Showing results by narrator "Ann Richardson" in All Categories

Is it possible for a lesbian to fall passionately in love at age 65? Ruthie Stein is about to find out.

Some folks are born with a silver spoon jutting right out of their mouths. Others are a bit more like Miss Harmony King. That poor thing bounced in and out of so many foster homes growing up, that even my head spun circles trying to keep track of them all. Once Harmony hit 18, though, she disappeared from Charleston altogether. Fast forward nearly a decade, and now she’s back, bent over a pew, and praying like her life depends on it. I’d reckon that just maybe it does.

Carolina Brown couldn’t be more different than her mama if she tried - and truthfully most of us believe she worked hard at precisely that. She worked hard at everything else, too, and set off to college to accomplish big things in the wide world. Unfortunately, God called her right back to Charleston when her mama suffered a near fatal accident that left her requiring round the clock care.

Some say that whenever it snows in Charleston, God is giving a miracle to his most favorite of places. So, I reckon, the blizzard that bleached the entire sky that December must have been a blessing of epic proportions. It was certainly a miracle that I’d forgotten my cell phone after giving my Christmas Eve sermon, and had to race back to the sanctuary in order to retrieve it.

In Captives: How Stolen People Changed the World archaeologist Catherine M. Cameron provides an eye-opening comparative study of the profound impact captives of warfare and raiding have had on small-scale societies through time. Cameron provides a new point of orientation for archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, and other scholars by illuminating the impact that captive-taking and enslavement have had on cultural change, with important implications for understanding the past.

Mixing personal history, interviewee voices, and academic theory from the fields of care work, the sociology of work, medical sociology, and nursing, Taking Care of Our Own introduces us to the hidden world of family caregivers. By taking a multidimensional approach, Sherry N. Mong seeks to understand and analyze the types of skilled work that family caregivers do, the processes through which they learn and negotiate these new skills, and the meanings that both caregivers and nurses attach to their care work.

Life is unpredictable. One day your journey is calm and effortless. Next day it's full of potholes. Why not take God's hand and walk this road together as fresh answers to your challenges are revealed? Lisa Are Wulf, an award-winning author, has walked this path too. She offers encouragement and a clear way forward, strengthening your special bond with Jesus. Reaching for God's Hand features 40 short reflections, soothing bible verses and prayers, plus a quiet time with God.

The non-judgmental acceptance of the feelings that emerge in our thoughts and emotions, in the present, manifests into a lifelong mindful practice. The similarities of the various modalities found around the world to practice mindfulness are more numerous than the differences and, in some cases, than the activities of a culture. They are passed down from generation to generation with the name of the activity rather than the more trending term of mindfulness. 

In Make a List, teacher, writer, and wordsmith Marilyn McEntyre shows listeners how the simple act of writing a list can open doors to personal discovery and spiritual growth. Deepening her reflections with abundant writing prompts and real-life examples, McEntyre turns the humble list into a work of art - one that has the power to clear minds, open hearts, and change lives.

In too many organizations, great ideas and unusual solutions can be suppressed, ignored, or attacked. Departments defend their turf, and people choose what is safe over what is better. Bad ideas move forward and good ideas die, which can lead to disastrous results - financial or otherwise. Luckily, there is a workable path out of this dysfunction. Kim Barnes’ process of constructive debate shows how to establish conditions that encourage the free exchange, discussion, and development of ideas and eliminate conditions that prevent potentially useful ideas from getting heard.

In this sequel to The Two Ruths, we observe how this closeted lesbian couple moves through the 1960s and more tolerant 1970s, although for employment purposes, they must remain closeted. Their relationship grows and deepens as they face some very difficult times, still knowing they were meant to be together. With humor, courage, and this belief their relationship was destined to be, their life together is something to admire, whether gay or straight.

In 1950, after her father passes away, Ruthie Stein knows she will continue to take care of their family's dairy farm while also looking after her mother. But when her mother falls and breaks her hip less than two years later, Ruthie soon finds she cannot get by on her own. Her neighbors, the Packers, recommend that their cousin Ruth, who is single and unemployed, come and assist Ruthie with her mother in exchange for room, board, and a small amount of money. The two women soon become close friends and then discover that their relationship goes even deeper than friendship.

Searching for God in the detours of life? Faith journeys are unpredictable–sometimes smooth but often rocky. Open the door to new inner growth as you experience healing and hope. Lisa Are Wulf, award-winning devotional author, guides you on a sacred trek. Trace your spiritual footsteps as you explore God’s path for you.

Few of us know how to navigate the territory of traumatic loss successfully. Sweet Sorrow shows how we can respond and grow stronger from loss and suffering.  

Still I Rise takes its title from a work by Maya Angelou, and it resonates with the same spirit of an unconquerable soul, a woman who is captain of her fate. This book embodies the strength of character of the inspiring women profiled within. Each chapter outlines the fall and rise of great women heroes who smashed all obstacles rather than let all obstacles smash them. Still I Rise offers hope to those undergoing their own Sisyphean struggles. Intrepid women heroes are the antithesis of the traditional damsels in distress; rather than waiting for the prince, they took salvation into their own hands.

Drowned Worlds looks at the future we might have if the oceans rise, good or bad. Here you'll find stories of action, adventure, romance, and, yes, warning and apocalypse. Stories inspired by Ballard's The Drowned World, Sterling's Islands in the Net, and Ryman's The Child Garden. Stories that allow that things may get worse, but remembers that such times also bring out the best in us all.

We all face seasonal changes. The passing years take us on journeys of change - whether we want it or not. In Courage for the Unknown Season, Jan Silvious acts as a wise guide for those who find themselves in new seasons of life, offering perspective and practical insights to encourage the soul and offer hope. Anyone facing an unexpected change in life or relationship will be drawn to this book as a guide for walking through the shifting seasons. They can make it through this time with courage, strength, and yes, even joy!

Bárbara Palacios - Miss Universe 1986, Miss Venezuela, one of People en Español’s 25 most powerful and influential women of 2014, author and international lecturer - opens her heart by sharing memories and personal testimonies from her international career as a public figure. According to Palacios, women all around the world want to know how they can be good mothers, good friends, good wives, excellent professionals, and women of faith.

Properly valuing brain gender diversity in the workplace is one of the biggest and largely untapped sources of competitive advantage for modern businesses. Recent advances in neuroscience provide the key to unlocking it. Leading applied neuroscientists and international corporate coaches Kate Lanz and Paul Brown tell you why and how to access all the brains in your business.

In The Gospel of Kindness, Janet M. Davis explores the broad cultural and social influence of the American animal welfare movement at home and overseas from the Second Great Awakening to the Second World War. Dedicated primarily to laboring animals at its inception in an animal-powered world, the movement eventually included virtually all areas of human and animal interaction.