Welcome to Book Readers Heaven! Find Books, Reviews, Short Stories, Authors, Publicity, a little poetry, music to complement...and other stuff including politics, about life... "Books, Cats: Life is Sweet..."
I lived in my present home, surrounded by 13 acres of trees, and no other home in view, when I first started talking to Manny and reading his words... It has been my privilege to learn more about him each time we connect, mostly on Facebook... Now, as I reread this poem which speaks of change in the area where he lives, I cannot but help to wish that Manny could live in my area of the world, where deer roam into my yard, 'possum and 'coon come to eat along with my cats... and in the distance, sounds of farm animals are heard from the home place of a new, nearby neighbor who I have not even met... Still, we know we are nearby, and that we live in a country where quiet is supreme most of the time, until the winds come, the rain beats on our roofs... Nature surrounds each of the homes in the area--and we enjoy our beloved land.
Manny, I know, has settled in a lone place, where nobody surrounds him as well... Two loners, perhaps, that still enjoy touching base from time to time over a computer that brings us closer than we could ever have been in life...
Manny, it is good to have you share your words, once again, here at Book Readers Heaven! But, I had to laugh as I discovered still another reason we are connected. My brother, you, too, have met the Borg... and decided, we were not to be assimilated! LOL We are as free as we can be here in America! May we continue living in this democracy, free to be all that we can be... Let us Pray to God that we can see a far future of that freedom which is now threatened by those who want power over others... And allow it to continue until we meet our grandfathers/mothers...
It was 484 years ago, on the morning of October 4th, 1533, our Yaqui people had first contact with non-natives. After the Spanish conquistadors had defeated the great Meso-American empires and enslaved many tribes of present day southern Mexico, the Spaniards began to explore north of Mexico City. Captain Nuño de Guzman and his slave hunting party reached the Yaqui River, this being as far north as any white man had ever ventured in the “New World.”
A large population of Indians lived along the river and thousands of armed warriors confronted the Spanish and started to throw fistfuls of dirt in the air, drawing their bows and grimacing fiercely.
An Indian among the others emerged from the crowd wearing a black robe decorated with many carved pearl figures that shined like silver in the sunlight. He had his bow and quiver of arrows, and held a staff in his hand while ruling over the people.
This leader stepped out in front of the others, took his bow and drew a long line in the sand with it, knelt down to this line and kissed the ground. He rose up and stood, and he and the other Indians started to speak saying stop to the Spaniards, telling them that they weren’t welcome and shouldn’t pass that line or they would all be killed.
A battle took place and records state that the Yaqui fought with great spirit and that no other tribe had fought as well as they had since the Spaniards arrival to the Americas.
The Yaqui became known as the most valiant, belligerent, and independent tribes among others and were the most fiercest, savage, and barbaric fighters in all of New Spain.
We were the first tribe to stop these invaders and their colonization of Native America. We fought off their encroachment for seven more decades before we were the first tribe to strategically request Jesuit Priests to live among us in peace and at this time no Spanish soldiers were welcome to live in our lands.
To this day, the Yaqui are one of the few if not the only tribe that was never entirely conquered by the Spanish, Mexicans, and the U.S.
Thanks so much, Manny, for sharing here at Book Readers Heaven... Hey, everybody, you'll be seeing more from Manny as he has agreed to be an ongoing contributor! Cool, right?!
Some of you may already know Manny at Facebook. But I met him first through his books! Manny works to ensure his heritage is known and, if you are connected to him, you'll often see words in his language, with the translation... Me, I need to hear it, so I've added a primer for us to start learning by hearing the words... Try it and let us know if it works for you!
You know, folks, I've always had a great sympathy for the indigenous people of our nation. As Manny's story shows, there were early attempts to enslave his ancestors by the Spanish... Why is it that men who came to America felt that they could "use" people from other races as slaves... It boggles my mind to realize just how many of those who lived her first, were murdered or lost their freedom through the loss of land, claimed with little, if any, payment...
You know, I have to say that I was proud that Manny's ancestor fought to retain their freedom! Even though, through the years, little has been done by Americans to help those from whom they stole so much. It was good to learn that they were strong enough to fight back, and then, shrewd enough to ensure they would not be targeted, simply by opening their homes to those who spoke of God, instead of war...
Looking forward to having you back here soon, Manny!
