Emilie Richards's Blog, page 24

Sunday Inspiration: We will rise…

“So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,
we will rise from the windswept northeast
where our forefathers first realized revolution
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,
we will rise from the sunbaked south
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
and every known nook of our nation and
every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
battered and beautiful
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it”

I was amazed and deeply moved by Amanda Gorman’s reading of her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” at the Inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris (you can find the entire poem here). Gorman is the 22 year old Youth Poet Laureate for our nation, and a young woman with an old soul. May we never forget that,“…there is always light,if only we’re brave enough to see itIf only we’re brave enough to be it”

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Inauguration Day

I’ve been quiet on Southern Exposure for the past few weeks.

I’ll confess that for much of that time, I knew there was nothing I could say that would be half as riveting and certainly not even a millionth as horrifying as the events on the news.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent many hours reading newspapers or watching television news. While Inauguration Day is supposed to be a joyous, hopeful occasion, many people–too many of whom we previously elected to office–have made sure this one can’t be. Instead of joy we have more troops offering protection in our nation’s capital this week than we have in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So in honor of this occasion, brought to us by the same democracy that rioters tried to destroy on January 6th, I’m sharing quotes from our former presidents. History hasn’t always dealt kindly with these men, but their bits of wisdom are worth a lot. Some of them are particularly relevant today.

And yes, there’s one humorous quote, which was meant to be funny when George W Bush uttered it. His words gave me a smile and reminded me how tough the job can be.

Presidential Quotes

“Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who make excuses.” ― George Washington

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” — John Quincy Adams

“On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock.” ― Thomas Jefferson

“It’s easier to do a job right, than to explain why you didn’t.” ― Martin Van Buren 

“I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.” — Abraham Lincoln

“There are men and women who make the world better just by being the kind of people they are. They have the gift of kindness or courage or loyalty or integrity. It really matters very little whether they are behind the wheel of a truck or running a business or bringing up a family. They teach the truth by living it.” ― James Garfield 

“An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory.” — Millard Fillmore

“Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.” — Calvin Coolidge

“The only man who makes no mistake is the man who does nothing.”  — Theodore Roosevelt

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”
― Franklin D. Roosevelt

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” — Harry S. Truman

“Once you say you’re going to settle for second, that’s what happens to you in life.” — John F. Kennedy

“A president’s hardest task is not to do what is right, but to know what is right.” — Lyndon Johnson

“We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” ― Jimmy Carter

“I frankly felt like the reception we received on the way in from the airport was very warm and hospitable. And I want to thank the Canadian people who came out to wave — with all five fingers — for their hospitality.” ― George W. Bush

“The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.” — Barack Obama

Let’s all press on together now. One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Welcome Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the most difficult jobs in the world.

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Sunday Inspiration: The arc of the moral universe bends towards justice

“We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice”.-Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’m using this quote to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as the inauguration of our new president. These words were actually borrowed from the anti-slavery Unitarian minister Theodore Parker who wrote in the 19th century, “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.”

President Obama used the King quote frequently and even had the words woven into a rug in the White House.

In this time of sadness and violence, these are hopeful words that I hold close to my heart because I do believe the arc of the universe bends towards justice, but it needs our hands to bend it far enough to change our world for the better.

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Sunday Inspiration: We are made for goodness

“We are made for goodness.
We are made for love.
We are made for friendliness.
We are made for togetherness.
We are made for all of the beautiful things that you and I know.
We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders.
All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all, all, all.
We all belong to this family, this human family, God’s family.”
― Archbishop Desmond Tutu

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Sunday Inspiration: The New Year

“What the new year brings to you
depends to a great deal on
what you bring to the new year.”
-Vern McLellan, author

OK, so 2020 sucked! Big time. Historic. Cosmic. We ranted and raved, cursed and cried, but all we could really do was kick 2020 hard as it crawled out the door. There are still difficult times ahead, but with a new year comes new hope, and as Vern McLellan puts it, this new year will depend on what we bring to it.

For motivation I’ve decided to look at this new year as a chapter in my lifelong book. What do I want the theme of this chapter to be? Hopeful? Sad? Tragic? Perhaps a comedy? Do I want to be a hero or a victim? Do I want to be like the characters in my novels who persevere when faced with overwhelming obstacles, or do I want to give up and give in?

I’ve decided to make the theme of this chapter in my book “Adventures”, in the hope that I can be more adventurous during this next year, perhaps small adventures so that I can remain safe, but daring to push my boundaries physically, intellectually, and spiritually.

I invite you to begin writing your own next chapter and to make it as exciting and meaningful as your favorite novels.

Got plans? If you’d like, share the adventures you hope to have in 2021. May they be good ones.

