Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 111

I Love to Write Day and National Lifewriting Month

Today is I Love to Write Day, an observance established in 2002 by Delaware writer John Riddle. It’s a day to celebrate and encourage writing. Schools, libraries, bookstores, and organizations have activities to nourish and grow the love of writing. If you love to write, I Love to Write Day is an excellent occasion for you to demonstrate that love and write.

November is National Lifewriting Month. Lifewriting comprises a variety of genres. According to the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing at Wolfson College:

Life-writing involves, and goes beyond, biography. It encompasses everything from the complete life to the day-in-the-life, from the fictional to the factional. It embraces the lives of objects and institutions as well as the lives of individuals, families and groups.

Life-writing includes autobiography, memoirs, letters, diaries, journals (written and documentary), anthropological data, oral testimony, and eye-witness accounts. It is not only a literary or historical specialism, but is relevant across the arts and sciences, and can involve philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, ethnographers and anthropologists.

Most likely, lifewriting that is personal rather than academic will be in the form of memoir or family history. I am convinced that everyone should write their personal and family stories. In most cases, there won’t be a great interest in individual stories from the general public—unless the subjects of the memoir or family history are famous and infamous.

However, that doesn’t mean that your story doesn’t have great value. Everyone’s story is important to their loved ones and will be even more important to their descendants. As I wrote in Preserving Memories: How to Write a Family History, “your personal memoirs or your family history can be the greatest treasure you can leave your family because you’re sharing your life and yourself.”

Imagine how much you would appreciate having your great-great-grandparents’ personal stories. Your great-great-grandchildren will feel the same way about you. Not only can you share your day-to-day life, which will be fascinating to someone fifty or a hundred years in the future, but you can also pass on your values and beliefs.

The convergence of I Love to Write Day in the middle of National Lifewriting Month presents the perfect opportunity for you to start or work on your memoir or family history.

Share your thoughts and experience with lifewriting in comments. Have you started writing your life story or the history of your family? Why or why not? Do you agree that your story could be the best legacy you can pass on to future generations? Do you have any written records from your ancestors? How important are they to you or how much would you like to have them?

 

Veterans Day 2013

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; We give thee thanks for all those thy servants who have served our country in the military. Stretch forth, we pray thee, thine almighty arm to strengthen and protect the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines of our country. Support them in the day of battle, and in the time of peace keep them safe from all evil; endue them with courage and loyalty; and grant that in all things they may serve without reproach; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (adapted from 1928 Book of Common Prayer)

In the video below, we salute our military–present and past–and thank them for their service that maintains our freedoms.

photo by:


City of Marietta & GA

Kindle Fire vs. Kindle

Comparing the Kindle Fire to the Kindle e-reader

A few months ago, I wrote a review of the Kindle Fire HDX 7″, HDX Display, Wi-Fi, 16 GB – Includes Special Offers. At the time, I was thrilled with the device and intended to use it exclusively. However, while I have been using the Kindle Fire, the arthritis in my shoulders, elbows, and hands has worsened, and I can’t use the Fire without significant pain. Therefore, I use it only for occasional games now and have returned to reading on my Kindle. I’m sure this won’t be an issue for most people, but I wanted to share the information in case someone with similar problems is trying to decide which device to buy. I still think the Kindle Fire is a fabulous product, but it’s not the right device for me to use to read. My Kindle Keyboard is so small and light that I can stick it in my purse and carry it everywhere I go. I can comfortably read at the table, in bed, or anywhere else. The battery lasts a lot longer than the battery on the Kindle Fire, and the Kindle has survived being dropped several times without any damage. Although I enjoyed the color on the Kindle Fire, I don’t miss color when I’m reading a novel. In short, the Kindle is perfect for me to use every day.

National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness & Caregiver Month 2013

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Caregiver Month. If you fortunate enough not to have been touched by this disease, you may not be aware of how challenging it can be. And you may not be aware that you are likely to be impacted by Alzheimer’s some time in your life. One-third of seniors die with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, and half of the people who reach the age of 80 develop Alzheimer’s.

