Connected - We Are All Connected - According to Talon, Connected by Gigi Sedlimayer - And Talon,Encounter!

 

Gigi Sedlimayer has created a wonderful children, (and adults) story about, no kidding, Condors - a family of 3, one of which was raised by the human main character and child, Matica! She named the bird Talon, who had been taken by poachers and then rescued by Matic, helping him from his egg to become his substitute mother.

How Cool is that! I've been following the series from the beginning, so when I learned about the latest, I went out and bought two that I hadn't read yet: Connected and Encounter--very different types of stories but both with a continuing message...

Of Connection...

Connected has an important message which is relevant at any time, but perhaps more important than ever before, in our present days of chaos... Sedimayer uses the tool of repetition to ensure that we all understand just how important for all of us to know just how much our lives matter, including those of our animal neighbors... 

With a family of four, Matica is already a leader as she has taken full responsibility for raising Talon as well as learning how to communicate with him. She has come to recognize his movements or his sounds and quickly realized that he could understand her as well.  Soon, the real parents of Talon found their son and became...connected...to Matica and her family. Soon they were named, Tamo and Tima, and also responding to attempts to communicate with their human friends...

In this important story, Mitica is invited to meet the Indian Tribe's Elder and Leader, Elcano, who was 117 years old... She was scared--as most of us would be having been requested for a private audience with the most important man in their village!

With great apprehension Matica followed Pajaro to his father’s hut. As much as she knew, he was the oldest and wisest in their village. She had never seen him and was afraid to confront him. I think not even Dad had seen him lately, she thought. He probably met him in the beginning, when we arrived. Yes, I remember him walking with Dad. Yes. He must be really old now because he never comes out of his hut anymore. I have seen people around his hut tending to him, but that is all. She had asked about him once, but she never got a real answer. Why does he want to see me now and for that matter personally? Why can’t Pajaro go alone and show the leaf to him? Why me as well? Will he accept me? Will he be mad at me? Will he laugh at me? Scream at me? Her old insecurity grabbed her again, squeezed her heart. Her heart pounded against her chest. She kept back a little. Do I really like to see him, go to him? Not really. She didn’t know how to tell Pajaro, so she just tottered after him...

Matica waited outside the door, staring at it as if she wanted to penetrate it, to see what’s behind it. It seemed an eternity to her, but in fact it was only a few seconds later when the door opened again and Pajaro slipped out to her. He said, ‘My padre wants to see you now. His name is Elcano. Please address him with his name or ‘sir’. Come.’ He took her hand and together they walked in. He really wants to see me personally, Matica thought, toddling timidly...

As Pajaro and Matica kept standing by the door, not moving at all, waiting, the round head turned slowly around to face them. Groaning noises escaped his open mouth with colourless, wrinkly and thin lips. A very sharp nose, not too big and not too small, in a much wrinkled and very thin face captured her attention; also his high and deep furrowed forehead that ended in the bald scalp. She couldn’t see his eyes. They were hidden and nearly covered by thick, bushy white eyebrows. His high cheekbones stuck out and framed his face, standing over his shrunken cheeks...

He speaks English. That’s good, Matica thought. He refers to me as daughter? Relaxing for a few seconds after the strain to sit up, Elcano rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes, breathing deeply with open mouth. But soon he opened his eyes again, lifted his head and fixed them on Matica. She still stood by the door, not sure if she should approach Elcano. They stared at each other. His gaze intimidated her, nearly paralysed her. She couldn’t take her eyes away from his eyes as if they hypnotised her. They looked dark and round and were deep-set under the white, bushy eyebrows but looked alert and bright and were moving constantly...

Matica could only nod then whispered, ‘Sir, I’m…’ ‘Eeeeeeaaa, it is all right, believe me.’ Elcano’s arm went into the air again then he cleared his throat. ‘There you have it. My body,’ he tapped the bed he was laying on, ‘doesn’t like to live anymore, but my brain will live and is functioning very well. Yes, yes, it is the truth. They have a fight, my body and my brain, every minute of the day and night and I have to live with it in between. I tell you that, just in case you wonder. Yes, yes.’ Matica, boldly now, stepped one step closer, leaning forward and said, ‘Sir...

Once outside Matica inhaled deeply, then leaned her back against the wall of the hut and closed her eyes. We are all connected. I’m his daughter...

After the adventure when Matica and her father visited a nearby town, resulting in an injury to her father, Talon had brought leaves for Matica to use on him. After they were safely home, the family were anxious to know about the leaf that was making the healing so fast... And, so it was, Matica was invited to visit the elder and leader of the village, Elcano... It was a very long and strange, and, actually, frightening experience for Matica to see a man who was so old and how his body was affected. There were long pauses for Elcano to rest, but he knew of the leaf and confirmed it had healing powers. And then talked about how the condors and the family and the village were all connected, calling Matica, the daughter he wished he had had...

But what would all of this mean for Matica in the future?

Shooting at Them 

Terrified, Matica didn’t know what to do. She just lay on Talon, snuggled her head into his shoulder, not really wanting to see it all. She prayed that God would protect them, that if they started shooting the bullets will not go through them, will not hurt or injure them, but will pass by without hurting anyone. Bang! Bang! She heard the first two shots. ‘No!’ she yelled into Talon’s shoulder and squeezed her eyes closed. She could not see the bullets but somehow, she heard the bullets whizzing and passing them. Or was it her imagination?

