Build Your Brand

Jon Katz & Seth Godin Challenge the Publishing Industry

There are interesting things going on in the world of book publishing.  Over here,  Jon Katz is partnering with the owner of the Battenkill Bookstore to sell his latest book and to encourage people to patronize independent book stores. 

If you scroll through Katz' s blog posts,  you can follow the developing story.  To date,  using his blog,  YouTube and Facebook platforms,  and the web site for the book store,  over 300 copies of  Going Home - Finding Peace When Pets Die  have been sold.  In a relatively short time period.

One of those pre-sold books is mine. 

I called the Battenkill Bookstore last week and spoke with a charming woman about placing an order and we worked through the transaction details in less than 10 minutes. 

I've been reading Jon Katz's books for quite some time;  keeping up with what he's doing on his blog and web site and am looking forward to reading his newest book. 

Over here,  Seth Godin,  in partnership with Amazon,  has just announced that a limited number of his latest book  (11,000) will be sold.   And,  if you take the time to read his post,  he explains his rational for this promotion.  

I'm on Godin's  opt-in list for The Domino Project.   I've been on it since it's inception.   Which is how I know about Godin's new book,  We Are All Weird.  

And,  because  I like the fact that Seth Godin is typically ahead of the curve when it comes to where Things Are Headed,  I didn't hesitate to place my online order this morning for one of those 11,000 limited edition copies. 

If I base my own purchasing habits on what both Katz and Godin represent  (coming up with innovative ways to capture market share among readers),  there will always (I hope),  be room for  a productive blend of hard cover,  soft cover, and digital print media.  

You know.  Books.  In.  Different.  Formats.  But.  Still.  Books.

Original thought,  compelling new ideas and a committed readership.  We desperately need all three. 

Hopelessly Hooked on Books

Books.  Piles of books.  Three sit on my desk, one waiting to be reviewed;  two I'm reading with another three or four stacked in my bedroom waiting their turn. 

Books are my crack,  my hopeless addiction;  my therapy, my pure entertainment, my inspiration;  my feel good,  safe escape when escape is called for.  When I am stalled in other areas of my life, you can bet that the one thing I'm still doing is reading books,  ordering books,  going to libraries,  prowling the aisles of Barnes & Noble,  ordering books from Amazon, and hunting out the smaller, independent book stores when I can. 

Launch - How To Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond The Competition, by Michael A Stelzner.

Doc, by Mary Doria Russell.

Life from Scratch, by Melissa Ford.

Going Home - Finding Peace When Pets Die, by Jon Katz.

There are stories behind all of these books.  Two of them, Stelzner's and Ford's books, were ordered off of Amzaon's web site.   Read Launch  over a month ago and just got Life from Scratch in the mail yesterday.   

Interestingly enough, the first of these two books is a "how to" tutorial - proof that anyone can harness what they're passionate about and build a sustainable business online using online and offline systems to first build brand awareness and then to roll out a product. 

The second book,  Life From Scratch,  is an illustration of what Stelzner writes about, regardless of whether Ford was even aware of Stelzner's book. 

Doc literally fell into my hands last week as I cruised the new fiction shelf in the library.  As I posted on Facebook two days ago,  it is meticulously researched and beautifully written.   For a language - lover (that would be me), this book is like a glass of aged malt scotch.  It goes down with a richness that needs to be s-l-o-w-l-y savored. 

Going Home is in "pre-launch."  It's official sell date in September 27 or September 29th.  Yesterday,  I called the Battenkill Bookstore and placed my order.  Like Launch and Life From Scratch,  Katz's latest book is an example of how some books are coming to the attention of readers using Social Media. 

Using his blog, YouTube channel and Facebook presence,  Katz has created awareness for his latest book with an audience already familiar with his books.  And, as a supporter of independent book stores, he started talking about this book to his fans by suggesting that they consider ordering it through the Battenkill Bookstore. 

More than 300 of us have taken him up on this.  So far.

I'd like to think that there's room enough for all of this.  For ordering books online,  for public libraries, for Barnes & Noble and for independent book stores.  

I need them all.

