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My writing novels: Where it all began
Selma P. Verde May 29, 2023
Let’s talk about where it all began for my writing journey. As I think about Memorial Day weekend, I am always reminded of where the
Selma’s Monthly News – May 2023
Selma P. Verde May 1, 2023
Good Morning! It is time again for Selma’s Monthly News! Have you touched base with your teen? Ask them if they need help with anything.
Happy 6th Birthday to The Hard Way!
Selma P. Verde Apr 10, 2023
Happy 6th Birthday to my first published book and the first book in The Way Series! The Hard Way The 6th Birthday for this book
Selma’s Monthly News – April 2023
Selma P. Verde Apr 3, 2023
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Have you touched base with your teen? Ask them if they need help with anything. It will show
Selma’s Monthly News – March 2023
Selma P. Verde Mar 6, 2023
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Have you had a chance to touch base with your teen? How about checking in with them to
Selma’s Monthly News – February 2023
Selma P. Verde Feb 6, 2023
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Have you had a chance to touch base with your teen? Check in with them and ask them
Selma’s Monthly News – January 2023
Selma P. Verde Jan 9, 2023
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Have you had a chance to touch base with your teen? Check in with them and ask them
Teen Resource – MENTOR
Selma P. Verde Dec 26, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? How did the holidays go for you and your family? I hope you enjoyed spending time together however
Inspiring People – People who mentor and work with teens
Selma P. Verde Dec 19, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Teen Challenge – Finding a Mentor for your teen
Selma P. Verde Dec 12, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Have you had a chance to touch base with that teen in your life lately? Maybe ask them
Selma’s Monthly News – December 2022
Selma P. Verde Dec 5, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Have you had a chance to touch base with your teen? Check in with them and ask them
Inspiring Stories – About Homeless Teens
Selma P. Verde Nov 21, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Have you had a chance to touch base with your teen? Check in with them and ask them
Teen Challenge – Teen Homelessness
Selma P. Verde Nov 14, 2022
Good Morning! Here is the Monday Morning Blog! Hello, it is me Sharon from Mentoring A Dream. Have you checked in with your teen this
Selma’s Monthly News – November 2022
Selma P. Verde Nov 7, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Have you had a chance to touch base with your teen? Check in with them and ask them
Teen Challenge – Teen Cliques and Bullying
Selma P. Verde Oct 31, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! ,Happy Halloween! Are you ready for the ghosts and goblins to show up at your house tonight? Hello,
Teen Resource – Stop Bullying with Boys Town
Selma P. Verde Oct 24, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Have you had a chance to talk to that teen or young adult in your life yet? Be
Inspirational People – People who stand up to those who bully others
Selma P. Verde Oct 17, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you have a chance to touch base with your teen this week? How about checking in with
Teen Challenge – How to deal with being a target of a bully
Selma P. Verde Oct 10, 2022
Good Morning! Here is the Monday Morning Blog! Hello, it is me Sharon from Mentoring A Dream. With October being Bullying Prevention Month, for this
Selma’s Monthly News – October 2022
Selma P. Verde Oct 3, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Today is Bullying Prevention Awareness Day! Be sure to wear blue today to show your support of bullying
Teen Resource – Importance of Eye Health
Selma P. Verde Sep 26, 2022
Good Morning! Here is the Monday Morning blog? Hello, it is Sharon from Mentoring a Dream again. Bringing this week’s Teen Resource to you. How
Inspiring People – Your librarian or media center specialist
Selma P. Verde Sep 19, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Teen Challenge – Preventing School Bus Bullying
Selma P. Verde Sep 12, 2022
Good Morning! Here is the Monday Morning Blog! Hello. This is Sharon from Mentoring a Dream. I will be taking care of the blog posts
Selma’s Monthly News – September 2022
Selma P. Verde Sep 5, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Happy Labor Day! Did you know that Labor Day was originally designed to honor workers as a part
What I did this summer…
Selma P. Verde Aug 29, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Teen Resource – Back to School Routines
Selma P. Verde Aug 22, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Inspiring People – Coaches and Mentors
Selma P. Verde Aug 15, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Teen Challenge – End of Summer Activities to do with your teen.
