NUMBER 153
Friday was the last day for my best “work” friend. He retired. I don’t usually talk about my full time job. For one thing, it’s my full time job and I have heard too many stories about people losing their jobs to stupid things said and done. Besides, it’s really not that interesting where I work at. Sure, they have drama, politic game playing (obviously not as gritty as the TV show, Scandal, but who knows, there's probably is something going on similar to it).
We have our usual back stabbing strings of nut cases, craziness abound, psycho bosses and employees and the adjectives could go on forever. For another reason, it’s not that funny either. Besides, I listened the first time someone told me that when you leave work at the end of the day, leave the “job” at the job. I bet that’s hard.
The Sanctuary on the other hand is funny. It does not matter when I return the following weekend, the stories I hear have more drama than I can write about. It can also be a complete drain on my senses with the same old tired antics and negativeness, so most times I stay closed mouth, pray, work and keep on trying to help them; and I just realized too, that I love them and I want to make their lives better.
My best “work” friend decided to finally retire this year after saying it for many years. I kept asking him to hang in there until my kid finished high school. He did. I asked again until my kid finished college. He did. I then asked again for him to stay until my kid graduated graduate school. He didn’t and then laid the bomb on me -- “Boss, I’m tired and ready to go home and play computer games, play golf, sleep late, read and enjoy my wife.” What could I say but how happy I was even though I was crying, crying hard inside. He became my best friend, my buddy, my financial guru, my reading partner and my sparring partner. People at work use to call us “Weezie and George” from the Jefferson because they could hear us arguing about values, religion, guns, books and politics. Afterwards when it was announced that he was leaving, people all over would send e-mails and calls and asked over and over again, “What, he’s leaving! what is VaLinda going to do?”
I’ll tell what I’m going to do. I started at church this past Sunday. When Pastor Fred asked if anyone wanted to come up to the pulpit and say a special prayer, I did. I asked GOD to "Please, pretty please bless him and his wife of 40 years with many more happy years. (I knew his wife just as long as I knew him). For them to continue to worship each other more than before. For my friend to play golf three times a week instead of once every two weeks. For my friend to read more books than he can handle and to keep them safe and happy in your hands forever. Amen"
Then I cried. Not a sad cry, but it dawned on me that it was time and that he will be so blessed and happy and so will I when my turn comes. It’s going to be hard for me over the next few weeks, but I will make it. He was the one who told me so many times, “Boss, your grandmother raised you right and you raised your daughter right. You will survive anything because your grandmother taught you how.” He is right and he added to my lessons of life and I will always, always, always love him for that. To keep me from crying anymore (“I don’t think I got any tears left”), let’s move to books.
TARA CONKLIN - THE HOUSE GIRL: A NOVEL - $12.60 - - - Weaving together the story of an escaped slave in the pre–Civil War South and a determined junior lawyer, The House Girl follows Lina Sparrow as she looks for an appropriate lead plaintiff in a lawsuit seeking compensation for families of slaves. In her research, she learns about Lu Anne Bell, a renowned prewar artist whose famous works might have actually been painted by her slave, Josephine.
JULIE KIBLER - CALLING ME HOME: A NOVEL - $10.67 - - - I was in Barnes & Noble, where else would I be, and noticed the cover of this book. Could not buy it then (Still on the Dave Ramsey diet), but I knew one day I would find it again. I did while looking for Edward Kesley Moore book. (I had borrowed it from the library and did not get a chance to finish it).
Eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle McAllister has a favor to ask her hairdresser Dorrie Curtis. It's a big one. Isabelle wants Dorrie, a black single mom in her thirties, to drop everything to drive her from her home in Arlington, Texas, to a funeral in Cincinnati. With no clear explanation why. Tomorrow.
Dorrie, fleeing problems of her own and curious whether she can unlock the secrets of Isabelle's guarded past, scarcely hesitates before agreeing, not knowing it will be a journey that changes both their lives.
Over the years, Dorrie and Isabelle have developed more than just a business relationship. They are friends. But Dorrie, fretting over the new man in her life and her teenage son's irresponsible choices, still wonders why Isabelle chose her.
Isabelle confesses that, as a willful teen in 1930s Kentucky, she fell deeply in love with Robert Prewitt, a would-be doctor and the black son of her family's housekeeper--in a town where blacks weren't allowed after dark. The tale of their forbidden relationship and its tragic consequences makes it clear Dorrie and Isabelle are headed for a gathering of the utmost importance and that the history of Isabelle's first and greatest love just might help Dorrie find her own way.
