Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Soooo, what's Happening?!

One of my publisher clients, Branden Books, located in Boston, has sent the latest books from his company:

 
Fascist Italy by Cristogianni Borsella
Defeating Islamic Terrorism by Father Bascio
Abenaki Warrior by Alfred Kayworth
Priest to Mafia Don by Father Bascio
Green River Serial Killer by Pennie Morehead
The Soprano Voice by Anthony Frisell
 
I also received Romeo & Juliet as a gift!  Wasn't that nice?!
 
I've finished reading Fascist Italy and am writing the review right now...more later!

A True Story Poem

The daily email always brings us some joke or article from our friends...Some, more than others, make us sit up and take notice. A simple poem, author unknown, yet needing to be read:

DADDY It HURTS !
A TRUE STORY 

My name is Chris
I am three,
My eyes are swollen
I cannot see,
I must be stupid
I must be bad,
What else could have made
My daddy so mad?
I wish I were better
I wish I weren't ugly,
Then maybe my mommy
Would still want to hug me.
I can't do a wrong
I can't speak at all
Or else I'm locked up
All day long.
When I'm awake I'm all alone
The house is dark
My folks aren't home
When my mommy does come home
I'll try and be nice,
So maybe I'll just get
One whipping tonight.
I just heard a car
My daddy is back
From Charile's bar
I hear him curse
My name is called
I press myself
Against the wall
I try to hide
From his evil eyes
I'm so afraid now
I'm starting to cry
He finds me weeping
Calls me ugly words,
He says it's my fault
He suffers at work
He slaps and hits me
And yells at me more,
I finally get free
And run to the door
He's already locked it
And I start to bawl,
He takes me and throws me
Against the hard wall
I fall to the floor
With my bones nearly broken,
And my daddy continues
With more bad words spoken,
"Im sorry!", I scream
But it's now much too late
His face has been twisted
Into an unimaginable shape
The hurt and the pain
Again and again
O please God, have mercy!
O please let it end!
And he finally stops
And heads for the door
While I lay there motionless
Sprawled on the floor
My name is Chris
I am three,
Tonight my daddy
Murdered me.

> ARE YOU AGAINST CHILD ABUSE!
 
I received this horrific poem via email...with, sadly, no author's name.  It reminded me of a story that Bettie and I read/edited a number of years ago.  If you have an interest in this type of story, you may want to read:
 

Monday, August 20, 2007

Rainy Day!

When a rainy day comes, what better time to grab a book and settled down for an escape into adventure!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

She's Baa-ack!

Do you ever experience burnout? Those times when you feel like you cannot do one more thing, remember one more responsibility or even write a few words?  A number of years ago, this happened to me on the job.  It required a medical leave of absence and still affects me to this day. 

If you have experienced any form of depression, whether from job burnout or stresses from your life, I encourage you to try to recognize it and take the time to talk to your medical doctor. 

When Bettie started our web site, we had no anticipation of the volume of work we would receive...after all, we were retired and thinking of filling a little part of our time.  Well, we have had a constant flow and have added to our reviewer list...and still, there have been times when we were backlogged!  Not really complaining!  Hey, we enjoy what we are doing. 

However, each of us should come to know how much work we can handle and when it is too much for a while...then we need to take a break and stop doing as much as we have been.

So, if you missed seeing what I've been doing, well, I'll try to catch up...no matter what, there's always been a book or two waiting with a bookmarked page!  And I've been taking advantage of some of the beautiful weather, in between rain, to expand my garden of flowers, even adding a sort of gazebo for my climbers!  My irises were beautiful this year and I was so thankful that I had free time to water and "deadhead" them each morning.  God surely gave us the greatest gifts right outside our doors!

Oh, I did want to share the following with my readers; it meant a lot to me and I thought you might enjoy:

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Heartprints of Kindness

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."1 "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God."2

William Wordsworth also said it well: "That best portion of a good man's life; his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love."

The following well-known anonymous poem is well worth a reminder:

    "Whatever our hands touch –
    We leave fingerprints!
    On walls, on furniture
    On doorknobs, dishes, books.
    There's no escape.
    As we touch we leave our identity."

So for today's suggested prayer: "Dear God:

    'Wherever I go today
    Help me leave heartprints!
    Heartprints of compassion
    Of understanding and love.

    'Heartprints of kindness
    And genuine concern.
    May my heart touch a lonely neighbor
    Or a runaway daughter
    Or an anxious mother
    Or perhaps an aged grandfather.

    'Send me out today
    To leave heartprints.
    And if someone should say,
    "I felt your touch,"
    May they also sense the love
    that is deep within my heart.'3
                                             --Daily Encounter

So I'll close for today, with just a last thought--I hope I've left heartprints on the books I do for each of my clients!

God Bless!