Have you made your New Year’s Resolution yet? I have and it was easy, too.
I’ll write it and it will consist of eight words.
“IT IS GOING TO BE A GREAT YEAR!”
Now, it is up to me to begin fulfilling it! I’ve got to get on with it. Time’s a wastin’!
Cheers! All the Best in 2012!
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“The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you visited All Things Fulfilling yesterday, I made a promise I intend to keep today. Here is a short list of my favorite children’s books, published in the 1980s ,when I was raising our young son. At the time, there was nary whisper of the changes that were on the horizon for the publishing industry, at least not that I was aware of. Thus, the following books are mostly, if not all, traditionally published.
In today’s world, there are many fulfilling reads, for children and adults, published independently of the big six or seven conglomerates. What changes we have witnessed in publishing over the past ten or twelve years!
Jan Brett’s books ranked high on our list of treasured children’s books. Living in the north country of Vermont, our family related to the Nordic themes and art illustrations that were present in most of Jan’s books:
New Hampshire author, Tomie DePaolo’s books, claimed a stake in our hearts, too. My son’s love of Native American history and lore drew us to several of Tomie’s books.
A few others to consider by various authors:
Don’t forget to take time out of this busy holiday season to appreciate God’s gift to you, your child. Spending time with the little ones is far more valuable than anything you will ever find in a shopping mall! The rewards are great for both parent and child.
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“If one looks closely enough, one can see angels in every piece of art.
~ Terri Guillemets
“Mama, Do you Love Me?” Yes, I do sweet child! “More than a walrus loves his tusks,” I would recite. Barbara M. Joosse’s lyrical story, “Mama, Do You Love Me?” offered the perfect opportunity to teach my son about the unconditional love a mother has for a child along with learning about the Inuit culture and Artic wildlife, too.
With my child, I read a staggering number of enticing and magnificent children’s books as he went through the years of growing up. Because reading together was not something either of us was willing to let go of, I had the privilege of reading to him daily until almost age 12. It was the most treasured and fulfilling part of our evening routine.
Children have a natural ability to learn language. The importance of reading to a child and talking with them, even about simple things, can not be overstated. It is how a child builds a solid vocabulary for understanding the world around them and how they learn to communicate effectively with others. For more information on this topic, check out this article http://bit.ly/np1Xzh.
The most fulfilling Christmas shopping I did each year was stepping inside the Publishers Weekly award-winning Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vermont. Picking out the most meaningful books I could find for my child, I knew my buying helped to support a top-notch independent bookstore. I also loved the mission of their Book Angel program which put worthwhile books into the hands of many underserved children in the State of Vermont. http://conta.cc/txlh5s.
As far as I was concerned, the best gifts given to my child at any time of year were new books or DVDs. Besides Legos, books and films were always his most prized holiday presents. They were gifts that kept on giving for many years. The money spent became a real investment in my child’s future, too.
Come on back tomorrow. Since I am in the reminiscing mode, I will share a list of my favorite children’s books, published in the 1980’s that “Santa” gave my child over the years. It may help out with some last minute shopping ideas.
More independent, thoughts, words and views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com tomorrow! Come on back!
“The hinge of history is on the door of a Bethlehem stable.”
~ Ralph W. Sockman
Don’t you just hate it when you think you are finished your holiday shopping only to remember you need just one more thing? If you have a family on your list who lives and loves the equestrian lifestyle, there is one more worthwhile item that you will want to add to your shopping cart this year.
Executive V.P. of Marketing from the U.S. Equestrian Foundation, Kathy Knill Meyer, has called The Lost Legend of the First Christmas “the perfect “Christmas gift” for people who wish to know more about the mystical bond between humans and horses. This book, the first in The Lost Legend Trilogy by Jo Hardesty, is a gift that will be read year after year because of the appeal it has to the heart and spirit of mankind. The inspiring tale takes children and adults alike on a horseback journey that will lead the reader to a civilization that existed during the time of the birth of the Christ Child, Jesus.
Besides being a skilled author, Jo Hardesty managed the top three Arabian horse farms in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s. As a horsewoman herself, she has known the companionship of horses her entire life. Through her fictional stories about the relationship between horses and the people who love them, she also incorporates living with faith into the storyline.