My grandfather died with Alzheimer’s or some form of dementia when I was twelve years old. Even doctors didn’t know much about the disease then, and Grandpa was diagnosed with “hardening of the arteries.” He became violent and had to be committed to the state mental hospital for the safety of himself and others. My father developed Alzheimer’s in his 70s, and adult family members recognized that he was exhibiting many of the same symptoms as my grandfather had four decades earlier. Doctors are recognizing the disease now because it is so much more prevalent than it used to be because people are living longer. Although some patients develop the disease earlier in life, age is the main risk factor for Alzheimer’s. My husband also developed Alzheimer’s in his 70s and died at age 79.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.”

The fact that currently nothing can be done to effectively treat patients with the disease makes it very difficult to deal with, and the way it destroys the individual’s personality and both physical and cognitive abilities makes it even harder. Imagine that, like a dear friend of mine, you have been married to the love of your life for more than sixty years, and now your spouse even doesn’t know who you are. Think how you  would feel if the person you loved most in the world believed that, rather than caring for them, you are plotting against them, stealing from them, even trying to poison them with the food you prepare and the medicine you administer.

This is the reality faced by millions of caregivers. Just like an infant, a person with advanced dementia  requires constant care and cannot be left alone. Caregiving is physically and emotionally stressful and exhausting. Family members and friends who care for loved ones with dementia do so out of love and commitment, and most would say, as I do, that caring for someone you love is an honor and a blessing. Even so, it is still challenging.

If you know a caregiver, recognize him or her during November. You can write an online tribute, send a personal note, arrange for respite care for the dementia patient and take the caregiver to lunch, or give the caregiver a gift to pamper and relax him or her.

The pictured basket from Lil Country Store includes the book Help! What Do I Do Now?: Caring for Your Loved One with Alzheimer’s, a mug and herbal teas, Life Savers, a Kit Kat bar (for a “break”), and a candle and candle holder. The book, which is short and easy-to-read, contains practical information for caregivers, and the other items will give the caregiver a short, soothing break.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money—just show your appreciation and respect for what the caregiver does.

 

 

National Authors’ Day and My First Newspaper Column

Today is National Authors’ Day, a day set aside to honor authors and thank them for the pleasure, information, and inspiration they bring us. It’s a great time to send a note or make a social media connection to let your favorite author know how much you appreciate his or her books.

This is also a good day to share something I’m excited about. I’ve mentioned that my sister and I have opened Lil Country Store, a combination convenience store and gift shop. We had a storytelling at our grand opening, and I’ll be telling stories at our Halloween event tomorrow.

During our first storytelling event, a member of the audience said, “You should have a column in the newspaper for your stories.”

The idea intrigued me, and I contacted the newspaper that serves the three communities near the store. The editor accepted my proposal and will be running one of my stories once a month. The first story appeared in yesterday’s edition. You have to be a subscriber to the paper to access it online, but you can read the opening of the story on the website of the Frio-Nueces Current. I’m having a lot of fun in my redneck persona in person and in print!

Interview: Carlene Havel & Review: Here Today Gone Tomorrow

Lillie: I’m thrilled to welcome Carlene Havel to my blog today. I first met Carlene through her parents, my dear friends, Billie and Herb Houston (writing as Barri Bryan). She wasn’t a writer when I first met her, but she has since published three books.

Carlene is offering a giveaway, a $15 Amazon gift certificate, to a lucky reader. Read on to find out how to enter.

Welcome, Carlene. I’m delighted to have you here.

Carlene: I’m glad to be here.

Lillie:  As I mentioned above, both of your parents are writers. Did you always want to follow in their footsteps?

Carlene: Although I’ve always loved to read, I once had no interest in writing. My former occupation required me to write technical papers—which I did only because I had to. In 2005, my life was transformed by coming to faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior. In addition to other, innumerable life-altering changes, I suddenly developed a passion for writing.

Lillie:  Along with that passion, God obviously gave you lots of talent, as well. What can you tell us about your latest novel, which I have reviewed below?

Carlene: I originally wrote Here Today Gone Tomorrow in 2009. After a publisher rejected it, I threw away everything but the first three chapters and started over. This time, I plunged more deeply into memories of some personal experiences, therapeutically writing away old hurts. Prism Book Group offered me a contract to publish the revised work in 2012. Then the editor suggested a rewrite to drop the first three chapters, which were all that remained of the original novel! She was absolutely right. Here Today Gone Tomorrow expresses my philosophy that there is always hope.

