my parents’ love story is so successful: 1. Their love is enriched by community. [...]

Keep reading →

[Story Break] Forgetfulness
—a beautiful poem by Billy Collins

by Melanie Jongsma, Wordsmith February 22, 2012 Story Breaks (sharing my own random stories)
Thumbnail image for [Story Break] <em>Forgetfulness</em> <br/>—a beautiful poem by Billy Collins

One of the companies I write for is launching new Memory Support programs at four of their Illinois locations. I’ve been doing a lot of research for this project, a lot of reading and a lot of writing. So I guess you could say that memory is on my mind. That may be the reason [...]

Keep reading →

A real page-turner

by Melanie Jongsma, Wordsmith February 15, 2012 Writing (helping you share your story)

Kinetic Artist Joseph Herscher makes reading an experience! I wonder if he has one that works with a Kindle….  

Keep reading →

Lincoln the wordsmith

by Melanie Jongsma, Wordsmith February 8, 2012 Diversity (sharing stories of race, culture, and travel)
Thumbnail image for Lincoln the wordsmith

I ascended the stairway of the Lincoln Memorial and took my place in the crowd gathered around his iconic statue. The crush of tourists included babies in strollers, seniors in wheelchairs, women in saris, men in baseball caps, busloads of schoolchildren, families, couples, loners—each with a story, a personal reason for paying homage to America’s [...]

Keep reading →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →