“One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it.”
Image via fortynineandholding.com.
Category Archives: spirituality
And then there’s Hope
“They thought that attending the baptism of their friend’s baby daughter would be a welcome and much-needed distraction. For one afternoon, they could put all their troubles aside and partake in a joyous and blessed occasion. In the last two years, life had been spiraling out of control. Food and money were scarce. They had lost their car. They had nearly lost their home. They needed something to grasp on to. They needed a little hope. And so, they thought that participating in a young child’s first Sacrament would remind them of all things good — purity, innocence, new beginnings… Faith.
They gathered up what little cash they had ($58) to pay for the train and taxi that they would have to take. What would have taken them half an hour by car was going to be a three-hour transit ordeal (there was no public bus route in the area they were traveling to). They dressed up in their Sunday best and began their journey. When they got off the train, there were no taxis in sight. The afternoon heat and humidity was making their clothes stick to their bodies. They realized that they may have to walk for at least an hour or so, if they didn’t find a taxi. They would miss the Baptism. They began to walk and then spotted a cab parked nearby, hidden by a big tree. The driver was standing by the car. He was a small, wiry man with dark, wrinkled skin, grey hair and white teeth. But it was his hazel eyes that caught their attention. Or, rather, what his eyes conveyed. Old eyes (although he didn’t look more than 50) — eyes that had seen much and learned much. They had one of those déja-vu moments where they felt that they had met him before, that they knew him and he knew them. But, they hadn’t. He asked them if he could drive them anywhere. They nodded and asked how much it would cost to get to their destination. The driver said “$48.” They told him that they only had $38 left (not enough for either the taxi fare or tip). They had spent $20 on two return train tickets and were hoping to get a lift back (from friends) to the train station, after the Baptism party. The driver looked at them kindly and said, “$38 will be fine.” They were elated and hopped into the air-conditioned cab
They exchanged pleasantries and names. The driver’s name was Mohammed. He was from Pakistan and had come to America to make a better life for his siblings, wife and children. He hadn’t always been a taxi driver. Like everyone else, he had been adversely affected by the economic downturn. He worked long shifts to pay for his children’s’ tuition. He had put his sister through medical school. Education, according to Mohammed, was the key to freedom and empowerment. They agreed. He went on to say that “Faith is what helps us to put one foot in front of the other and carry on, day after day, despite the troubles looming all around us.” And he looked into their eyes from the rear-view mirror. Everyone was silent for the rest of the ride.
When they arrived at the church, Mohammed got out and opened the door for them. They shook his hand, thanked him, and once again apologized that they could only give him $38. He brushed their apologies aside and said “Enjoy your blessed event and the company of your friends. Leave your worries at the door.” With that, he went into his car and drove away. Feeling uplifted, they smiled at each other and walked, hand-in-hand, into the church.”
― from the vignette “Faith, a Powerful Tonic” – Casualties of the (Recession) Depression, by Heather Joan Marinos
(Copyright © 2013-2018 by Heather Joan Marinos – All Rights Reserved)
This is not fiction. This book is about real people and their stories – in vignette form.
Hope comes to us in many guises. The important thing is that we recognize it when it does.
I’m not going to add much more, because I think that the story speaks for itself. Despite all of the domino negative effects that this Recession has had on millions of families – not only in America, but around the world – there is always Hope.
This is not a cliché. I can personally vouch for the authenticity of what I am saying.
Image (at the very top) via thelifeweshared.com.
Can we make a difference?
“The lessons of the nation’s past tell us that liberty and justice cannot be secured for ourselves and kept from others without turning sour. Because we have cherished liberty for others, this country has sacrificed enormously (if not always wisely) in lives and material resources. We have not cherished justice as much. But justice and equality are no less a part of the nation’s ideals, and we build on them by exercising them in our relationship with others. When we are rich and others are hungry or impoverished beyond description, justice calls for ending this imbalance.”
— Art Simon, Founder – Bread for the World
Image (b/w of three children) via blogs.dallasobserver.com.