For simple convenience when the ease of online ordering fits into my day,  for the physical pleasure of browsing the stacks, talking to librarians about books, or losing myself in the commercial aisles of a Barnes & Noble, and for the intimacies that smaller book stores provide. 

I'd like to think that the rest of the world feels the same. 

 

 

 

 

"Wisdom in a Traffic Jam" -- Yes, This is a Book Review!

Remember that song:  "Hello, it's me and it's been a while?"   Somehow, with all of the efforts I'm putting into my dog blog and then my family's annual Adirondack vacation,  I've neglected to put in some time here. 

Thought I'd get two things done at once to make up for my absence.   Write a post that introduces you to someone I first met in 2005 and do a book review of her very first book!  Let's get the show on the road. 

 

Wisdom in a Traffic Jam, by Angella Luyk

The typical profit and loss statement for the janitorial industry is pretty bleak.  Most companies grow by just one-to-two percent annually.  “Many,” says Angella Luyk, the CEO of Midnight Janitorial, “ see only a marginal amount of money or end the year with a deficit. They end up chasing their tails.” 

She knows what she’s talking about.  In 2005, she started a commercial cleaning company with her husband, Harry.  Angella assumed the role of CEO and Harry became the CFO.  Together they grew a company that defied the odds and went on to achieve stellar success. 

They worked hard that first year and saw a 20% growth in business by year's end.   Deciding that an annual growth of 25-30% would be a realistic, manageable target goal,  they put together a business plan to meet that percentage.  And each did what they do best. 

And for each year to come, they met that target goal. 

In 2007 Midnight Janitorial was a Rochester Business Ethics award finalist, and a 2008 winner. Additionally, the company was named 2008 New York State Employer of the year (one of five companies in twenty years to win from Rochester).

And then, Angella wrote a book. 

Rather than write about Midnight Janitorial, Angella writes about her personal philosophy for starting any business and then describes all of the things that she did that led to the incredible success of her company.  Everything that Angella did can be applied to the majority of traditional business models. 

If you have ever wanted to pick someone’s brain about what it takes to start a business, Wisdom in a Traffic Jam, by Angella Luyk, is the book for you.

By her own admission, Angella was naïve about some business practices when she started her company.  And, she doesn’t hesitate to describe some of the things that happened to her – all with the intent of making sure that none of this happens to you. 

For example, she arrives at one of her very first professional networking events wearing shorts and a shirt.  After making quite the startling entrance – everyone else is wearing standard business attire – Angella realizes her mistake and also realizes that she’ll look even worse if she turns around and leaves. 

She handles this with her trademark humor and is able to turn it into a learning experience for herself and for anyone in her reading audience who is as inexperienced as she was then. 

While Angella may have needed some tips about successful networking when she was just starting out, she was fully prepared at putting together an appropriate business plan before she introduced herself to the business community at large.  She focuses on the practical applications of putting that plan together in Chapter One.  Everything that she outlines is easily transferable to a business that you may be thinking about starting. 

The chapters about networking and branding are two you will want to read more than once.  If you think you are already a pro at this, consider one fact that Angella forgets to mention in her book.  She becomes so proficient at networking in her local community and in developing her brand, that she grows her business on referrals alone. 

That’s a powerful statement.  How many of you would like to be able to make the same claim?  You’ll be off to a good start after you’ve read Chapter 5 – The Secrets to Getting Your Name Out There.

What you’ll discover as you read Wisdom in a Traffic Jam, is that Angella has included some of her professional colleagues’ insights as well.  Want to hear how one financial advisor set her sights on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Africa and how that trip almost magically came about?  Maybe you’d like to read about how a guy in the auto industry decides to build his professional brand around what women say is important to them in car repairs.

These inspiring stories are just two that are woven into the book.  You’ll also get valuable tips and suggestions about how to have an online presence, effective sales strategies, goal setting and much more. 

Angella’s conversational writing style makes you feel as if she’s talking directly to you.  The result is that she delivers her message in a light-hearted, unabashed celebration of belief in whoever is reading her book. 

