I've entitled this poem, LOVE'S EMBRACE.
by Gwendolyn M Plano Each week author Ronovan Hester invites interested readers to participate in a Haiku Prompt Challenge. This week he provided the words nightmare and horror. I'm a novice at this art form, but I'm intrigued enough to attempt this simple verse. If you have interest, please click on the link above, where you'll find detailed instructions. I've entitled this poem, LOVE'S EMBRACE.
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Gwendolyn M Plano May your holidays be filled with wonder, new love, and feasts of joy. I send a heartfelt thank you to one and all; I'll rejoin you in the New Year. Until then, my site will be quiet as I am with family. Blessings! ♥
by Gwendolyn M Plano Each week author Ronovan Hester invites interested readers to participate in a Haiku Prompt Challenge. This week he provided the words Slow and Burn. I'm a novice at this art form, but I'm intrigued enough to attempt this simple verse. If you have interest, please click on the link above, where you'll find detailed instructions. My Haiku is entitled The Dance. May each of us discover or remember love's passion during this beautiful season. by Gwendolyn M Plano Throughout this year of turmoil, I have had one recurrent feeling - gratitude. It sneaks up on me when I walk alongside the lake, but it also surprises me when I do the laundry. Whether involved with the extraordinary or the mundane, I am frequently overwhelmed by this sentiment. Like a child on a teeter totter, I move from laughter to tears and from tears to laughter in just seconds. Both erupt from joy. But why? During an era when trust eludes us, when weather threatens us, when countries terrorize us, and when elected officials leave us gasping, why would any of us feel gratitude? For the last six weeks, I’ve been dealing with a cerebrospinal fluid leak requiring a lot of bed rest. I know the ceiling of my bedroom very well now. I can tell you exactly where there’s been a bump or a misplaced stroke of a paintbrush. But, I can also tell you, that as I drifted between worlds, material and otherworldly, I saw that consciousness is distinct from the body. As much as our body defines us, it is not who we are. One day when lying flat on my back counting the ceiling tiles, the book John W. Howell and I have co-authored came to mind. The Contract will be published in early summer, and as the title suggests, it involves a contract. In my supine position, I realized that just as the characters had a contract, so did I. And, because of my circumstances, I was provided the opportunity to imagine what my life contract might be. I walked through the decades looking at what I had learned. Through sorrow came joy, through deprivation came generosity, through fear came hope. I realized the gift of life’s unique challenges, the gift of my CSF leak, for I understood how each hurdle brought me to a place of vulnerability, close to my heart. We see differently when life brings us to our heart. During this season of hope, I am grateful to be alive. There is much yet to see and to experience, and there is so much I still need to do, books to write, grandchildren to hug, friends to embrace. The world needs my loving, your loving, our loving. But, loving requires us to be close to our heart. I might be a dreamer, but I can't help but wonder, if we could fast from negativity and re-frame our lives to ones of grateful living, wouldn't hearts soften and wouldn't dreams come alive? I have been on quite a journey this year. I suspect you have as well. It's been one of those years that will claim its mark in history. But, thinking through the months, I've realized that there has been one constant - you. Thank you for accompanying me this year. You are family and from you, I have learned so much. I have two wishes: that 2018 will surprise us with laughter and each of us will remember or find hopeful maybes. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! by Gwendolyn M Plano Each week author Ronovan Hester invites interested readers to participate in a Haiku Prompt Challenge. This week he provided the words Flare and Steam. Though I know little about this art form, I'm intrigued enough to attempt this simple verse. If you have interest, please click on the link above, where you'll find detailed instructions. Today I write about looking back through the years since the holiday season tends to evoke that reflection. May your memories bring you delight. by Gwendolyn M Plano December is always a time of reflection for me. In 1980, on December 2nd, four of my friends were murdered in El Salvador. Maura, Ita, Dorothy and Jean’s only crime was love. They loved the impoverished, the suffering, the fearful, the alone. For this, they were killed. Love startles and breaks open our hearts. We long for it, but it can frighten us by its bold claim. In my friends’ case, the Salvadorian regime decided that love threatened their power. Maybe it always does. Aren’t we drawn to those who seem to grasp love’s terrain? And as we draw near, doesn’t control or power take second place? When I thought about the books I’ve read this year, five came to mind immediately, and I realized there was a common theme - love. Each book is unlike the others, except that it uniquely addresses love. Three of the books are non-fiction, two are fictionalized accounts of real situations. Julie Watson shares the tragic loss of her baby and the profound love expressed in her work as a midwife. Lynda Filler takes readers on a journey in which she chooses to love and finds healing from a life-threatening disease. Harriet Hodgson writes from experience and training about loving as a caregiver. Billy Ray Chitwood contrasts innocence with corruption, and through powerful writing, he brings us into our own hearts. John W. Howell walks us through a life that has known both sorrow and joy and offers us a glimpse of eternity. December’s lights and music, festive gatherings, and gift-giving are all part of our collective