School Days in Vietnam is the third book in a trilogy that encompass five years of teaching English in Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam. I only taught for a year in Hanoi and used the second year to travel and carry-on with other missions in my life that included writing much of this book and other stories about travel. I had wanted to live in Hanoi since first visiting in 2004, but the opportunity didnt present itself until eight years later through employment as an English teacher in an international school. In my mind I had high expectations and a goal of remaining in Hanoi for two years. Everything was more interesting and meaningful than I could have expected and at the end of two years I felt tied to my friendships and the amazing lifestyle that was simple yet lavish in humanity. I was totally enamored with Vietnam, the people, the natural beauty of its diverse geography, and the culture that separates it from all other nations. I made more friends than I had in any other country, and in North Vietnam I enjoyed a weather pattern that was near to the tropics but decidedly four seasons.

Shows teens how to harness the intense emotions and drives of the late-teen years using wisdom from cultures around the world. • Includes exercises, personal and community rituals, and resources that show how to successfully navigate the Thundering Years without heading toward violence, drug abuse, and other self-destructive behaviors. • Includes inspiring quotations from many spiritual traditions as well as the words and real-life experiences of other young adults. • Presents an honest view of the passions and pain that occur during this major life transition. According to native traditions, the Thundering Years are the time in life to listen to intense feelings, dreams, desires, and goals--to be outrageous and even difficult. The Thundering Years are the teen years, the time when you are journeying into adulthood. They are exciting years, full of potential and creative energy, and they are painful years, full of turmoil and self-examination. Author Julie Tallard Johnson has collected wisdom from cultures around the world to help you survive your Thundering Years with your soul, creativity, and even sense of humor intact. She offers numerous techniques and traditions to help harness the powerful energy released during this time. She shows that when you connect with your thunder in a respectful way, you are given the confidence you need to accomplish all your dreams. Includes: Mindfulness and energizing meditations Vision quests Dream weaving Drum medicine Initiations and rites of passage Rituals for releasing anger and celebrating the seasons Making your own journals and medicine bags Finding your creative community

Mind, Heart, and Spirit: Educators Speak is a collection of real-life stories from a diverse group of educators on a wide range of issues such as how to deal with difficult students, the role or parents and religion in a child's education, and the similarities and differences in educating children in different cultures across the globe. Filled with interesting anecdotes and personal accounts, this is an intimate, sometimes frustrating, sometimes exhilarating insight into the experiences of all these educators as they have struggled to overcome various challenges in educating children. Their passion for teaching and their devotion to their students come shining through and offer a glimpse of the important role that Baha'i education-- with its emphasis on unity, tolerance, and diversity-- can play in shaping the lives of young people today.

Pure Moments is a book of just that. Moments in life that I don't want to forget or experiences that God spoke to me through over the years. Sometimes, I would sense the Holy Spirit telling me to write in the middle of the night. The words would come and I knew it wasn't me. However, it usually had to do with something I was going through at the time; things like motherhood, parenting, grieving, and marriage. These words would just flow onto the paper. I pray these poems remind us of how special moments can be. Whether it is in good times or bad, God will always be there for us. They may be words you want to pass on or express; however, didn't know how. Words that will encourage you in your journey. It's those moments in life that are precious. We just need to take the time to notice and capture them. God will bring us through, bless us with beauty, give us wisdom, or comfort us when we need it. For the joyful moments that come that we want to remember or the times when you need to know someone else felt that way too. May these poems bless you and speak to your heart as they did mine. God bless you.

Confucius, the Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad are among the most thoughtful and influential people in history. By their words and examples, they have inspired countless individuals to live better and more meaningful lives and have shaped the institutions and worldviews we know today. Four Wise Men is an accessible introduction to each of these sages, viewed in their historical context, and a provocative comparison of their lives and teachings. Through careful study, Four Wise Men examines the ways these fascinating figures speak as one, as well as the ways in which they differ. Although their voices come from the distant past, these men still have wise words to say to us today.

This unique collection consists of the most influential narratives of former slaves, including numerous recorded testimonies, life stories and original photos of former slaves long after Civil War: Recorded Life Stories of Former Slaves from 17 different US States Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass 12 Years a Slave (Solomon Northup) The Underground Railroad Harriet Jacobs: The Moses of Her People Up From Slavery (Booker T. Washington) The Willie Lynch Letter: The Making of Slave! The Confessions of Nat Turner Narrative of Sojourner Truth The History of Mary Prince Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom (William & Ellen Craft) Thirty Years a Slave (Louis Hughes) Narrative of the Life of J. D. Green The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano Behind The Scenes: 30 Years a Slave & 4 Years in the White House (Elizabeth Keckley) Father Henson's Story of His Own Life (Josiah Henson) Fifty Years in Chains (Charles Ball) Twenty-Two Years a Slave and Forty Years a Freeman (Austin Steward) Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb The Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave The Story of Mattie J. Jackson (L. S. Thompson) A Slave Girl's Story (Kate Drumgoold) From the Darkness Cometh the Light (Lucy A. Delaney) Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandy, a Slave in the United States of America Narrative of Joanna Life of Henry Box Brown, Who Escaped in a 3x2 Feet Box Memoir and Poems of Phillis Wheatley Buried Alive Sketches of the Life of Joseph Mountain Documents: The History of the Abolition of African Slave-Trade History of American Abolitionism from 1787-1861 Pictures of Slavery in Church and State Report of the Proceedings at the Examination of Charles G. Davis, Esq., on the Charge of Aiding and Abetting in the Rescue of a Fugitive Slave Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases The Duty of Disobedience to the Fugitive Slave Act Emancipation Proclamation Gettysburg Address XIII Amendment Civil Rights Act of 1866 XIV Amendment ...

Contains thirteen short stories by American women writing in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

In this unique resource, Fr. Michael E. Connors, CSC, gathers and expertly guides the collective wisdom of experienced preachers and homilists to provide a unique resource that examines the preacher’s unique role as shepherd and a spiritual leader. The chapters will investigate these dual roles according to the roots of the Catholic spiritual tradition and provide practical advice for priests, deacons, seminarians in homiletics classes or preaching classes, retreat leaders, RCIA catechists—all who preach. Preaching as Spiritual Leadership provides solutions to the following questions: How is preaching embedded in the Church’s pastoral mission? What does it mean to be a shepherd and spiritual leader for others? How can a preacher flourish in the role of spiritual leader? How can we lead others into committed discipleship through preaching? To be a shepherd and spiritual leader, the preacher must be in some sense a mystic, who is filled with the Lord’s gracious presence, a presence to be shared with others. Homilists are a sacramental people, they must also be a mystagogues: ministers who can both lead the community’s ritual celebrations, and help the People of God to plunge into the liturgy with lively faith, to touch the holy realities behind them.