Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

Yes, it has finally happened.  Russia and our USA push “the” buttons which lead to the physical destruction of the majority of each country and surrounding areas.  Imagine life without electricity, telephone communication, gasoline for your cars, batteries, and inadequate water and food supplies.  Add this to the basic nature of man, that being survival and at whatever costs which will not be limited to robbery, theft, murder, violence at every level plus the effects of radiation and how to limit further exposure.  The crash of 1929 pales in comparison; there are no banks LITERALLY and cash has become meaningless. 

Imagine no President, Vice President, etc., key military and intelligence personnel,  and the responsibilities falling onto a cabinet member who just happened NOT to be Washington, DC, a major metropolis or military establishment that was bombed. Imagine no longer being a super power but more of a territory and even that cannot be confirmed by any degree at the moment. Imagine being in a somewhat remote area which has not been adversely affected by the H-bomb or direct fallout.  However, someone still needs to be in charge of making decisions and establishing order and making new laws from which to govern.

Yes, we won but at what cost? The recovery would be 1000 years in the making.

The countries today are no longer limited to Russia and USA but this book is absolutely relevant and is highly recommended.  Original copies of this book may be difficult to find and were not available on my NOOK but lessons plans and related study notes are available.  I borrowed a copy from my friend and fellow book group reader Mari Davis and will be returning it to her at BPW book group next month.  I can understand her reluctance to share this copy from 1959 but it would be worthwhile to find a copy for own personal enjoyment.

I enjoyed every page of this book and particularly the writing style.  Keeping in mind that it was written 1959, I was thrilled to miss the gutter talk, body stripping, and literal violence.  I know what is happening without those types of details.  Why clutter and pollute our minds with the unnecessary!

The Amish Bride by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould

Each of us can recall the time we thought we knew better than our parent(s) as to what and whom our future should include.  We placed our own interpretation on events and conversations but believed them to be the “only” truth or possibility. A young girl (Ella) is somewhat determined to force a future which includes plans to join a church primarily to marry a young man she has known most of her life.  She is a Mennonite and he is Amish.  Her goals include going to school to become a baker and has dreams of owning her own store but will becoming Amish be the beginning of the end those dreams? Circumstances create a distance between them from Pennsylvania to Indiana and they appear to be determined to be together.

This book speaks to a family and a history that does not become clearly understood and questions are left hanging for decades until a diary written in some kind of code by a great-grandmother can be deciphered. At the request of Ella’s grandmother, she takes the diary to discover its secrets.  What she learns in the process opens her hear to understand other things about herself, the questionable infant death of an unbeknownst uncle (her grandmother’s only son), and also her own mother which leads Ella to finally forgive her absentee father. 

Ella’s future changes, however, she does realize all of her goals in ways she did not see coming AT ALL. 

Being “Plain” does not mean being simple minded or boring. It does however include commitment to God, family unity, and being equally yoked.  Personally, I believe the same and I am neither Amish nor Mennonite.  Each religion has a written reference. For me it is the Bible so feel free to check out the love chapters, more commonly known as the Corinthians.

Dear Abby

People, young and old alike, lost someone precious today: the original Dear Abby. She had millions of followers and there may be some who may not realize that she took to task the shoddy advice column of the San Francisco Chronicle back in 1956.  This stay at home mom took ownership of the concerns expressed in the letters to that newspaper and how fortunate we are that the paper recognized her talents which resulted in the column that we know today.

Most of my dearest friends grew up reading Dear Abby and it may have been one of the first articles we read when opening our newspaper. Her twin sister we grew to love as Ann Landers.  Each used pseudonyms but in every other way they were the real deal in my opinion.

As a young woman and even today the articles are relevant and impart both common sense wisdom and words to the wise.  I realize that the “Abby” of long ago has morphed onto someone else and I am glad that current media has not chosen to forego the column.   I will enjoy it while it lasts.

By the way, “my” Dear Abby is conveniently located in the Houston Chronicle Star section which also includes the Jumble, Daily Crossword and Hints from Heloise which are also some of my personal favorites.  Even though retired, I like to keep my mind working on SOMETHING.  Life is good and may God bless the memory and be with the family of our beloved Dear Abby who in real life is known as Pauline Phillips.

Fresh Start and New Beginnings

January always brings to mind fresh starts and opportunities, new beginnings and moving past the disappointments from the previous year and attempting, where possible, to correct the whatever and lastly, but more importantly, to acknowledge or thank someone for something every single day.

When reviewing the news from last year, it served as a reminder of those who can no longer share their life with us in the present.  However, we can share in the joy of their accomplishments and what they have contributed to our lives in the form of family, food, fashion, fun, or being female. 

On a personal note, I was told by a beloved family member and much later actually read the same thing that the way you start the beginning of your year is the way you will spend the rest of that year. Hence, I begin my new year with family and friends and have for nearly 30-years.  My New Year’s Eve and the previous two days are spent feeding one of my passions … cooking.  On New Years Day I serve the same menu and make many, many pies to use as gifts. (This year I made 36 pies.)  As family and friends arrive, I request that each child followed by each family select a pie as my gift to them for deciding to begin their year with me, in my home. Any remaining pies will accompany our shared meal as the “grazing” period begins sometime around 1 p.m. Before retirement I rented a moonwalk which was setup in the backyard with easy viewing from a kitchen window and the back patio. One of the men might bring horse shoes or washers to setup near the moomwalk.  Yes, I choose to spend my New Years Day with people that I love, admire, and absolutely enjoy/relish/covet their company. 

How we spend our time and who we spend it with is a choice that I readily make each day and count each person as an added benefit/gift to my life.  We encounter enough that we cannot control both personally and professionally.  I freely admit to loving life and value each part of my life from the gene pool to zip codes. 

This is a new year, so enjoy your life, make an appointment with yourself to have fun, and exercise wisdom to make choices that create value to your life and the lives that you impact or encounter each day in 2013.  Share yourself.