remembrance – of youthful dreams, of adult longings, and of a birth so long ago in a stable. I can't help but wonder about this birth, if the young mother was cold that night, or if she felt frightened. I suspect, though, that Love's embrace both warmed and soothed her. My wish for each of us this month is that we experience Love's embrace more deeply, more fully, more clearly - in our family gatherings, in our sorrows and joys, in our daily challenges. May we shine this December as brightly as the lights on our trees. May we all have a very blessed and merry Christmas. by Gwendolyn M Plano Another year is taking its leave and with its departure come requests for donations. My mailbox is daily filled with pleas. Besides giving locally, I support a few organizations with international reach. I'd like to share these with you and begin with a story. For my last ten years in higher education, I oversaw the Veterans Program at a college in California. As young men and women returned from their deployments, they arrived at the college doorsteps. I did what I could to help with their transition into civilian life, and I was respected for my efforts. One day a marine came to see me with a particular concern. His friend, a former Army Ranger, had been told that he had to pay out-of-state tuition, and he did not have the funds. I met with the young man. He told me that California was his only home. He had had many deployments in the Middle East, and when he was sent home, it was always to California. But, since he was not born in the state, he did not qualify for in-state tuition. I told him I would do what I could to help him. He stressed that he didn’t want any handouts. He wanted California to realize that it was his only home. “I was promised an education," he told me. "But, I have no means to pay for these high fees and no where else to go." Then he asked the question I was afraid he would ask. "Why can all these foreigners have in-state tuition and not me?” I had no answer. I knew California law. I asked him to come back in a week. I contacted elected officials, and I created an anonymous scholarship for him. But neither effort was sufficient. When I saw him again, he told me that he was re-enlisting in Special Forces, another branch. “Aren’t you concerned about the danger,” I asked. His response haunts me even today. “Yes, but it's what I know, and they respect me.” I don't have any idea if this young man is still alive or not. But, I think of him often and especially when I make my donations. I wish everyone had the opportunity I had to work with veterans. It was an experience that changed my life; I suspect this would be true for anyone. The four organizations below are all highly rated by Charity Navigator. Two of the organizations assist our injured heroes. With gratitude I write my checks, and with respect, I share these programs with you. Doctors Without Borders In 1999, Doctors Without Borders was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. It was recognized for its work on multiple continents, and their medical staff who have treated millions upon millions of people were honored. These impressive professionals face their own risks when they leave the comfort of their homes. Doctors and workers have been murdered in Afghanistan and other sites, and yet they continue to go to areas of dire need. The Navy Seal Foundation Movies and television shows have romanticized the specialized work of the Navy Seals. What is rarely seen are the hardships endured through the years that follow deployments. The foundation provides a comprehensive set of programs specifically designed to improve health and welfare for these courageous sailors. It also helps the families by providing critical support during times of illness, injury, loss and transition. Building Homes for Heroes Building Homes for Heroes® assists wounded American service members and their families. It is strongly committed to rebuilding lives and supporting the brave men and women who have been injured while serving the country. The organization builds or modifies homes, and gifts them, mortgage-free, to veterans and their families. These homes not only help to remove the family's financial burden, they help to restore the individual's freedom, and enable the veteran to lead a more independent and productive civilian life. Direct Relief Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization, active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries, with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies. It provides assistance without regard to politics, religious beliefs, or ethnic identities. Its programs focus on maternal and child health, the prevention and treatment of disease, and emergency preparedness and response. They are tailored to the circumstances of most vulnerable and at-risk people. Gwendolyn M Plano Each week author Ronovan Hester invites interested readers to participate in a Haiku Prompt Challenge. This week he gave the words Daring and Bold. Though I know very little about this art form, I'm intrigued enough to attempt Haiku verse. If you have interest, please click on the link above, where you'll find detailed instructions. My simple poem follows. by Gwendolyn M Plano I grew up looking at maps. I’d stretch them out on the floor and dream. Someday, I’d think, I’m going to go here…and here…and here. I knew nothing about these places, but I wanted to see the area. I wanted to explore. When my kids were little, I had quite a collection of maps from gas stations and AAA, from grocery markets and train stations. Wherever I went, I picked up at least one map. I’ve learned a lot about human nature looking at maps. For instance, the March 29, 1976 cover of The New Yorker featured artist Saul Steinberg’s map of the world via New York City. It was a huge success among visitors and residents alike, and it still is. Perhaps it is just my imagination, but don’t you think the map says something about New Yorkers? In contrast, here’s a map of Southern California. I