Last week we joined friends for a local performance of It’s a Wonderful Life. I can’t count the number of times I’ve watched this film or seen the play, but this year one particular line struck me.

​Clarence the angel says, “Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole...”

It’s been quite a year, hasn’t it? I suspect all of us have experienced the hole that Clarence refers to. In looking back across the months, to the friends and family members who are no longer with us, it can indeed seem awful.

Collectively, we’ve felt this absence through the leave-taking of several public figures, three of whom I write of today.  

Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) helped us remember, that which we want to forget. In his efforts, he taught us that in remembering, we grow in our humanity. The tenuous balance between good and evil tipped towards greatness through his efforts. We are better because of him.

Gwen Ifill (1955-2016) spoke her truth unflinchingly. Her love of justice and her unquestionable grace put the spotlight on the shadows of life and helped us do the same. Like Wiesel, we are better because of her.  

Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) reached into the closed areas of our soul and sang a Hallelujah that evoked our tears. His songs gave voice to that which swarms our hearts and colors our dreams. Like Wiesel and Ifill, we are better because of him.

There are days when we might wonder why we are here, or if there is anything we can offer. At times like this, think about these three individuals. One lived through the worst of human history and simply asked us to remember; another embraced her role as journalist and shared the importance of speaking our truth; and a third dared to let his heart sing and invited us to do the same. Their gifts are our own. We all can remember, we all can speak our truth, and we all can let our hearts sing.

During this time of miracles, when angels dance across the stages of our schools and theatres, when reindeers fly across the heavens, and Santa comes down the chimney, during this season of hope when the supernatural becomes the natural, I embrace the wonder of you. For I know that someday all too soon, a hole will appear where you once held me - by simply being beautiful you.

We Americans will soon feast at a Thanksgiving meal. We praise the cooks, give thanks to the farmers and ranchers, remember our family and friends, and offer gratitude to our loving God. It is a pause we take, in the midst of favorite recipes and hot ovens and table dressings, of laughter and sometimes tears.

I began the preparations today and thought about those for whom I am most grateful.
 
One such person is Fred. He is never without a smile, and I’ve never known him to be contrary. He goes about life slowly now, after one leg was taken by cancer. He seems older than his 70 plus years, but his unusual kindness is very childlike. His joy always elicits mine, and for that, I’m ever so grateful.

And, there’s Judy, the embodiment of all-things-wonderful. Half my height, she sees possibility in the shadows of life. She is the rainbow for which we all search. And while her journey humbles the most difficult of travels, it is her wisdom and passion that awaken my own. I am forever moved by her love of life and for the rainbow she has helped me find.

When we pause, aren’t we all grateful for those who have shown us joy or love or all that a rainbow represents? I am grateful for so many, especially you today. May your Thanksgiving be one of blessings, unexpected and heart-filling. 
​

We have a country that is armed. Not just the South, as Northerners like to imagine. Not just the inner cities, as suburban folks might suggest. The entire country is armed – from New York to Florida, from Chicago to the Gulf States, from Seattle to Arizona. But, why?

Are we all afraid of the drug dealers down the street, or the thieves who prey on innocents? Why are we armed?

I suspect we are armed because of the precipice at which we stand - the chasm of failed trust.

We’ve just suffered through a very contentious election process. If it weren’t battering enough to listen to months of ugliness, we now deal with post-election anger. And, it is about both that I write.

As a person who has experienced violence up close and personal, who has known diminishment because of my gender, who has been ridiculed because of what I believe, I know what it is to be considered valueless. I know the world of the haves and have-nots. My skin is white, but it has known shades of brown and blue and black.  

My heroes, those who accompany me through life, are Harriett Tubman and Martin Luther King, Jr, Nelson Mandela and Bishop Tutu. They walked a path marked by courage, choosing non-violence over hate and traveling into the heart of sorrow. Their path is one I believe we need to embrace.

A choice for violence in words or in deeds is a choice to destroy. The rhetoric defending such actions moves me not. I may be old and foolish, but I believe we each can summon courage to bridge the divide, to restore trust in humankind. Not Trump and not Clinton.

​You and I hold the possibility of hope for our fellow citizens.
​
I care about this country – profoundly. I care about my loved ones – profoundly. I care about our beautiful earth – profoundly. And, I know that all that I love, all that I care about, teeters on your choice and mine.

​In just a couple of weeks, the Rave Reviews Book Club of several hundred published authors will sponsor its first *virtual* WRITERS' CONFERENCE & BOOK EXPO. Member authors will present on a variety of topics, some of which include the following: Building Your Author Platform, Blogging for Success, Marketing 101, Indie vs Traditional: Which One Wins?, Social Media Dos & Don’ts, Formatting Made Easy, and Writing In The Senior Season.

If you are a writer or someone interested in writing, this virtual conference is one to consider. 

Some important information:

• ​Conference Dates: December 1-3
• Registration Deadline: November 23
• Registration Information
• Pricing Information

One of the most unique aspects of this conference is that attendees will have the opportunity to virtually meet authors from across the globe. A few of these authors are noted below: John Howell (thriller writer from the U.S.A.), Jan Hawke (poet and fantasy from the U.K), Bill Ward (thriller writer from the U.K.), Jan Sikes (fiction and non-fiction writer from the U.S.A.), John Fioravanti (fiction and non-fiction writer from Canada).

In 1960 John F Kennedy was elected president. He was the first Catholic to assume this mighty role. During the campaign months, my siblings and I rode the public high school bus into town to attend the only Catholic grammar school in the area. The students on the bus bullied us about our religion. The Pope is evil, they would say. He will destroy the country if JFK is elected, they would add. None of this made any sense to us, but we were troubled by the accusations, and there were days that we dreaded getting on the bus.
​
Yesterday I watched the Veterans’ Parade in Branson. Standing next to me was a 97 year old veteran of WWII. His daughter had driven him from Houston for the week-long celebration of heroes. As the troops and floats neared our area, the younger veterans would come over to this decorated soldier to thank him for his service. They knew one another, they understood one another, and they shared a common love – our country.

