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Sunday Positive Thoughts (Post The Chosen)
It’s been nice to hear that many of you were inspired by my recent post about how moved I was by the The Chosen, a series about the life of Jesus Christ from the perspective of his disciples. I’m so glad that you have decided to watch it. Certainly, with what is happening in Ukraine right now, combined with it being the Catholic Lenten Season, as I often say out loud, we could all use some of Jesus’s teachings of kindness and love right about now. Additionally, instead of giving something up for Lent, I decided to focus on doing positive things. The first is that I downloaded the Hallow…
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Podcast 5: What I’ve Learned From Reading Other Authors
The Podcast: The Transcript: When I was a child, my mother says I was always on the move and didn’t really have the patience to sit and read a book. I would read, but as I moved into my teenage years, other things were occupying my time, and reading wasn’t one of those things. Fast forward to high school and Ms. Susek and my creative writing class I took. It was the one class I could really sink my teeth into. I loved that class, and it fostered a love of creative writing that I still hold today. As you heard in last week’s podcast, I went back to school…
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Podcast 4: The Things I Learned as an Older Online Student
Podcast here: TRANSCRIPT: In 2009, I went back to school to pursue a Master’s of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing. I’d already earned one master’s degree in Professional Writing from Towson University, but when I secured a full-time teaching position at Stevenson University after having a career and owning my own consulting firm, I needed a “terminal” degree to help me grow as a faculty member. After investigating several Ph.D. programs in communication, yet always knowing my passion is writing, I chose the terminal degree in Creative Writing. I also had small children and a husband with a demanding career, so the best option for me was an MFA.…
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Every Once In A While, A Show Captures Your Heart: So It Was For Me & The Chosen
Let’s start at the beginning. I was raised Roman Catholic. My own children went to Catholic school for many years. When I visited Rome and the Vatican, I had a powerful moment of union with my faith as I stood in St. Peter’s and realized that the real St. Peter is buried beneath the altar, the true Rock upon which Jesus built his church. As I stared at Michelangelo’s The Pietà, tears came to my eyes, as they did in the Sistine Chapel. There are moments in our lives that bring us closer to the teachings of Jesus and God. They can be awe-inspiring. Last year, when my children asked me…
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Podcast 3: The Things I’ve Learned From—You Don’t Want to Say “I Could Have Done Better”
Podcast here: TRANSCRIPT: As public speaking is the number one fear in America, with the fear of death coming in second, the truth is, most people would rather die than give a speech. So here’s this week’s lesson learned, and it was said to me by our former university president, Dr. Kevin Manning. When he and I were talking about public speaking, Dr. Manning shared with me that he used to get nervous when speaking in public, but he quickly got over it when he realized he never wanted to sit down after making a speech and say, “I could have done better.” I had the same philosophy, and I’m…
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5 Questions Writers Are Frequently Asked
Sometimes we have to lighten up our day with a little humor to help us along. Right, writers?
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Podcast 2: The Things I’ve Learned—Work Ethic is Everything
Episode 2 of THE THINGS I’VE LEARNED FROM PODCAST is here. Today’s Topic: Work Ethic is EVERYTHING Spotify Link here. Transcript is below: I consider myself lucky. Securing my first job as a sophomore in college with a Major League Baseball team changed my life, and all for the better. As I mentioned in last week’s podcast, I was lally-gagging my way through college until I found a new major and a new purpose. Do you remember what it is like to be 19 and naive? Nineteen and floundering, unsure as to where you will go or what you will do in life? Wondering to yourself what college will teach…
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Valentine’s Day in Italy vs. Valentine’s Day in America
If you ever want to spend time in Italy during Valentine's Day, you may want to hit the two spots known to be the most romantic: Florence or Venice. Or, if Shakespeare worked his magic on you and you consider yourself more of a hopeless romantic rather than a tragic romantic, as was the case in Romeo & Juliet, the city of Verona hosts a 4-day celebration of lovers.
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The Things I’ve Learned from Podcast 1
Episode 1 of The Things I’ve Learned From Podcast Here is the link to the podcast. The transcript is below. The Transcript: Hello, there. I’m Stephanie Verni, and I’d like to welcome you to the first of my 5-minute podcasts that I’ll be posting every Monday for the rest of the year. For years, I’ve had this notion in my head that I wanted to write a book about the lessons I’ve learned along the way from working in baseball. I say that because my life changed the day I got a job working in Baltimore for the Baltimore Orioles. Up to that point, I was, to use a term…
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Empty Nesters in Training
You know how it goes. You date, you marry, you have children, you raise them, they grow up and go to college or enter the workforce, and you find yourselves at home, twiddling your thumbs. So say some. We love our kids, don’t get me wrong. We dote on them and help them with anything they need. But they’re happy. They’re at college with their friends and significant others, and they’re having the time of their lives. So why shouldn’t we? Everyone loves to talk about empty-next syndrome (ENS) as if it’s a curse of sorts. I say, let freedom ring! Don’t you remember that feeling of being able to…
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Escape to Italy and Meet Anna, Matteo, and Nicolo
Anna in Tuscany – A Valentine’s Read .99 on Kindle You’ve suffered through two failed relationships. You’re not sure you believe in love anymore. Then, as a travel writer, your editor sends you to Italy for a year to write about the regions. When you arrive, you meet Matteo, an older gentleman who has lost his wife. In search of a story for your first assignment about Valentine’s Day in Italy, you begin to uncover a love story that changes the way you feel about love. And maybe a little love walks into your life, as well. Such is the premise of ANNA IN TUSCANY, a little novelette to put…
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Things I Learned From…
It’s hard to believe my daughter is going into her second semester of her sophomore year of college at Towson University. When I was exactly her age at this point in my college career at Towson, my life changed. I was, like her, a second semester sophomore who had changed majors from Business Administration to Mass Communication. I heard other students in my new major talking about their cool internships—at television stations, event venues, and Baltimore’s newspaper. Hearing them talk about these awesome experiences caused me to get off my duff and get serious. I mailed off a letter to the Baltimore Orioles and within a couple of weeks, I…
