This video shows an amazing piece of debris from 9/11.
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Today is the National Day of Prayer 2017. The theme is For Your Great Name’s Sake! Hear Us… Forgive Us…Heal Us! Taken from Daniel 9:19.
ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favour and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ~ Prayer for Our Country from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer
Valentine’s Day is a day for lovers, and I was so blessed to share an incredible love with Jack, my husband of forty-five years. The poems that follow are some I wrote for him early in our relationship, and our love grew even stronger through the years. I wish that kind of love for everyone.
But we also share many kinds of love other than romantic love. My mother’s birthday was on Valentine’s Day, so I always think of family love on this day, as well.
May your life be filled with love of all kinds.
Love is not an accident;
Man is not wise enough to plan it—
Therefore, it must be ordained of God.
I Believe
I believe in beauty,
for I have seen the beautiful;
I believe in truth,
for I have known the truth;
I believe in faith,
for my faith has been restored;
I believe in hope,
for my hope has been fulfilled.
I believe that life is good,
for life has been good to me;
I believe that wishes do come true,
for my wishes are coming true;
I believe that miracles do happen,
for miracles have happened to me;
I believe that love is real,
for my life is filled with love.
The beauty I have seen is in our love;
The truth is in it too.
You have restored my faith, My Love,
And my hopes are fulfilled by you.
The goodness of life you have shown me;
My wishes are all about you;
The miracles I know are you and our love;
And the love that we share is true.
Promise
I’ll love you forever—
From now until eternity;
Darling, I’ll be true.
A devoted help-mate ever,
Your constant companion I’ll be,
For I love you.
My soul fills with emotion,
Tears of joy down my cheeks flow,
For your love.
Time lessens not my devotion;
Daily my love will grow,
For you I love.
Because of You
Because of you, my world is filled with kindness;
Because of you, my life is filled with joy;
Because of you, my dreams are filled with hope;
Because of you, my heart is filled with love.
Life is beautiful, because of you;
Joy is eternal, because of you;
Dreams are attainable, because of you;
Love is real, because of you.
Image: © Depositphotos.com/doroshin
This is School Choice Week, a time to advocate for choice in school options.
All children are entitled to the best education option for them. Parents should be able to choose a public school, a charter school, a magnet school, a private school, or an online school–or to teach their kids in a homeschool.
Watch the video below to learn more.
May the coming year be full of blessings from the Lord. May you be productive, loved, and filled with joy.
O MOST merciful Father, who hast blessed the labours of the husbandman in the returns of the fruits of the earth; We give thee humble and hearty thanks for this thy bounty; beseeching thee to continue thy loving-kindness to us, that our land may still yield her increase, to thy glory and our comfort; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ~ 1928 Book of Common Prayer
Corncupoia Image (preview): © Depositphotos.com/miflippo
Family Dinner Image (post): © Depositphotos.com/pressmaster
November 15th is I Love to Write Day.If you like to write, be sure to spend some time doing exactly that.
If you’ve ever thought of writing a novel or a memoir or a family history, today is a good day to start. But if you’d rather write in a journal, do it. Write a letter, write a poem, write an essay … whatever you write, just write.
I had always planned to write “someday,” but after I had a stroke at age forty-five, I realized “someday” might never come. So I started writing as soon as I physically able, and I’ve been writing ever since. Don’t wait for “someday” in the far-off future. Today is “someday.”
November is also National Family Stories Month and National Life Writing Month. If the family gets together for Thanksgiving, why not share favorite stories? Designate one person to write the stories down, and you have the beginning of a wonderful legacy.
You can continue to collect stories and compile them into a book. Or just type them up and print out copies for family members. You can get more ideas for writing a family history from my short ebook, Preserving Memories: How to Write a Family History . The book will be helpful for any type of life writing—memoir, autobiography, collection of family stories, family history, or anything about your life and the people in it.
Enjoy writing something today!
Image: © Depositphotos.com/petrograd99
This month’s session in the INFLUENCE Magazine’s Writing Workshop Series is Self-Editing.
Finishing the first draft is just the beginning of the polishing process. Turn first draft dreck into final draft gold through the alchemy of self-editing. Learn how to make your own writing shine—make bad writing good, mediocre writing outstanding, and good writing exceptional.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
- Writers and authors who want to produce a better book, article, or blog/social media post
- Businesspeople and professionals who seek to deliver their message more effectively
- Individuals who write as part of their job and need to improve the quality of their work
- Anyone who desires to write better
TOPICS:
- What and Why of Self-Editing; Kinds of Editing
- The First Draft: Pure Green Dreck
- The Editing Process and Stages
- Q&A (you’re invited to submit your questions with your registration)
The workshop will take place on Thursday, November 10, 2016, 7 – 9 PM, at Wayland Baptist University in San Antonio.
Download the flyer or signup on the writers workshop registration page.
There are discounts for groups registering together and for individuals signing up for more than one workshop.
For more information about the series and upcoming workshops, visit the workshop series page.
Image: © Depositphotos.com/bradcalkins
The second workshop in INFLUENCE Magazine’s workshop series will focus on publishing options. The workshop will be held Thursday, October 13, 2016, 7 – 9 PM, at Wayland Baptist University in San Antonio.
Our first workshop–on writing for magazines and other media–was well-received by the attendees. A couple of them shared their thoughts:
“I enjoyed being updated on the current state of the print publishing industry. Also, we all need reminders of proper English writing standards. I look forward to the next workshop.” ~ Ilene
“Even if you’ve been to other writing workshops and think you’ve heard it all, Cedric Fisher’s insights and the suggestions/anecdotes shared by San Antonio editor and writer Lillie Ammann are fresh, sometimes novel and funny, and certainly practical. Cedric has worked in NYC and various magazine markets and offers the perspective and advice of an insider to prospective writers. I will be attending any future workshops he is offering.” ~ Nancy
This session we’ll be talking about publishing options:
- Traditional/legacy/New York/”big publishing”
- Small press and regional publishing
- Subsidy/vanity publishing
- Self-publishing/indie publishing
- Q&A (You’re invited to submit your questions with your registration)
Join us if you’re written a book and don’t know what to do next or if you want to write to book but would like to know the whole process before you begin.
Download the flyer to learn more or visit the website to register.
In November, we’ll offer a workshop on self-editing, followed in December by a repeat of the first session. You can save money by registering for two or three sessions at once.
If you’re in the San Antonio area and interested in publishing, hope to see you next week!
Feel free to send the flyer to all the writers you know. There is also a discount for groups, so round up a few fellow writers and save some money.