Book Promotion “Help Fight Hunger” Launches Today
As mentioned in yesterday’s post, I decided to launch a 3½-week Help Fight Hunger campaign – beginning today (August 14) and ending on Saturday, September 7, 2013, at 5:00 PM (EDT) — For every $20 book purchased directly from my website, I will be donating $5 from the proceeds of each book sale to either Feeding America or The World Food Programme (the purchaser chooses).
All too often, we waste food — sometimes without giving a second thought to whether or not the person sitting next to us may be living in a food insecure household. An alarming number of middle-class families are now, for the first time, experiencing what it is like to be hungry. Their stories will break your heart. Their stories will make you want to kneel down, bow your head and say a prayer of thanks for the food on your table, for being spared the suffering, despair, and indignity of being hungry.
Below is a vignette from my book, Casualties of the (Recession) Depression. This is a true story.
“Young and Hungry“
“He sat in the coffee shop, his fingers restlessly turning the pages of his textbook. He had been there for three and a half hours, nursing a cup of coffee. “Thank God for free refills!” – he thought to himself. He was trying hard to focus on the words in front of him, willing the gurgling in his empty stomach to go away. His hands were slightly shaky. He could smell the toasted ham and cheese sandwich that someone was eating at a nearby table. Freshly baked bread had just come out of the oven and the lady behind the counter was stacking the loaves on the shelf. His mouth started to water and he felt dizzy. He willed himself to block it all out. Two more hours passed by.
It was closing time. The coffee shop lady was rushing to close up. She grabbed all the leftover loaves of bread (two were left), bagels (all seven of them), and two donuts – and threw them roughly into a big garbage can, which she wheeled into the back room. He swallowed, throat dry. A tear escaped from the corner of his eye. He was too proud to ask. And the coffee shop lady didn’t see, nor would she probably have given him a second thought if she had. He clenched his jaw and grimly packed his book into his bag.
He glanced once at the lady behind the counter. Her face was blank when she looked back at him. Oblivious. She tapped her fingers on the glass, impatient to close the lights.
He left quietly, not looking back. He wondered whether things would get better after he graduated from college. He wasn’t so sure.”
Casualties of the (Recession) Depression – Copyright © 2013 by Heather Joan Marinos. All Rights Reserved.
Help Fight Hunger.
Drop by www.heatherjoanmarinos.com.
Image (of young man) via abcradionewsonline.com (Jupiterimages/Thinkstock).
New thought-provoking blog “Discourse on Reality” launching soon
“The work of an intellectual is not to mould the political will of others; it is, through the analyses that he does in his own field, to re-examine evidence and 
assumptions, to shake up habitual ways of working and thinking, to dissipate conventional familiarities, to re-evaluate rules and institutions and to participate in the formation of a political will (where he has his role as citizen to play).” ― Michel Foucault
Discourse on Reality, launching this Wednesday, will focus on current socio-economic, cultural, philosophical and political issues and challenges facing everyday men and women — across the globe. As the title suggests, it is meant to be a forum for intelligent discourse, where people can share ideas, commentary, and information on subjects that are current, relevant and affect our communities — locally, nationwide, worldwide. The objective is to learn, engage, raise awareness and, perhaps, become actively involved in the very causes, issues and challenges that we seek to address and remedy.
It is not my desire to write monologues day in and day out. Dialoguing with oneself becomes tedious after a while. To that end, I will be extending an invitation to anyone who may be interested in writing a guest blog post — within the scope of the subject matter discussed in the blog. The invitation is open to writers, scholars, community leaders, and activists — subject to my approval, per the guest blogging guidelines that will be available for review when Discourse on Reality goes live on Wednesday morning. Non-fiction authors who post a guest blog will also be invited to highlight their latest work on the “Books” page.
Discourse on Reality embraces diversity. This means: people from all walks of life, all cultures, all religions, all nationalities and ethnicities, all political and philosophical leanings, all genders and orientations.
