Author Series and Marches

Suzanne Detar of the Daniel Island News (and herself an author of Don't Lose the Ball in the Lights and Other Life Lessons from Sports) invited me to kick off the Daniel Island Author Series along with Pamela Brownstein, another children's writer, who is promoting her first book, Low-ku: Haikus of the Lowcountry and illustrated by Tessa Liesecka. What a privilege it is to be able to share my writing journey and encourage others to devote time to the dreams God has placed upon their hearts. I loved this ad that the editor made, especially it's placement right below Snuggles. You can read more about it here in the paper: The Daniel Island News launches monthly author series | The Daniel Island News I love living here--it truly is a community and the local newspaper Sue started is a big part of it. Local friends, please come if you can. This is the first in-person authorly event I'm doing in two years. 

I also loved the timing of this event. My thoughts naturally turn to building a culture of life, with BOUND my small contribution, on the anniversary of Roe v Wade that brought in a culture of death in our country. My kids have been going up to DC to March for Life with their friends and I love that the future is pro-life.  

This year, there was another important march to end all the Covid-related mandates. Many people don't realize this, but the vaccines are either produced or tested in cell lines derived from aborted babies, that the new drugs they're making, including monoclonal antibodies, are made in humanized mice, which require freshly aborted baby parts to be grafted into mice. It's unconscionable that we would sacrifice children to save our own lives. Never mind that the past two years have shown that masks, vaccines, and lockdowns did not work as they were purported to work and can possibly do more harm. Here's an overview. What's required is common sense and compassion. Please also note that studies from India and Africa back in 2020 showed that ivermectin works well both in prophylaxis and treatment of Covid. The reason FDA/CDC did not approve its use was so that they could push the vaccines (emergency authorization). And as this video shows: From 100% to 20%: Video Shows Radically Shifting Narrative Of Vaccine Effectiveness | Citizens Journal, we've been lied to. But the truth is coming out and it will set us free. Pray, pray, pray.   

Reading

This year, with Epiphany being celebrated on Jan. 2nd, I felt that Christmastide was being cut short. Alas, we were not able to hear Mass on Jan. 1st or 2nd because we were sick with a winter cold/cough. We stayed home this Sunday as well just to be sure. However, since we are living in the age of covid, I started us both on ivermectin for 6 days and it stopped the symptoms from becoming debilitating. We also had sunshine so spent our days out on the porch, reading and resting, getting much needed Vit D. And thank God for all the citrus. The Lord really does provide all we need for good health and cheer. But the fatigue--it's real. Today, I finally had enough energy to put away Christmas. But the memories will linger.

We've had some lovely new books to read though. And I begin with this gorgeous Bible, a gift from Max. The typography and layout is so beautiful it's a joy to read. I think this will be a book that I will read over and over because the Word of God is living and every time you read it, you receive what you're meant to. Plus, the Four Gospels are foundational for all Christians. If you know nothing about Jesus, but want to know Him, these are the four books you must read. It's how we fell in love with our dear Lord Jesus. 

Our gift to Max was from a local artist, Theresa Hoffman of Sea Island Art. May he ever hear the lowcountry bid him home. Theresa said that she had just finished this painting the day before. How lucky for us to have found it at the farmer's market. 

And some day, one of our kids will inherit Kris Manning's beautiful cookbook: The Field Guide to Fabulous Food. It's so well-designed, hand-lettered by Kris with watercolor paintings from Barbara Meierhusby. Kris wrote it for her young sons and what a legacy to have a cookbook from your mom with all the favorite things she made. Kris is an artist extraordinaire. This is a limited edition so if you want a cookbook for a young adult, give this to your sons and daughters. There's plenty of white space to jot notes as they embark on their own culinary adventures. Truly, the food you make at home is the best. I feel so privileged to have the chance to work with Kris and hope we can collaborate again. My head is full of ideas :) 

Wings Forever: the true story of Donn Deisenroth, American WWII fighter pilot by his daughter, Verla Kay is another treasure not just for her family but for the rest of us who value freedom. A labor of love, it is an account of his time during the war. And this is why we must fight any and all tyranny, including all the unconstitutional mandates around covid. These brave young men and women didn't fight so that we could be cowed by a corrupt govt. We owe it to them to fight for our freedom now, for the sake of our children and grandchildren.  

Finally, a couple of lovely ARCS: Dodos are NOT Extinct: they're just in disguise by Paddy Donnelly is a humorous book wherein a dodo takes readers through the natural world to show them where the other "extinct" animals are hiding, sometimes in plain sight. Great voice. Fun illustrations. And a summary of the animals that are no longer with us. Shapes and Patterns in Nature by this trio by Magdalena Konečná, Jana Sedlackova, Štěpánka Sekaninová is mesmerizing. The simple text introduces shapes and patterns in nature and is breathtaking in its detail. It works well as a field guide too because the many patterns and shapes are identified in beautiful lettering. Each page also seeks to classify the major patterns. A gem of a book! With many thanks to the publisher for an ARC. What are some of the wonderful books you've been reading during Christmas holidays?