After firing up her stereo, she popped in a Pretenders cassette and set it to a reasonable volume. Perfect. She sank onto the couch with a soda, curving into the cushions for one heartbeat of absolute comfort. Then the music hit her the way it did sometimes. A year ago at a dingy little club, that was the last time she’d heard this song. It had been late, 3:00 a.m. maybe, and she’d been drunk in that end-of-the-night way, flirting with a guy who was way too young for her, because the only other alternative was paying the tab and heading home...She’d gone home alone, and she’d stood on her patio in the predawn quiet and smoked a cigarette while looking out at the whispering palms, and life had been so sweet.
Grinning with the high of being naughty—God, hadn’t she always loved that?—Donna danced over to the table and grabbed the crumpled pack from her purse. She stopped for a moment to crack the small kitchen window so she could hear the music outside, then she slipped out her door and around to the big tree...Her head fell back, and she stared up at the dark claws of the tree above, scratching restlessly at the navy sky. The music trickled out, weaving around her. She shivered with pleasure.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
...It was pitch dark beneath the tree, but the small window traced the faintest light over a silhouette, and Donna immediately identified her attacker. Elizabeth Abrams lurked two feet away, arms lifted from her body, fingers curled as if she meant to strike again, more forcefully this time. Donna stretched tall, and she felt her chin edging forward as she inflated herself for a brawl. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she shouted at the woman.
“I think I’m protecting a tiny baby that can’t protect itself! What right do you have to puff on some cancer stick and poison my defenseless grandchild?”
In a novel that moves from one character to another, readers become interested in two women--Donna and Lauren--who seem to have lived very different lives. Indeed they had, but only as the story moves forward do we actually see that there is a relationship. In fact it is a relationship between three women, all related by marriage...
Lauren begins the book as we find her coming back home... It is a beginning which will grab readers from the first sentence...
The heat of this place grew serial killers.
Not that everyone born here became a murderer, but the Sacramento area had more than its fair share.
Lauren Abrams had been raised with that truth, always aware of her own faint brush with darkness and destruction. Something dangerous vibrated in the air of this place, though most people never registered the thrum of it.
When outsiders set foot here, the thing they noticed was the heat. Something about it haunted them until it was all they could mention when Lauren said she was from Sacramento. What a hellhole. It’s so hot! Who could live there?
And why? It was hardly the hottest place in California. So maybe it was that low register of danger they felt.
Lauren had felt it the first time she’d come, but she’d been primed for it. Warned about what would happen if she ever returned to this place. She’d ignored the predictions, and she’d returned, terrifyingly untethered from the first decade of her life.
She’d learned herself here. She’d let this place mold her into the person she was today, and she could feel the city sink into her as she drove through the flat river plain of the town toward the hills beyond.
When she spotted the exit that would take her to the hospital where her grandmother lay, guilt tugged at her. She desperately wanted to veer to the right and race toward the big gray building, but the visit could wait one hour. The stroke had happened two days earlier, and Grandma’s doctors said she was improving and even recovering well from the concussion she’d sustained when she’d fallen.
If Lauren barged in wearing rumpled clothes dusted with the snacks she’d munched on during her drive from LA, her grandma might have another stroke. Elizabeth Abrams had always held a firm belief in putting your best foot forward. She’d worn ranch clothes while working outside, but she’d never, ever worn them around the house.
Right now Grandma was stable, and there was no danger in waiting a few more moments. She was on the mend, so Lauren was there to help with the mending. Her grandmother’s, but maybe her own too. This move wasn’t permanent, but she’d still packed up nearly her entire life when she’d left Bastian’s condo that morning. She’d have to find her own place when she returned.
But she didn’t need to think about that yet. For now she would watch over her grandma’s home and get it cleaned and ready before her release from rehab, and that was more than enough to worry about. The sprawl continued along the highway much farther out than it used to, but Lauren finally exited and pushed her little red hatchback up into the hills. Before she was quite ready, she’d turned onto a narrow paved road with ditches on either side, and then she was slowing for the gravel drive she’d been aiming for these past eight hours.
Home. It felt strange to approach and know that the screen door wouldn’t open to reveal her grandmother stepping onto the porch. Then again, Grandma was ninety now, so Lauren tried to count her blessings as she opened the car door and pushed to her feet.
Lauren was coming home because her grandmother had fallen and would need support, or so Lauren had thought as she packed up most of her belongings, thinking that she might stay for a lengthy period. Given her recent breakup, there really was nobody to return to, anyway.