Discourse on Reality will not provide a forum for hate, bigotry, and profanity. It’s one thing to be passionate about what you believe in, but it is quite another to spew out hateful commentary.
One blog will be posted by 9 am EDT daily, from Monday to Friday. Each day will focus on one theme, as follows:
MONDAYS – Socio-economic Issues (i.e. hunger, homelessness, health, education, environment and more)
TUESDAYS – Economic Issues (i.e. the economy, business, technology, and more)
WEDNESDAYS – Cultural Issues (i.e. civil rights, human rights, and more)
THURSDAYS – Philosophical & Political Issues (i.e. commentary on current political events/news, ideology, religion)
FRIDAYS – Philanthropy and Humanitarianism (i.e. role models and visionaries, non-profit organizations, humanitarian efforts and disaster relief, sustainability, and more)
I hope that those of you who have been tuning in to my heatherfromthegrove (a writer’s musings) blog will also check out Discourse on Reality this Wednesday.
As always, I welcome your feedback and comments.
Thanks for stopping by!
— Heather
Carpe Diem
“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.”
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Image via lesserevillife.com.
Know Thyself
“We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies.”
In the 1960s and 1970s, a generation of young men and women coined the term “I’m trying to find myself.” This quest for self-discovery (often stimulated by the use of soothing “herbal” supplements) was an earnest attempt, on their part, to find answers to such questions as “Who am I, really?” and “What should I do with my life?” For some, the questions remain unanswered… which is probably why so many Baby Boomers suffer mid-life crises.
It is my firm belief that the answers to who we are (and why we are the way we are) – as individuals, as a society, or as a nation – can only be found by learning more about our history. To understand the present and attempt to mold the future, one must have a clear understanding of the past.
To find out who we are, we must begin at the beginning. Where do we come from? Who are the people who came before us, and before them?
What are our roots?
If you like puzzles, as I do, this is when it starts to get interesting. Tracing your family roots is like meandering through the pages of an epic story, only it’s your story. Your history. It can be fascinating, enlightening and sometimes even shocking. When you begin a genealogical study, you could very well open up a Pandora’s box full of surprises. My theory is: it’s always better to know, than not to know.
I’m in the process of completing my maternal family tree. There are still a few missing pieces, but I hope to fill in the blanks soon. Once that is complete, I will begin the research on my paternal roots.
And then, I will have chronicled the story of my life – from past to present.
My only wish is that I could have met each of these men and women whose blood courses through my veins, whose facial features I bear, and whose character traits I may have.
I guess I’ll have to wait until I’m on the other side.
Oh, what a reunion we shall have!
Some links that you may find interesting:
- Ancestry.com
- Familytree.com
- Familysearch.org
- Myheritage.com
- Worldgenweb.org
- Canada Archives Search
- International Genealogical Index
- Roots Web – World Connect Project
- Genealogy.about.com
Image via sherrymonahan.com.
Dance like nothing matters
“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey
When it feels like the walls are closing in on you and the stress is threatening to take you down…. stop. Press the pause button. You need to take a moment, an hour, maybe even a whole afternoon – to do something that will make you smile, grin… or even throw your head back with uninhibited laughter.
My recommendation: Dance.
Why not?
Dance by yourself (don’t feel self-conscious, nobody is watching!) or grab a partner and twirl around, waltz, or – if you know how – tango!
Here, in steamy South Florida, we enjoy daily (afternoon) tropical downpours and I love to go out and dance about the yard. Lifting my face up to the sky, I welcome the rain as it washes away all the stresses and annoyances that had been niggling away at me. I feel rejuvenated, refreshed and ready to take on any challenge that may cross my path. I look up at the window and there is my husband and black Lab, both staring at me as if I had just escaped an insane asylum. I wave at them to join me, but my dog ducks away from the window as soon as the first loud peal of thunder shakes our rooftop. My husband makes a crazy sign gesture, directed at me, and disappears from sight. I shrug and continue my rain dance, choosing not to pay attention to the fluttering of curtains in several neighbors’ windows. Completely soaked through, I finally pad my way up the stairs and go inside to dry up. My dog greets me with a sniff and a lick. My husband stands beside him, a bath towel in his hand. He wraps it around me, and gives me a hug.