 

Just as she opened her eyes to see what was going on, Tamo jerked and turned at a sharp angle. 

Oh my god, did a bullet hit him? We have to get away, Matica thought and lifted her head to look around. But where can we go? They have seen us. Wherever we go they will follow us. We can’t fly home. Then they’ll know where we live. We have to hide. It’s the only way in the moment to get away from them. 

Tima wouldn’t stop screeching in her high pitch-warning screech now and flew straight up into the sky. 

Yes, Matica thought. We have to get out of the range of the bullets first, then we have to decide what to do, most likely hide. Tima has the right answer. Then she yelled, ‘Talon, follow Tima up. We have to get out of range. We can’t fly home, they’ll see which direction we fly and will find out where we live. It will endanger the Indians as well. We can only fly in the opposite direction, away from them or hide. They must have good rifles that they can reach us up here. Better we hide, Talon.’ 

Bang! Bang! Another two shots passed them.

 

Matica grinned. They’re bad shooters. They are too excited to see us. Well, that’s good for us, otherwise they wouldn’t have missed. After all condors are big targets, I would say. 

Next Tamo dived directly at them. ‘No!’ Matica yelled after him. ‘Tamo, don’t attack them. The bullets are faster than you.’

Tima screeched at Talon not to follow her then she dived after Tamo. As she reached him she flew under him and bumped into his tummy, pushing him up, screeching. 

Talon flew with Matica higher up. She hoped the bullets wouldn’t reach them there. 

Bang! Bang! Two more shots. 

Tamo shook his head and pulled in his left wing. A feather sailed away. 

Oh my God, a bullet found its target, Matica thought aghast and worried. Oh no! Was his wing hit or was it only a graze, or was it only a feather that flew away, not his wing, his flesh?...

Early in the series, we learn that poachers are working in the area to capture wild animals and sell them. In Encounter, we are once again learning that the poachers are back! Matica, who has raised Talon from this birth--breaking out of his shell--is instantly on alert as she pictures all that happened in the past and worries what those with guns could do. While the condors could perhaps defend themselves, Matica was too afraid that they might actually get shot! 

From the earlier book where much time is spent on realizing the connection of the condors to Matica and her family, as well as to the local Indians, we move into a more fast-paced time when the poachers are near enough that some type of planning was needed to defend all those who are now connected, including the condors... But what could they do, the poachers had long guns that could be used from a distance and the villagers had no need for guns in their daily lives. Could they protect themselves and all living humans...and animals? 

For me, both of these books brought to my mind what was happening in Ukraine. How can some humans strike out against others with no reason other than desire for money and/or power. Along with others world-wide who are watching what is happening, I am thrilled to see that Ukrainians of all ages and sexes are prepared to defend their democracy, their country against an enemy who think nothing about moving against anyone who is blocking their personal desires...  

And just as I applaud the Ukranians... I also applauded with Matica and the entire village and nearby villages in their efforts to act humanely to all that had become connected...  Gigi Sedlimayer has created a series that, while geared toward children in their reading efforts, has also created the stories that are important to all humanity as we consider, especially, the animal kingdom.

New Book - Confronting Christofascism by Dr. Carolyn Baker - The History, The Research and The Christian Evolution!

 

Carolyn Baker, Ph.D. was an adjunct professor of history and psychology for more than 10 years and manages her website at www.carolynbaker.net. She was a psychotherapist in private practice for 17 years and is a student of ritual and mythology and has continued her personal mediation practice for more than 30 years. Carolyn offers life coaching both locally and internationally. She is the co-author with Andrew Harvey of Return To Joy(2017) and author of Dark Gold: The Human Shadow and The Global Crisis (2016); Love In The Age Of Ecological Apocalypse: Cultivating The Relationships We Need To Thrive (2015). In 2015 she also co-authored Extinction Dialogs: How To Live With Death In Mind with Guy McPherson; and in 2013 she published Collapsing Consciously: Transformative Truths For Turbulent Times which is preceded by Navigating The Coming Chaos: A Handbook For Inner Transition (2011) and Sacred Demise: Walking The Spiritual Path of Industrial Civilization's Collapse (2009). She lives in Boulder, Colorado. Her other books include: U.S. History Uncensored: What Your High School Textbook Didn't Tell You (2006); Coming Out Of Fundamentalist Christianity: An Autobiography Affirming Sensuality, Social Justice, and the Sacred (2007); The Journey of Forgiveness: Fulfilling The Healing Process (2000); Reclaiming The Dark Feminine: The Price of Desire (1996).

Many of those who are connected and follow me on various platforms, mostly for book reviews, know that I have had much personal turmoil as a result of the merge of Evangelical Christianity with the Republic Party. In fact, it has led to internal family conflicts that have been both worrisome and... frightening for me... How did all of this happen, I wondered... Was it only because of the infamous video where we heard that our immediate past president thought nothing about grabbing the genitalia of women, and claiming that he could get away with it because he was a star!? 