What she wasn't expecting was that her grandmother, while still in the hospital and preparing for physical therapy, would begin to discuss her own plans. She wanted to move into a smaller care facility; she knew she could no longer live in her big rambling home.
And... she wanted Lauren to buy that home so that it would remain in the family! Lauren was not only shocked, she didn't exactly know how to even begin to deal with what her future might now entail. She did love the family home, but how would she be able to maintain and pay for routine expenses?
And then there was her father. Wouldn't he expect to be in line for ownership? Her father, who now had a new, complete family and, though they did see each other and talk, it was clear to Lauren that she would never be able to become a part of that family dynamic, especially after what had torn apart her mother and father...
Lauren had heard it all from her mother. She had no good words for Lauren's father and grandmother. In fact, it was because of her mother's testimony, that her father had been in prison for so many years though ultimately exonerated...
Now, as Lauren contemplates her present and future, we meet Donna, as she was when she first met Lauren's father...
At a point when Lauren was old enough to begin to want to consider her own future, she had decided to visit her grandmother and indeed had lived with her for many years...Lauren and her grandmother had always gotten along, so that, now, when she needed help, Lauren was happy to join her for what, she thought, would be a short time. Even then, Lauren had no idea, or concern really, about where she might live--she could always earn a living anywhere...
So things moved quickly after that, and Lauren had been able to make arrangements to purhase the property. Even though her mother couldn't stop herself from warning her not to. But Lauren had long ago scoffed that her mother either had lied or that there was just no way for her and her mother-in-law to get along, especially, after her son had been convicted based upon Donna's actions...
But as Lauren worked to settle in, thinking she could save money as well as learn how to begin to maintain her new home, she began, first, to remove the carpets and bring back the underlying wood to life...and she was even doing it, having fun, by videoblogging about her new learning experience of renewing her home...
Was it the underlying feeling of danger that surrounded the area, or, did it take a frightening experience that occurred when Lauren began to create a new bathroom, by first demolishing a wall...
Because, Lauren now knew, she was the one who was in danger--just like her mother had warned her... But Lauren, and I, were both to be shocked as the climax comes crushing down on top of the life she had led for so many years--until NOW--could she deal with it?
Absolutely controls the reader from beginning to end. At least it did for me. There are no hints--it is not really a mystery... But the tension keeps getting thicker and thicker until the explosion erupts with the Truth! Wow! A family drama totally unforgettable!
Trump used a lie as the basis for abusing the powers of the presidency for his political gain. The scenes that unfolded horrified much of the nation. Peaceful protesters were forcibly pushed from the park by federal officers, who deployed tear gas and clubs to clear out the nonviolent demonstrators. Flash-bangs and the wails of sirens could be heard in the Rose Garden, where the press had gathered to hear Trump speak. And the president led much of his cabinet and senior staff on a fateful walk through a park. They strode to the church, with Ivanka Trump handing her father a Bible from her bag. He held it awkwardly near his head, as if he weren’t sure what to do. When asked by a reporter if it was his Bible, Trump didn’t answer. He stood there, camera shutters clicking. He believed he had put together an unforgettable American image, a tableau of the triumph of law and order and presidential power. Some of those who walked with Trump realized a mistake had been made. Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, wearing his general’s uniform, broke away from the pack to make a point of talking to officers on duty. He was joined by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who also tried to distance himself himself from the scene, which they both feared was a gross overreach of the use of the military on American soil. Milley offered an apology for his presence a few days later, triggering Trump’s ire. “Why did you apologize?” Trump asked him. “That’s weak.” “Not where I come from,” said Milley in a scene first recounted in Michael C. Bender’s book Frankly, We Did Win This Election. “It had nothing to do with you. It had to do with me and the uniform and the apolitical tradition of the United States military.” “I don’t understand that,” Trump said...
What followed from Election Night was a two-month assault on the vote, in which Trump and his allies exhausted every avenue to overturn the will of the people—a sustained effort in which he was aided by Republicans and that led to an unthinkable attack on the nation’s very capital. But Trump, of course, had taken the first steps to this moment more than four years before, with accusations against his own party during the 2016 Iowa caucus and then the full-throated conspiracy theories about election fraud that he first unveiled in an otherwise routine Ohio rally that summer. He spent his entire term moving further down that path, brazenly lying without consequence, knowing that his supporters would follow him and his fellow Republicans would back him. He had steadfastly assaulted the pillars of government and its institutions, attacking their credibility, so when the moment came—when it was time for a lie bigger than an altered hurricane map, time for one about the central tenet of the nation’s democracy—enough of the public would believe him.
