I haven't even explained yet about the Knitting Lady. Who is she? How did I wind up on her doorstep? How did I meet the other girls who became my friends—no, they became more than friends—despite the fact that they drove me absolutely crazy. I need to take a giant step back, return myself to the police car and explain how I, Cal Lavender, came to be living a life that wasn't my own. A witty and moving first novel that uncovers another side of the foster-care system Cal Lavender is perfectly happy living her anonymous life, even if she does have to play mother to her own mother a whole lot more than an eleven-year-old should. But when Cal's mother has one of her "unfortunate episodes" in the middle of the public library, she is whisked off by the authorities and Cal is escorted to a seat in the back of a police car. On "just a short, temporary detour from what I call life," Cal finds herself in a group home with four other girls, watched over by a strange old woman everyone refers to as the Knitting Lady. At first Cal can think of nothing but how to get out of this nuthouse. She knows she doesn't belong there. But it turns out that all the girls, and even the Knitting Lady, may have a lot more in common than they could have imagined. A fresh new voice in middle-grade fiction—Jill Wolfson's unforgettable characters will blunder their way into readers' hearts.

Dont give up till you reach the end, or you will miss the message. Introduction My poems are inspired by lifes experience, the good times and the not so good times. Recapping significant bits of life and events that have absolutely no significance at all. Sometimes one of my poems will introduce a life changing truth next will lead you down the garden path to some humorous event thats really out for a laugh. I suppose its not really fair to play with the dynamics of peoples emotions but lifes not always fair. Anyway if your reading my book and it has touched you enough to move your mind away from reality for a short time it has achieved the desired result. And also paid a small amount to help feed my family. This will also give me the opportunity to write another verse that just may be the poem that touches the hearts of the people that needs a slight encouragement at that particular momentso dont get up off the lounge or out of that comfy chair.

Is there life after losing a love one? How do you live without your soulmate? This is book one in the series of how we get through this process we call life.

For fathers who long to make a positive, lasting difference in their sons’ lives, passing down a legacy of values and ideals that will help them mature into men—into true men, leaders, voices of strength and wisdom for the next generation and beyond—the challenge has become more daunting than ever. I Call Shotgun is a practical playbook designed to equip dads for this vital task, increasing our influence and deepening our father-son relationships. Written as letters from the authors to their own sons, the book’s sixty-four bite-size chapters cover a wide range of territory, from courage and compassion to finance and faith, from peer pressure and purity to hard work and humility. The life lessons within these pages teach sons how to cultivate integrity, follow True North, avoid victimitis, hang with the wise, laugh at political correctness, train for adversity, seek God first, make no excuses, build productive habits, and much more. Shooting from the heart, Tommy Newberry and Curt Beavers—men of faith, influencers, entrepreneurs, and battle-tested dads themselves—offer an engaging, highly personal collection of potent insights, a just-in-time antidote to the empty counterfeits that today’s culture tries to pass off as wisdom. At the end of each chapter, simple yet carefully crafted questions invite deeper conversations between dads and sons. Relevant to any man, but especially tailored for fathers and their teen or pre-teen sons, I Call Shotgun will help you to instill character in the boys who are growing into men right before your eyes—and it might just sharpen your own character in the process.

This work is a walk and a journey into the realities of life. It shares reflections from tragedy and grief to hope and healing. The different pieces of this work, challenge the reader to succor the self, despite the problems and pain of life and in the process, persevere to a place of wellness. This work challenges us to redefine our role in the world and in our relationships. It calls on us to reconstruct our rubric so we can look beyond the casual that we have been taught, to paying attention to the constructive and consequential that we must know. It summons us to give ourselves a chance to be carefully prudent enough to succeed. It reminds us of our responsibility and at the same time focuses us on our finality. It calls us to authenticity, reminds us of life’s adversity, but also points us to our possibility. It calls us to get away from being gullible and from the gimmicks of our space and from the aura of grandiosity in our interactions, to a place of growth and well-being. It challenges us to get in touch with ourselves and embrace the opportunity of the genesis of a much brighter and fulfilling life in our tomorrow.