Selma P. Verde Aug 8, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Book of the Month – Summer at Firefly Beach by Jenny Hale
Selma P. Verde Aug 1, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Teen Resource – Teaching our teens about diversity and inclusion
Selma P. Verde Jul 25, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Inspiring Stories – Abraham Lincoln
Selma P. Verde Jul 18, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Teen Challenge – History of Diversity in Our Country
Selma P. Verde Jul 11, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Book of the Month – The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Selma P. Verde Jul 4, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Happy 4th of July! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult
Teen Resource – Community Centers
Selma P. Verde Jun 27, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Inspiring Stories – Father Edward J. Flanagan
Selma P. Verde Jun 20, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Teen Challenge – What can joining a group do for me?
Selma P. Verde Jun 13, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Book of the Month – Shawn’s Way by Selma P. Verde
Selma P. Verde Jun 6, 2022
Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last week? Ask them what they think about
Teen Resource – Guided Journaling
Selma P. Verde May 30, 2022
It’s Memorial Day. Even though most of us have a day off from work today, how do you plan to remember those who have died
Teen Resource – National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI)
Selma P. Verde May 23, 2022
Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last week? Be sure to check in with
Inspiring Stories – Robin Williams
Selma P. Verde May 16, 2022
Even with the successful career as an actor, what a person chooses to show of themselves to the world doesn’t always match what is going
Teen Challenge – Improving Mental Health by talking about it
Selma P. Verde May 9, 2022
There are many messages popping up on social media with resources to help. The CDC currently has a public Service Announcement which pops up when
Book of the Month – The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Selma P. Verde May 2, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Teen Resource – Shred Hate
Selma P. Verde Apr 25, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Inspiring Stories – Babe Ruth
Selma P. Verde Apr 18, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Happy Easter! Did the Easter Bunny come hopping down your bunny trail? Did you hunt for Easter Eggs
Happy Birthday to The Hard Way!!
Selma P. Verde Apr 11, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Tomorrow is a big day! The Hard Way celebrates five years in publication. How did it all get
Book of the Month – No More Games by Mike Gallo
Selma P. Verde Apr 4, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Teen Resource – The Library
Selma P. Verde Mar 28, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Inspiring Stories – Jason “J-Mac” McElwain
Selma P. Verde Mar 21, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Happy Spring! Calendar wise it started yesterday, has it started weatherwise where you are yet? Did you get
Teen Challenge – Finding a good YA read
Selma P. Verde Mar 14, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Book of the Month – Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley
Selma P. Verde Mar 7, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Teen Resource – Respect Diversity Foundation
Selma P. Verde Feb 28, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Parents and Teachers: Did you touch base with that teen in your life this week? Teens: Did you
Inspiring Story – How Franklin Thomas became a part of Black History
Selma P. Verde Feb 21, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Happy Presidents Day! Did you touch base with that teen in your life last week? Many of them
Teen Challenge – Accepting Diversity and Inclusion
Selma P. Verde Feb 14, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Happy Valentine’s Day! What do you have planned for your sweetheart? Or that someone special to you? Or
Book of the Month – The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips
Selma P. Verde Feb 7, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Inspirational People – Personal and Business Coaches
Selma P. Verde Jan 31, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Have you had a chance to talk with that teen or young adult in your life? Have you
Teen Resource – MENTOR
Selma P. Verde Jan 24, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Have you had a chance to touch base with that teen in your life yet? Could they be
Inspirational Stories – Assistant Fire Chief Benefits from Mentor
Selma P. Verde Jan 17, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Have you had a chance to touch base with that teen in your life yet? Maybe check in
Teen Challenge – How do I find a Mentor?