Starting a business isn’t easy nor does success happen quickly.  But, if you want to take the plunge by starting your business with a cheer leader in your back pocket to keep you on track, buy Wisdom in a Traffic Jam today.  Then, as Angella writes,  “ Share your wisdom with everyone and the world will be a wiser place.” 

Please note:  I am an affiliate for Wisdom in a Traffic Jam and will receive some monetary compensation if you buy ths book from any of the links in the post or by clicking on the badge in my sidebar. 

 

 

 

 

What's Google Got to do With "It?"

If you are Silva Vaidhyanathan, Google has everything to do with "it."  "It" being everything on the internet (rather a tall and intimidating order).  Vaidyanathan's book: The Googlization of Everything, should probably be on your reading list. 

I'm not sure if it's fair to review a book that I've only just started to read.  However, I'm not going to rush through this one;  it's different reading than the crime fiction novels I burrow into every other day and breeze through. 

The fact that I'm on my second go-round, reading the introduction should tell you something!

Here are just a few phrases and sentences that have given me a lot to think about.

One way to begin is by realizing that we are not Google's customers:  we are its product.  (Intro, pg 3).

Googlization affects three large areas of human concern and conduct:  us,  the world and knowledge.  (Intro, pg 2).

I left out the scarey text in that last quote, so be sure you go back and read the entire paragraph.  

 

Vaidhyanathan's point is that we should be concerned about our own complacency in allowing Google to take over.  He uses phrases like:  the pursuit of global civic responsibility and the public good.  He calls for a reimagination of what we might build to preserve  quality of information and deliver it to everyone. (Intro, pg 4.)

I hope  I've lit a fire under your butt so that you find this book and take the time to s-l-o-w-l-y read it and then pass it forward and then start a conversation about it among your friends and colleagues. 

Complacency,  I'm thinking, is not a good place to be.

"How To Make Money with Social Media," Book Review

The Shape of Things to Come.

At first glance, this is a book for rank beginners to the internet - if such a thing is still possible.  It's also a visual nod to the intergration of savyy writing practices on the internet with traditional publishing.  What do I mean by that?

It's visually appealing as if the pages themselves were up on a computer screen as opposed to bound in a book.  Wide margins top-to-bottom and side-to-side.  Double spacing between paragraphs.  Bold text to highlight main ideas.  Lists.  Content broken up with graphics.  Some main points are boxed off.  And, I suspect, it's written so that any fifth grader could read and understand it. 

If you're about to write an e-book or put a book together that you want to self-publish,  you might want to pick up this book as an illustration of how to lay out the content. 

   Key Word Search.  Notice how the main title:  "How to Make Money with Social Media,"  clearly illustrates effective use of "key word search."  Want to check this out? Do a key word search over on Google or on SEOTools using "make money with Social Media" and see what pops up.   Interesting, right?

Now, notice how the secondary title:  "An Insider's Guide On Using New And Emerging Media to Grow Your Business,"  says exactly what this book is about.

Wait.  There's more.  Check out how color gets used to reinforce the very clear theme of the title - make money.  Dollar bills are what color?  Green.  What color is the book jacket?  Green.

And, finally:  what's inside this book? 

If you are a total novice when it comes to Social Media, you'll appreciate the easy-to-understand writing and the approach the authors (Jamie Turner and Reshma Shah, Ph.D) use.  They do start with a brief historical overview of advertsing before the internet which is always a good way to measure how far along, technically, things have come. 

And, they talk about Return on Investment (ROI) and they describe "systems."  If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you already know that I'm big on "systems."   As an example,  check out page 47 of this book for a very clear-cut visual chart of the five steps you want a new customer to go through if you're using a social media model to capture their interest.

Turner and Shah are "chatty" authors and periodically, they step away from their excellent "how to" writing style.   For example,  after applauding Starbucks for creating brand awareness using its web site to "...leverage people's passion about coffee ... turning it into brand loyalty."  (page 65),  and how this has made Starbucks "golden" for creating a brand that has "social media magnetism," (page 65), they step outside of there objective writing style and add these lines:

"The problem is, you're not Starbucks (unless of course, you actually are Starbucks, in which case, we'd like to say, "Hello, Starbucks!")   page 65.