Yeah, that did it for me! I had been involved with concern for women's rights for many years during my working career at a land-grant university. We were required to follow federal laws regarding Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunities...and more... On a semi-work, personal level, I had been voted in as one of the first Staff Council representatives for campus-wide secretarial and clerical employees...and served the maximum terms. I then was appointed to the Council for Women's Concerns, a university group established to study and work to improve the concerns of women, and how the work environment could be improved while they worked at the university. I also served as sexual harassment representative for my department. I had also served in various offices, including president for the, then, National Secretaries Association, and then joined professional organizations related to my upward movement into technical and management activities. For at least 30 years of my career, I actively worked to improve my own skills, as well as respond to the needs and personal development of women in their careers as well...

I share that now, because, from those 30 years of involvement, I became immediately attuned to what Trump was all about...and it was not good! I knew it... so why didn't everybody else know it? Especially, my family... 

Realizing it was because I was not a republican really caught me off guard! Especially when I was told that all Christians are Republican... at least in my family, I had to assume...

I was immediately seen as an outsider by a number of the family...and still am! You know, Jesus was also denied by those who were of His religion... I had to think long and hard...do I follow what my family said...or did I follow what I felt the Holy Spirit was telling and guiding me in? Either way, I realized that I was caught in something that I didn't create. I had not changed... So was it the Republican party and Evangelical Christians that had changed?

One of the online speakers I started to follow was Frank Schaeffer, the son of an evangelist who was popular during the years that Billy Graham was active. I didn't remember hearing his name, but I knew his family history and his work now were relevant... It was Frank Schaeffer's video posting which explained how, as he participated, Evangelical Christians made a deal with Trump... There were a couple of requirements that they asked for...and then he could do anything he wanted, no holds barred! The following is just one of the many videos and books available by this author...check him out if you, too, are looking for answers...

It was the above video which introduced me to the latest book that I am now reading.  Within the first 30 pages, I had learned so much historically and politically, that I decided to go ahead and talk about it with others! I highly recommend the book! Given the credentials of Dr. Carolyn Baker, I believe we can trust what she has to say...and report...albeit, no matter how scary the cover of her latest book is for many of us!

I had already seen it on television, but Dr. Baker quickly points out in the video and in her book that the use of political terms are used so loosely and pejoratively, that we are all caught in a chaos of not being able to talk--to understand the meaning of what others are saying! 

Bottom Line:

Fascism + Religion = Christofascism = The Republican Party

 Schaeffer writes in his Foreword:

As Baker writes in this brilliant book, “I have come to believe that evangelicals do not comprehend what they are reading when they read: ‘I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things’ (Ecclesiastes 7:25). Because fundamentalist Christianity is so thoroughly obsessed with ‘knowing,’ there is little room for appreciating or savoring wisdom. Wisdom is not acquired through knowledge or intellect but through the soul. The soul is the crux of our humanity, and all fundamentalists acknowledge that fact, but they view the soul as something that must be ‘saved,’ rather than the mirror image of the divine within us that we did not acquire and that we cannot ‘lose.’” Concentrating on belief rather than on inner character leads some people—whether atheist or religious—to get stuck on the rules. That is exactly what all fundamentalism is: people mistaking rules, and myths, to enforce a false manmade spiritual goal. And because the mistake is a massive one, all sorts of cruelties and fictions are used to reinforce this and endless training for a salvation… that never comes. 

Enter post-9/11 “Christians” stalking the grieving families of soldiers killed in our wars, desecrating the solemnity of their funerals with screams of “God hates fags!” and “God hates America!” and enter Trump’s followers. Enter those willing to even turn wearing masks and getting a lifesaving vaccine into culture-war fodder to “own the libs” at the cost of life itself. There is only one defense against the rising worldwide fear-filled fundamentalist tide seeping into religions everywhere: the embrace of paradox and uncertainty as the virtuoso expression of life-giving humility. Our egos must be curtailed by what we do not know, which is far more than we do know. This humility is rooted in a fact: we are at the beginning of creation and don’t have any clue as to how things will grow and change...

Baker Starts immediately in the Introduction to lay out the issue:

At this moment American constitutional democracy is sitting on a knife’s edge between maintaining a democratic republic or succumbing to the tidal wave of authoritarianism that appears to be engulfing numerous nations globally. Enabling this terrifying trend is the Religious Right in America whose members identify as evangelical or fundamentalist Christians. This movement not only threatens the American republic but has served to traumatize countless numbers of its followers who have joined its ranks in order to make sense of the dizzying changes and daunting challenges of our time. A path to healing and sanity for individuals and the culture is offered in this book. As investigative reporter Sarah Posner wrote in Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship At The Altar of Donald Trump, “in Trump, the Christian right sees more than a politician who delivers on promises; they see a savior from the excesses of liberalism.”

Many of you may have heard that the number of those who identified as evangelical has moved from about 30% to 70%... It is important to note that the majority of the 70% do not attend church, but considered themselves Far Right in their Political and Religious Fundamentalism. For me, that was a critical point of knowledge. Having been involved with the church for the majority of my life, I could not understand how the church had changed... Well, it really hasn't, perhaps? I don't know. My health, including Covid restrictions, has prevented me from attending church routinely.  

Then I remember the man with the horns, and no shirt, that was a leader in the January, Insurrection, lifting his hands and leading his peers in prayer while they stood in violation of the constitution in trying to stop certification of the nation's election of Joe Biden... Seeing the willingness for violence in support of what they believed?? Or what the cult of Trump had mandated?? 