Selma P. Verde Jan 10, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Have you had a chance to touch base with that teen in your life yet? Maybe check in
Book Review – Dead Poets Society by N.H. Kleinbaum
Selma P. Verde Jan 3, 2022
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Welcome to 2022! Happy New Year! Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or
A Look Back at 2021
Selma P. Verde Dec 27, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Hope you had a very Merry Christmas with your family and friends. We invited our sons’ sister and
Inspirational Traditions – How different cultures celebrate the holidays
Selma P. Verde Dec 20, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Teen Challenge – Books I Recommend as Great Gifts for Teens
Selma P. Verde Dec 13, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
Book Review – The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
Selma P. Verde Dec 6, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last
A tool to help make a choice – Pros and Cons List
Selma P. Verde Nov 29, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! How did things go for you last week? Get a chance to talk to that teen or young
Teen Resource – Other people teens can talk to about tough choices
Selma P. Verde Nov 22, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! How did things go for you last week? Get a chance to talk to that teen or young
Inspirational Person – Amelia Earhart
Selma P. Verde Nov 15, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! How did things go for you last week? Get a chance to talk to that teen or
Teen Challenge – Three Influencers on Teen Choices
Selma P. Verde Nov 8, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! How did things go last week? Were you able to chat with the teen or young adult
Book Review – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Selma P. Verde Nov 1, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life
Teen Resource – Boys Town Hotline
Selma P. Verde Oct 25, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Have you had a chance to talk to that teen or young adult in your life yet?
Inspirational People – People who stand up to bullying
Selma P. Verde Oct 18, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Have you had a chance to talk to that teen or young adult in your life yet?
Teen Challenge – Is your teen a bully?
Selma P. Verde Oct 11, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Get a chance to talk to that teen in your life last week? We had a family
Book Review – Shawn’s Way by Selma P. Verde
Selma P. Verde Oct 4, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog? Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life
Teen Resource – Guided Journaling
Selma P. Verde Sep 27, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to talk to your teen or young adult last week? Maybe ask
Inspiring People – Anne Frank
Selma P. Verde Sep 20, 2021
Good Morning! Here is the Monday Morning Blog! How did last week go? Did you reach out to your teen or young adult? What
Teen Challenge – Journaling – What do I write about?
Selma P. Verde Sep 13, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to check in with your teen this week? What did they have to
Book Review – Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez
Selma P. Verde Sep 6, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Happy Labor Day! How did things go last week? Get a chance to check in with that teen/young
A letter to my high school self
Selma P. Verde Aug 30, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Did you get a chance to check in with the teen or young adult in your life
Teen Resource – High School
Selma P. Verde Aug 23, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! What did you do last week? Get a chance to check in with that teen or young
Inspiring People – Teachers
Selma P. Verde Aug 16, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! How did everything go last week? Did you check in with that teen or young adult in
Teen Challenge – Back to School – Fall 2021
Selma P. Verde Aug 9, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Have you touched base with your teen yet? A great way to get involved in a teen
Book Review – Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes
Selma P. Verde Aug 2, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! How was your week last week? Get a chance to check in with that teen/young adult in
Teen Resource – Respect Diversity Foundation
Selma P. Verde Jul 26, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Parents and Teachers: Did you touch base with that teen in your life this week? Teens: Did
Inspiring People – Ibram X. Kendi
Selma P. Verde Jul 19, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! How was your week last week? Did you get a chance to connect with that teen or
Teen Challenges – What is America?
Selma P. Verde Jul 13, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! Tuesday Morning Edition! Did you touch base with your teen or young adult this past week? We
Book Review – This Is My America by Kim Johnson
Selma P. Verde Jul 5, 2021
The novel is the story about a teenage girl, Tracy Beaumont, and her fight to free her dad from death row. She has dug in
Teen Resource – The Recovery Village
Selma P. Verde Jun 28, 2021
These teens are six times more likely than their peers to be diagnosed with a serious illness, smoke regularly, or develop mental health issues…
It’s Release Day for Shawn’s Way
Selma P. Verde Jun 21, 2021
Today is a big day for The Way Series! Shawn’s Way is now available for purchase…
Teen Challenges – Am I a Bully?
Selma P. Verde Jun 14, 2021
Both of my books, The Hard Way and Shawn’s Way focus on challenges that teens face. The Hard Way focuses on peer pressure and Shawn’s
Book Review – Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
Selma P. Verde Jun 7, 2021
The story starts post bullying event, which we are never really told what happens, but the aftermath is a major mental health issue for Audrey…
Today is Memorial Day
Selma P. Verde May 31, 2021
Memorial Day is a national holiday where we take time to reflect and remember those who gave their lives protecting our country. This year it
Teen Resource – Newport Academy
Selma P. Verde May 24, 2021
Newport Academy is a series of healing centers for young adults, teens and families struggling with mental health issues, such as teen depression, teen anxiety,
Welcome to my new site!
