MSI Press Blog

  WORDS MATTER “If I speak with human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging symbol.” --I Corinthians 13: 1   My three brothers recently visited from afar. We spent a week together crammed into my small apartment. We exhausted ourselves talking about our lives and our favorite subjects--religion, psychology, and politics. I daily used up my quota of words. Many family and friends avoid talking about these subjects to avoid conflict. But we relish the give-and-take of debate. Coincidentally, the Republican National Convention was televised each night. We watched it diligently and exchanged views. Our convictions ranged across the political spectrum. So our conversations were animated, our disagreements passionate. However, at the end of the week, we learned something from each other and parted friends. Words matter. They have power. Our traditions attest to this fact. For example, God created the world with His word. He began, “Let

  An Interview with My Son Who Has ADHD A Personal Perspective: What it's like to have inattentive-type ADHD.* What is it like to have inattentive-type ADHD? To pay attention to everything all the time? Andrew, my son, vividly describes his inattentive ADHD brain as an overstuffed garbage can—the lid won’t stay on, and stuff is falling out all over the floor. Kids with inattentive-type ADHD do not fit the stereotype of the hyperactive, impulsive child who is in constant motion, blurting out answers in the classroom. They often fly under the radar at school with symptoms of inattention, disorganization, and forgetfulness, and are perceived as lazy, uninterested, and, even worse, stupid. Since there is a misunderstanding of inattentive ADHD symptoms, I recently asked Andrew what else he would want others to know about his ADHD. I am smart, but I don’t learn like everyone else. My son, like other kids with ADHD, often struggles to pay attention for extended periods of time i

Frida Kahlo "They will call you ""crazy"" because you are, because you were born with the gift of seeing things differently and that scares them." They're going to call you "intense" because you are, because you were born with the value well placed to allow yourself to feel it all fully and that intimidates them. They're going to call you "selfish" because that's right, because you found out that you're the most important thing in your life and that doesn't suit them. You’re going to be  called in many ways, with many judgments, for a long time, but stay firm on yourself and what you want, and I promise you one day they’re going to call you to say, “thank you for existing.” -Frida Kahlo I noticed  Frida  Kahlo did not use the word "genius" in this. That is another way people are intimidated: "To deserve to be different, you have to be a genius." In the Jewish Talmud, there is the statement that &q