Before we moved from the ranch, a good friend of ours here in Bend had a series of operations that placed her in the local rehab facility for a time. One day she told me that the next time I visited her we'd have to go next door as a young woman had just been admitted from Warm Springs, the reservation where I'd worked for seventeen years. "She remembers you from the Early Childhood Center," my friend Blair told me. "She's nineteen."

"Really? She'd have been five when I worked there and that was fourteen years ago." I didn't recognize her name as any of the families I'd worked with. I was amazed that she would remember this older white woman who came into classrooms sometimes to work with certain kids. So the next week when I visited my friend, we went next door together. Blair, in her wheelchair, introduced us.

"I understand we knew each other at Early Childhood," I said to this attractive young woman who I'd learned had survived a horrific traffic accident that left her with many spinal issues affecting her movement and life. She nodded, yes. "I'm really amazed that you'd remember me. You were only five when you headed off to Kindergarten and that's the last time I would have seen you. A long time ago. What do you remember?"

 "You spoke at our Head Start graduation."

Stunned would not be too strong a word to use for my surprise. I had spoken at one Head Start graduation at the request of the parents and really, I always thought those little ceremonies were more for the parents and teachers than the kids. But here was a child who remembered it dressed in a little cap and gown, grinning parents in the bleachers cheering her on as she came forward to receive her diploma. "Do you remember what I said?"

"You told us a story."  

Oh my, the power of stories!

"I did. And gave you each a polished stone. I'm trying to remember what that story was about, though." I really didn't remember.

"It was about an eagle whose grandmother told him to keep flying higher and farther and to not let others tear him down."

"And that story still speaks to you."  She nodded. "You'll have to let that eagle help you in the days ahead." I thought of the long recovery she faced.

"I will," she said. "I will."

Four years have passed since that day. I haven't encountered her but I haven't forgotten her, either. That a story could bring such nurture and inspiration to a child should not have surprised me. Research being done at Baylor University with traumatized children suggests that the kind of counseling that really helps these children who are almost shut down emotionally is music; dance or movement such as gardening, woodworking, quilting; art; and story, that power of words to seep into our souls without us knowing and bring with it love and healing. Maya Angelou once said of her childhood and music that "Music was my refuge. I climbed inside the space between the notes and curled my back to loneliness." What a gift we give when we share  music, a craft and yes, story with a child, any child, even when we don't know of their struggles.

Enter the Empathy Library, a digital place for discovering books and films that allow each of us to experience what it might be like to walk in another's footsteps and thus begin the journey to compassion. The Empathy Library founder, Roman Krznaric, is an Oxford trained philosopher who believes in the power of words and cultural understanding as a way to reach social change. He must believe as I do that empathy can be learned. Readers and film goers may join for free and have both a reading list and film list of creative works to consider. My Netflix list just got longer. 

Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, said it best. "You never really understand another person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." It's one reason why I write stories of little known people or of injustice where I hope the story walks beside another. The arts are a proven way to move toward light in an often dark world.I hope you'll check this website out. www.empathylibrary.com

At a library event last evening I challenged attendees to write a letter. I gave them some of my personally designed cards and even provided the stamps if they'd sent that missive off. That's because I'm happily promoting the April release of Sincerely Yours, a collection of four authors writing a novella based on the premise that a woman receives a letter that changes her life and perhaps brings her love. And I've begun my own little campaign to encourage people to write hand-written (or printed) letters to people rather than simply emails or...silence. Looking for a unique present for your mom?  Write her a letter. What a gift that would be. How about that teacher you adored who retired years ago. Think of what a letter from a former student would mean. Write a letter to your child or spouse; send a postcard to a neighbor or your pastor or your doctor or... your postman even! Or try a letter to the editor about something that moves you, a letter to make you sweat. You'd be surprised how alive you'll feel after working over a letter you hope will bring insight, joy, or inspiration to another. Be sure to sign it Sincerely Yours.   

The cover is now approved for my novel release in September! I love the color and tone and that you can't see the model's face. I like readers to be able to imagine the main character. This character is a remarkable woman named Letitia Carson who traveled on the Oregon Trail, gave birth to two children, worked hard and upon the death of her common law husband found herself the victim of a justice system that did not recognize the rights of a black woman even though she was no longer a slave. I've spent time with two wonderful researchers, Janet Meranda and Bob Zybach who have walked this path with me. In fact, I wouldn't have known about this story if they hadn't brought it to my attention. Talk about walking in another's shoes! Imagining the life of a woman in 1845 has given me a new appreciation for what kind of courage it takes to look forward despite the obstacles. Like the eagle was an inspiration to another young woman of color, I hope Letitia's journey of kinship and courage will touch the hearts of many. We're working on the trailer now. (not a horse trailer...think movie trailers) and I'll share that with you soon. Release date: September 2.

Ankle High and Knee Deep (Globe Pequot Press) June 

You can now order this fascinating anthology of women's stories from the rural and urban west. Edited by Gail Jenner, a ranch woman and superb writer, the book is a collection of essays and poetry and fabulous photos that will pull at your western DNA even if you're in Manhattan. My friend (and Homestead building-mate, Sherrie Gant) has both essays and photographs included. I have one. The entire anthology sports quality writing.  I hope you'll look for it. Release date: June. Pre-order here or at your local bookstore!