I Would Lie, He Wouldn't Lie to Me, But I Will Lie for Him...
I admit it up front! I cannot be unbiased about dealing with The Big Lie... No, not the book! Indeed the book is so well done that I felt like I was studying the history of what has happened to America during the previous administration (and even before). Because now, we STILL have not been able to move on to work within the activities of Biden's administration. Instead, The Big Lie continues to invade even my home as, I receive mail from not the individual running for office...but LIES about the man who is opposing him! Let me tell you clearly, I resent being told lies about people who I have seen discuss and talk about their record and, therefore, KNOW what the man is about! Aren't you tired of all the lies we have heard and are still hearing?!
Let me ask you, when was the last time you felt like you knew the truth about what was going on in America? Well, for me, because I am retired and able to view various news stations who cover what is happening in America and the world... And, additionally, because I love to read, I want to learn details about the facts that I've heard...So, I can verify that for the first half of the book, I was feeling my anger rise as the author regurgitated all the lies that had taken place by the occupant of the highest office in our country... during the last administration.
I had thought it would be over by now...
But it's NOT...
In many ways, it is worse!
You see, we have a political party in America who has, actually adopted that Big Lie...and is working to make it happen!!!
Please take the time to at least listen to the immediate above video if you don't watch them all. It is clear to me, at least, that the republican party is working to ensure that there is absolutely NO oversight available through the law! You are being harrassed on the job by your boss? That's not a problem, except for you that is, the republican party has allowed that! Corporations want to work to eliminate protection of our natural resources purely for profit? No problem. The republican party has set that up for them... Etc. Etc. Etc... They really don't care about the future of America...of our children...
Do You Like Music? I love all kinds...music is second only after reading... for me... LOL... So, why am I suddenly switching the discussion? Well actually, I'm really not... Let's listen to one song that I learned when I was very young..."Jesus Loves the Little Children." It was later merged with the words of a new song, "Everything is beautiful" and became very popular, given its efforts and power in working to bring people togethr...
The song suggests that, if only we take the time to see, or listen, or learn--then we would see that everything is beautiful...
But the inverse is also true... The words of the song, Jesus loves the little children come swiftly from my memory to my lips...Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black, brown and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world... Actually, I had to slow down singing so that my fingers could type the words, they are so embedded in my heart and mind...
Do you listen to favorite songs so that you can learn all the words to sing along, or, even by yourself, in the dark as you fall asleep at night, like I do?
Or remember when you had to learn to recite, perhaps, a poem or the preamble to the constitution, you would repeat the words over and over in your mind until you were sure you knew them "by heart"?
Now consider, reader tweet after tweet, The election might be rigged, The election is rigged if I don't win, I won-we all know it! The election was stolen! Mail Voting is dangerous. Dead people are voting. People are voting twice--by mail and at the polls. They bring in bags of mail to be counted, but from where? The election was rigged. The machines were hacked. I won Arizona, Pennsylvania...all the other states! The election was stolen! Stop The Steal! The media is dangerous and lies about the election. Don't believe what you read until you hear it from me. Only I will speak to you. Only I can save America. Only I can do anything I want without any oversight whatsoever because I want to rule you and use the power of America to do anything I want...until the country...
OOPS...those last words certainly didn't come from the last president, did they? Because he would never tell the truth to his followers...And there's the problem...
When you are lied to daily, from Twitter, from news agencies that place ratings over truth, in the mail, from your congressional representatives... and it comes to you day after day after day... Well, you just might be believing every word that you hear...