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2020: The Year I Read and Read and Read

We’ve been discussing Reader’s Block in the Read Along with Emilie Richards Facebook group that I moderate. (Join us by clicking that link.) Group members admitted that concentrating on a book or even picking one up is much harder than it used to be. Focusing is difficult, and some readers are finding reading a book takes twice as long as it used to.

The group sympathized and made great suggestions. Trying YA novels for a break. Looking for interesting memoirs or autobiographies of women. Listening to audiobooks instead.

Finding that others were experiencing the same thing was something of a relief to many. We feel better if we know we’re not alone, and then hearing that others “had” the same issue but are starting to read with pleasure again was helpful, too. Knowing there’s an end in sight can work wonders.

Recently Vulture.com had an interesting article about TV shows that echoes the same theme. I encourage you to read it because it’s worth your time. This past year the author, Kathryn VanArendonk, particularly enjoyed The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix and said: “There’s been a shift for me and many other TV watchers, a newfound appreciation of a quality I did not value in the same way before. As much as anything else, the appeal of The Baby-Sitters Club lies in how unabashedly comforting it is.”

She differentiates between “best” and favorite” pointing out that best claims to be an indicator of quality (objectively this program–or book in our case–will be good for many people.) Favorite is a way of saying that you enjoyed a show and maybe others will, too. Favorite is more about comfort while best may  not be comforting at all.

I don’t need to explain why “comfort” is a huge plus in entertainment at this particular junction of history, right? And I don’t need to explain that books can also be categorized the same way.

While many readers were having problems plowing through books in 2020, some of us were the opposite. We discovered we could escape into a story and forget about politics and viruses, for at least that long. We were anxious to do so.

For Christmas last year I was given an Erin Condren calendar/appointment book. What a hoot, right? Because in 2020 we all needed to keep up with the many social events vying for our time? Of course I didn’t want to waste that beautiful paper, so I began a book list in the back of mine. Two years ago I kept a book list on Goodreads and managed to read the 50 books I set as my goal. So far in 2020 I’ve read 106. And those were just the ones I remembered to log.

For fun, I thought I’d tell you about the books on that list. Have you ever wondered what a novelist reads? Here’s your chance.

I discovered, when looking through the mini-reviews and ratings I’d given each book that I read a lot of new authors, often authors who advertised free books on BookBub–which I’ve done myself. I discovered some wonderful new storytellers. I also read some clunkers, which was inevitable. Not all of the clunkers were from new authors, either. I can think of four mega-bestselling authors of multiple books who wrote clunkers that ended up on my list. Of course one reader’s clunker is another’ treasure, and that’s as it should be. For that very reason–and several others–I’m not going to name those authors. However, if you’re an author reading this and we’ve met somewhere along the way, you are not on that list.

I also discovered that just because I loved a book by an author was no assurance I’d love the next one or the next. Some books by favorite authors were simply better than others, or had plots or characters I found more appealing.

In an informal tally of genres, I learned I’d read the following:

Mysteries and thrillers–57
Women’s fiction and romance–34
Literary and general fiction–9
Non-fiction–5

Genres aren’t always easy to determine. I made my best choice and moved on.

Forty-six of the books I read earned 4 stars or more out of 5 stars, my informal rating system. If that seems high I will say that if a book was truly bad, I ditched it and moved on. There were a handful of those. For the rest, perhaps, knowing how hard it is to write and publish a book, I gave more stars than someone else might have. A book with great characters and a slow moving plot might get 4 stars, or a great plot with cliched characters, 4 stars, too. If I read a book with pleasure and was happy to settle in with it, a book always received at least 3 and a half stars. No matter how preposterous the idea.

I freely admit I read some preposterous ideas that were so well written or filled with creative energy, that I adored them and was delighted we’d been introduced.

Fifteen books received 4 and 1/2 stars or 5. Using the terms I talked about at the beginning, some were “favorites” and some were “best.” They vary widely, but I bet you can tell which was which. So here’s my list in hopes you’ll find books to read in 2021 if your taste aligns with mine. These are listed in the order I read them and I’ve linked the books to Amazon which makes it so easy (and where I am an associate and earn from qualifying purchases.)

Happy reading ANYTHING that appeals to you in 2021. This is not the time to read because you should but because you want to. Remember nobody’s watching.

The Seven Steps to Closure by Donna Joy Usher.
Light on Snow by Anita Shreve
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Faithful Place by Tana French
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
Missing Presumed by Sue Steiner
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cissneros
Always the Last to Know AND The Best Man by Kristan Higgins–I’m clearly a fan.
Summer of 69 by Elin Hilderbrand
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Hamilton by Ron Chernov–I’m not finished but maybe I will be by next December.
Lucky Double by Deborah Coonts–and others in this series, which was a hoot.
Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella–I laughed out loud a lot.
Small Favor by Jim Butcher–who doesn’t love a wizard detective with a vampire brother?

