by T. A. Barron | Nov 17, 2020 | Blog, Personal Writing
Getting the Most out of Gratitude I was once asked by a reader, “If you had to choose a favorite word, which would it be?” As a lover of language, I took this question very seriously! After spending some time thinking it over, I gave my answer: If I had to...
by T. A. Barron | Sep 22, 2020 | Blog, For Educators, For Young Heroes, Personal Writing
How Do You Spread Kindness? I believe that kindness is an altogether different entity from being nice. The sad truth is that you can be nice out of politeness while still thinking mean thoughts. However, to truly be kind, you must care about your fellow man (or...
by T. A. Barron | Jun 23, 2020 | Blog, Books, For Young Heroes, Personal Writing
Merlin’s Guide to Living Your Best Life Back in 2018 I wrote a blog post which began, “These are dark times. In our country and our world, we’re surrounded by divisiveness, greed, mean-spiritedness, hatred, cynicism, fear, and rage. So much so, the darkness sometimes...
by T. A. Barron | Feb 18, 2020 | Blog, Personal Writing
It’s Good to be Good — Celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Random Acts of Kindness Week, or ‘RAK Week’ for short, celebrated every February, is all about making small, intentional acts of kindness a part of your routine. But more than that, having an entire week...
by T. A. Barron | Dec 21, 2019 | Blog, Personal Writing
Merlin’s Final Magical Word: Love “It’s the most magical word of all. And it’s also the most varied – simple or complex, hidden or revealed, painful or joyous… That word is love.” THE WISDOM OF MERLIN: 7 Magical Words for a Meaningful Life Love is magical. In one or...
by T. A. Barron | Nov 28, 2019 | Blog, Personal Writing
Merlin’s Seven Magical Words: Gratitude At this time of year, the idea of Gratitude — one of Merlin’s most potent magical words — is never far from my mind. After all, with a holiday named “Thanksgiving”, it’s only natural that the holiday season inspires us to recall...
by T. A. Barron | Oct 23, 2019 | Blog, Personal Writing
Merlin’s Seven Magical Words: Generosity Generosity, as described by Merlin in The Wisdom of Merlin: 7 Magical Words for a Meaningful Life, is not giving others what they want. Rather, it’s giving away what you yourself want.When you think about very young children...
by T. A. Barron | Jun 20, 2019 | Blog, Personal Writing
Merlin’s Seven Magical Words: Knowledge “The important thing is not to stop questioning.” —Albert Einstein Knowledge, one of Merlin’s magical words, is so much more than just the things you learn by sitting in a classroom. The truth is, Knowledge is...
by T. A. Barron | May 21, 2019 | Blog, Books, For Educators, Personal Writing
Merlin’s Seven Magical Words: Wonder Wonder, one of Merlin’s Seven Magical Words, is more than just something that we stumble upon from time to time. There is intentionality in Wonder, though it is not something you seek. It calls you to question, to...
by T. A. Barron | Apr 11, 2018 | Blog, For Nature Lovers, On Nature & the Environment, Personal Writing
Death, Soft on the Snow In 2017, I wrote this poem to celebrate winter in Colorado. In sharing it with you here, I hope to encourage you to look around and find inspiration from your surroundings. The smallest thing – even a footprint in the snow – can lead to...
by T. A. Barron | Dec 12, 2016 | Blog, Books, Personal Writing
Gratitude: The Path to a Meaningful – and Magical – Life Long after Thanksgiving is over, two things endure – the feeling that I couldn’t possibly eat another piece of turkey… and, more importantly, a deep sense of gratitude. It will come as no...
by T. A. Barron | Aug 11, 2016 | Blog, Personal Writing
The Journey Back – How a Bowl of Noodles Led to a Lifelong Friendship Photo credit: Chiiori Alliance & TrustAt some point in your life—whether as a student, after a graduation, between jobs, or beyond—I hope you will have an opportunity to travel. Whether you...
by T. A. Barron | Sep 30, 2015 | Blog, Encouraging Writers, For Writers, On Writing, Personal Writing
The Crazy Story of How I Met Madeleine L’Engle If you walk in the direction of your dreams, you open yourself to serendipity, and good things will happen. Maybe the best example I can give you of this is how I met Madeleine L’Engle. I had just received the latest of...
by T. A. Barron | Feb 25, 2015 | Blog, Books, News, On Reading, Personal Writing
A Letter to My Readers in China In advance of the publication of The Merlin Saga in China at the end of this month, I wrote the following letter for my Chinese readers. If you’re in China or you enjoy reading in Mandarin Chinese, I hope you’ll consider picking up...
