Hello Friends, Readers, and New Visitors,
Here is THIS WEEKS Featured Blog pick! My dear friend and fellow Author, Marilyn Fowler’s ‘Self-Help’ blog is always full of “inspiration” and packed with “wisdom, love, and caring” for others!
Author, Catherine Lyon XoXo
Addicted to Dimes by Catherine Townsend-Lyon
Have to say a ‘Big Thanks’ to Author, Cathleen Townsend for this awesome book review post after reading my book; “Addicted To Dimes.’ We have also had comments on her post and opened up a “conversation” about Gambling Addiction. Go share your thoughts!
Author, Catherine Lyon “-)
I’ve never liked going to casinos much. It’s not just the completely artificial environment, nor knowing that all the games are rigged to favor the house. It’s the sheer desperation wafting off some of the casino patrons. People are ruining their lives there. I’d rather eat or see a show someplace else.
Addicted to Dimes is the poignant story of a young women who emerged from a childhood that contained sexual abuse and frequent criticism to seek help in the wrong place—gambling.
Money conveys status, and it’s easy to see how someone who is unsure of their own worth could be sucked in. And our society makes it so easy—native gambling casinos, lotteries, Keno, bingo—it’s all over the place. The gambling machines are usually conveniently located near ATMs.
The author tells of a life that spiraled out of control—embezzlement, arrest, accepting that she was a liar and a cheat rather…
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When Do You Know A Novel Is Really A HOT, Steamy, Thrilling Read?
When it wins a “Golden Box Book Publishing Readers Choice” AWARD! That’s How You Know! So a big CONGRATS to my dear friend and wonderful Brazilian Author, Adriana (A.) Gavazzoni for winning this prestigious award for Book One of her novel series Behind The Door” ~ Hidden Motives ~
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AND? If that wasn’t exciting enough all by itself? She just had another FABULOUS new Author Interview and this one is almost rated X, so when you take a listen, make sure there are no little ones around! I can tell you it IS one of the best in-depth interviews Adriana has given to date on “Self Discovery Radio!”
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She has also released Book Two of her novel series and is titled; “Lara’s Journal.”
I believe her series will be a three book set. “Lara’s Journal” is also receiving rave book reviews and Book One has racked up over (60) 5-star Amazon reviews already! That also tells you this series is a must read. Lara’s Journal – Book Two is now available on Amazon! Here is a wee bit more about it…
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“Simone Bennet” is on a long vacation, trying to heal from the trauma she suffered at the hands of a serial killer kidnapper. After looking death in the face, she tries to develop a new outlook on life—live in the moment! Carl, the charming lawyer, is back, asking once more for Simone’s help, this time in analyzing Lara’s journals, which were discovered by her siblings after her death. In her own words, Lara divulges all her secrets, and reveals a dramatic world of betrayal, passion, and the most unusual sexual behaviors, exposing the beautiful architect’s troubled life.
As Simone tries to deal with the contents of Lara’s haunting diaries, one of her patients gets himself into a bit of legal trouble, forcing Simone to return early from her vacation. Although she’s happy to be back on her home turf, she finds herself surrounded by a whole new set of problems. A killer is out there, and this time, he seems to be after the people Simone cares about most. Suddenly, people around her are dying, a stalker/admirer keeps showing up at all the wrong times, and Simone’s dear friend Edward has a new girlfriend—forcing Simone to analyze her feelings for him and her attraction to Carl…
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To learn more about the and where to connect? SHE invites readers to visit her beautiful website and blog anytime for updates on upcoming new books, events, and more interviews! Author, A. Gavazzoni …
Face Book: adriana.gavazzoni
Twitter: a_gavazzoni
Instagram: /adri_gavazzoni
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Watch “Cats Meeting Puppies for the First Time Compilation (2016)” on YouTube
LOL…LOL. HERE IS Todays Spotlight Blog you got to GO visit! It’s by sweet friend Deborah and SHE loves CATS as much as I do, but? who says Kitty’s and Puppies don’t get along? YOU are going to love this one Readers!
HAPPY MONDAY!
Cat
HAPPY CATURDAY!!
Sylvester on Rumpled Bed
Sylvester misses me when I leave for work. He gets really excited when I return home.
When Tom Jones had his TV show I thought that he was one of the Sexist men alive!! Still do!! He was Fine as Wine!!
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Book Review: The Dead Inside by Cyndy Etler
My Weekend Must Visit Blog! And THIS Book Review is so Exceptional it made ME go buy and start reading this one! You’re going to love reading and exploring this awesome blog READERS!!
Catherine
Amazon.com – The Dead Inside by Cyndy Etler
Goodreads.com – The Dead Inside by Cyndy Etler
Barnesandnoble.com – The Dead Inside by Cyndy Etler
Bookdepository.com – The Dead Inside by Cyndy Etler
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, via NetGalley for an honest review.
