Every day events can teach important life lessons. Author Joyce Hightower shares some of the amazing spiritual lessons she learned throughout her life, while raising her three children, and during the times she lived in and led mission trips to Africa.

"The author asks as you read this 'prison reform' book interlaced with small parts of her own personal involvement, that you overlook the grammar, punctuation and, sentence structure errors because she did not and, does not consider herself a writer. But she felt this story had to be told to inform society there is another view of prison life on the inside, rather than only the stories reported by the media and the justice system itself. Therefore, what you are about to read will take you on a journey into the chilling hellhole of prison and, you will find it is not at all what you expected it to be. Quite the contrary, it is a house of dreams for souls who are victims themselves: Victims of abuse while living on the outside in society and, victims of abuse by the penal system during incarceration. In addition, they are victims of drug and alcohol related incidents, or bad judgment and, in more cases than we can imagine, of wrongful conviction." "Elaine was almost oblivious to the insane walk; two sets of remote controlled steel gates, a search room, a 70-foot fenced walkway topped with rolls of ice-steel razor wire, another set of barred gates, but this time, she was conducted straight to the hospital. Every time she made this trip she was appalled at the madness behind the disproportionate security. It appeared to her the perimeter towers, rifles, steel topped clubs, pepper spray and stun guns strapped to the hips of every guard were security enough against men who were shackled behind these cement walls." (p. 17) "Elaine was alone in Starke, Florida. She had driven from Michigan alone to meet Horace and to help him with his appeals and also, when the time was right to become his wife. During the five months since her arrival from Michigan, she had made a few acquaintances, but hadnt had sufficient time to make a good friend. Horace had been her only friend. She had neither friends nor family to stand by her side to give comfort and solace as Horace slowly died a suffering death. But why? Why would a woman, who was considered an average societal wife and mother, leave family and home, even divorcing, to marry a man on death row? Why enter into an environment where personal diminishment is the daily experience? And especially perplexing, why enter into a relationship with a man whose impending death was possibly the only future? Why did Elaine do this? Did She have a choice? It seemed, somehow, her whole life had prepared her in a special way to follow this course, as if a plot had been written. Did she feel a martyr? Did she feel a fool? Did she feel courageous? Elaine truly doesn't have answers to any of these questions, yet one thing she knows about herself," (p. 21) "Even though Horace worked hard in the orange groves all day and led a Honky Tonk band at night in several Lounges in Bartow and Eloise, it didn't matter what he could have been. His reality was, he was marked...His being part Japanese at that prejudicial time and Native American as well, he was prejudged and condemned by an absurd record of poverty and ethnicity. Whether he was laboring in the groves or strumming his guitar playing in lounges at night, Horace was a wandering man with a wandering heart in search of fulfillment. And for this honky-tonk heartbreaker, unfortunately, the worst was about to come for he was one more person who would not be touched by the American Dream but was about to become part of Americas nightmare. (page 29) "The Court: If I can assure you that I would makewell, I will assure you that in the event you are sentenced to life or death The Defendant: Yes, maam. The Court:that I would do everything within my power to have them protect you, but in protecting you, not isolate you from sight and hearing of other inmates. The Defendant: Yes, maam, I understand.

This writing began as a light, retrospective narration walking through remembrances common to many who grew up in prairie farming communities in the last seventy years. The walk continued through life’s experiences which were, in turn, challenging or hilarious, poignant or bitter, and probably not highly unusual. It became apparent to the writer that a benevolent Presence had been the constant companion in the journey. In order to overcome inherent obstinacy, the Spirit of God nudged, pulled, coaxed and even pushed as was needed. The writer was able to invariably choose joy in the culmination of her life’s experiences because of the deep love she experienced from her Heavenly Father. As a result, this writing evolved from a collection of vignettes into a spiritual biography written with introspective vulnerability for the enjoyment and contemplation of her children, her grandchildren and all those who were part of her journey.

I truly love God and all that He is, with every part of me. I hope that these Songs of my Heart touch and bless every heart who reads this book.

This collection of poems is a raw portrayal of the multiple shades of love, complete with its beginnings, endings, and memories from pre-historic times through to the post- pandemic era. It is rendered in a contemporary voice yet in the style of traditional Indian folklore and is a universal reflection of the need and cause for human relationships, heartache, and subsequent personal growth.

This volume distils into two hundred pages some of the most influential poetry of the Victorian period. Distils into one volume the key poems of the Victorian era. Organised chronologically, allowing readers to perceive continuities and changes through the century. Includes a general introduction, giving readers an overview of the poets and the period. Represents texts in their entirety where possible.