Dear Friend,

When I was a small boy I used to have a small cardboard box which became my treasure chest. I lined its bottom with cotton to protect all the small, beautiful things I would find and want to keep.

It might hold a white rhinestone which had fallen loose from the setting of my mother’s earring. White stones I had dug up from the earth, cleaned and rubbed until they glowed and seemed translucent. A yellow bird feather I had plucked from my father’s new fedora. In the box I also kept a beautifully colored triangular stamp from Tazania that I discovered in the envelope of hundreds of stamps from around the world that I had sent away for in the mail for my stamp collection.

This little white box became my most important possession, my refuge. I would come to it often to admire its treasures when I needed to find beauty and comfort and escape from the turmoil of family life which at the time was filled with too many tears and turmoil.

Now, this electronic Treasure Chest site you have entered is, in some ways, not much different from the small cardboard box I kept as a child. It, too, is filled with the most valuable treasures that I have created from my life. It contains selections from the many books I have written over the years, and my hope is that the words and features I have placed into this ''chest'' will help make your own life richer.

I often wrote my books as a way to find hope and fun. I wrote them to find peace of mind and to overcome many of the difficulties I encountered in my life. Much of what you will find on this site will help you tap into your own creativity and express your deepest thoughts and feelings. My work is affirmative in nature and over the years many people have read my books to find healing and comfort. This site will help you feel less alone, too.

Come to the treasure chest to help your start your day. If, for example, you want to have fun, then hit the Let's Make Believe! menu item. Looking for a ray of sunshine? Just click on the Find Sunshine! button. Need some hope? Go to the Find Hope! menu item. Want to keep a journal and write an entry for the day? Just hit the Your Interactive Journal menu line to find a question for the day to think and write about. There's even a place in the treasure chest where you can Find a Prayer or Blessings.

In many respects, my books were meant for the web because they are interactive in intent - they ask questions and encourage readers to look into their hearts and express through writing or art some of the things they feel deeply. My books also will help you discover your own ''voice,'' the way I did in writing them. In fact, I had to write them to have my own voice heard. You see, when I was a child I felt that no one was really listening to me. Through this site, I am hoping, too, to find a community of people who may have common interests that they wish to share with me and you.

You will find space has been provided on all the pages for you to submit your thoughts about what you read or think about the question prompts posed throughout. You are very welcome, too, to submit your own questions which which we can post for reader response. My goal is to publish as many such responses as possible on the BLOG With Bill Zimmerman page. This way we can engage in a two-way conversation and learn from each other.

May you make many good discoveries as you delve into this treasure chest. Have fun and joy!

Yours sincerely,

About the Author

Author Bill Zimmerman, the creator of www.billztreasurechest.com, has been a questioner all his life. Wanting to learn from people was the motivating reason that led him to a career as a journalist and prize-winning newspaper editor.

For 13 years he created an interactive, syndicated page for Newsday newspaper to teach young people about current events. It pioneered the use of interactive techniques found in his books to encourage young readers to express their opinions about the world they live in and brought in hundreds of thousands of letters. The page was nominated twice for a Pulitzer Prize.

During the past 20 years Bill has written some 15 books which are featured throughout this site. His newest is 100 Things Guys Need to Know (Free Spirit Publishing), a book of encouraging words for boys.

His work has been featured on the Today Show, PBS's acclaimed Ancestors Series, in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and such magazines as Family Circle, Parents, Esquire, Business Week, and Essence.

Bill and his wife formed a kitchen-table press, Guarionex Press, Ltd., and published his first four books. They make their home in New York City and have a daughter and a dog.

You can contact Bill Zimmerman by email: WmZ@aol.com