Baker speaks of the January 6th Insurrection:

In fact, some leaders of the Republican Party have launched a massive campaign to suppress voting in numerous states and to conduct new election “audits” of votes in the 2020 Presidential election. These efforts constitute an ongoing insurgency movement to undermine the democratic process and the 2024 Presidential election. What is more, the Republican Party has rejected a Congressional vote to investigate the January 6 insurrection, forcing the Speaker of the House to ultimately create a select committee of investigators with subpoena power. Now, in mid-2021, 53% of Republicans do not believe that Joe Biden is the legitimate President of The United States. Of those, three out of five white evangelicals contest the reality of Biden’s victory. Alongside their doubt of Biden as President, many evangelicals are embracing the conspiracy cult of QAnon...

Whatever QAnon is... Don't you wonder how supposed Christians are now conspiracy theorists following a group with no known leader or purpose???

If the alliance between these zealots

 and the government succeeds,

 it will snuff out the last vestiges

 of American democracy.

 —Chris Hedges 

Post-Truth is Pre-Fascism.

—Timothy Snyder

What Specifically is Fascism?

There is much more to consider, but I wanted to include a list of what can be identified as a part of Fascism... Interestingly, Baker then chooses to include specific actions by former president Trump to clarify those points, although not included here (I can certify that everything she used was known to me as being factual accounts of Trump's actions during his presidency, and after...)

• 1. Conjuring a “mythic past” that has supposedly been destroyed (“by liberals, feminists, and immigrants”). These myths rely on an “overwhelming sense of nostalgia for a past that is racially pure, traditional, and patriarchal.” Fascist leaders “position themselves as father figures and strongmen” who alone can restore lost greatness. And yes, the fascist leader is “always a ‘he.’” 
• 2. Fascist leaders sow division; they succeed by “turning groups against each other,” inflaming historical antagonisms and ancient hatreds for their own advantage. Social divisions in themselves—between classes, religions, ethnic groups and so on—are what we might call pre-existing conditions. Fascists may not invent the hate, but they cynically instrumentalize it: demonizing outgroups, normalizing and naturalizing bigotry, stoking violence to justify repressive “law and order” policies, the curtailing of civil rights and due process, and the mass imprisonment and killing of manufactured enemies. 
• 3. Fascists “attack the truth” with propaganda, in particular “a kind of anti-intellectualism” that “creates a petri dish for conspiracy theories.” Hannah Arendt, who was a German political theorist living in exile during Hitler’s reign, wrote that fascism relies on “a consistent and total substitution of lies for factual truth.” She described the phenomenon as destroying “the sense by which we take our bearings in the real world…. [T]he category of truth verses falsehood [being] among the mental means to this end.” In such an atmosphere, anything is possible, no matter how previously unthinkable.

If you don't yet want to apply these attributes to Trump, then consider his "bro," Putin, as he is using violence of all kinds to kill primarily women, children and those who cannot fight for their democracy... He has bombed children's hospitals and more to kill and try to demoralize those in the country. Then, stop and really think what Trump is now doing...applauding Putin for his genius... "Nuf Said..."

I am so very thankful that our President is Joe Biden, who has led us back into a NATO relationship of working together to solve the world-wide problems that have been created by another fascist authoritarian...

Like with most nonfiction books, I'll be reading this book along with others I have started... When I finish I'll tell you more...but, like I said, I can already attest to its being well researched, providing a historical perspective with comparative analysis to today's America... Get this book if you need any more evidence that we must work, just as the Ukrainians are doing... to fight for our democracy!

What's Happening at Book Readers Heaven - Cover Reveal for Walter Jack Savage's Latest Novel, the Volchev Files... and Thoughts About Today's Actions by Russia

For the last few weeks, I've been reading and proofreading the latest novel by author-artist Walter Jack Savage. I met Jack online about 15 years ago and have shared a close friendship online from one side of the United States to the other... You'll find Jack on Facebook in particular where a large cultural membership shares about books, art, music and more! Ironically, or perhaps by design by Jack, his latest novel takes us back into the 1970s when the cold war with The Soviet Union was ending, while at the same time a continuation of Russia's desire for domination continued to fester...

Cover Reveal - Work by Artist W. Jack Savage

Book Title - The Volchev File by W. Jack Savage

wjacksavage.com

While I was reading, I could not help but think about one of my supernatural experiences - A God Incident for me... 

I remember a work friend asked me to go with her to listen to missionaries that had gone into Russian territory. For whatever reason, I knew that I had to go--and that there was something that would happen... To that end, I invited a closer friend to my home after that inspiring tale of responding to the needs of those in the Soviet Union, both Russia, the Ukraine and other areas...

Reading the story of Igor Volchev who had been imprisoned by the Russians, for various reasons--even having the reasons changed and Volchev moved from prison to prison without any notice or control over what was happening to him, my memory was stirred. I don't remember the prisoner's name--it could have been Igor... 

I do remember that my name was Sonya and she was the soulmate of the Russian prisoner. That night when I came home, I asked my friend to just stay with me--that I felt I should not be alone but didn't know what was going to happen...