I think this is  too "cutsey" and a bit distracting.  However, this is not enough of a criticism for you to avoid this book.   And, for that matter, you might like this slight of hand technique. 

All of that said,  this is a book you should put on your "to do" list regardless of your own social media background.  There are enough nuggets of information  contained in it that you'll take away one, if not more than one, action steps to intergrate into your internet branding strategy.  And, if you are Jamie Turner or Reshma Shah, "Hello authors!)

 

 

Start & Run A Personal History Business, by Jennifer Campbell

The impetus to track down Jennifer Campbell came from the cover of the February issue of More magazine - that catchy phrase:  Start A Biz For $150.   Campbell was one of five women interviewed and hers was the story that attracted me.

I'm a voyeur when it comes to other peoples' stories.  I love to write.  And,  I was very curious about how she had developed a personal history business.   Campbell tells her story much better than I can, so be sure take the time to explore her web site. 

As an added bonus,  if you want some practical information for how you can start your own similar business,  you'll want to order her book:  Start & Run A Personal History Business - Get paid to research family ancestry and write memoirs.

Campbell has written the definitive "how to" book about every aspect of start up for a memoir writing business.   And, with a nod to getting someone started quickly, there's a CD-ROM included with your purchase that includes resources and templates.

"This is a 'hot' profession:  a young industry with vast potential for income and growth.  When I started Heritage Memoirs in 2002  (Campbell explains), I just wanted a creative outlet for my interviewing, writing, and editing skills.  Through my father's death and my mother's dementia, I had lost my own family stories and thought there could possibly be a business helping other people avoid that loss.  I never dreamed that ... the Financial Post would name what I was doing one of the top ten business opportunities ..."  (pg 2)

Chapter one lays the foundation by defining what a personal historian is and does and then broadening the scope of the profession by describing the "why" of this business.  This chapter, like all of the others,  is clearly arranged with sub-topics and bullet points for easy reading.  Think of the book as a personal  workbook with lots of space for note-taking. 

One of the features of the book that I like is the quiz Campbell includes on page 13.   She lists 25 characteristics that she believes someone should have if they are considering becoming a personal historian.   Should you come up on the short end of this list,  rather than discourage you from moving forward, Campbell suggests that you simply "...start planning to work on those areas you identified as ones in which you need help."  (pg13)

Chapters 3 - 5

As I read further,  I found myself thinking that Campbell's book should be required reading for everyone who has ever thought about having a home-based business.  

Why?  Everything that she  covers in these three chapters can be easily applied to any new start up business.

Campbell takes the time to examine what makes for a good business owner  regardless of what specific business someone starts.  She distinguishes between two personality types:  someone who she describes as a "pair of hands" (pg18) versus someone who has an entreprenurial spirit;  that dynamic individual who wants to control their professional/financial destiny. 

What is it that separates these two types?  "It's mainly one of attitude."  (pg 18)  Some of us know this as the difference between being an employee  and being an owner.  The former are content to go to their job every day,  following the directions of someone else.  Their job has a beginning and an end to it.  

The owner is someone who has a "...vision of what the business could be in a year or two or five, and they accept that they'll have to do a lot of grunt work and learn all aspects of running a business.  They tend to be leaders.  They have enough confidence in their abilities and their products to patiently but assertively build a clientele, and carve out a lucrative niche for themselves in the marketplace."  (pg 18)

Knowing into which category you fit can go a long way to helping you be successful.  There are happy, productive employees and there are happy, productive business owners.  Taking time to figure out which category you want to fit into can save a lot of heartache.

Chapters 6 - 16

 The day-to-day action steps,  to-do lists, and practical applications for how to get started as a personal historian are clearly laid out in the rest of this book.  Campbell leaves no stone unturned as she walks you through start up.   If you're intrigued with the possiblities of this field,  you will find no better road map for success than this book!

Gentle disclaimer:  I am an Amazon Affiliate.  Should you decide to purchase this book by clicking on the above image, I will receive a (small) financial commission.  However, you can also choose to buy this book directly from Jennifer Campbell's web site, and I will receive no such monetary reward from that.  Which is perfectly fine.