Lillie:  That philosophy is a great expression of your faith. What is the general theme of your work?

Carlene: As a writer of fiction, I believe it’s crucial to entertain readers. Who wants to read a boring book? I write what I myself like to read, uplifting, encouraging stories. After creating a set of characters, I always want to give them a happy ending. Sleazy slime-balls trying to kill a bunch of other dirt-bags have no appeal for me, although I do appreciate a nasty villain getting his comeuppance. To borrow from St. Paul, I write to affirm faith, hope, and love—and the most wonderful of all is love.

Lillie:  I’m looking forward to reading more of your books. What is next?

Carlene: A Sharecropper Christmas will be released by Prism Book Group at the end of November. This is a novella, loosely based on family stories of farm life during the Great Depression. Co-author Sharon Faucheux and I recently signed a contract to publish our full-length novel, The Scarlet Cord, the story of Rahab. Meanwhile, we’re working together on a book about another courageous woman of the Bible.

Lillie: Where can readers learn more about you and your books?

Carlene: They can read my blog and check out my author page on Amazon.com. Also, there is an author page on the website of my publisher, Prism Book Group.

Lillie: Thanks, Carlene, for being my guest and for offering a giveaway to a lucky reader. Tell us about the giveaway.

Carlene: I’m giving away a $15 Amazon gift to a lucky commenter who wins a random draw. I recommend the dry roasted soybean snacks for if the winner isn’t a reader.

Lillie: I can’t imagine a non-reader following my blog, and I recommend the winner buy your books if they haven’t already read them. To enter the drawing for the gift certificate, leave a comment below. I’ll generate a random number on random.org to select the winner.

Carlene: Thank you so much, Lillie, for hosting me on your blog today.

Lillie: I’m delighted to have you as my guest, and I hope you will stop by later to respond to comments.

Carlene: I’ll certainly do that. Good luck to everyone who leaves a comment to enter the giveaway.

BIO:

Carlene Havel has lived in numerous US states, the Philippines, and Turkey. Like most writers, Carlene has always loved to read, and her taste is eclectic. Her other hobbies include sewing, knitting, crochet, and embroidery. She especially enjoys Bible study, normally devoting one day each week delving into the Scriptures with a small focus group. The Havels make their home in San Antonio, Texas, in the midst of a big, extended family.

Here Today Gone Tomorrow by Carlene Havel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Casey and Carlos aren’t swept away by passionate love at first sight. Instead, they start as neighbors, then they become good friends. Love develops as the two get to know each other. Both experience real life challenges, but they each rekindle their strong faith. Together, with the help of God, they overcome challenges and find the joy of a love based on more than physical attraction and rooted in faith. A tender, heart-warming story of love–love for God and love for each other. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

View all my reviews

Thanks to Commenters Third Quarter 2013

Thank you to the 27 commenters who left 86 comments in July, August, and September. Your comments extended the conversation and added value and interest, and I enjoyed replying to every one of them. Like most blogs, I’m seeing the number of comments and the number of commenters drop as readers gravitate to social media sites rather than to individual blogs. I’m grateful to those of you who continue to come and those who come for the first time to read and comment on my blog.

This quarter, almost half of the comments came from two individuals—Kristy, Migration Expert, and Sarah, Eye Cream HQ—who each left 21 comments. Special thanks to Sarah and Kristy!

And thanks to those who read my blog—perhaps on Facebook or Goodreads or other social media—I appreciate any comments you leave on those sites. Most of all I appreciate each one of you for taking the time to read my random thoughts, on my blog or on social media.

Every month when I post thanks to commenters, I get questions about how I compile this list. I have explained my system in detail in Compiling Thanks to Commenters.

 

Top Contributors (21 comments each!)