Genre: YA/Non-Fiction
Plot: I never was a badass. Or a slut, a junkie, a stoner, like they told me I was. I was just a kid looking for something good, something that felt like love. I was a wannabe in a Levi’s jean jacket. Anybody could see that. Except my mother. And the professionals at Straight.
From the outside, Straight Inc. was a drug rehab. But on the inside it was…well, it was something else.
All Cyndy wanted was to be loved and accepted. By age fourteen, she had escaped from her violent home, only to be reported as…
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Book Reviews – An Outstanding Spiritual Wisdom Book & Guide Called; “The Gateways” ~ By Author, Dr. Jane Galloway.
“It is not often when a book comes along and can change your “life path” to a new direction and journey of spiritual healing and inner peacefulness no matter what life may bring you, good or bad. That is some of what you gain by reading Author, Dr. Jane Galloway’s new release titled; “The Gateways.”
We all know life can be a tough challenge within the society we live in today. There is so much unrest throughout our world, and believe it or not it can make many of us feel on edge. Especially if we are dealing with our own life roadblocks.
There can be many! We need to learn to have awareness of how to deal with life challenges and get back to living with less stress and drama that seems to happen all around us. This is why I highly recommend you read Dr. Jane’s book. It will open the gateways into living a life of freedom and a path to a real spiritual awakening in mind, body, and soul. That is how I felt while reading this book. Here is more about Jane, her book and what other readers felt…
About The Book: “The Gateways on Amazon Kindle”
“The Gateways are…A Gateway, a Bridge, an Opening into living the Spiritual Life that the Steps promise! What YOU get from this is TOOLS, Inspiration, Time to release the Shame and move into the FREEDOM.”
Is there more to recovery than just staying sober and clean? Dr. Jane Galloway offers an emphatic “yes” to this question in her groundbreaking 12 Step companion guide, The Gateways: The Wisdom of 12-Step Spirituality. Galloway presents the 12 Steps squarely in the context of 21st-century spirituality with breadth, skill, and sensitivity that helps readers of any faith (or of none) experience a profound spiritual awakening.
Too many recovery programs fixate on the sickness of addiction and, as a result, trap people in a pathology-centered mindset. Jane Galloway’s strength-based approach suggests “Rather than obsessing about what is ‘wrong’ with a person, learning what is ‘right’ with them may hold the key to understanding.” Incorporating ancient developmental systems like Chinese meridians and the Kabbalah Tree of Life, as well as more recent psychological systems like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Erik Erikson’s Eight Ages of Man, Gateways presents 12-Step Spirituality as a Wisdom Path. Galloway’s 12 corresponding Gateway Essences unlock the power of the Steps through spiritual practices and rituals that make up a customized, holistic Mind, Body, Spirit toolkit.
As a 30+ year member of Alcoholics Anonymous, ordained pastor and Doctor of Ministry and accomplished stage and screen actor, and community organizer, the Rev. Dr. Jane Galloway brings a woman’s voice to the chorus of men who have previously spoken on 12-Step spirituality. Her work is inspired by and devoted to AA’s founding spiritual vision as it appears in “The Big Book”: “To us, the realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek.” The Gateways opens wider vistas to the deeper wisdom within us all.
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A Must Listen “The Gateways” ~ ~ Dr. Jane Galloway Shares Hosted By Omar Pinto of “The SHAIR Podcast”
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BOOK REVIEWS:
Jane Galloway opens the Gateways…. 5-Stars! Amazon Reviewer.
Just finished The Gateways: The Wisdom of 12 Step Spirituality by Jane Galloway. Its subtitle is “Dynamic Practices that Work.” I recommend this book for anyone wrestling with addiction problems, but even more so for anyone seeking a deeper spiritual experience and inner healing. Jane begins with a theological exegesis of the traditional 12 step path and then leads us to deeper spiritual connections across a variety of traditions. The book is set up as more of a “workbook” than a didactic instruction book. It is intended to provide ways to actually explore and experience a richer spiritual life. My highest compliment would be that at a certain point in the introductory section, I began looking forward to the Gateways as a way to deepen my own spiritual experience.
It is also indicative of Jane’s commitments that she includes a section on how these practices can be used in building community. This is a book only Jane Galloway could have written. She has lived in both the worlds of traditional mainline “church” and also New Thought, worlds which often don’t touch, or see, each other.She is a very valuable “bridge person” between these worlds. As you will discover, she has also explored Wisdom literature, and practice, in the broadest possible way. She is a scholar, a theologian, a preacher, but most of all pastor. It is from that caring perspective this book is written. I will always be thankful for our years as colleagues at West Park and for what I learned from her Sanctuary community…
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This book is a gift to anyone on the spiritual path toward wholeness.