Selma P. Verde May 21, 2021
Hello! Today my new website went live! If you haven’t checked it out yet, be sure to stop by and take a look…
Inspiring People – Carrie Fisher
Selma P. Verde May 17, 2021
Like they say, don’t judge anyone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. You really don’t know what problems they may be dealing
Teen Issue – Anxiety vs. Anxiety Disorders
Selma P. Verde May 10, 2021
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. Even if you feel anxious when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test or
Book Review – Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Selma P. Verde May 3, 2021
Turtles All the Way Down is a story about sixteen-year-old Aza Holmes who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety…
Teen Resource – Autismworks
Selma P. Verde Apr 26, 2021
Autismworks is a business that focuses on enhancing the lives of people with autism and those who love them. They do this by providing resources
Three Inspiring People with Autism
Selma P. Verde Apr 19, 2021
Last year for Autism Awareness Month, I reviewed Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic by Michael McCreary. He’s a 20-something stand up comic who was told
Teen Issue – Accepting Autism
Selma P. Verde Apr 12, 2021
Autism is a serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact with others. It is also referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder
Book Review – House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Selma P. Verde Apr 5, 2021
House Rules is the story about Jacob Hunt, who has a form of autism called Asperger Syndrome. He is very intelligent and has a deep
Inspiring People – Amelia Earhart
Selma P. Verde Mar 29, 2021
How many of you know that I’m a pilot? I soloed an airplane, became a private pilot and started an instrument rating. That’s where my
Teen Resource – Girl Scouts of America
Selma P. Verde Mar 22, 2021
The organization was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 after she met with the founder of scouting for boys…
STEM Women Pioneers
Selma P. Verde Mar 15, 2021
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Using the term STEM is a way to bring all of these disciplines together…
Teen Challenge – Remote vs. In-Person Learning
Selma P. Verde Mar 8, 2021
Do you know what today is? March 8th is International Women’s Day. Like I mentioned last week, it was the founding step to March becoming
Book Review – Ordinary Light by Tracy K. Smith
Selma P. Verde Mar 1, 2021
The story starts with her as a young girl, the youngest of five children, and showed us how she lived a pretty good life…
Teen Resource – YMCA
Selma P. Verde Feb 22, 2021
The first YMCA in the United States was founded by Thomas Valentine Sullivan. He was a retired Boston Sea captain who was working as a
Inspiring People – Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Selma P. Verde Feb 15, 2021
Ida B. Wells was a Black American activist at a time when many Black Americans weren’t speaking up for their rights…
Teen Challenge – Respecting Diversity and Inclusion
Selma P. Verde Feb 8, 2021
Understanding that there are differences between people. Not only racial differences, but differences in culture, religion, sexual orientation, where you live and how much money
Book Review – Death of Innocence by Mamie Till-Mobley and Christopher
Selma P. Verde Feb 1, 2021
The first part of the book introduces us to Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till. Emmett was just fourteen years old when his mother
Teen Resource – Boys Town
Selma P. Verde Jan 25, 2021
Along with the youth care and health care services that Boys Town provides, they are also recognized internationally as a research leader in hearing, language
The Inauguration and Kamala Harris
Selma P. Verde Jan 18, 2021
We know somethings about our President elect, Joe Biden, he served as Vice President under former President Barack Obama. But who is Kamala Harris?
Teen Challenges – Differing viewpoints – What happened at the US Capitol?
Selma P. Verde Jan 11, 2021
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! How was your week last week? Did you check in with that teen in your life? Jim took
Book Review – Blended by Sharon M. Draper
Selma P. Verde Jan 4, 2021
Good Morning! Here is the Monday Morning Blog! It has been a while since my last post. For the past couple of months, we
Book Review – Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You, by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Selma P. Verde Aug 17, 2020
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog! How was your week last week? I was busy starting my new “day job”. It was a
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