Calling Me Home: A Novel
Calling Me Home: A Novel
EDWARD KESLEY MOORE - $12.99 - - - Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat is home away from home for this inseparable Plainview, Indiana, trio. Dubbed “the Supremes” by high school pals in the tumultuous 1960s, they weather life’s storms together for the next four decades. Now, during their most challenging year yet, dutiful, proud, and talented Clarice must struggle to keep up appearances as she deals with her husband’s humiliating infidelities. Beautiful, fragile Barbara Jean is rocked by the tragic reverberations of a youthful love affair. And fearless Odette engages in the most terrifying battle of her life while contending with the idea that she has inherited more than her broad frame from her notorious pot-smoking mother, Dora.
Through marriage, children, happiness, and the blues, these strong, funny women gather each Sunday at the same table at Earl’s diner for delicious food, juicy gossip, occasional tears, and uproarious banter.
Through marriage, children, happiness, and the blues, these strong, funny women gather each Sunday at the same table at Earl’s diner for delicious food, juicy gossip, occasional tears, and uproarious banter.
SADEQA JOHNSON - LOVE IN A CARRY-ON-BAG - $4.99 - - - The title made me think of the move coming out in September with Taraji P. Henson, Paula Patton, Octavia Spencer, Jill Scott, Derek Luke and Trey Songz called “Baggage Claim.” A comedy. Here’s a quick story line. Determined to get engaged before her youngest sister's wedding, flight attendant Montana Moore (Paula Patton) finds herself with only 30 days to find Mr. Right. Using her airline connections to "accidentally" meet up with eligible ex-boyfriends and scour for potential candidates, she racks up more than 30,000 miles and countless comedic encounters, all the while searching for the perfect guy. If you need a laugh, just see the preview. Don’t ask me why the title of this book made me stop and review trailers all day (I do really love trailers!!), but it did and it has DC in the settling. My Home and I miss it terribly.
Here’s what the book is really about: Erica Shaw spends her week babysitting the country s bestselling authors for one of the top publishing companies in New York City. But on Friday nights she escapes to D.C., where her sexy-lipped musician boyfriend, Warren Prince, works and performs. Their connection is fierce, and the couple promises to never miss a weekend together. But when real life walks in an overbearing father, an alcoholic mother, office politics, and a lucrative job contract the couple starts unraveling at the seam. Tempers flare, violence breaks, while new lovers eagerly wait in the wings to claim both of them.
Drenched in the perils of passion and the sweet-sounds of jazz, Johnson dives deep into the world of ambition and the stumbling blocks of family. Clever, fast-paced and sexy, Love in a Carry-On Bag is a modern day love story that marks the healing power of forgiveness and begs the question, how much baggage is really too heavy to carry.
TREASURE BLUE - FLY BETTY (HARLEM GIRL LOST NOVELS) - $9.69 - - - In the multi-billion dollar a year entertainment industry, there is a secret society of women that few are privy to. All of these women are vying for one thing – an opportunity to live a luxurious, lavish lifestyle by snagging a rich and famous singer, rapper or athlete.
Betty Blaise, or Fly Betty to those who truly know her, was not in it to be a wife or even the baby momma of a wealthy public figure – she had her sights set higher, much higher. While most of these women use sex as their weapon of choice, Betty, a senior majoring in psychology, has developed skills she learned from her mother’s diaries that prove much more powerful.
Up until now Betty has lived her life according to her own strict rules and standards, refusing to compromise for anyone, even if it potentially meant shielding herself from true love. But when she encounters a man that she would never have anticipated falling for in a million years, the very tools she used so effectively against men begin to turn against her – and deadly consequences are sure to follow.
JON ACUFF - START: PUNCH FEAR IN THE FACE - ESCAPE AVERAGE - DO WORK THAT MATTERS - $9.99 - - - I was listening to my weekly Dave Ramsey podcast one day last week and he was talking to Jon Acuff about his new book coming out and that before it goes on sale, Dave was offering a special that if you buy Acuff’s book, you would receive some free down loadable books. You know I jumped on it. The free books: The 3 Stages of Every Awesome Idea. The Hater Handbook and some other positive items. Anything to help me stay happy and positive, I will try it. I got nothing to lose but a sick and bad attitude. Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work That Matters
Got to get one in for Black History Year
VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY - NEVER SAY NEVER: A NOVEL - $9.73 - - - The book is finally out. The first 7 chapters were on sale free. What's with authors using this marketing tool? I have run into a few books like that.
When Miriam’s fireman husband, Chauncey, dies while rescuing students from a school fire, Miriam feels like her life is over. How is she going to raise her three children all by herself? How will she survive without the love of her life? Luckily, Miriam’s sister-friend Emily and Emily’s husband, Jamal, are there to comfort her. Jamal and Chauncey grew up together and were best friends; Jamal and Emily know they will do all they can to support Miriam through her grief. Jamal steps in and helps Miriam with the funeral arrangements and with her children, plus he gives her hope that she has a future. But all the time that they spend together—grieving, sharing, and reminiscing—brings the two closer in ways they never planned.
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