Add this Christmas book or the entire Lost Legend Trilogy to your shopping cart. It is the perfect holiday, birthday or “just because you’ll love it” gift for the horse enthusiast in your life. For more information and to order, please visit http://bit.ly/vSAPTH.
Happy Holidays from Steamboat Springs,Colorado.
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“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” ~ Gail Devers
What do you get when you put together art, religion, crisis, history and architecture together? The basis for a great televised mini-series, of Ken Follett’s novel Pillars of the Earth, adapted for film.
Tonight and tomorrow (12/2 and 12/3/11) , on the Channel known for bringing outstanding behind the scenes Specials about films to viewers everywhere, a look at the making of the Pillars of the Earth mini-series will be featured! Don’t miss out.
For broadcast times and channels, please visit the website of Reelz Channel. Here you go, I will hook you up! http://bit.ly/rYU4km.
Congratulations go out to the crew that brings these Weekly Specials to broadcast on a regular basis! I am proud to say, our favorite filmmaker is part of the team, as lead editor. Way to go Marc! A Shout Out to you and the others dedicated at Reelz to bringing outstanding productions to the viewers. For more information on the visual effects and film editing work of Marc R Leonard, please visit http://bit.ly/tWdLnk.
Have a great weekend everyone! I will be back on Monday with more independent words, thoughts and views on www.AllThingsFulfilling.com.
“A child is God’s opinion that life should go on.” ~ Unknown
Last weekend I listened to the singing of one of the most beautiful musical compositions ever composed that, to me, signifies the arrival of the holiday season. Quintessence, www.quintessence-abq.com Choral Artists of the Southwest, joined by amateurs nearly filled the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque,New Mexico to usher in the beginning of the Christmas Season. They sang selections from Handel’s Messiah.
Not realizing singers were in standing sections based on voice types, my family and I went into the nave and sat between the bass and sopranos of the choral group. Once others began to file into the church, choral director Matthew Greer explained that people were welcome to sit “shotgun style”, at their own risk, or in the organized sections for bass, alto, tenors and sopranos.
We had come only to listen. We stayed seated just where we were. Seated far from the tenors and altos, it was interesting to be amid two very different sections of sound found on the musical scale. It was challenging to hear the blend. Our position within the church demanded that we be alert and very present in the moment to fully appreciate the blocks of tone and volume differences emanating from places all over the church.
For me, the highlight of the afternoon, was hearing the selections For unto Us a Child is Born and Hallelujah! My husband and I often think that these verses were written just for us! Are there better words to describe the feelings that come with God’s awesome gift to mankind and to couples who wish to bear a child? To a mother, the arrival of a child is the most perfect embodiment of love there is.
Quintessence will be presenting the holiday choral event, It is a Gift to Be Simple, this coming Saturday, December 3rd at 5pm, again at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church. For more information, please visit www.quintessence-abq.com.
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“Art is something that has real value. It deepens each person’s respect for life.” ~Dana Levin
On the corner of 9th Street andLincoln Avenue, sits an historic building that has always been filled with riches. The building bequeathed to the city of Steamboat Springs,Colorado in 2006, now houses the Steamboat Art Museum. It is a gift from the estate of a long time artist and rancher, Helen Rehder. The building no longer contains currency of the First National Bank. To fulfill the donor’s request, the building is now filled with wealth of another kind – top quality art exhibits. The community of Steamboat is so very fortunate to have this substantial acquisition. The museum attracts top-notch artists who wish to share their craft with area artists and tourists, alike. As each new exhibit is brought to town, emerging artists can learn from the master’s work through observation, painting workshops and demonstrations.
On December 2nd, the historic setting of the Steamboat Art Museum will be installed with gemstone paintings of another of the country’s top master painters, Quang Ho. This artist, of Vietnamese heritage, immigrated to the United States in 1975. He became a U.S. Citizen and began wowing this country with his art five years later at the age of 16. Two years later, he earned a National Scholarship award at the Colorado Institute of Art, the same year his mother was tragically killed. He then began the responsibility of rebuilding his life and raising four younger brothers and a sister, too.