Soon, I was taken over by God's Holy Spirit, I listened to myself as I spoke in tongues, knowing that I was ministering to my love, my husband, as he fought grave illness... He died that night; I had been sent as like an angel to be with him in his final earthly pain-filled moments... My close friend shared with me what had happened as a witness. In Jack's book, he talked about a meningitis breakout that had spread through the camp where Igor was held for a long time, but Igor had not contracted the deadly highly-contagious disease, thankfully, since he was soon moved to a different camp... The unknown Russian soldier I visited that night had died, perhaps by a disease--perhaps from the cold and lack of food... just like those who are in prison, many times without a reason, except that the government official demands it...

I'll be sharing more of an overview of Jack's new novel soon...

In the meantime, it is difficult not to consider the headlines of today's world, as Russia has invaded  Ukraine... We see a country that is controlled by a dictator moving on a sovereign country, where men, women and even older children are taking up arms to fight for retention of their democracy 

While in America...

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-praises-putins-genius-gop-fissures-grow-ukraine-crisis-rcna17259

So, while Grandmothers and children stand to support their military in fighting against the Russian dictator Putin, we can find those in America--Trump and his followers of White Nationalist and more-- repeating the lies that Putin is using to act aggressively against the Ukraine...

Tell me, any of you who are willing to speak out... Why do republicans speak for a dictator and carry his word, albeit incorrectly! Note that Greene condemns democrats for communist acts...while she supports Putin who is indeed...a communist! Please get the script clarified if you're going to lie and support terrorists! But isn't that the case...Disinformation is what they call it...Speak lies on any subject, no matter what and some will believe...unfortunately!

I may not be physically able to fight...but I will fight with Words to speak for retaining a democracy that is now being attacked here in the United States by republicans acting on behalf of a former president that still claims The Big Lie and refuses to acknowledge that the majority of Americans support and wish to continue having a democratic government! Which just happens to be led by Joe Biden, The Duly Elected and Certified on January 6th, 2020, president of The Unites States of America!

Let us Raise Words to Fight Against the lies being spewed across the World! 

Amazing Grace was written by a former slave trader John Newton...Once sailing a ship full of slaves from Africa his ship was hit by a fierce storm... Newton feared for his life and got down on his knees and begged the good Lord to spare his life...He promised the Lord that if he would only spare his life he would change his ways a stop trading slaves.. The storm calmed down and Newton wrote the song Amazing Grace, full of sorrow and love and hope that he would be forgiving of his sins.

I had never heard the story of how Amazing Grace had been written, so I thought that might be true for some of you! Just Think! a man who was bringing humans to be sold as slaves to America and met Jesus and His Truth! May we recognize that lies, including the Big Lie is hurting humanity across the world as those who want only power and riches are working to take the democracy that so many have fought to keep for all of those living in America and across the world. Use Your Words to Speak Against Those Who Cause Dissension and Chaos Rather than Peace and Love!

Oh! And A Shout Out! to Linda S. Prather - I think I have now completed all of her books, during those times when I got away from all of the above... Her diversity of writing across genres is one of the best I've seen and I loved every single one of her books...more on them later!

God Bless,

Glenda

Hopping Along with Oneeka Williams - The Year of Positivity! A Short Message About Love -- And Share Not Today Negativity!

 