Like the song says, though,
Jesus loves the little children All the little children of the world Red and yellow, brown, black and white* They are precious in His sight Jesus loves the little children of the world
Everything is beautiful In its own way Like a starry summer night Or a snow covered winter's day
Everybody's beautiful In their own way Under God's heaven The world's gonna find a way
[Verse 1:] There is none so blind That is he who will not see We must not close our minds We must let our thought be free For every hour that passes by
You know the world Gets a little bit older It's time to realize That beauty lies In the eyes of the beholder
[Chorus:] Everything is beautiful In its own way Like a starry summer nights Or a snow covered winter's day Ah, sing it, children
Everybody's beautiful In their own way Under God's heaven The world's gonna find a way
[Verse 2:] We shouldn't care About the length of his hair Or the color of his skin Don't worry about what shows from without But the love that lives within We're gonna get it all together now
Everything gonna work out fine Just take a little time To look on the good side my friend And straighten it out in your mind
[Chorus:] Everything is beautiful In its own way Like a starry summer nights Or a snow covered winter's day Ah, sing it, children
Everybody's beautiful In their own way Under God's heaven The world's gonna find a way
One more time Everything is beautiful In its own way Like a starry summer nights
*Colors have been updated
We MUST open our minds, not close them... And if they are open and all you hear are lies, specifically, if you hear the same thing over and over and over, then your mind begins to believe it's true! An interesting article may help to clarify what I'm sharing:
"Your Brain Gives Up When Discerning Truth From Lies Gets Too Hard"
You can call it “post-truth,” you can call it “fake news,” or you can, as Kellyanne Conway helpfully suggested on Meet the Press over the weekend, call it “alternative facts.” Or you can borrow Dan Rather’s phrasing from earlier this year: “A lie, is a lie, is a lie.” In a fantastic recent piece for Politico, psychology writer Maria Konnikova investigates 20 years’ worth of research on what happens when your brain is overloaded with a constant stream of untruths, and comes to a bleak forecast for the next four years. In short: Sorting fact from fiction can become so exhausting that, after a while, your brain simply stops trying.
Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert has theorized that to do the work of separating truth and lies, our brains first must accept the false statement as if it were true; otherwise, it’s impossible to engage with it. “For instance, if someone were to tell us — hypothetically, of course — that there had been serious voter fraud in Virginia during the presidential election, we must for a fraction of a second accept that fraud did, in fact, take place,” Konnikova explains. “Only then do we take the second step, either completing the mental certification process (yes, fraud!) or rejecting it (what? no way).”
If you hear a lie often enough, it starts to sound true. According to what’s called the “illusory truth effect,” the more you hear a false statement, the truer it starts to sound. This is even true when you should know better. In a fascinating, if disheartening, 2015 study, researchers showed that if people repeated the phrase “The Atlantic Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth” enough times, the Atlantic Ocean did indeed begin to seem like the largest ocean on Earth.
A constant stream of lies becomes so mentally taxing that your brain gives up. “It’s called cognitive load,” Konnikova writes, meaning that “our limited cognitive resources are overburdened.”
Lie detection is difficult work, and your brain can only handle so much.
Well, before I overburden your reading/mind, just let me highlight that other than white men who were given the right to vote automatically, those in the Black Race, All women, and more were brought about by fighting for total voting rights for all people as presented in the Constitution. DO NOT allow us to go backward by the use of games, gerrymandering, filibusters and all the other dream schemes that have evolved in the past to attempt to remove rights to which we have already been given...It's happened once, so far... We must work to ensure it does not continue...
"It didn’t change what had happened in that chapel.” One of her arms folded over the other as she embodied an embrace of another kind. “Love got a hold of me that day, and He’s held me ever since. I don’t know what or where I’d be if He hadn’t.”
In the midst of today's chaos, concerns, and fears, God will find you exactly where you are...and send you words of love... This time, it was through a truly remarkable book I just finished this morning when I woke at 5:30... "It didn’t change what had happened in that chapel.” One of her arms folded over the other as she embodied an embrace of another kind. “Love got a hold of me that day, and He’s held me ever since. I don’t know what or where I’d be if He hadn’t.”
And as soon as I had read those words, the words of the song, "God is an Awesome God" poured into my mind to sing, to stop, and, yes, to remember, that once God's love gets a hold on us--He's going to hold on from then on! Wow! Once again, as many of us may require, I was gently reminded to Take Time for God...
The leaves of my life are falling--perhaps that is why I feel a need to hurry, to tell, to try to persuade... I am concerned about what is happening in America... yet, in my heart, I DO know He is in control... if we would just allow Him to act...at...His...own...time... 😔
I met Nadine on Facebook where we discussd a book both of us had read... At one time or another, I will meet many writers and get to know a little about them...Many times, I will want to read their words...for surely a writer--a great one--will speak their truth and share words that they want us to hear... Those are the writers that I want to read, to learn of their lives, and to hear, often, how God is working in his or her life... When I saw Nadine's latest posted, I immediately went out and downloaded it.
