Meet Grumpa and Brady, and embrace the special, loving relationship they share. Through the eyes of a perceptive grandson, all is not what it seems when it comes to this grandfather. A relatable book that stresses family values and will make every reader smile and say, “Awwwwww.”

Collected in entirety for the very first time, this study reflects more than 25 years of close contact with the Sufi Masters of Central Anatolia, with much of that time spent in the presence of the peerless Sufi teacher Mr. Ahmet Kayhan. Out of the author's association with this personality has emerged this in-depth look at the famous and mysterious Oral Tradition of Sufism. Topics covered include the concepts of compassion and mercy, universality, ethics, faith, charity, destiny, death and the afterlife, and more. Combining the rigor of anthropology with the devotion of a disciple, this book faithfully lays bare the comprehensive teachings of the man who may be the Sufi Saint of the Age.

The Heavenly Dao led to the reversal of Yin and Yang, and all worlds were treated as a prison. If one wanted to break through the Heavenly Dao and become eternal, the only way was to break through the Heavenly Dao and restore the heavens. The protagonist, the reincarnation of the reincarnation of the reincarnation of a reincarnation, would eventually defy the heavens to become a saint. The main character: Life as a mystery, reincarnation as reincarnation. Female lead: Has it disappeared? How could that be possible? She was the female lead, so of course she would appear again. Furthermore, she was the center. The Heavenly Dao would eventually be shattered, the universe would be set in stone, and everything would be in chaos. Close]

The Antic Creedoolies IS about love. Louis Custis Lee, a very wise black man descended from Jeffersons and Custises of Virginia, raises seven white and part-white children as siblings in Christian County from 1920 to post-Vietnam. It is a desperate time calling for intelligence, humor, and a willingness to seize any advantage in every situation. Through three teenage pregnancies, a murder, a depression, and three wars he holds them together with care and tough love. They become war heroes, farmers, Peace Corps volunteers, businessmen--successful, loving adults with a sense of family. Like him.

When widowed Anne Horak meets widower Jim Anderson, she is cautious about this new relationship. As she moves forward, her life is challenged when her daughter and family have to leave their mission post in Africa suddenly as political unrest breaks out and they move in with her. Anne's children must decide how they feel about their mother's relationship with Jim. Likewise, Jim's family must decide how they feel about this change in their lives. The Iowa countryside provides the setting for a story of love lost and found, the strength of faith, the joy of family, and the adventures of life with animals and children.

“A spirited Southern family saga” from the acclaimed author of The Ice House: “Fans of Fannie Flagg will enjoy this novel” (The Plain Dealer). Once enlivened by the trade in Palm Sunday palms and moonshine, Utina, Florida, hasn’t seen economic growth in decades, and no family is more emblematic of the local reality than the Bravos. Deserted by the patriarch years ago, the Bravos are held together in equal measure by love, unspoken blame, and tenuously brokered truces. The story opens on a sweltering July day, as Frank Bravo, dutiful middle son, is awakened by a distress call. Frank dreams of escaping to cool mountain rivers, but he’s only made it ten minutes from the family restaurant he manages every day and the decrepit, Spanish moss–draped house he was raised in, and where his strong-willed mother and spitfire sister—both towering redheads, equally matched in stubbornness—are fighting another battle royale. Little do any of them know that Utina is about to meet the tide of development that has already engulfed the rest of Northeast Florida. When opportunity knocks, tempers ignite, secrets are unearthed, and each of the Bravos is forced to confront the tragedies of their shared past. “An incandescent first novel set in the small town of Utina, Florida, whose inhabitants struggle to balance tradition and progress.” —O, The Oprah Magazine “Intelligence, heart, wit . . . Laura Lee Smith has all the tools and Heart of Palm is a very impressive first novel.” —Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls

Why didn't somebody tell me all of this stuff, before? My Parents have been married for over 30 years, my siblings have all been married for a while, and people have been getting married left and right. Why couldn't any of them let me know some of what I was getting in to? Is it really that difficult? Is it really that hard to sit down with me for 20 minutes to tell me some of what is in store and what I should be doing to get prepared for this "joyous" occasion? I wrote this book just for you, the reader, to let you know some of what your marriage will entail. Don't forget, it is not all of what you will be dealing with, but it is a great start to what you have to look forward to. You have probably heard about how difficult marriage can be and I am going to line out some of those difficulties. Until I went through some of this stuff myself, I had no idea what was going to be included in my marriage. It really is like walking in a dark room without a flashlight. Well, my friend, here's your flashlight.

Grandpa’s Soup tells a story for the pleasure, information, and entertainment of the reader. It is a narrative of the author’s memories of growing up in a tiny island village in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria in Africa. It was inspired by memories of his grandpa, who passed away while he was still very much in the formative years of his life. They are memories that he considers worth sharing because of the lasting impact they have had on his adult life. The author hopes that the book affords the reader a peek into Kalabari-Ijaw ethnography and culture while not losing its very essence, which is motivational—a motivation engendered by the seemingly innocuous acts of a grandfather that roundly impacted the life of his grandson. Also, he attempted to present the book in a simple prose format for easy readability by a wide range of audiences across cultures and demographics.

132

The glue between efficient productivity and profitability is great decision-making. I do not think that a farmer has ever sown rice and harvested corn. In computers, the most common language is GIGO, meaning garbage in, garbage out. Usually, the decisions we make are our personalities, and yet very few people accept responsibility for their actions, their failures in business, or in any endeavor in which they have failed. They desire to blame others without remembering GIGO. I have articulated the mystery that surrounds the lone decision-maker or the CEO who enjoys lonely decision-making and blaming his or her failures on the engineer or the accountant in his company. The new name for decision-making is participative decision-making. In this, the senior officers take part, but separately—the engineers, accountants, supervisors, workers and maintenance people form another group. Both platforms must have a dialogue format; there must be a writer or clerk, a vote taken on each discussion for its authenticity or viability, and in the end, the senior officers must compare their notes with the second group so that amendments can be made where necessary. The final product is now ready to be presented before the board of directors as a formal decision for the company. In a smaller company, this activity stops with the owner, but the owner must understand that two heads are usually better than one. The CEO and his group must not be taken over by egos; the only time for pride in business is when business is doing well financially. Even then, business needs a lot of careful activity because “pride goes before a fall.” It is good to entrust the CEO with the decision-making responsibility, but it is the biggest risk a business can take because business is a collection of ideas. Therefore, it a discipline of collective learning and inquiry. Any student, manager, or business owner who wants to use participative decision-making skills in his or her business or as a consultant in participative decision-making should attend a workshop at least twice and read about participative decision-making thoroughly and practice it from case studies.