I first met Oneeka through her persona, Dr. Dee Dee Dynamo! Dr. Williams is a role model and mentor for children, supporting her desire to encourage a career in science! Her series, features Dr. Dee Dee, who travels to planets across the universe! I loved all of them and quickly realized just how much Dr. Williams was both concerned and involved with children, especially Black children, reaching for all that they can be! Check out my reviews here at Book Readers Heaven...

 ~~~

So, I hope you had a  valentine day with those you love and are loved by! When I saw the Facebook post on Valentine's Day, I responded and immediately asked if I could share her words through Book Readers Heaven and she graciously  agreed...  Check out Oneeka on Facebook! 

Through Dr. Williams, I learned more about an issue that has always bothered me: Women should submit to their husbands...   1 Corinthians 13. I have seen how many men treat their wives! And it is not as Jesus would do! I remember a woman who went to a church many years ago, praying, publicly for her husband, who never attended church, nor even seemed to be aware of his wife's strong faith...  Then I met women who could not do anything without their husband's permission...even going to a movie with a female friend... Even now, in the chaos of today, there is a battle being wrought, isn't there? Banning books, white fragility, (but that's on another page...), and just how badly respect for women has been lost or ignored! 

I knew early in my life that I would be one who strongly supported the rights of women, joining professional organizations to learn more, then turning to organizational groups that worked to enhance the rights of women--Council for Women's Concerns, The Staff Council, and more... 

Even when a pastor asked me to lead a weight-losing group at church, I challenged him, asking whether or not he really wanted a single professional woman leading a group that was mostly married women... He handed me a book. I read it since he asked me to... When I went back to church, I asked him solemnly, "When can I move in?" He looked at me and asked what I meant. "Well, this book tells me that the church was to take care of single women who could not financially support themselves, without a husband--yes, it was that old a volume, or was it?! So I went on to ask..."So when are you and the church going to start taking care of me, financially? Well, I admit, I couldn't finish, without laughing...and he laughed too... But then, it really wasn't a laughing matter was it? The church has not really been kind to women in many ways, I have found... So I was thrilled when Dr. Williams did a little literary research on the meaning of the word submission...

 

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

 Whenever I had heard speakers about "submission of wives..." they never went beyond that basic statement... So I had gone on to read the "entire" scripture! My argument then became, to instantly move on to what the role of the husband was... He was to love his wife as Christ loved the Church...Specifically, he died for us! All of us! Of course, not ever proceeding into marriage had left me, maybe speaking, my own interpretation... Not so, for check out the following reference by Oneeka Williams!

 2022 - The Year of POSITIVITY! !

Sparking Optimism 

 Cultivating Abundance!

Celebrating  the 30-year wedding anniversary count down

#PositivityPearls!

Do submission and love go together? 

Is submission important in a relationship?

Am I submitted to my husband? Is my husband submitted to me?

A few years ago, the leader of the women’s ministry at my church asked me to lead a workshop on submission at the women’s retreat.

Many of my friends had difficulty reconciling the request, as submissive would not have been an adjective that they applied to me! Truthfully, I was also scratching my head as to how I would pull this off!“Submission” has had a negative connotation in relationships and when I asked my husband if he thought I submitted to him, his answer was a resounding NO! The traditional expectation of submission was not important to him. But what of the many other women who had a different experience in their marriage?I went DIGGING! I had to understand where the word came from. What I found gave me and every woman in my workshop LIFE!

The Greek word for “submission” is hupotasso which means to “get under and lift”.

It does not mean obedience!I could redefine the traditional understanding of “submission” to spotlight the Power and Partnership that was baked into its original intent.
POSITIVE PARTNERSHIP…When my husband is weak, I am strong, and I get under and lift!(AND)
When I am weak, he is strong, and he gets under and lifts!
I am empowered in our relationship! WE ARE THE WIND UNDER EACH OTHER’S WINGS!

WE ARE SUBMITTED, ONE TO ANOTHER (Eph 5:21)
So YES!!! SUBMISSION and LOVE do GO TOGETHER!!!#positivitycatalyst #Mindset #IslandofPositivity

I've always enjoyed what I call a broad spectrum of self-help books. They can be life enhancing, inspirational, or even daily scripture/article books... One thing I like about getting this type of book in electronic form is that I can read at my own time frame and easily return to my place in the book. I picked two of these books this week and wanted to share a little about the one by Dr. Williams...

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. . . . Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” —Brene Brown

How many stories do you keep hidden?

What would you do if you knew your stories had the power to heal yourself and others? You would probably start shouting at the top of your lungs to anyone who would listen. I’m beginning my shout today! How about you?

Sharing my stories with you has been such a healing journey. I believe you will also find the healing path in your stories by journeying with me through mine. Even in the toughest of times, you will learn to craft your own stories in a way that heals hearts, restores bodies and minds, elevates you above your circumstances and empowers you to take action. I truly believe I was born on the Island of Positivity!

Does that mean that I have been shielded from negativity? No! Despite the number of times that life’s problems have steamrolled me, with the help of God’s amazing grace, I have picked myself up, dusted myself off, squared my shoulders, assumed a defiant stance, sprinkled in some spunk, and said, “Not today!” Not today, fear! Not today, worry! Not today, anxiety! Not today, insecurity! Not today, defeat! Not today, negativity!

Negativity is like a villain hell-bent on stealing every good thing in our lives, but we can fight back and protect our birthright. We are often held captive by our problems because we think that problems and negativity are partners. They are not! We know problems are a part of life, but when we allow them to marry negativity, they become a formidable couple that can come at us so ferociously that we buckle under the onslaught. How many of you have had days when you have…

Felt so overwhelmed by problems and circumstances that you crawled back into bed and shut down? Felt exhausted, afraid, and alone? Felt so diminished and devalued by toxic relationships or environments that you became physically ill? Looked at a world where the odds seemed stacked against you and felt discouraged about the future? Felt like you were working hard, but the harder you worked, the more stuck you became? Wondered how you could find the positives when the world seemed to be drowning in a sea of negatives? I’ve had those days! Are you shocked? A successful, Harvard-educated urologic surgeon and award-winning author with everything going for her, has felt this way too? How can that be?

Let me tell you. Training and working as a female surgeon in a male-dominated world meant that I had my fair share of those days. No one is exempt from tough times. It’s part of being human. What do we do during those times? Do we throw up our hands in defeat? Or, do we get out of bed and declare with some attitude and some spunk, “Not today, negativity, not today!?”... There is power in awareness. 

Imagine 5 Habits of Positivity as armor, to not only protect your health but also to add pep to your step and confidence that drives your hand up to negativity, indifference, envy, feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and judgment. A shield that helps you to not only cope, but also hope and believe that: 

There is always a solution; I just have to work to find it. (HOP #1) 

I can convert a limit into an opportunity. (HOP #2) 

I’m going to hold on to the positives and discard the negatives. (HOP #3) 

My purpose is uniquely designated and linked to how I can help someone. (HOP #4) 

I can always find reasons to be thankful and believe that there are no limits. (HOP #5) 