The Rev. Dr. Jane Galloway’s The Gateways: The Wisdom of 12-Step Spirituality combines the tried-and-true methods of the 12-Steps with dynamic spiritual practices that allow people to more deeply integrate the Steps into their own personal spirituality. Among longtime members of recovery groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (such as the author), newcomers to the 12 Steps, and even among the throngs of curious onlookers wanting to know just exactly how this method miraculously transforms broken lives into productive, joyous, deeply spiritual lives, The Gateways is creating a different kind of buzz.
Rev. Galloway sets the stage by telling the story of the 12 Steps with all of the drama and detail of her significant acting career. Whether you know the adventures of Bill and Lois by heart or you’ve never heard of the founders of AA and Al-Anon, the first part of The Gateways reflects some of the best recovery writing I’ve seen. Galloway remains true to the letter of AA’s founding tenets as well as its original literature—much of which reads like a 1950s newsreel and is at risk of becoming outdated—in this timely, revolutionary book. But Jane Galloway’s The Gateways is much more than an update.
It presents the 12 Steps squarely in the context of 21st-century spirituality with skill and sensitivity that will carry the message into the next millennium. The Gateways invites devotees of every faith, as well people who identify as agnostic, atheist, and spiritual but not religious (SBNR), to share this journey into wholeness. And, somehow, Jane Galloway manages to map this vast topography with equal breadth and depth in a concise, direct narrative.
With honesty, candor, and a touch of wry humor, Jane Galloway begins the conversation on 12-Step spirituality by telling us her own story. She has nothing to hide—which I find one of the most refreshing characteristics of 12-Step philosophy. One of my favorite parts of the book is where the author transitions from her personal background to the bigger historical picture in a chapter entitled “A Country Spirals into Addiction.” The 20th century was indeed a breeding ground for widespread addiction, but it was also a time of great breakthrough in preparation for the spiritual and religious awakening that is upon us in the 21st century.
Dr. Galloway devotes three especially salient chapters to the ways 12-Step spirituality dovetails with New Thought spirituality, eastern Wisdom teachings, and the Christian movement known as the Jesus Path. Here’s where Galloway’s Doctor of Ministry from Claremont School of Theology sheds light on the full spiritual spectrum without becoming bogged down in any of the doctrinal dogma associated with religion. She’s well equipped with the necessary knowledge and wisdom—distinctly crucial attributes—to guide us on the inter-spiritual path of which the 12-Steps are a valuable part.
All of this builds up to the truly groundbreaking second part of the book, where the author introduces twelve “Gateway Essences”—a veritable smorgasbord of spiritual practices including a Chakra, a Chinese Meridian, color, sound, gemstone, and musical note that reflects the deeper essence of each of the 12 Steps. Galloway cleverly provides a metaphorical container for these practices, modeled on the Japanese bento box, whereby people can pick and choose which practices they’d like to incorporate, just as a typical bento box may hold rice, fish or meat, vegetables, etc. In today’s global spiritual marketplace with its overwhelming selection of spiritual teachings, it’s nice to visualize this tidy little personalized “to go” box of spiritual practices. Finding the spiritual practices that feed your soul can make the difference between lifelong sobriety and serenity, and the repeated relapse scenarios we see and experience all too often. The tangible rituals and practices of The Gateways unlock the power of each of the 12 Steps to make recovery a truly sacred experience.
But perhaps the greatest contribution of “The Gateways” is its emphasis on strength-based recovery. Too many recovery programs fixate on the sickness of addiction and, as a result, trap people in a pathology-centered mindset. Jane Galloway suggests “Rather than obsessing about what is ‘wrong’ with a person, learning what is ‘right’ with them may hold the key to understanding.” Recognizing the importance of addressing the root causes of addiction, she posits that “Drawing forth the inherent strengths in a person opens a world of self-realization.”
Herein lies the genius of The Gateways: Jane Galloway’s multivalent spiritual approach empowers people to not only live soberly but to live spiritually. The Gateways doesn’t replace basic Step work, but takes each of the 12 Steps to the next level and, in so doing, helps us live in greater alignment with our Higher Power, our life’s purpose, and the joy of living. Jane Galloway’s The Gateways is a priceless gift not only to the recovery community but to every spiritual pilgrim on the path toward wholeness.
Kate Sheehan Roach
Managing Editor, Patheos Spirituality
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You can connect with Author, Rev. Dr. Jane Galloway on her many social media sites and a visit to her website is a must. With currently all 100% 5-Star Amazon book reviews, you know this is an Exceptional Read.
Jane’s Website: Jane Galloway, Author
Sacred Stories: About The Author
A Goodreads Author
Her Podcast: The Gateways with Rev. Dr. Jane Galloway – YouTube
Twitter ~ Facebook
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Talk to God…
Inspirational words and a great blog! Natalie is my pick for today’s “must visit” sites and one of my Favorites! ENJOY Everyone xo
Author, Catherine Lyon 🙂
