Tag Archives: Project Gratitiude 2011

Books for a Meme 16

Autism Spectrum, Books, Fun Stuff, Gratitude • Tags: , , ,

Today I am grateful for this meme and for Rachel at Journeys with Autism who doubly honored me by tagging both my book and me in a book meme.  I was grinning from ear to ear when I read that she likes my novel and then further down the post she tagged me for the meme because she knows how much I love books.  But alas I fell off the blog sphere radar was distracted this week.

Here are the rules for the meme:

1. Take a picture of the books you are reading currently and add them to your post.  (I am cheating altering the rules and including one that I recently finished.  I think you will be able to figure out why.)

2. Describe the books and if you are enjoying them

3. For every book you are reading, you have to tag one person.

4. Leave the person a comment letting them know you tagged them.

Here goes:  My books - Copy

I recently finished reading The Uncharted Path: My Journey with Late Diagnosed Autism by the afore-mentioned Rachel B. Cohen-Rottenberg.  It is an insightful gem which I highly recommend especially to those of you who are parents of girls on the spectrum.  You can find out more about it on her blog or at Amazon.com.  Rachel, thank you so much for sharing your life with us!

Love and War: The Civil War Letters and Medicinal Book of Augustus V. Ball edited by Donald S. Frazier and Andrew Hillhouse and transcribed by Anne Ball Ryals, was my birthday gift to myself.  This book is actually about my family.  Dr. Augustus V. Ball was the brother of my direct ancestor.

There are two letters in the book from Augustus’ dad who was also my ancestor.  I have been skipping around the book because of family ties, but I love what I have found.  This book includes information from pre-civil war to its aftermath along with medical recipes for treating various illnesses.  I think today we would call him a naturopath.

Now you know my secret; I am a history fanatic buff and when I have that rare spare moment I get self-absorbed lost in family history.

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks is an enjoyable easy read about a young woman named Katie who has a mysterious past.  I am only half way through it, but so far it is entertaining and a good way to escape from reality for a while.  I always enjoy reading Nicholas Sparks’ novels.  It is my guilty pleasure.

May You Always Have an Angel by Your Side; edited by Douglas Pagels is a collection of quotes and poems about angels another of my favorite things.  I definitely believe in angels both in human form and otherwise.

So now you know!  I either focus on autism or escape it depending on my mood and how much time I have.

Now to pass on the fun I am tagging:

Suzanne atAutism Mom Rising because I know she is a very spiritual person.

Lisa at Karma Per Diem who is also a southern belle who loves books.

Kelly at Puzzle Piece Princess who certainly understands the need for more education about how autism affects our girls. 

Grace at Blessed Elements when loves reading, positive messages and angels as much or more than I do. 

 

Blessed and Grateful in Hawaii 24

Gratitude, Tsunami 2011 • Tags: , ,

Pictures from my camera 086 - CopyLast night was a sleepless night at our home as we gathered our water and checked our hurricane supplies in preparation for the Tsunami.  Yet, we are still very blessed.  While the first appearance of the bare reef off Diamond Head caused fear, Oahu only had minor damage to our boat harbors.  Maui and the Big Island had more damage, but still minor compared to Japan.

I am also aware of how fortunate I am to have so many people who care about me.  Many of my follow bloggers, old friends, and family reached out via Facebook and e-mail to offer prayers and/ or good wishes as they held my family in their thoughts.   My family called me first thing this morning to make sure we are okay.  I am grateful for all of those who reached out.

Hawaii is truly blessed as we were spared devastation from a Tsunami.  I know many of you have already seen footage of Japan.  I ask that you continue to send them prayers.  Many in Hawaii have family in Japan and many Japanese are frequent visitors here, so their loss will be felt here as well.

With Much Gratitude and Aloha,

Sue

Project Gratitude 2011, Day 56 8

Best of Best on S-O-S Blog, Gratitude • Tags: ,

Pictures from my camera 013

Today I am grateful that this Geico Gecko lookalike lives outside my home and not in it.  Lizards are common in Hawaii and the name gecko did not originate with  Geico who adopted them as their mascot.  I love them when they are outside my home as they eat insects including termites and cock roaches.  I am not so crazy about them when they make their way into my home.  They are also featured in Hawaiian legends.  You can read more about them by clicking on the link below:

Guardian Geckos – History, Facts & Lore Behind Hawaiian Geckos.

Additionally, I am grateful because I am a featured writer this week over at Help! S-O-S for Parents in the When One Door Closes, Another Door Opens series. 

Danette over at Help! S-O-S for Parents is an amazing individual who puts together a monthly Best of Best Edition on the fifteenth of every month that features topics of interests related to children with invisible special needs.  She is always looking for new bloggers to submit posts on featured topics.  Go over and check it out for more information.  She featured two of my articles on bullying related to school issues last week, so I am very grateful to Danette. 

However, Danette’s contributions do not end there.  Please visit her site for more details as she truly has a wealth of information to share.  Here is a hint; she will have featured book reviews in April with book give-a-ways including Delightfully Different.     

Addendum: S-O-S joined with OJTA in February 2012 to form Special-Ism.com.