…and we think we have it rough! Jan Sikes writes about her amazing Mom who lived through unthinkable hardship, teaching her daughter how to live and love. Read more about this wonderful author here.
Meet D. L. Finn, whose poetry captures what many of us feel about how this pandemic is affecting our lives.
D. L. Finn’s Poetry
MISTY MOUNTAIN MOMENT
It flows quietly on a breeze
Covering the landscape in its presence.
The world simplifies at that moment
While the mountain mist intensifies.
Its threatening chill keeps us indoors
Watching…
Waiting…
Worrying…
How long will it eliminate color from our world?
Yet, we’re securely tucked away inside.
We have a full stomach.
A place to sleep… others don’t.
Some live outside in this mountain mist
Trying to survive.
We offer what we can… from a safe distance.
As we head back to our protected lives
Suddenly, we get a glimpse past the monochrome.
Then we remember that a dreary gray mountain moment
Does not subdue the light that shines within all of us.
GONE
Gone is my freedom as I shelter at home.
Gone is abundant supplies; I must get in line to shop.
Gone are family gatherings, events, and appointments.
Gone is the income from those deemed non-essential.
Gone is the guarantee they will be helped.
This is all replaced by a new world.
Where procuring toilet paper is a reason to celebrate.
Where putting my wants over someone’s safety is a priority.
Where people risk their lives to save others.
Where people do without, perhaps for the first time.
Where learning how to make what used to be available.
Yes, so much has changed and is gone—for now.
My hope is this new insight and caring…
Stays long after everything that is gone, returns
And things go back to a new compassionate normal.
STORM
A storm tore through our world unseen
But we felt its presence as hospitals filled.
We tried to wash it off and hide from it
Yet, it kept coming.
Finally, we headed into the storm shelter
Only venturing out for food…
Unless we were needed to fight this storm.
So many heroes raced into the chaos
Sadly, some did not make it back home.
While the rest of us waited in our safety
Grateful for what we had
Worried for what we did not.
Here we wait for that sunny day
When the storm fades away,
And we return to normal again
Armed with a new understanding…
Of how fragile our existence is.
Something the wise won’t ever forget.
How is the threat of Covid-19 affecting people? Harriet Hodgson beautifully shares her thoughts here. I’ve found them to be uplifting and thought-provoking. What about you?
By Harriet Hodgson
As COVID-19 spread across the land, Americans were directed to stay home. This news led to all sorts of questions. What will we do for entertainment? How will we teach the kids? Will we run out of food? As weeks passed, many Americans felt confined, even imprisoned. Not me. A freelancer for 38+ years, I was used to working at home.
My husband and I have been married for 62 years. “I love you more today than yesterday,” I often say. Staying home with him was a blessing. Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Oliver, in one of her poems, uses the phrase “with hands clasped.” I lived her words with hands clasped in memory, in caregiving, in creativeness, in gratefulness, and in hope.
In memory . . .
When World War II started, I was four years old. COVID-19 made me…
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Meet my friend Stevie (Michele) Sabad, who, in the linked post, is reading an excerpt from her newly released book, FIRST WE EAT. Food, Life and Other Stories.
I loved her first book, CAMP FOLLOWER: ONE ARMY BRAT’S STORY, in which she shares stories of her life in a way that resonates with me, someone who grew up as she did, in snippets and in various places. For those who were allowed to grow roots and have not experienced that lifestyle, CAMP FOLLOWER is a great way to get to know your friends who did.
I can’t wait to read her next book, especially after hearing her read this excerpt. Click Here to Enjoy!
On March 7, 2020, a brilliant light went Home to Heaven, leaving the world not an iota darker, but instead many times brighter with all the lives she impacted here.
Jesus Christ welcomed her Home, where she undoubtedly heard her beloved Lord and Savior say, “Well done, Felecia. You have finished the race.”
Felecia Clarke, a friend to many of us, accomplished every task the Lord had given her to do, which included publishing her delightfully candid memoir entitled, ARE YOU READY? She was ready.
In her blog, A Life Sanctified, she left us with clear guidelines on how to live, how to fight a relentless enemy, how to love, and how to encourage others even while going through dark places.