About the author:  Jennifer Campbell is a professional writer, editor, personal historian, and owner/operator of Heritage Memoirs.  She would love to hear from you!

 

 

Advice from Seth Godin ...

The cool thing about reading anything written by Seth Godin is that it has an amazing propensity to be "spot on" regardless of when he actually wrote whatever book you've  just read.

Case in point is his book  small is the new big.

The  copyright date is 2006.  Given how quickly things change on the internet, you would think that the things Godin wrote about then might be out-of-date now.  Wrong.

As it happens,  I read this book shortly after it was published.  At that time,  I was working a vastly different business model than I am now.   Back then,  I'd just started to poke around the internet to see what I could learn about marketing a business online.

I was skimming the surface of what other people were doing.  Everything from affiliate marketing to blogging to information products to sales pages to s-q-u-e-e-z-e  pages  to Butterfly Marketing.  I was most definitely on information overload and a long way from making decisions about what I wanted to do.  

I may have read this book cover-to-cover (not Godin's recommendation) back then.  I'm not doing that now.

I'm skipping around.  The material on blogs is all gathered towards the back of the book, and that's where  I am.   I believe that if you drill down to the heart of Godin's message about blogging, it's this:  " ...over time, take your readers on a journey.  Teach them what you'd like them to know, and the rest will take care of itself."   (pg 310)

It's good advice regardless of where you find yourself with your blog.  Like me.  I've been blogging for just over one year.  When I started, I deliberately chose a wide range of topics to blog about.  Things that I was interested in - okay - things that I was passionate about. 

I wasn't sure that I'd have enough content if I had too narrow a focus.  I thought that if I got bored writing about dogs,  I could switch off and post a good book review.  Or,  blog about a small business owner.  

Then there's all of the knowledge I garnered over the 12-plus years that I was in the direct sale network marketing field.   "Ugh!"  said one of my sceptical Texas girlfriends.  "You can't possibly want to blog about all THAT. " 

Turns out I did.  It appeals to my slightly wacked sense of humor and there's a ton of material to work with. The content comes out of my personal experience, and, I put a lot of sweat equity into learning this stuff.  Hate to see it all go to waste.

It might be hard to figure out what my dog stories have to do with my posts about women business owners.  I'm working on that.  Dogs are amazing for teaching you about yourself - if you know how to listen.   Those women business owners? Most of them are in their 40' s - 50's ;  part of that baby boomer population that gets a lot of press. 

We are a force, that's for sure. 

Seth Godin calls his blog posts "riffs."   (pg. xxv).  And, early on in his introduction of small is the new big,  he cautions his readers that some of his  riffs might not work - for that person.  "But I'm certain that you're smart enough to recoginze the stuff you've always wanted to do buried deep inside of of these riffs.  And I'm betting that once you're inspired you'll actually make something happen."  (pg. xxv)

That's kind of how I feel about my blog.   If you poke around long enough, I'll bet you'll find just exactly what you were looking for. 

 

 

 

 

On Writing Poetry

 I met Judith Kitchen years ago.   She was the instructor for the first course I took towards my Master's degree:  a poetry writer's workshop.  What I remember is her quiet mastery of that elusive concept:  a compelling sentence.   Each sentence builds from the one that comes before it such that the finished piece is whole and of itself.  Instructive - if she was analyzing a poem - and a form of art.

One day,  she gave us a small packet.  Seven pages stapled together.   Her analysis of Hart Crane's poem,  "My Grandmother's Love Letters".  

She begins:     "In this country, at least, it is difficult to become an artist.  The culture is one that admires self-sufficiency - and what artist can be self-sufficient, especially in the early stages of his art?  The compromise is the norm:  artists work during the day at something that will support their art at night.  Art is furtive, often artists are apologetic.  They strain to permit themselves the luxury of their art."   - Judith Kitchen

I've been away from the practise, the discipline of writing poetry for years.   Re-reading Kitchen's essay now I gather her introductory words leading into her close analysis of Crane's poem  into something separate:  an invitation to myself to return to poetry as both craft and a means of self-expression. 

