Getting back to work - So much to share

Dear Friends,
Some of you know that Dianna and I have been moving to the high desert of Southern Arizona. It is an inspiring place.We are finally here and ready to get back to work with her music and my writing. I have updated this site and have so much more to begin sharing! For instance, I published two new books (short stories and essays) just before we left Iowa and want to post them here as blog entries for you to enjoy and share. DavidS

Essay: A liberal education is needed to participate in democracy

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A liberal education is needed to participate in democracy

From the book: Chum for Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters by David Satterlee

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Read or download this essay as a PDF file at:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4eNv8KtePyKTlY0R2M2MDIyT2M/edit?usp=sharing

Chum For Thought:
Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters

A liberal education is needed to participate in democracy

Our Democracy requires the participation of informed citizens. How do citizens become competent to become active in government, working to create a better country for their neighbors? Education at home and at school is a key factor.

A successful democracy assumes that people are basically good and decent and that they should make responsible choices for themselves. Without the general moral and intellectual capacity of its citizens, it would be impossible for a constitution to grant universal citizenship and self-governance.

Parents and schools are expected to bring out the best in our children. The best involves more than prescribed knowledge and obedience to authority; it includes self-knowledge, self-discipline, and the enduring desire to keep on learning. We hope to maximize every child’s potential. We want every person to have the liberty and ability to pursue the adventure of a productive and satisfying life. Further, we expect that the success of every person contributes to the collective success of our communities and our nation.

As children develop into mature adults, they should be able to understand their

Networking: Section 10 - Doing Business from Home

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Section 10 - Doing Business from Home

From the book: Building Your Network Business: Proven Ideas from Successful Leaders by David Satterlee

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Read or download this essay as a PDF file at: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4eNv8KtePyKTVNVUVhJYUFWcWc/edit?usp=sharing

• It just took over the house
• Where there's nowhere to hide
• Setting (and enforcing) business hours
• Less TV, more real life
• Bottles behind the bushes
• Don't forget your family
• When you outgrow the house

Story: Going to see Jesse

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Going to see Jesse

from the book: Life Will Get You in the End:
Short stories by David Satterlee (also included in: Honoring My Father: Coming to Terms).

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Life Will Get You in the End:
Short Stories by David Satterlee

Honoring My Father:
Coming to Terms

This is an (almost completely) true story about old people in love. It is given a stream-of-consciousness treatment that reflects the tender tedium of elder care. It is only right to tell you up front that, by the end, they both die and that most early readers wanted to reach for a tissue and a good friend. 

I was writing and editing for a publishing company in St. George, Utah when they ran out of money to make full payroll. When I told my parents back in Missouri about the development, Mom got on the line and said, “David, we need you here.” My Uncle Ed was eighty-six and had just had hip replacement surgery. He was about to be released from the hospital; could I move back and take care of him in his home?

Providing home care develops a predictable and cadenced routine. Ed’s wife, my father’s sister, had dementia and was confined to “Pine Manor,” a nearby nursing home. I would take Ed to go to see Jessie most days. Going to see Jessie was an integral part of our Sisyphean life together. It was more than a routine; it was an obligatory rite, a necessary commemoration, like giving thanks before a meal or putting flowers on a grave.