Ever since I can remember, I’ve been in love with words… their meanings, their origins, their significance when standing alone or when strung together with other words. WORDS. Spoken or written or felt.

Words make us think. Smile. Laugh out loud. Sometimes even cry. Words take us places. Help us. Explain our deepest feelings. Words heal us. Heal others. Sometimes even save our souls. Words connect us. Divide us. Sometimes even hurt us. Words flow through us. Leave us. Float around in our hearts and minds… sometimes forever.

The power of words is almost beyond explanation. But the way words enhance children is truly visible. You can see this in their eyes, hear it in their voices and feel it in their hearts. WORDS. Spoken or written or felt.

My passion is words. I’ve spent the greater part of my life sharing words, talking about words and stringing words together. As a child, I couldn’t get enough words, mostly in books or using them in my own little writings. I was a very shy child and words became my great big life. As a young adult, my passion for words became my profession… a teacher. I spent 30 years teaching English and Reading to hundreds and hundreds of high school students, some very reluctant (at first) to embrace my word passion! But alas, I was persistent. As a mother, I surrounded my 4 children with books and words and discussion and discourse and more books and more words. As a grandmother, I now have 9 little miracles to share words and books and the great happiness they bring.

Words are the great connector. This is why I’m going to be posting, every single day in 2011, an easy, fun & completely do-able activity that can be shared with kids of all ages… activities that get kids thinking about words, using words, sharing words and loving words – words spoken, written and felt.

Beginning tomorrow, January 1, 2011! Stay tuned!