 

"How to begin?  Reading a poem is one thing: talking about it is another.  Sentences are sequential, meant to build until they add up to a whole.  But the experience of a poem is often not a logical one;  it is a layering of sound and sense that cannot be easily dissected.  The effect is one of wholeness, but the equation is arrived at in a different fashion.  Many elements are elusive, they depend on the reader's imaginative entrance into the territory of the poem itself,  orchestrated by the associative images of the poet.  How does one honor the poem,  its subtleties,  its long subterranean journey, while, at the same time, delving into those very subtleties,  turning them inside out to expose their intricate workings?  How does one honor the poet, the complex system of emotions that drives the poem?  ..."   - Judith Kitchen.

 

How to begin and, more importantly,  to what purpose?   To catch your attention.  To tell a story.  To leave my mark.   To play: with words and creativity.  To recapture something lost and to see if, after all this time,  I have something that's noteworthy to say.

 

Grace Notes: When The Trust Is Broken

Sharon Grace  fights back against one of the most horrific, unspeakable acts  forced upon children too young to fight back for themselves in her book, When The Trust Is Broken.   Ultimately,  her message distills itself down to five powerful words:  help prevent child sexual abuse.  

She pulls us into the heart of her own family, describing the precise moment when their world shatters with  the knowledge that her four year old granddaughter has been a victim of sexual abuse. 

Her success in telling this many-layered, true story,  while preserving the privacy of her family,  is evident in the clarity of her prose:  her writing style is calm yet purposeful;  her message both intimate and far-reaching.  Sharon Grace's goal is to call attention to and  forever stop this dispicable activity. 

We can help her by starting with one simple act:  reading her book.

Grace's opening remarks,  placed opposite the first page of the prologue,  take us inside a court room in the early summer of 2007.   Without any details,  we understand that "what was done" to a little girl has reached a very public conclusion.  Regardless of whatever else we are told,  what Sharon says to Michael Bennett and what lies behind her statement will relentlessly echo throughout her book.

I will never forget the look on my granddaughter's face when she told me about the 'bad man' and what you did to her.  - Sharon Grace to Michael Bennett, Monroe County Court,  June 13,  2007.

And, then, she backs up to the night in September,  to "That single moment (that) changed our lives forever."  (Prologue, Pg 2.)

We sit in the living room with Sharon and her family, watching televison with them, sharing that surreal moment of knowing,  followed by disbelief. 

Details of what happened are deliberately withheld.  What we know is that a man has been arrested following allegations of not just one instance of sexual molestation, but of multiple instances of sexual abuse.  His victims?  Young children  attending the Pepper Hill Day Care Center, in Penfield, NY.

"When I turned to look at my four-year-old granddaughter Chloe,  I realized she was paralyzed with fear.  She seemed terrified by what she had seen on TV.  The expression on her face told me immediately that something was terribly wrong.  Instantly,  all of the signs from the past months made sense to me." (Pg. 2)

In a split second,  not only does Sharon realize that her granddaughter is one of the victims,  but she recognizes that if she (Chloe's nana) had known just a few of the behavioral clues that present in very young children of abuse,  she might have been able to stop what court records would later reveal had been a pattern of sexual abuse. 

It is this powerful message -  that we need to know what child behaviors  to look for that red flag child sexual abuse  -  that spurs Sharon to be proactive in the days, months and years to follow.

As we try to make sense of what Sharon has just revealed,  she shifts gears.   Stepping back from the incident itself,  Sharon begins Chapter One writing about the issue of trust, reminding us that it is the glue in the fabric of life;  without it " ...our society would fall apart."  (Pg. 3)

The story she leads with is her own.  Chapters one - four weave Sharon's own personal history into the larger themes of her book.   She says, "Every family struggles with some type of dysfunction.  I believe that no matter who you are, where you live, or what you have, at some point in your life, everyone is challenged by the unexpected."  (pg. 4)

Everyone is challenged by the unexpected.

