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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. |
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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,
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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.
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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
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