Keels writes contemporary romance. We Were Real starts when the main character, Nikkita Creighton was coming back to her home town after many years away, but, still remembering clearly how her life was changed, in several ways. One she had once been invited to go to church as part of an "invite your friend contest" to bring new, young teens into the church. She didn't even know the girl at school who came to invite her, but that was the type of girl she was--bubbly, talkative, energetic...Nikkita decided to accept the invitation--after all, it was only to go to church with her...
Her family had not routinely gone to church, so it was to be a new experience for Nikkita--in more ways than one. First, she was Black and was being invited to a predominantly White church... Nikki was quick to realize that when she found she was the only brown face in the congregation. Still she was drawn to stay and even quickly found a place--a place where people were visiting, staying to pray, or sit peacefully prior to the actual service.
It was there in that room, as she listened to the song softly playing, that she realized something was happening to her...and quietly felt His presence, His Love...so warm and close that she cried in the joy of knowing, yes...knowing Him in her life... She was amazed that He came so quickly and easily, offering her what He realized she had always needed...
Soon she was trying out for and singing solos within the choir... At home, her parents quietly watched as she started reading the Bible... Still, in the evenings, she would also always have time for music--music that meant so much to her and, often, when words would come to her... She would write them quickly down and then work out an arrangement of the musical notes that would be used, to create...a new... song...
Her voice spoke to all that heard it--for after all, her entire life had been surrounded by her music--what she wrote or heard, she made it a part of her life, even naming her guitar when she was in college, to keep her life surrounded with sounds of, and words, that she needed to share with the world...
As a result of that first visit, she had also noticed a single boy among the teens gathering--their eyes had met just briefly before they each turned to talk to those who were new to the fellowship. But, one night, when Nikkita was sitting alone in the hospital, while worrying about her father who was there, she was trying to do some of her homework. She looked up and saw the boy from church she had "met" on her first night there. She remembered his name and called, "Ian?"
Have you ever just "clicked" when you met somebody new? Well, Nikkita and Ian had done that. Ian had cared enough to come to check on her at the hospital, knowing how he had felt when his own father had died recently. He knew Nikkita might just need somebody to be there with her. And he was right...
They became friends--good friends and readers will enjoy the joking tease between the two as they got to know each other... Ian loved old movies and his favorite show was "Leave It To Beaver." You guessed it, the two would spend hours talking about the show and what was happening in the world about that time.
So, of course, food and where they would eat then came up! When she never heard of some of his favorite drinks of that time period--mine was rootbeer floats--he looked around the area until he found an old fashioned shop with a counter and even oldies playing...
Ian was soon spending time with Nikki during her precious music time at her home...and they would talk and learn more about each other, always kidding and teasing--it was part of their relationship, of course!
And then she was gone... Nikkita stopped going to church, wasn't there when Ian tried to reach her and soon it was time for both of them to enter college and distance pulled the relationship to a close... At least it seemed that way... But no matter what had happened, there was no further communication between the two friends... What had happened?
When it came out, there was disillusionment and shock. The youth pastor had been involved with that vivacious young teen who had invited Nikkita to her church. In fact, when Nikki began to be concerned about her own interaction with the minister, she had called that girl and, before, she realized it, was being told the whole story...or at least part of it...
Keels' story includes that there were sermons or discussions that occurred in that church about teen sexuality. For me, that was a surprise, because I had never attended any church where the issue was even brought up! Which course should actually occur in the church?
One of the books I had contemplated researching and writing years ago, and may still do through my open-memoir process, was to be titled The Single Woman Within the Church. In my opinion, the church should be involved in, at least, responding to the issue, in some way. Obviously, after reading this book, I would say that, if it does occur, it should be through a sensitive, highly evaluated and tested program, rather than the personal opinion method which is based purely on what words might "relate" and can be found in the Bible.
Ian undoubtedly realized that, somehow, Nikkita had learned something and decided to just leave the church. But, that never explained to his satisfaction what happened to "Us." He would sometimes send a message, "I Miss US..." only to never hear back...
Time moved forward. Nikkita had pulled together a great group of musicians and was touring most of the time. While Ian met and married a woman... Social media was what brought the two back together, as friends who were once close are able to do... And, so, as the story begins in the present, Nikki has agreed to meet Ian as she traveled to her last concert, and would pass the town where she and Ian had met...