Kristy
Migration Expert


Sarah
Eye Cream HQ


Major Contributor (8 comments)


Dawn Colclasure
DMC Writer


Outstanding Contributor (7 comments)


Marian
Migration Expert


Imortant Contributors (2-3 comments)


Jan McClintock
Night Owl Sites


Christopher Roberts
AboutMe/Christopher Roberts


Harry
Websan Solutions


Jack
Mamann, Sandaluk, & Kingwell, LLP


Marian
Travel Visa Australia


Significant Contributors


Adrien
Passion Outlet


Billie Houston
Barribryan.com


David
Finansielt


Denis
Mente-Communal


James
McMahon RV


Karen Swim
Karen Swim


Ken
Pioneer Moving & Storage


Kristy
n/a


Lavindra
Texila American University


Lee
Free Job Search Websites


Linda Lee
Askmepc Web Design


Michael
Christian Lingua


Nelson Martin
Web Hosting


Raj Kumar
Techie Jerry


Rey
Canadian Nanny


Steve
Standard Marketing


Steve Xenakis
Fortune Innovations


Surenda Thapa
Best Online Jobs for College Students

Ghoulish Games and Ghostly Tales at the Lil Country Store

I mentioned before that my sister and I have started Lil Country Store, convenience coupled with country charm. The little store, located six miles west of Dilley, Texas, offers the usual convenience store items. In addition, we have a crafts and collectibles corner where we offer handmade crafts, small antiques and collectibles, and gift baskets—or since they aren’t all in basket, maybe we should just them country gifts.

We also love to offer fun for the whole family. On Saturday, November 2, from 4 PM to 8 PM, we’ll have our Ghoulish Games and Ghostly Tales. There will be hayrides, cake walks, a scavenger hunt, a pumpkin-carving contest, a kids’ costume contest, bobbing for applies, and roast your own wiener and s’mores (kids must be supervised). And of course…Ghostly Tales.

I’ll be telling Halloween stories for the adults, and our niece Millie McKenzie will entertain the little ones with their own stories. It will be a lot of fun–well worth the drive if you’re in San Antonio or Laredo or anywhere else in south Texas. Everything is included in the admission fee, which is $5 each or $20 for a family of 4+ at the door or $4 each or $16 for a family of 4+. Kids 3 and under are free.

Download a flyer for a schedule and details.

Email me if you would like to order tickets in advance. Hope to see you and your kids enjoying a fun evening at Lil Country Store!

Killer Success: Free Oct. 19 and 20

Lee Evans, the author of Killer Success: Awaken Your Inner Poweris offering her book for free on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20, 2013.

My review from Goodreads is posted below.

Killer Success: Awaken Your Inner Power by Lee Evans


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a compilation of success principles from a variety of different motivational speakers and writers. Although the principles aren’t original, the combination of ideas from a variety of sources is well-integrated and well-organized. In addition, the author expounds in detail on techniques, such as visualization. I also like that the importance of purpose and of giving are emphasized. This isn’t a “get rich quick” book–it’s a book about how to achieve your purpose and live a fulfilling life that also contributes to the well-being of others and society in general. If you need some motivation or some step-by-step advice, you’ll find both here.





View all my reviews

Disclaimer: The author gifted me with a free copy of the ebook for an honest review; I had no obligation to give a good review.

Blog Action Day 2013—Human Right: Life

Today is Blog Action Day, a day in which bloggers around the world post on a single topic. This year the topic is Human Rights, with the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the guideline for subjects to write about.

Regular readers of my blog will not be surprised that I am writing about the most basic and important human right: the right to life. None of the other rights are of any value if you aren’t alive to enjoy them. Yet millions of babies are slaughtered in the womb simply because their mothers or others with power over the mothers think the babies’ lives are of no value.

The UN declaration includes three articles that pertain to the right to life. The following is taken from the UN declaration (emphasis within body of articles added):

Article 2.


Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.


Article 3.


Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

…

Article 6.

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Abortion stops a beating heart. There is plenty of scientific evidence that life begins at conception. Mothers who see their babies on an ultrasound are much less likely to choose abortion because they see their child is a living being. Nothing is more precious than human life, and someday, it will be protected in the womb as well as in the world. Future generations will look back and wonder how we could have allowed unborn children to be killed indiscriminately the same way we look back and wonder how our ancestors could have enslaved other people and treated them as less than human.

Here are some of the posts I’ve written about abortion and the right to life:

Murder Has Been Legal for 40 Years
Now Choose Life So You and Your Children May Live
National Adoption Month
Absolute Truth vs Personal Opinion
The Case Against Abortion
Abortion: Legalized Murder
Another Year, Another Million and a Half Dead Babies
A Thirty-Six Year Tragedy
The Most Basic Human Right: Life
Slavery and Abortion: Moral Relatives