We remember the price of freedom

Flag at Lincoln Memorial. Photo credits: CW Brown May 2009

Today, on Memorial Day, we remember ... the service and sacrifices of those who paid the price for the good of others.

We owe much to those who have sacrificed time, comfort and sometimes their lives. 

We continue to live in freedom  because of those who are willing to serve.  

Thank you.


Does remembering the sacrifices of others provoke a response from you? If so, what?

Books: Helping others can help us get through hard times

The Hidden Gifts of Helping

In his book, The Hidden Gifts of Helping: How the Power of Giving, Compassion and Hope Can Get Us Through Hard Times, Stephen G. Post weaves personal experiences with scientific research, philosophy and spiritual principles in a discussion of how helping others brings benefits.

Post knows what he is talking about, personally and professionally. He has a long list of credentials, degrees, awards, and publications in the field. His personal and professional life regularly keeps him in practice teaching, advocating and modeling a helping ethic. His family members also follow his lead. Post shares the stories of how he and his family helped others during and after a difficult move from Chicago to New York in 2008, after 20 years in Chicago. Post's personal narrative serves as a thread that ties altruistic concepts together and underscore his theme.

Although the basic premise of the book is not new, this subject is timely during these recessionary times and worth repeating.

At times I found the book slow going due to scholarly information, philosophy and research findings. More anecdotes would have made concepts vivid and the narrative more lively.

Post is beyond well-qualified to write on this subject. His credentials are impressive. He is Professor of Preventive Medicine, Head of the the Division of Medicine in Society, and Director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics at Stony Brook University. Prior to that he was Professor of Bioethics, Religion and Philosophy, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University and Senior Research Scholar at the Becket Institute of St. Hugh's College, Oxford University. Post is president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, supported in part by the Templeton Foundation, for which he also serves as Trustee. And the list goes on. Read more here.

Disclosure: B&B Media Group provided me a free copy of this book for review. There were no requirements for a favorable review.

Have you found helping others yields unexpected gifts? How?

Stepping through yesterday, today and beyond

Lauren enjoys a step on the journey.
(Photo credits: M. Brown, c 2006)

Our Lauren graduates today with a master's degree. 

Yesterday 

   Lauren worked hard to reach this milestone. She invested money, hard-earned money, yet-to-be-earned money. Money well invested in her future.

  Lauren invested long hours, week after week, year after year, to complete classes, internships, and to master information and pass tests -- all this and more to fulfill what was required of her. 

   She did it. She did all she had to to reach this point. She did it one task at a time, one day at a time, over and over. She kept trudging, sometimes skipping, on the journey to today. 

Today

   So, today we celebrate Lauren's accomplishments. Congratulations, Lauren! We're so proud of you. 

And beyond
   The journey is not over. More milestones wait just beyond our sight....

What milestone are you nearing? What keeps you going?

Thin places allow glimpses of God

Pressing into Thin Places:
Encouraging the Heart Toward God

Pressing into Thin Places: Encouraging the Heart Toward God, by Margaret Harrell Wills, Ed.D., is like a gentle breeze scented with hope that draws readers close to the heart of God.

In her book, Wills serves as a reliable guide on a meditative journey. She uses vivid and sometimes personal anecdotes, original poetry, and scripture -- all serve to encourage readers.

This small book is best read in a quiet room so time can slow down and attention can rest and linger on its time-proven truths. You may want to mute a cell phone or TweetDeck.

Thin places allow glimpses of God
In her book Wills shares glimpses of God at work in the world. She writes of difficult situations, a death of a child, brokenness and discouragement. She shares how we who follow Jesus and seek God may find a thin place, a time "when we feel especially close to God, where for a moment the spiritual and natural worlds intersect and narrow into a thin place, a place of sudden, momentary awareness of the deep presence of God."

Readers may be inspired to reflect and seek a glimpse of God pressing through thin places in their lives also.

I appreciated reading Wills words. This is a book I'll want to keep on my shelf so I can reread passages on difficult days. Time spent with powerful truths can refocus a discouraged mind to renewed awareness of God's love and faithfulness.

Read it yourself or give it as a gift to someone in need of an uplifting message of God's love.

Disclosure: B&B Media provided me a free copy of this book for review. I was not obligated to write a favorable review.

Have you caught a glimpse of God at work in a thin place in your life? How do you find a thin place?

What are you doing to protect your marriage?

Together

Michael Hyatt, chairman of the board of Thomas Nelson, often shares useful tips and information in his blog. He also asks great questions. Today was no exception. Hyatt's thoughtful blog post "What Are You Doing to Protect your Marriage?" provoked a variety of responses.

This was my contribution to the discussion:

Here are ten things that help to keep our marriage healthy. (I'll speak mostly for me.)

1. I'm growing in my faith relationship in the goodness, provision and love of God. This is foundational for growing who I am and what I bring to the relationship.

2. I'm practicing faith, trust and love in my husband and our marriage.

3. I'm committed to my husband and our relationship. We've made a public commitment during the marriage ceremony 30+ years ago. I've restated that commitment to him privately at different times through the years.

4. We practice good communication skills.

5. We cultivate respect for each other in attitudes, choice of words, and big and little actions.

6. We practice asking for and giving each other forgiveness. No one is perfect and this is essential relationship maintenance.

7. We spend time together as we can. We find activities we enjoy together.

8. We give each other space to be unique. For example, he likes sci-fi and all things technical. I like different books and movies. We don't ridicule or restrict one another in the areas or things we don't share in common.