I wasn’t born reciting these Habits of Positivity. As I looked back on my journey to becoming a urologic surgeon, award-winning author, and Positivity Catalyst, I realized I was using the Habits without knowing. That was likely why I didn’t remain discouraged and disenchanted. When I dissected each of the situations that I describe in this book—and so many more—common coping themes emerged. Those themes all revolved around finding some vestige of positivity, pushing myself out of bed, squaring my shoulders, and being intentional in saying “Not today” to negativity. 

And why does this matter? Because we have to take part in building a kinder and more caring, inclusive, equitable, respectful, and healthy world, not only for ourselves but also for our children. We are only as strong as our weakest links. As long as we allow negativity’s offspring (hate, discrimination, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, bullying, all forms of abuse) to grow, they will continue to weaken our society, prevent real social justice, erode innovation and progress, and hinder economic development. 

We have to eliminate the places where limited thinking and negativity thrive. We can do this by creating Positivity Scaffolds one habit at a time. It starts with you! When you create your Positivity Scaffold, you can build everything in your home upon it. The effects ripple out like a pebble dropped into a lake to touch your family, coworkers, community, city, state, country, and the world. The more conscious you become of practicing these Habits of Positivity, the more you will connect to your unlimited inner power. 

I don't know about you, but I need to be more positive during this time of deep division in America. It has been hard to see what has and is happening, without becoming worried for the future. Yet, deep inside, I "do" know that God is in control--even while I strive to act, I find myself being pulled back to depression and frustration. 

Dr. Williams writes in such an upbeat way that readers can't help but get excited again... She lights a spark of optimism that allows us to feed on her spirit to be positive and not give in to all those feelings that are being purposely incited these days--lies, prejudice, hate, fear, and all things negative that hammers on our emotional stability.

The key for me was that Dr. Williams will be sharing her own stories! How often, when somebody does that, it clicks our own memory of how we reacted to a similar situation. Was it demoralizing at first? Perhaps, but if we are who I think each of us is, we soon strive to move forward, to find important positive words to help us...

What is provided in this book is a formula, a platform of habit building... I've known that we had to make changes through habits... But we often fall back, don't we? I'm ready to try again... Are you?

INSURRECTION! A Drake Cody Suspense Thriller!

https://youtu.be/o5OsvGLPfKo

Check out a short song about the January 6th Insurrection

Hearing the word Insurrection these days brings forth the memory of what happened in the United States on January 6th, 2021! It is a date that most of us will never forget--nor should we! Day by day we find out more about who was involved, exactly who planned the action, and what penalty will be placed on those who were involved.

The Big Lie... Continues...

Would you like to know more about what an insurrection really means to America...to we as citizens who see such events happening? 

We know there are many groups, known as domestic terrorists who were involved that day: QAnon, Proud Boys, White Supremacists, and others such as the Oath Keepers who came dressed in militia garb and guns, with backup armory found in a nearby motel... They normally evolve when something happens that is not agreeable to specific individuals. Or, they could be just people who want to believe in "The Big Lie" that many republicans continue to support, even though it is not true... The Big Lie? The 2020 election was not a legitimate activity that resulted in the legitimate change of the president of the country.

Just how far does personal freedom go within a democracy? I can't think of anybody within my sphere of relationships that has not faced some type of problem that could have been handled better, either by a corporation or the government. When that happens, do we have the right, the duty to ourselves, to fight? Well, certainly. Yes, until at least we have tried every possible way to seek justice, or, at least peace within ourselves that we had tried.

Take, for instance, when, after over 37 years, I was suddenly without a position. I had taken out measures available to me and understood from my lawyer that to fight would cost more money than I could afford. I then proceeded to act on my own to apply for retirement... It should be noted that none within the institution, except in adversarial meetings had talked to me about options. Finally, I received a letter that my position had been eliminated...deleted...in other words, I had been fired. I just looked at the man who had hand delivered it to me and asked, why didn't you even talk to me--I've already filed for retirement. Still, I was glad, in a sad way, that I could say, I was fired without cause... Because of course, there was no reason upon which I was legally able to be dismissed... It was done purely by the bureaucratic crap that protected the institution. 

So, it was, when I retired that I immediately began another job that I came to love more than my many years where I had labored. Publishing and Book Reviewing.

But some, as many of us have come to know, are unwilling to move on--their narcissistic mindset that their self-importance is more important than anything else... including the lives of others. Thus, an insurrection occurred at the Capitol on January 6th...incited by and encouraged by our former president... and his willing supporters. This, folks, results in what has become the largest cause of deaths in America--domestic terrorism... 

Drake and the two paramedics with him were present to provide medical dignitary protection for the event’s main speaker, rocketing-up-the-polls presidential candidate, Minnesota senator Hayden Duren. The unusual addition of Drake as a hospital ER-based physician to the on-site medical team testified more to the anxiety of those up the ladder than need of his expertise. The paramedics with Drake were ninjas in pre-hospital emergency care. Russell had covered three US presidents’ appearances in the past, and Deb had seen everything in her twenty-year career. “I thought we’d be positioned closer to the senator so we could get to him quicker if needed,” Drake said. “I thought the same at my first one of these, but we need to maintain a buffer zone on these dignitary protection assignments,” Russell said. “If an explosion, weapons fire, or anything ugly happens, we can’t help the senator or anyone else if we’ve been blown to shit.” “Makes sense.” Drake leaned back, soaking up the blue sky and warm sunshine. If all went well, he could be home with Rachelle and the kids by late afternoon. “It’s definitely too nice a day to get blown to shit.” 

“America the Beautiful” began playing from the public address. A man in a suit walked on stage and approached the podium framed by the huge balloons tethered over and around it. “Welcome, everyone, to the celebration of the completion of our tremendous new pipeline!” Applause, boos, and shouts arose from the crowd. “This pipeline is not only delivering essential energy to power our country but also an inflow of jobs and money to the citizens of the state of Minnesota!” More applause and cheers with a few boos. The smiling man on the stage raised his hands. “As CEO of Fenbridge, I want to thank you and reassure everyone that we always have the environment and your safety in mind.” More boos and shouts sounded. “Without further delay, let me introduce Senator Hayden Duren. The senator was initially not a supporter of this project, but we appreciated and readily accepted the proposals he suggested. His plan reinforces our commitment to environmental safety and guarantees that the state of Minnesota’s conservation fund will receive millions of dollars every year the pipeline is in operation.” Applause came from both sides of the crowd. “Thank you.” Senator Duren smiled. “We live in contentious times, but the future is bright if we work together. Wisdom and kindness are required to—” 

BOOM! Balloons exploded outward from above the podium. Drake flinched. The senator dropped to the stage floor as people screamed. A white cloud descended from the center of the blast, enveloping the senator and stage in a dense fog. 

A second report sounded from the far side of the crowd and a larger white cloud spewed into the air. People ran screaming toward the parking area. 

“Let’s go. Our guy is in the middle of it,” Drake said...

This could be a ticket to hell. 