The story itself reminded me of an old, old story/movie, Love Story... Death, a part of life, was present and discussed. But would Nikki be able to share, to reveal to Ian why she had broken away so quickly and permanently, at least at that time...? Decades had gone by. Ian was a widower and both realized there had always been a connection, a budding of, perhaps, adult love... Could Ian forgive Nikki's actions so long ago? Probably. But could she deal with providing the answers he was asuredly going to ask? She only knew that if it didn't happen now, it never would... And she, too, had missed US.
Keels has done an outstanding job in writing a both believable story, yet one that goes deep enough into the issue without revealing too many details. I told my niece that I would have liked to have known her as a friend and not just as an aunt when she was 17, so that I could share this book and talk to her, perhaps sharing my own thoughts and opening myself up to lovingly discuss in a safe environment.
That's the type of work this book is...Don't be afraid to buy it for both boys and girls... Both can be just as much in the dark about the reality of relationships as you once were... It's important to open your heart and mind to children to listen to their concerns and allow them to freely come to you when they need to talk about one of the most important part of their lives. It's not an easy discussion--or is it? With the right parental relationships already established, it shouldn't be, especially when you spend time sharing about the different types of love that people share with each other... like God's love for each of us (see above video... as an example).
You know, Folks, I've picked out several videos of music that I didn't know, yet, they seemed to be the type of words that young Nikkita could have written and sang as she grew older... Simply because I've met with the author through her beautiful, sensitive words that she has given to all who will read her story. Nobody but Jesus hears so many of the stifled cries and hidden stories of unwanted touches, from those that we have respected, or even loved with Philia love--friendship, respect and, even honor...
Only to have it betrayed and turned into something that is not expected nor welcomed... those feelings that we wish to save, to hold dear, for someone who we one day will love and care for...and allow Eros love to blossom and grow... Today's world emphasizes sex more than we could have ever imagined...
One of the songs I found today, "Son of David," reminded me of the story that I shall never forget, especially in these days, when so much turmoil and confusion are being incited and acted upon without regard to God's Truth. You see, the son of the Biblical King David once killed his brother... The brother who was killed was also the son of David who raped his sister... When David did nothing, his son acted out of love for his sister and killed the man who had attacked her... Undoubtedly, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God...
You see, in my mind from all of the stories I have read by women who need to share through their words what happens to girls--of any age--this has never been about abortion on the part of men... After all, many of those who are running for office, including in my own state, are saying that "nothing" should prevent a woman from carrying a child, even from rape, incest, or from...pastors, bosses, or any man who wants to have power over a woman, for any reason. But, just as Nikkita could not share about her own thoughts, so I and so many others, have not been able to do or consider anything, unless there is an option of choice...
No woman wants to "murder" a baby as the Dr. Oz candidate in Pennsylvania believes...and nobody wants to hear words from Mastriano who considers it "ridiculous" that a woman wants to feel that she has control over decisions affecting her own body... Just two of the individuals running for office this November! Think through what their words actually say and what it means to you...
Neither Nikkita, nor I had been actually raped. But does that make a difference in the mind of the victim of unwanted sexual advances... For Nikkita, she had to go into counseling, trying to understand what she was taught in church, as opposed to what actually took place there... I have my own story(ies) about those with whom I attended church...
Do not speak of Pro-Life to me when it is men, men who should never touch a woman unless welcomed, nevertheless go ahead and do it! Just in the few months that Roe has been overturned, a 10 and 14-year old have been forced to go to another state...or be forced to have a child, one when she was too young, physically, and the other, because she never should have been touched in the first place!
It really is NOT about life, you know... It is about men wanting to control all parts of women's lives... Just ask any woman who has been touched, raped via incest or stranger, or her date... Nikkita was doubly burdened, as I was, because it happened in church, by supposed men of God...
All women want, in my opinion, is to have a little privacy to deal with these issues that confront all women...and men... Is that asking too much? I don't think so! And though the "me-too" movement is essentially over, there are new cries of fear and anger... Hopefully, women who are concerned will speak... Writers who know about the trauma will share their words... Lawyers, doctors, and others who want to help women's health issues, including any reproduction concerns...will, as I heard this morning...continue to file legal suits against the laws that have been broken, even as far back as when King David's son first raped his sister... Don't allow us to go backward in being able to make decisions about our own bodies... Certainly, it is God that speaks of love. where a woman should be treated as Christ treated the church--He died for her... Anything else? It is criminals who speak of hate, violence, and loss of equality not only under God's laws, but the laws of our government's constitution.
