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The Power Of Presence by Neil T. Anderson August 1 - 8, 2016

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The Power Of Presence by Neil T. Anderson is a true love story about a husband and wife. It is a book which is very thought provoking. When the author's wife becomes ill with dementia, their whole lives change. All of a sudden he must care for his wife, Joanne, in the smallest of ways from feeding her to helping her rise from a chair to combing her hair. What helps Dr. Anderson get through it is the awareness of God's presence. It's very interesting to read about his ability to find beauty and purpose in silence. He looks at a football game with the volume turned down. He remains silent to listen to her words which are out of order, one thing becomes another thing and her dreams are, well, who can understand a person's dreams? Much worse are the dreams of someone who is to put it gently losing touch with reality gradually. While reading their story, what touched me the most were the small conversations between the two. The times when she did come bac

Fifth Column by Mike Hollow

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  This is a wonderful WWII Christian mystery by Mike Hollow. When I met the victim, she was already dead. Still, I cared about her. Felt very concerned about why someone would murder her. It proves our character or reputation lasts longer than our fleshly life whether good or bad. Besides, now I know about the Fifth Column. Why was I shocked? These people rise up during the horrors of war to protect themselves in any country. Fifth Column by Mike Hollow has put me in the mood for more spy novels, and I would like to know more about WWI, The Great War. In the meantime, there is so much World History in this World War II mystery novel.  kregel.com/fiction/fifth-column/

Fire In My Eyes by Brad Snyder and Tom Sileo (DaCapo Press-Netgalley(ARC)

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How does a family get use to the idea that their father, son or brother is working far away in a foreign country with explosives? They must worry constantly. This is the job of one American who is written about in Fire In My Eyes. I'm writing down his whole job title, or I would never remember it. It is US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officer . When I think of dangerous explosives, I am reminded of Princess Diana. One of her concerns was unexploded explosives lying in residential areas, on beaches where children, teens and other people might walk not expecting to meet their death. I also think of a fictional character in The English Patient. He did the same kind of dangerous work. Since Fire In My Eyes is a true account, I am looking forward to learning more about the lives of these heroes. The setting is Afghanistan.

Thank You!

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I received an inspiring book this week. It is a courtesy copy from Barbour Publishing . It is about illness in a family. Their struggle to help their baby deal with a terminal illness. The cover shows the love for the child. There when the baby was born and growing as the life tender moment continued. When I read about the struggles of other people whether families or single people I learn how to become less complaining in my own struggles. These lives strongly help growth in the area of perseverence, never giving up and love. This book and its synopsis are a reminder of a Pastor's words from the scriptures a week or so ago as America traveled through the days of Black Lives Matter. For a long time, it's been my favorite scripture discovered during days at my childhood home and brought into the times of trial during marriage, motherhood and aging. The scripture helped me keep going. What helped this family go on? One of the worse scares I would think is having an infan

Book Beginnings

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rosecityreader.blogspot.com "The Anderson shelter had guarded his life for another night, but it felt like a grave. Only the thin sheet of corrugated iron at his side separated him from the cold earth in which he was lying. He drifted in and out of a restless, shallow dream."

Continuum: A Love Poem by Maxine Kumin

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going for grapes with ladder and pail in the first slashing rain of September    rain steeping the dust in a joyous squelch   the sky standing up like steam from a kettle of grapes at the boil    wild fox grapes wickedly high    tangled in must of cobweb and bug spit going for grapes    year after year    we two with ladder and pail stained with the rain of grapes our private language Maxine Kumin  english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/kumin/onlinepoems                                         1980

Father And Son by Langston Hughes (Vintage Short)

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This short story by Langston Hughes is rich in History. What does Langston Hughes leave out? Nothing. The short story takes place in Georgia. Bert is born to the White master of the plantation. His mother is a Negro or Black woman who is Norwood's mistress. Of all the children born to him, Bert is the lightest one. So many issues to discuss and think about all relevant to how Black people socialize with White people and how Black people interact with one another now, today. Of course, this is not new knowledge. All of us know about miscegenation. It's just that the scars of our History must never become raked aside as old knowledge versus new knowledge. History helps us know ourselves better. The better we know ourselves, the better we will treat one another. Also, love between different races is beautiful. The problem is many people hate it, feel shame and hurt other people for choosing to love someone from a different culture. It breaks my heart to read that Bert wasn'