All is right with the world.
Image via sheranescloset.com.
More summer reading
“I guess you can call me “old fashioned”. I prefer the book with the pages that you can actually turn. Sure, I may have to lick the tip of my fingers so that the pages don’t stick together when I’m enraptured in a story that I can’t wait to get to the next page. But nothing beats the sound that an actual, physical book makes when you first crack it open or the smell of new, fresh printed words on the creamy white paper of a page turner.”
Well, three weeks of poetry, fiction and non-fiction have come and gone, here at heatherfromthegrove. I hope you found the selections interesting and perhaps even added them to your own summer reading list.
Below, are just a few more for you to consider. I’ve listed them by genre and category (only the book title, author and thumbnail book cover). Please scroll slowly, all the way down.
Happy reading!
Cheers,
Heather
POETRY:
Living Things: Collected Poems (2006), by Anne Porter
Phenomenal Women: Four Poems Celebrating Women, by Maya Angelou
FICTION:
The English Girl, by Daniel Silva
The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman
Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
NON-FICTION:
Category – Cookbooks
Greek Revival: Cooking for Life, by Patricia Moore-Pastides
Jerusalem: A Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi
Category – Memoir
Bossypants, by Tina Fey
To Heaven and Back: A Doctor’s Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story, by Mary C. Neal, M.D.
Category – History > North America > Canada
Along the Shore: Rediscovering Toronto’s Waterfront Heritage, by M. Jane Fairburn
Category – Mainstream Political and Economic Commentary > United States
Time to Start Thinking: America in the Age of Descent, by Edward Luce
The Price of Inequality: How Today’s Divided Society Endangers Our Future, by Joseph E. Stiglitz
Casualties of the (Recession) Depression, by Heather Joan Marinos
Category – Mainstream Economic Commentary > International
BreakoutNations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles, by Ruchir Sharma
Image (at the very top) via meetup.com.
heatherfromthegrove’s non-fiction spotlight for today: “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell
♦ ♦ ♦
Monday, July 22 – Saturday, July 27
NON-FICTION
Enjoy some good summer reading.
♦ ♦ ♦
“Do you see the consequences of the way we have chosen to think about success? Because we so profoundly personalize success, we miss opportunities to lift others onto the top rung…We are too much in awe of those who succeed and far too dismissive of those who fail. And most of all, we become much too passive. We overlook just how large a role we all play—and by “we” I mean society—in determining who makes it and who doesn’t.”
True to form, bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell (Blink and Tipping Point) takes us on an intellectual expedition into the realm of high achievers – über-successful people like Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and the phenomenon known as “The Beatles.” An “outlier” is, in Gladwell’s own words, “a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience.” In the context of his book, outliers “are the men and women who, for one reason or another, are so accomplished and so extraordinary and so outside of ordinary experience that they are as puzzling to the rest of us as a cold day in August.“
Dispelling the notion that extremely successful people attain success because they make it happen –through their own smarts, tenacious drive, willingness to hustle and, good old-fashioned hard work, Gladwell points out that there are many extremely intelligent, highly gifted, hardworking people for whom success has been an elusive mistress. Therefore, the common dogma of “You are the author of your own destiny. You make your own success.” does not apply in many cases. In this book, Gladwell asks us to shift our focus from what successful people are like, to where successful people come from. He argues that one’s culture, family background and upbringing play a significant role in the makeup of a high achiever.
Clear, witty and intelligent, Outliers offers a new perspective on what it takes to achieve extreme success. Granted, success does rely – to a great extent – on individual effort. However, what should not be ignored is the degree to which outside factors, such as people and circumstances, affect a person’s success or failure. Therefore, we (as a society) have the ability to help shape people’s lives, and (if directed in the right way and with the best intentions) for the better.
heatherfromthegrove 