This becomes a story that unfolds on two levels.   The first and more obvious is the sexual victimization of Sharon's granddaughter.   The second and equally compelling message is that we are all victims of tragedy at some point in our lives.  By deliberately turning the spotlight on herself,  Sharon opens a conversational doorway that she can walk through with her granddaughter when the time is right.   And,  on a larger scale,  she gives her readers that same opening to initiate similar conversations with their loved ones.

What Sharon reveals is that despite growing up in a household "plagued by alcohol issues,"  (pg 9), her own belief that she could find happiness as a wife and mother never wavered.  From a very young age,  Sharon recognized her deep love for children and her desire to have her own family. 

Does she "get it right" when she marries at the age of nineteen? 

No.  But,  she doesn' quit.  She describes herself as  " ... a single mom with two small children and a fractured fairy tale for a life."  (Pg. 9)  Despite feeling guilty and ashamed and worried about what other people would think,  she moves on. 

She creates a fulfilling yet challenging life for herself and for her children;  marrying for the second time, having a third child.    An accidental fire destroys the family home.  Before Sharon finds herself at a place in her life where family and career stabilize,  she will divorce her second husband,  overcome serious health issues, and close the doors on the hair salon business that she operated for 13 years. 

Ultimately,  when it seems as if she's lost everything,  Sharon finds herself again in the voice of her youngest child,  Blake.   "Mommy, you are so sad.  If you don't go back to work,  I can't go to school, and I will never see my friends again."  (Pg. 25)

Although there have been many moments of truth in Sharon's story up to now,  this is her watershed moment.  "I couldn't change what had already happened in our lives, but I now know how much I needed to change my attitude."  (Pg. 26)

Although there are no miraculous (instantaneous) changes in her life,  Sharon and her three children move forward with their lives.  The kids grow up, Sharon carves out a career as a national educator for an international company in the beauty industry, and, by her own admission, meets and marries "her soul mate."  (Pg. 33)

Just when you think your children are safe, think again.

Time passes.  Sharon watches as her own children marry and have children of their own.  She takes on the role of grandmother (nana) with heartfelt joy. 

And then,  it happens. 

Two seemingly disparate events explode simultaneously, shattering the core of Sharon's family.  A local television news broadcast spools out in words and pictures the story of a man arrested for suspected sexual abuse of children.  Something in this broadcast triggers an immediate emotional outburst from Sharon's four year old granddaughter.  

In that split second, knowledge is both a crushing blow and a source of strength.

As  Sharon tries to absorb the magnitude of this moment,  it dawns on her that some of her granddaughter's recent, unexplicable behavior,  now makes chilling sense.  

Moving away from the details of what happens next,  this awareness will be the galvanizing push that Sharon uses to re-direct her life's purpose.   The questions that bombard her as she sits in front of the television, fiercely holding her granddaughter,  are just the beginning.

What could we have done to prevent this?

Where was the supervision?

Why had we not recognized any of the signs that were right in front of us?  (Pg. 64)

Sharon describes what she and her family will experience from this point forward as an exercise in "connecting the dots" (Pg. 64).  Together, they learn to naviagate the legal system as they seek out protection for this child and prosecution for her attacker.

Quite simply,  Sharon's message is:  no more.  Not another child.   Her platform is awareness which leads to knowledge,  education  which leads to empowerment, and listening,  as a means to begin the healing process.

All of this said, be forever warned.  Don't think it can't happen to you.

Because it can.

 

Please note:  a portion of profits from the sales of When The Trust is Broken, by Sharon Grace will benefit  Habitat For Humanity,  The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and The Bivona Child Advocacy Center. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chasing Threads

 

Michael Marks

THE THINGS I CARRY

The old train lumbered up the track amid a hoofbeat clatter,
its cloudy windows streaked by rain that fell in gentle patter.
With duffle heavy on my back I trudged along the aisle
until I saw an empty seat next to a welcome smile.

A stifled groan curled in my chest beneath the weight I bore;
I shrugged the duffle off my back, it thudded on the floor.
“That pack looks awfully heavy friend” he said with narrowed stare,
“You got a load of cinderblocks or something tucked in there?”