Despite adversity and challenges, Quang Ho has become a well-respected top national artist who is accomplished at figurative painting, landscapes and still life. He has invested his time and energy in learning how to paint in oils and watercolor. He teaches emerging artists at the Denver Students Artist League and also through his publications of art books and DVDs on how to paint.
Quang Ho’s paintings will be shown for a four month period, beginning December 2. An opening reception for members of the Museum will be held from 4pm to 5 pm. The general public is invited to attend during the Friday Art Walk hours from 5 to 8 pm on December 2nd. Quang Ho will be giving a painting demonstration the following day (December 3rd). Purchase tickets early! The demonstration is guaranteed to sell out. There are also tickets available to have dinner with the artist. For more details, please visit www.steamboatartmuseum.org.
This exhibit is not to be missed, and it will hang until the closing on April 14th. Both locals and tourists will find a fulfilling range of compositions that this extraordinarily talented artist has allowed the Steamboat Art Museum to bring to this town.
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“Art must unquestionably have a social value; that is as a potential means of communication it must be addressed, and in comprehensible terms, to the understanding of mankind.” ~ Rockwell Kent
My travels over the Thanksgiving holiday led me to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I visited the site of some of the earliest forms of writing here in the United States at Petroglyph National Park. Approximately 24,000 images pecked into stones by the Utes, Apaches and Navajo people have been discovered in the park.
As my husband, son and I wandered among the desert canyon lands and discovered stone after stone etched with symbols, we discussed what we thought the Indians may have been trying to convey. Some communication seemed to be through single, independent pictures. Trying to decipher and translate words associated with groupings of symbols on individual rocks, was more difficult. Some etchings were clearly of plant life, animals and birds; others perplexing and more mysterious. On many boulders, we found iconic Native American designs that are found in books about Indian lore and legend.
Although the images pecked into the volcanic rock are hundreds of years old, they are hardly the earliest fossils indicating written communication on earth. Mesopotamian pictographs dating back five thousand years are the earliest known forms of writing. Symbols carved into clay tablets communicate information about crops, taxes and life during the years before Christ (B.C). Conservators of these early tablets, often found in broken form, work at piecing them together to come to an understanding of the early messages that were left behind.
One primitive etching, the three of us agreed, was of an Indian with bow and arrow in hand. It was not surprising to find such an image since hunting, fishing and finding indigenous food sources consumed the daily lives of the Indians. The hunter with his weapon made us realize how grateful we were for the food we had eaten the day before. For us, obtaining the ingredients for a fulfilling turkey day dinner was only as far away as the grocery store. Amen!
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“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of a library.” ~ Jorge Luise Borges
Where is paradise anyway? Is there a place free of tough life choices, family dilemmas and drama?
On Wednesday, a new independent film called The Descendants featuring George Clooney hit movie screens in select cities across the United States. This movie has gotten solid reviews as a movie that will make the viewer laugh, cry and bring thought provoking issues, to the fore, about family inheritance and how it is to be used.
The film is set in one of the most geographically fulfilling paradises in the world,Hawaii. Yet there is no exemption from stress, decision making and failed family communications found there, either.
To learn more about this newly released film and to watch a trailer, please follow this link http://imdb.to/99pqrz.
Have a great weekend everyone! We will return on Monday with more independent thoughts words and views from Cornerstone Fulfillment Service, LLC.
“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” ~Cynthia Ozick
I’ve been drawn back into the church as an adult, in part, by the memories of the beautiful hymns that I sang as a child. Around Thanksgiving time, many of the spiritual songs have words of gratefulness and gratitude for the harvest and for the impending season of darkness. For without winter gloom, there would not be a fulfilling sense of renewal of spirit in spring.
Composers of yester year have created some of the most eloquent stories, through song, about the change of the seasons and the bounty of the Universe. Many hymns of blessings and praise, written decades ago, are still sung in sanctuaries today, such as –
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the most beautiful time of the year to step inside the doors of a church. Listen to the vocal choirs, tune into the musical instruments, experience the peace and be grateful for the cozy warmth of the shelter for the body and soul.
A few weeks from now, at the United Methodist Church http://bit.ly/lAT08q in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and in other places of worship everywhere, choirs will be magnificently singing Handel’s The Messiah. Don’t miss out!
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