By Faith

9. I'm living on the growing edge. Sometimes the growing edge was a diet, finishing college or mastering a new stage of parenting. The growing edge keeps me just a bit different from yesterday and from getting stale or bitter.

10. I remember. I remember that even though I do all the good things I know to do my marriage is not completely protected. And I remember that God has promised to never leave me or forsake me. So, I remember to love, appreciate and enjoy my husband in my words and actions, as I have opportunity, one day at a time.

How about you? What are you doing to protect your marriage?

For Writers

Writers Digest 101 Best Sites
MacGregor's Literary Books that Make a Difference
Michael Hyatt's blog, From Where I Sit
Mary DeMuth's blog, So You Wanna Be Published blog
Sally Stuart's Marketing blog
Rants and Ramblings: On life as a Literary Agent
Terry Whalin's blog, "The Writing Life"
Pyro Marketing blog
Publisher's Lunch

Treasure hunting

As children, my sister and I enjoyed collecting sandy treasures. One December when bills overwhelmed my single-mother's budget, we decorated our Christmas tree with strings of shells, popcorn and cranberries. I was six and have seen many trees since, but it is still one of the most beautiful trees I've ever seen.

Recycling and price-careful shopping have become more popular during this recession. Concerns about employment, rising costs of everything from gas to food have combined with concern for the environment. So green thinking includes not only recycling newspapers, cans, bottles, and children's clothing, but also many other items now.

This week we've been shopping at the beach resorts on the East Coast in Delaware and Maryland. Outlet stores and grocery stores have been busy, but thrift stories have been busier.

Treasures abound for those who are willing to shift through decades of cast off items in various forms, styles and conditions.

For those planning on shopping along the Delmarva Coast, check out these shopping opportunities:

Popular shopping outlets:

Delaware tax-free Tangier outlets ... popular brand name shopping at discounts

Ocean City factory outlets ... popular brand name shopping at discounts


A selection of many thrifts in the area:

Beebe's Treasure Chest ... remarkable sales if you have time to dig. Twenty dollars can go a long way.
18675 Coastal Hwy.
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
(302)644-2878

Encore Thrift Shop ... a haven for jewelry lovers. Several necklaces and stained glass items were tempting.
17689 Coastal Hwy.
Lewes, DE 19958
(302)645-1676

All Saints Parish Thrift Store ... friendly, clean, well-stocked variety. We picked up planting pots.
20673 Coastal Hwy.
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
(302)226-3123

Depending on what you're looking for, treasures for your style and budget can be found along the Delmarva coast.

How has the recession changed your treasure hunting habits? Can you share any treasure hunting tips for others?

Book: Pressing into Thin Places

This press release details a book worth reading when it becomes available soon:

Recognizing the “Thin Places” in Our Lives

Pressing into Thin Places leads hurting readers to a place where hope is found

Is there sustaining comfort to be found for the suffering, perhaps flailing, faithful? Dr. Margaret Wills, Ed.D, asserts that there is, and in her book, Pressing into Thin Places: Encouraging the Heart toward God (Brown Christian Press), she invites questioning, thinking, and hurting readers to recognize glimpses of wonder and to draw strength and find rest in the presence of a loving God.

Dr. Wills knows from her own experiences that life is not simple and that we all need encouraging words and reasons to hang on to hope. She offers these in abundance in this deeply personal, beautiful, and thoughtful work that summons authenticity and contemplation while soothing the dark night of the soul with kindness and truth. With transparency and refreshing gentleness, Wills tackles universal fears, disappointments, wounded relationships, and even death and beckons readers to pull aside the veil and to see into that “thin space,” as the Celtics called it, where all that separates heaven and earth becomes almost transparent. She invites readers to wrestle and be comforted by assurances of God’s love and goodness even in the darkness.

Pressing into Thin Places is a collection of stories from the author’s personal experiences, punctuated by her poetry and infused with biblical verses and rich truths. Wills answers questions like, “How do we keep from falling into despair when pain and suffering weigh heavily upon us?” and answers honestly questions about doubt, mystery, and the experience of not knowing. Wills offers insight for bringing biblical truth to life, wisdom to cultivate a listening heart, encouragement for the downhearted, reassuring words for the faltering, and comfort and rest for those in any stage of their faith journey.   

“When Jesus delivered His Sermon on the Mount, He spoke specifically to the poor in spirit, the slope-shouldered individuals who had lost the hope that they would change or that anything about them would ever be any different,” says Dr. Wills. “He blessed those who had reached into their spiritual pockets and found them empty. He blessed those who were desperate, needy, and at the end of their rope. He offered hope. Through the book I want to offer hope with the sharing of a few ‘thin place moments.’ I encourage readers to have eyes to see that God gives us reminders that, though we are tethered to this earth, there is another realm of reality and to feel unified and connected with God through that knowing.”

A writer and a poet, Dr. Wills is dedicated to the ministry of encouragement and helping people experience hope, wisdom, and faith in their spiritual journey. She has written for a number of publications including The Journal of the Fort Smith Historical Society. She previously served on the board of the Arkansas Community Foundation. Dr. Wills makes her home in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of Pressing into Thin Places will go to the John Brown University Center for Relationship Enrichment.

Pressing into Thin Places: Encouraging the Heart toward God

by Dr. Margaret Harrell Wills, Ed.D

Brown Christian Press – June 2011

ISBN 978-1-934812-99-0/208 pages/softcover

www.pressingintothinplaces.com