"Build, therefore, your own world."

I write mostly to please myself, at least in this journal. But here's one for those of you looking to be inspired tonight. I have been reading a small book called "First We Read, Then We Write," by Robert D. Richardson. It is a book on Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the creative process.

I often quote short pieces of Emerson. But here is a longer effort that shows off his brilliance and his spirit at the same time. It comes from the essay called "Nature" and is quoted by Richardson in the epilogue to his book.

"Every spirit builds itself a house, and beyond its house a world, and beyond its world a heaven. Know then, that the world exists for you. For you is the phenomenon perfect. What we are, that only we can see. All that Adam had, all that Caesar could, you have and can do. Adam called his house, heaven and earth; Caesar called his house, Rome; you perhaps call yours, a cobbler's trade; a hundred acres of ploughed land; or a scholar's garret. Yet line for line and point for point, your dominion is as great as theirs, though without fine names. Build, therefore, your own world."

Let there be light.

Violence seems to be all around us, whether in Texas or Washington State. The murders of military personnel or police officers seems beyond the pale, and one wonders whether media stories just increase the possibility of more such behavior. I was shocked yesterday to find that the police were searching Cowen Park, midpoint between my office and my home, for the suspected killer of four police officers on Sunday.

Based upon the amount of time I spend at work and that we are coming up upon a full moon, I've installed a small holiday tree in my office to remind me that, here at least, "all is calm and all is bright."

Almost December.

Last week was extraordinary, by any account. There were any number of ups and downs, including having to call Metropolitan Sewer on the day before Thanksgiving. Having James here for such a nice long week was outstanding. We had eleven around the table for Thanksgiving, some of whom are shown in the photos above, with treats from both Iran and India to savor along with all the American standards. Unfortunately for the bird, I did not think to take a picture before the carving had begun.

Then keeping with 25 years of tradition, we had our holiday photo taken yesterday -- Suzie came and snapped some 15 or so photos, any of which we could use. The most likely candidate is shown above.

We are buttoned up for winter, with the sprinklers cleared and shut down, and a nice thick layer of compost on everything. Bring on December!

Almost Thanksgiving on the way to Christmas

Every year I have a little discussion with myself, which leads eventually to me pulling out just a few of our favorite holiday ornaments....before Thanksgiving has arrived. Above, brass French horn and trumpet with wreath of bells. They've hung in that same place on the fireplace all the years we have lived here.

Here's a music box that Sabrina gave James for his first Christmas. It plays "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."

Front hall doesn't get creche and other items until later -- but there's enough here to let our Thanksgiving Day guests know that the holidays are upon us.

Piano photos and poinsettias....Sabrina and family on left, and Cassandra and family on the right.

Holiday photos from previous years, including the small one which must be somewhere around 1990 when the whole crew was here.

James' train from his first Christmas, with a small assortment of other items we've had for years.

In this house, Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday of the year. This year, we will be something like 10 around the table and the conversation will go on and on. I wish for everyone who reads this the same kind of happy and certain day.

Giving back.

When I started ASA, I was determined to observe a better balance between the new company and the rest of my life. We talked a lot about that at the Santa Fe think tank. I am honored to be part of the board of the Seattle Public Library Foundation. Together with Friends of the Library, we have been able to lobby the Seattle City Council to restore $800,000+ of the $2.4 million cut from the 2010 budget. The budget for purchasing books and other materials remains untouched by budget cuts. I consider my commitment to the library to be a form of giving back.

Now I've found another way to give back. I have accepted an appointment as an affiliate faculty member at the University of Washington, whose spring campus is pictured above. I'm going to teach once in awhile in the University of Washington's Information School, and be included on selected research projects. This fits well with ASA's Institute for Research and Innovation, but also becomes part of my long term strategy to give back to the region that has enabled me to grow and thrive.

"Little James with all of his names...."

I have no wish to embarrass my son, but it is his 25th birthday today, and I think I'll take a few liberties. James was born at 5:41am in Swedish Hospital and moved directly into its neonatal intensive care unit. He was diagnosed with acute renal failure and respiratory distress even though he was of a good weight and size. He stayed in the ICU for ten days, and for an extra couple of weeks after that, he had blood drawn daily at Children's Hospital. So he has always been somewhat of a miraculous child, precocious and feisty at the same time. I will spare you all the stories in between, but note that the man sitting in the museum gallery above is a man of firm opinions and well-thought out beliefs.

While he was in ICU, my husband wrote a little jingle for me to make into a lullaby for him once he was home. It goes like this:

Little James

with all of his names,

came into the world on Tuesday.

We gave him six hugs,

wrapped him in rugs,

and took him home the next Thursday.

I spared James that poem on my Facebook post today, choosing instead the small poem that Leroy wrote for me to embroider on to the quilt that I had made for his crib before he was born.

Lambs wake

on a high hill.

My heart

is still.

Happy Birthday, James Harrison Sowers Searle. Your mother is still your biggest fan.

"Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship." -- Peter Drucker

"What do you see as the next big thing in terms of technology innovation?"

"What do you see as the next big thing in terms of business innovation?"

"If you were building an organization today, versus running an established organization, are lessons from prior economic periods relevant? Why?"

"How do you see the nature of organizations changing -- e.g., more green computing, less offices, more virtual work, more expertise based networks?"

"Since the theme is agility in times of transition, what are the major economic, social and technological trends you see impacting organizations today and in the future?"

These are just the warm up questions that three of us will be answering at the UW Innovation in Information Management fall conference. Nothing like having real questions that you can sink your teeth into!