Songs My Mother Wrote is a poetic journey about my life with my mother and how I was able to make a choice about how I was going to handle the loss of my mother. I decided to celebrate her life. I hope this book can help others who have lost someone special overcome the grief and sorrow of loss. Joyce Fizzolio died of lung cancer on July 8, 2004. She was a child, a sister, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a well-known and respected voice teacher. My mother studied music at Wayne State University and she graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto. She was a coloratura soprano and teacher. Her concert debut was with the American Symphony Orchestra of New York. My mother performed in twenty-three musicals and she made her Broadway debut as a feature soloist at the Palace Theater in New York City. She taught singing lessons for several years and she was a member of several music organizations. My mother's creative outlet was her voice. My creative outlet is my writing. During my time of grieving and loss, I found comfort in writing poetry. I was amazed at how my writing changed as I started to channel my grief and sadness into learning more about myself and my purpose and my healing. We are all born with gifts and we must look at our gifts to bring forward the memory of someone special. This is my gift and I hope you enjoy the poetry. If you knew my mother, I hope it gives you a smile to remember what a dynamic and wonderful person she was in life.

Like so many others in life, Dustin Ahlers, a senior in high school, found himself lost in the world with no sense of direction or clue what to do next with his life. Troubled by the vast approaching "real world" reality and beaten down by life, Dustin had finally reached his breaking point when he decided it was time to make a change. By altering his perception and taking a chance, he soon found himself having an experience of a lifetime at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, which would forever change his life. Now, Dustin hopes to enrich the lives of others by sharing his heartfelt story, as well as the lessons he has learned along the way. Follow him through his journey through life, from a senior in high school through graduation from college, as he discovers how truly life can be a roller coaster ride. Learn to search your soul, discover your purpose, and chase your dreams so that you may enjoy the wonderful ride we call life!

Just another philosophical book about life. While we all try to fit into this little box that society calls "life", most things aren`t the way we have been taught they are. For me, life is something else and this book is about my idea and another perspective of this little box i call life.

Should we feel inadequate for failing to be healthy, balanced, and well-adjusted? Is such an existential equilibrium realistic or even desirable? Condemning our cultural obsession with cheerfulness and “positive thinking,” Mari Ruti calls for a resurrection of character that honors our more eccentric frequencies, arguing that sometimes the most tormented and anxiety-ridden life can also be the most rewarding. Ruti critiques our current search for personal meaning and the pragmatic attempt to normalize human beings’ unruly and idiosyncratic natures. Exposing the tragic banality of a happy life commonly lived, she instead emphasizes the advantages of a lopsided life rich in passion and fortitude. Ruti shows what counts is not our ability to evade existential uncertainty but to meet adversity in such a way that we do not become irrevocably broken. We are in danger of losing the capacity to cope with complexity, ambiguity, melancholia, disorientation, and disappointment, leaving us feeling less “real,” less connected, and unable to metabolize a full range of emotions. Heeding the call of our character may mean acknowledging the marginalized, chaotic aspects of our being, for they carry a great deal of creative energy. Ruti shows it is precisely this energy that makes us inimitable and irreplaceable.

Why am I here? What is God's call in my life? How do I fit God's call with my own individuality? How should God's calling affect my career, my plans for the future, and my concepts of success? First published in 1997 by distinguished author and speaker Os Guiness, The Call remains a treasured source of wisdom for those who ask these questions. According to Guinness, "No idea short of God's call can ground and fulfill the truest human desire for purpose and fulfillment." In this newly updated and expanded anniversary edition, Guinness explores the truth that God has a specific calling for each one of us and guides a new generation of readers through the journey of hearing and heeding that call. With more than 100,000 copies in print, The Call is for all who desire a purposeful, intentional life of faith.