was born in San Diego, so I have a special fondness for that area. If you talk to a New Yorker, you’ll likely hear that Southern California is the land of fruits and nuts. Of course, the San Diegans really don’t care what the New Yorkers think. After all, they have the beach and the weather. And, they happen to like fruits and nuts. Switching to the middle of the United States, the maps get more interesting. Take Texas for example. From the rendition below, it is clear that there's not much of importance to some Texans - other than the great state of Texas. The Northeast on this map is entitled the “Dammed Yankee Land.” And, California is the “Unimaginable.” Now, as a native Californian who lived in the greater NYC area for 25 years or so, I found this map of Texas to be refreshingly honest. It, better than any map I have seen, makes it very clear that we see through our unique vantage point. So what does any of this have to do with politics? I went through map after map trying to find correlations that might explain the voting pattern of the last election. I looked at maps of the United States for church affiliation, tornado risks, dog tick infestations, diversity rates, drug deaths, hate groups, longevity rates, marriage success, suicide rates. Yep, there's a map for about anything you can think of. Who knew? I didn't, and I'm the map queen. The one map I found interesting was the map of Percent of Residents with High School Diploma. I found it interesting because folks on the coasts sometimes imagine that the great middle of the United States mindlessly cast their vote for the current president. As the map shows us, the middle United States has higher high school graduation rates than the coasts. Who knew? Keep in mind, aside from the last couple of years, I have spent my life on either coast. I'm an independent who faithfully writes to my representatives and my president to let them know what I think. I'm sure they enjoy hearing from me, because I'm very polite and always offer them solutions. And, speaking of solutions, I want to share how I've managed the political upheaval. I try to love more - the people I meet, the "friends" on Facebook, my neighbors on my street. I spend more time trying to understand than to explain. And frankly, I watch very little T.V. This, too, will pass my friends. And, if we need another reason to be grateful this season, that one fact tops my list. Blessings to all. by Gwendolyn M Plano Since Spring 2017, author John W Howell and I have collaborated on a book entitled, The Contract. We've just finished the first editing and now are inviting beta readers to give us their feedback on the manuscript before the final professional edit. If you would like to be a beta reader, we will send you the manuscript no later than January 1st. We would appreciate the comments back to us by February 16th. This would give you six weeks to read and comment. The information that we would like to know is: 1. Did you enjoy the story? 2. Were any parts of the story confusing? 3. Were there any missing plot points? 4. Were the characters believable? 5. Did you have any feelings about the characters? 6. Was the ending satisfactory? 7. What could be included in the story to make it more enjoyable for you? We have made every effort to make the manuscript publish-ready. Since it has not been professionally edited yet, we ask our readers to focus on the developmental points and not the edits. Once we receive your comments and make adjustments to the manuscript, we will then submit it for a professional edit. Here is the blurb. The Contract is a story of two souls who must venture to Earth to stop a catastrophic event that is threatening the viability of the planet. They will have no memory of their eternal life once they occupy the bodies chosen for them. The two must deal with the situation using only the temporal skills of their host beings. They sign a contract before leaving their celestial home that stipulates what is required. They commit even though they have no guarantee of success but cannot resist the ultimate reward which is a personal anointing by the Creator. There is no alternative for failure. If you enjoy thrillers, this is one with a twist designed to keep you riveted and guessing. It bridges the heavenly and earthly realms and only when the adventure is completed, will it be learned if the two souls have fulfilled their sacred contract or have become corrupted by the forces of evil. If you have the time and interest to be a beta reader for The Contract, please send an e-mail to John or me at one of the addresses below, and please indicate the manuscript version you would like to receive. We will have The Contract available in epub, MOBI, or PDF files. John's email: [email protected] Gwen's email: [email protected] Thank you for considering this with us. by Gwendolyn M Plano It’s hard to believe it's December. If it weren't for the lights and festivities, I'd still be imagining summer. Would you? I'm determined to make this a December to remember and find new ways to celebrate. Maybe you'd like to join me. Each day this month, the Rave Reviews Book Club is conducting a book trailer tour - over 60 of them! A new link opens up each day and takes the viewer to the trailer(s). If you leave a comment, you're entered in a drawing for daily prizes, as well as grand prizes. As it happens, my book trailer is the first on the tour, and the prize I'm offering is a $10 Amazon Gift Card. A confession. When I published my book, I was told I needed a trailer. I did not even know what that was. So, I looked around the internet, learned how to put photos to music, and created my one and only trailer. For some folks, this might have been an easy task, but since I had never done anything like this before, it was a challenge. And, I learned immensely. If you have a moment, do stop by. I'd love to hear from you. And, maybe, fingers crossed, you'll win the gift card. Happy December! |
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