This has been a difficult week. Pre-election rhetoric is now matched by post-election condemnations and violence. I understand some of this, because I know what I felt as a child when JFK was elected. But, as an adult I realize that all this drama is possible because of those who serve and those who have served this beautiful country.

When I noticed the following post on Facebook, I was greatly heartened. The author is Professor Lewis Long of Irvine Valley College, a college at which I worked for ten years. Lewis has always held my respect; his integrity is impeccable, and his commitment to his students is unsurpassed. In his own words:

     To the people protesting the presidential election results: You are an embarrassment, and your behavior is profoundly unAmerican.

     I, too, would have preferred that the election came out differently; I strongly supported the losing candidate, and was disappointed at the results. But I am not the least bit sympathetic to those who have reacted to the results with violence and destruction.

     Despite my disappointment, I was still proud that, even after the election of a candidate who was wildly unpopular with a significant number of our citizens, we could boast of a peaceful transition of power. The whole basis of our country is that people with different opinions and beliefs can work together for the common good.

     Before the election, I had been fearful that, should the current President Elect lose, some of the extremists who had supported him would engage in acts of rebellion and sedition, trying to undermine our electoral process. I little thought that I would see that behavior from those supporting the Democratic candidate.

     Now, we have shown the rest of the world that not only have we soiled ourselves with an election campaign based on the meanest of behaviors, personal attacks, vile innuendo, and overtly false charges trumped up for the sole purpose of smearing candidates for the highest office in the country, but we don't even respect the principles of a representative democracy about which our country has so long been proud.

     Like it or not, Hillary Clinton lost the election, and Donald Trump is the President Elect. If you don't respect the man, at least respect the office, and the proud democratic tradition that it represents.

     Respect the principles that our nation is built upon, and the process that protects those principles. There will be another election in four years. Rather than further tearing apart our country, start working now toward the next election.

​
​​Thank you Professor Long for this important reminder....

Welcome to Day 11
of the
​​​Rave Review Book Club's Book Trailer Block Party

​Each day in November, one or more authors are featured, and
​if you comment on the Book Trailer via YouTube,
​you will be eligible for great giveaways.

​There are 3 giveaways for this stop: 
Signed paperback edition of Letting Go Into Perfect Love and
two $5.00 Amazon Gift Cards​

Veteran’s Day is a full week in Branson, MO. This little town of 10,000 residents hosts thousands of veterans for the nation’s largest celebration. Restaurants, hotels, churches, stores and various organizations roll out the red carpet to welcome the country’s heroes. It is a week of patriotic music, troop reunions and other special programs, culminating in a parade of young and old, abled and disabled.
​
A common refrain in Branson is, Thank you for your service. These simple words are expressed as easily as Hello or Goodbye. But, as I have learned from living here, these words come with open hands – that offer a handshake or an embrace, care at a free health clinic or meals if there’s need. Service is part of life in Branson.

Living here has opened my eyes to love in the concrete, in the everyday ways we offer respect. One gives, another receives but both are changed in the process. Love is like that, it flows.

Author John Howell writes thrillers and uses the common man to reveal uncommon valor. You can visit his site at this link. His fictional character, John Cannon, is much like you and me. He faces the underside of life, and then makes choices that ultimately earn him a hero’s respect.  

If you have a moment, take a look at this YouTube clip, and ask who are the heroes? Could it be that common or uncommon, we are all heroes by how we choose to love in the concrete?

      This weekend we received our water bill, which included an interesting graphic. Who knew a bill could tell a story?  If you take a look, you’ll notice a slight rise in water usage in September. My grandchildren stayed with us that month and spent much of their time outside spraying water everywhere.
 
      You’ll also notice that a few months later, in December, we used 35,684 gallons of water. That story is not as joyful. Larry and I had driven to California over Thanksgiving for a family reunion. Other than a flat tire, the trip went smoothly. When we finally arrived home two weeks later, though, we opened the front door to find the house flooded. The culprit - a broken water filter under the kitchen sink.

      Standing water upstairs sent torrents of water downstairs. It was a catastrophe we could not have imagined. We called our insurance company, and within an hour or so of our return, a demolition crew tore up walls, ceilings, and flooring. Furniture was hauled away, books and photographs thrown in a large dumpster. Only two rooms were spared, and they became the storage spaces for the remains of a life we once knew.

      For the next four months, we lived week by week in different rentals. The only clothes we had were the ones we had packed for our cross-country trip.

      All of us are accustomed to convenience, to the simple act of opening a refrigerator and finding butter for toast or cream for coffee. We are comforted by familiarity, of knowing where the toothpaste is or the group photo of our children. We are attached to our “stuff”, the chair we sit in or the pillow that cradles our head. We don’t think about these things; they are the everyday part of our lives that go unnoticed – until they are no more.

      When we are shaken by tragedy, it is the everyday unimportant things of life that suddenly become meaningful. These replaceable, common items capture our focus. It’s easier to be frustrated at a missing comb than the vanity that once held it. It’s easier to complain about the stationary that we can’t find than our desk that was thrown on the mound of broken dreams. Tragedy leaves our hearts barren of perspective; and, we manage through the unimportant details of life.
​
      One way or another, we all emerge from our sorrow transformed. As the pieces of life return with some sense of order, we are surprised by laughter which had abandoned us and tears which we had ignored. And then, we discover that we are in love with life again – the people we meet, the sunrise and sunset, the flowers down the street. Our newly softened heart feels again, and we had doubted it was possible.