Books are a uniquely portable magic
-- Stephen King
ISBN 978-0141343136
Format Paperback
Publisher Puffin Books
Published 2 August 2012
After the Nazis took my parents I was scared
After they killed my best friend I was angry
After they ruined my thirteenth birthday I was determined
To get to the forest
To join forces with Gabriek and Yuli
To be a family
To defeat the Nazis after all
Following a heartbreaking struggle to survive as a Jewish child in Germany, Felix faces perhaps his greatest challenge - to find hope when he's lost almost everything. In the fourth part of Felix's story, continuing his adventures in World War Two, he faces perhaps his greatest challenge - to find hope when he's lost almost everything, including his parents. As Europe goes through the final agonizing stages of the war, Felix struggles to reconcile hatred and healing. He's helped by a new friend, but if he should lose her as well ...
“What is this self inside us, this silent observer, Severe and speechless critic, who can terrorize us, And urge us on to futile activity, And in the end, judge us still more severely, For the errors into which his own reproaches drove us?”
-- T. S. Eliot
"Show me the books he loves and I shall know the man far better than through mortal friends."
-- Dawn Adams
Learning to Dance in the Rain by Mac Anderson and BJ Gallagher can change your attitude about facing adversity.
This is also an inspirational little book - a great gift for your team or a friend, or just to have beside you as a reminder of what really matters.
You can see the book here http://bit.ly/TR8GSO
I was sitting on the curb with Goober who was crying from the excruciating pain in her leg. She leaned against my shoulder as I tried to console her. As we sat, she cried for her mom. She ached; she wanted her mom, but her mom was with my mom, and they had been drinking all night. So we sat together on the curb watching our siblings ride their bicycles against the gentle summer wind. We watched as they freed their hands from the handlebars and reached toward the sky. They were carefree. Their smiles were infectious. Goober tried to smile. I smiled. Their energy was contagious. It was powerful. For one moment, Goober had forgotten the pain from the tumor in her leg and smiled. This unspoken energy moved all of us to forget the negative pains we were feeling shortly before the bicyclers reached toward the sky with joy.
We pass unspoken thoughts and feelings to others. Let this simple act of child play lead you toward that positive energy. Stand under the big blue sky or the big gray sky, and reach toward it and smile. I just bet you will make someone else smile too. If that doesn't happen, realize the joy simply reaching up gave you. If you are daring, ride your bike and raise your hands from the handlebars, looking up and reaching toward the sky as the wind blows in your smiling face. If you feel less adventurous, just keep your hands on the handlebars, look up for a second, and smile.
Exercise: Really Look at the World
Today, I want you to go outside. First, go out for an early morning walk. Notice the dew on the grass, and feel the coolness from the night. Notice the quiet, free from traffic and noise. Hear the birds singing and the sprinklers going as they water the lawns. When you arrive home, get yourself a warm cup of coffee or tea. Sit outside; enjoy the quiet, the solitude. Close your eyes for just a few minutes; then open them. Notice how much greener the grass is, how much more vibrant the flowers are. Notice how much clearer you hear the sounds of nature. Look around you. Feel the warmth of the sun on your face. Embrace the moment. In the evening, venture outside. Look up and see the vast universe and the stars in the sky. Smell nature and all its fragrances. Smile, lift your arms up high, and say a quiet prayer of thanks.
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In Lose the Baggage, Lose the Weight, Lorna Stremcha teaches women how to use the P.I.E.S. way of life to positively affect the physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual aspects of their lives. Using life experiences and sound research she provides the tools that will help you understand the underlying problems and make necessary changes in your outlook and your life. ISBN#9781618627612
Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.
Maya Angelou
"You can never plan the future by the past"
-Edmund Burke
“Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are -- chaff and grain together -- certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.…”
-- Dinah Craik
I would like to share with you some of the things I've been learning over the past weeks, since my mom passed away.
Life is a preparation for death.
The more emotionally balanced and positive you are in everyday life, the more peaceful your passing will tend to be. If you change the way you live, you'll likely change the way you die.
It's never too early to begin to really live.
In other words, it's never too early to prepare for your death.
If you don't have friends and loved ones, you'll live a lonely life, and die a lonely death.
Friends and loved ones are like a beautiful flower garden. In order for your relationships to blossom you need to cultivate and nurture those you care for, and those who care for you. You need to appreciate the positive aspects of people, rather than criticizing people's shortcomings.
Be thankful for what you DO have, rather than dwelling on what you don't.
The quality of your life depends on your ability to be thankful. Accept what IS taking place in your life and relationships, rather than complaining about what isn't.
No matter what, don't play the "If only..." game.
One of the surest ways to depress yourself, is to sit around and say "My life could have been so much better, if only I had done 'X' or 'Y'". Second guessing your life, will only lead to unhappiness.
Don't let the mistakes you've made, define your life.
Do you know someone who's gone through life without making any mistakes? I don't think so. It's not the mistakes you've made that define who you are. Rather, it's the way you've reacted to the mistakes you've made, that defines who you are. You need to learn from your mistakes, rather than continue to relive them.
"Once a man, twice a boy."
This is a common phrase used by those who care for the aged. Not surprisingly, many more men than women get angry and frustrated when they lose their ability to think clearly and take care of themselves. Old age often involves a return to childhood. If you're lucky enough to have someone provide care for you, rejoice in the care and ask for help, rather than getting angry, frustrated, or depressed, when you lose your way. At some stage in your second childhood you might even need to wear diapers again. Babies aren't ashamed to wear diapers, and you shouldn't be either!
Every day you're alive, is a miracle!
If you haven't yet realized this... Hold a baby in your arms, watch young children playing, look closely at a beautiful flower, help an older person across the street, smile at someone who serves you in a store or other location, and say "Thank you" to them.
Within the next week, make sure to tell at least a half dozen people, how thankful you are to have them in your life.
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Charlie Badenhop is the originator of Seishindo, an Aikido instructor, NLP trainer, and Ericksonian Hypnotherapist. Benefit from Charlie's thought-provoking ideas and various self-help Practices, by subscribing to his complimentary newsletter "Pure Heart, Simple Mind."