My heart aches at her absence and rejoices at her victory over illness and death. Tears run down my cheeks as I share her last blog post with you, appropriately entitled “It’s Okay to Cry,” a letter to you, with love, by Felecia Clarke.
I think I know why God has allowed this cancer. He’s using me for His glory and I couldn’t be happier about that. The amount of people who have told me over the past four years how my conduct through this ordeal has helped them is remarkable.
Dare I say I’m a beacon? Sharing my strength with others as needed. Praying with them. Crying with them. Holding them up. It sounds very self-sacrificing, but it’s not.
They strengthen me as well.
Calming during the storm … sharing a hope for the future.
Of course it’s only because of God that I can say that.
The article is from 2017, but the review is as valid today as it was then, and the book…oh, my. I’m an Army Brat, and Michelle’s story brought to mind so many memories of similar experiences I had growing up. Her memoir is as unique as she is, fascinating from beginning to end. If you haven’t read it yet, you’re missing out. CAMP FOLLOWER is available on Amazon. Get it today!
Quotes
“You are not from anywhere in particular but you are all a part of the same community.”
“You might get itchy to move every couple of years, or, conversely, never want to move ever again.”
“You’re very patriotic. You cry at the national anthem anytime, anywhere…You probably touch, even fondle the tank now sitting as a monument in your town’s armoury square.”
“You have to catch up to the real world at some point but the adults we became carried this base-brat upbringing with us.”
“The moving on, excitement and anticipation was the best part of growing up military… Just the scale, geography and weather were different.”
Review of Camp Follower: One Army Brat’s Story
“Life happens everywhere. We all get there in the end. It’s the stories that we live and share along the way that make things interesting.” So writes Canadian author Michele Sabad in the introduction to…
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Meet John Fioravanti, author of the inspirational REFLECTIONS. Remind you of anything? My REFLECTIONS OF A MISFIT is still being revised. Meanwhile, pick up a copy of John Fioravanti’s REFLECTIONS today! I’m going to!
Welcome to Day 10 and the final day of the RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! We’d like to introduce you to an amazing supporter and RWISA member, Author, John Fioravanti.
We ask that you click on the author’s RWISA Profile below and visit all of his profile pages – some offering more insight into the member and others showcasing the author’s writing talent.
Lastly, we ask that you support this member as well as the host of this blog, by sharing this page and the author’s profile pages across all your social media platforms.
What John has to say about RWISA…
John has a book he’d like to introduce you to:
Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are…
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We grandmas can accomplish anything we put our minds to! Harriet Hodgson gives a nod to Grandma Power in her book The Grandma Force. Say hello to Harriet!
Welcome to Day 9 of the RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! We’d like to introduce you to an amazing supporter and RWISA member, Harriet Hodgson.
We ask that you click on the author’s RWISA Profile below and visit all of her profile pages – some offering more insight into the member and others showcasing the author’s talent.
Lastly, we ask that you support this member as well as the host of this blog, by sharing this page and the author’s profile pages across all your social media platforms.
What Harriet has to say about RWISA…
Harriet has a book she’d like to introduce you to:
Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are you looking for a…
View original post 144 more words
Meet fellow SciFi author Karl Morgan! He’s the Rave Reviews Book Club Member of the Month.
IN HIS OWN WORDS: “I love science fiction and fantasy! As a normal, breathing human being, I have my own ideas about how and why we are here. I also have my views on why evil and good exist in this world. Put all of that together and I am blessed to have the chance to share my words with you, my readers.
“Writing continues to be an adventure for me. Each story refines my skill and allows me to delve into different aspects of my personality and to better define my world-view. But please do not think that makes me special. We are all on our own adventures, and hopefully, each of our lives allows us to learn and grow. If you are interested in stories that will challenge how you see the universe around you, my books might be right up your alley. Expect the unexpected.”
Read more, and be sure to pick up one of his books!
via #RRBC Member of the Month #RRBCMOM @KarlJMorgan #RRBC_Community
Meet D.L. Finn, another great RWISA author!
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