I’d love to see your favorites from 2020. Want to share?

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Sunday Inspiration: The Work of Christmas

The Work of Christmas
When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among others,

To make music in the heart.




Howard Thurman

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Sunday Inspiration: A Holy Night

For so the children come and so they have been coming.

Always the same way they come, born of the seed of a man and a woman.

No angels herald their beginnings.

No prophets predict their future courses.

No wise men see a star to show where to find the babe that will save humankind.

Yet each night a child is born is a holy night.

Sitting beside our children’s cribs, we feel glory in the sight of new life beginning.

We ask “Where and how will this new life end? Or will it ever end?”

Each night a child is born is a holy night.

A time for singing, a time for wondering, a time for worshiping.

These words by Sophia Lyon Fahs are a reminder that children and the hope they bring to our world are at the heart of this holiday season.

Each night a child is born is truly a holy night and one to be celebrated with joy and love.

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Sunday Inspiration: Christmas Gift Suggestions

“Christmas Gift Suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.”
— Oren Arnold, author

Are you holiday shopping this year? Are you finished? Ours was blessedly easy. Food was at the top of Christmas lists, followed by gift cards for shopping on the internet.

Done.

Still, who wouldn’t benefit from extra gifts chosen from the list above? This year I’m thinking particularly of tolerance, which may be out of stock or hard to find.  Tolerance doesn’t mean we have to accept and participate in acts we find reprehensible, or support people indulging in them. But tolerating the differences that make our world a more interesting place is a goal worth pursuit, a perfect goal for the winter holidays.

So I’ll be shopping for tolerance, which I’ve been short on lately. I’m glad for this reminder.

What will you shop for?

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Booklover Carols: What Else Can I Do?

Happy holidays, whichever and however you celebrate.

If you’ve been a faithful blog reader, you know that most years I favor (?) you with a Booklover’s Carol at Christmas. The carols are based on the more traditional variety, and I’ve had fun coming up with terrible renditions to delight or horrify you. Either reaction is acceptable.

Some of my past favorites were:

Here Comes Amazon (sung to the tune of Here Comes Santa Claus.)

Here comes Amazon, here comes Amazon

Right to your front door,

UPS or US postman

Bringing books and more

Doorbell ringing, VISA singing

Profits on the rise

So clear a space ‘neath the Christmas tree

For Amazon’s latest prize.

Here comes Amazon, here comes Amazon

With your favorite tome

You made a wish list for your friends

So they could shop at home

Don’t need Santa or Old St. Nick,

Computer did it all

So stick the box ‘neath your Christmas tree

‘Cause Amazon came to call.

Here comes Amazon, here comes Amazon

Without a reindeer sleigh

All the things you ever wanted

One “enter” key away

Peace on earth will come to all

If Amazon prices it right

So let’s give thanks to *Bezos himself

‘Cause Amazon comes tonight.

(*Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO and not Beelzebub.)

And a more sentimental carol for all the indie bookstores that have closed:

I’ll Shop There For Christmas (sung to the tune of I’ll Be Home For Christmas)

I’ll shop there for Christmas

You can count on me

Please wrap Poe with mistletoe

To place beneath my tree

Christmas Eve will find me

Where bestsellers gleam

I’ll shop there for Christmas

If only in my dreams

I’ll shop there for Christmas

I can count on you

You know where to find Jane Eyre

And Dan Brown’s latest, too.

Christmas Eve will find me

Where “for rent” signs gleam

I’ll shop there for Christmas

If only in my dreams.

I had no plans for another. Sometimes less is definitely more. However creativity strikes at the oddest times and in the oddest ways. I suggested some headlines for 2020 Christmas letters in my newsletter this month and one of my readers suggested another: I’ll Still Be Here For Christmas.

Yes, indeed. Of course this was the seed for another carol. After all, this is a year unlike any other. So enjoy or ignore…

I’ll Be Here For Christmas (sung to the tune of I’ll Be Home For Christmas.)

I’ll be here for Christmas

You can count on me

I will bask in my favorite mask

Beneath our Christmas tree

Christmas Day will find me

Safe in quarantine

I’ll be here for Christmas

Uninfected and unseen

I have soaked in Clorox

Cookies and fruitcake

I have broiled, and I have boiled

Every gift I make

Christmas Day will find me

Fighting off the gloom

I’ll be here for Christmas

Trading hugs with friends on Zoom.

If that’s not enough for you–you are among the rarest of the rare if this is true–you can find more carols from previous years here.

Wishing each and every one of you a wonderful “stay at home” holiday.

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