My gaze fell to the weathered bag; its corners taped and patched;
the olive drab a faded grey, one canvas strap mismatched.
I forced a smile that in my heart was anything but merry
and through my gritted teeth replied, “It’s just the things I carry.”

Perhaps it was the lonely night, the thunder and the rain,
a sense of kindred friendship that I couldn’t quite explain,
but with a snap of rusted clip the duffle opened wide
and reaching in I showed him all the things I had inside.

A heavy armored vest was first, its kevlar torn and frayed,
the gaping hole stained dark with blood was caused by a grenade.
“My best friend’s life” I whispered, fearing that my voice would crack;
“He gave it up to save me in the desert of Iraq.”

“We grew up just like brothers ever since the age of nine,
fishing up on Grady’s Pond or flying kites on twine,
our first car was a Mustang, man we made that baby slide.
He always calls me ‘slick,’ I mean… he did until he died.”

A brick of granite followed, dark and grey as stormy sky,
engraved upon its polished face, a date in mid-July.
“I wasn’t home the day I lost my dad,” I muttered low,
remembering that awful day so many years ago.

“Our unit drew a line that month in deep Afghanistan
protecting little schoolgirls from a bloody Taliban.”
My somber gaze fell to the floor and fixed on muddy shoes.
“Dad was gone two weeks before I even got the news.”

The silence hung a moment broken only by the rain,
the beating of my heart over the rumble of the train,
before I heard him ask about the thing I left inside,                                                                                                    a mason jar that wads of dirty laundry failed to hide.                                        

“Don’t open that,” I said too fast, my voice now tinged with fear.
“There’s things in there that, trust me, you don’t ever wanna hear.”
I thought about the demons bottled up inside that jar;
some things are better left alone… left just the way they are.

“I’ve seen a lot of people die, and let me tell you friend,
the sounds, the smells… “I bowed my head, “sometimes they never end.”
I don’t know why the lid slips off, it mostly does at night;
and it can take me hours just to get it back on tight.”

The man then spoke in earnest tones that tugged my memory,
“It seems a lot of weight to haul, but why I cannot see.
What makes a fellah like yourself lug such a load of pain?”
A furrow crossed my tired brow, I struggled to explain.

I spoke to him of duty, of the things a man just did,
of old regrets that in the darkness of the heart lay hid;
the ghosts of fallen friends you just can’t bring yourself to bury,
the bridges crossed and moments lost are just the things I carry.

Instead of being saddened now he seemed a bit amused,
“I admire your resolve bub, but you’ve got it all confused;
The memories you’re s’posed to keep aren’t those that weigh a ton,”
and handing me three items said “I’ll trade you one for one.”

The photo showed two lanky guys in t-shirts and blue jeans,
both leaning on a Mustang like a pair of Steve McQueen’s.
The memories came flooding back of racing ‘round our home
in an overpowered yellow wedge of spoilers and chrome.

The letter was a short one folded carefully in thirds,
my dad had never been a man of very many words;
In careful print it said his greatest pride since life began
was watching me grow up to be a soldier and a man.

Through misty eyes I looked the last upon the ocean shell,
if it had a hidden meaning I’d be damned if I could tell.
“You know the trick,” he softly said, “just hold it to your ear,
and listen to the things in life you’ve earned the right to hear.”

I heard the sounds of my home town where screams were shouts of cheer,
as kids ran up and down the field without the need to fear;
the ring of freedom’s many voices blended in the air,
the sound of open singing and the sound of open prayer.

I turned to find an empty seat, just air and little more
than dust that slowly settled down upon the wooden floor.
Yet on that evanescence hung a voice I knew at last
a whisper from my memory, an echo from my past:

“Remember slick, the way to honor those of us now gone;
is searching for the best ahead in each and every dawn.
Hold on to the good times, not the moments dark and scary,
I’m telling you to let ‘em go… they aren’t yours to carry.”

©Copyright November 2007 by Michael Marks

Sometimes, we find things that lead us back to the source.   If you google Michael Marks and the title of his poem:  The Things They Carried,  quite a few links come up.  It seemed appropriate to me to trace this  one back to where it started.

Invisible baggage.  Things carried that weigh us down or set us free.