~~~

Author Tom Combs was one of the Americans who saw the Big Lie in action and the subsequent reactions by those who place personal freedom and lives of family beyond all else. Indeed, if you hear the story of what happened to Tolman Freid and his life, you will initially stand with Tolman, in understanding just how much he had lost--through the government process of

Eminent Domain.

In his fourth Drake Cody Suspense Thriller series (watch for more about the first three books soon), Combs creates an extremist viewpoint of the rights of Americans in relation to "the public good..." In fact, you may remember many news items about the Eminent Domain process taking private land from owners to be used to build a border wall, as demanded by the former president. Tolman Freid represents those individuals who lost land by the arbitrary acts of government officials, with no or little concern about the individuals who would be affected.

It is now 20 years later when Freid has initiated and acted to create an Insurrection against the government, citing demands related to Eminent Domain...and...more. In the state of Minnesota, Drake Cody is a physician of the ER and Cody takes the lead as domestic terrorist Freid and his crew take over the Emergency Room, after having bombed a nearby new petrochemical refinery which was being dedicated. Two different chemical bombs had been used, one of which was extremely toxic and was placed where the guest speaker would talk, a Senator who was being considered for nomination for president. He had been rushed to Memorial, as were others who had been brought in for possible exposure...

Staff members later felt guilt when they allowed Tolman Freid to walk into the ER as he posed as a federal hazardous materials oversight supervisor for the Midwest. Indeed the hospital had no equipment or procedures to prevent anybody who wanted to enter the area. So until they merged as a group within the ER, there was no way that an Insurrection was about to take place within the Memorial Hospital! 

Combs carefully presents local safety officers and support staff to show their effectiveness and expertise. The only limitations were that they had no control over what the Domestic Terrorists had planned! More importantly, I believe, was the author's effort in revealing that, while the leader of the group, might have had a justifiable complaint, once he and his crew were revealed, it was clear that (1) they had far too much experience in using instruments of destruction, including guns, bombs and chemicals, and (2) the majority of those involved really had no moral imperative and indeed, were clearly criminals even before this action was being planned. Even Freid realized that he would have to keep a close watch on his own people knowing that they would kill if anybody crossed them. Only Freid's brother, who was also an ex-con but a cult leader, would keep them under control... And as time went by, that proved to be a very difficult job. 

Cody was quick to realize that they couldn't wait for outside help. But those that remained within the ER had been stripped of any outside communication and any items that could possibly be used in defense not if...but...when...they would need to act to try to save themselves!

Only one thing might help. For whatever reason, Tolman viewed Cody as the leader of the medical team and wanted him to understand why he was right to act aggressively, killing with little hesitation or remorse for what he was doing... Tolman allowed Cody to call his wife--Freid's wife had been mentally affected by the loss that had taken place at their home years ago. Now Drake wondered how he could develop a message coded within that call to potentially coordinate inside and outside actions. But would Rachel be able to solve that message? At least he had been able to share for her to seek help...and enumerated those to whom she should go for that help...

But before that could happen, Freid had demonstrated his wrath at not getting action from the government, by blowing up an area with a dangerous acid sent out into a surrounding community! How many more had the terrorist planted before they started the events of that day?! And could they be found in time?

Cut from the headlines and placed within a site that has maximum threat to the sick and infirmed as well as the community, Tom Combs has presented readers with an excellent look into the minds of those who feel they have a right to strike back in murderous revenge for acts done against their personal freedom... For this alone, it is a must-read! 

But for a suspenseful medical thriller, this latest may be the most outstanding in helping millions of readers understand the minds and personalities of those who choose to act with extreme violence and become domestic terrorists, who are now considered the most dangerous threat to the United States...

I ask again, just how far does personal freedom go within a democracy? Many of us have seen the deep divide of those who cry Me, First! or My Opinion Above All Else! or, worse, believe the disinformation that is disseminated routinely by those who seek power with greed as opposed to seeking a way to provide support and help to those within our democracy. Consider how harshly those who've opposed wearing a lousy mask to prevent the spread of Covid have acted and we must realize! Sometimes the good of all MUST take priority over our individual concerns for personal freedom!

Democracy Cannot Stand Alone Against Domestic Terrorists!