Between Two Souls

bIt is voices such as these, souls whose direction is clear and sure, free of stubble and full of light, that help the rest of us find our way through all the distractions of life, all of its illusions, beyond its mirages, around its empty enchantments. . . . Good reading, good thinking, good living is what this book brings to the soul.b -- Joan D. Chittister from the introduction "Between Two Souls" presents a lovely, spiritually uplifting conversation in poetry between a gifted modern-day Roman Catholic nun and a nineteenth-century Zen monk. Offering an utterly unique entree into spiritual contemplation, this book pairs inspirational writing from two distinct but mutually enriching faith traditions, revealing the religious joy, wisdom, and all-embracing compassion that transcend temporal, cultural, and theological differences. Ryō kan (1758-1831) is one of Japanbs most-loved and most-renowned poets. After formal training at the Zen monastery of Entsū -ji, he refused offers to head his own temple and instead lived as a wandering monk in the snowy country around Mt. Kugami. Ryō kan wrote thousands of poems during his travels but never published a collection himself. For two years Mary Lou Kownacki, a Benedictine nun, used Ryō kanbs poetry for devotions. Each morning she would read one of his poems, meditate on it, and then respond with one of her own. "Between Two Souls" is the result of this poetic interplay. Over the course of these pages, Kownacki and Ryō kanbs separate voices blend and become one, ultimately drawing the reader into their soulful dialogue on the eternal. Like echoes across time, these beautiful poems bring new depth andinsight to truths that mark the meaning of the ages. Along the way they consider the smallest things in life, using them to gently warn us not to miss the bigger truths found in each moment, not to squander our souls. Complemented with an inspiring introduction by Joan D. Chittister and elegant calligraphy by Eri Takase, this volume provides a lifetime of devotional insights. Listening quietly to these two great souls is sure to enrich your own.

A young interfaith chaplain is joined on her hospital rounds one night by an unusual companion: a rough-and-tumble dog who may or may not be a ghost. As she tends to the souls of her patients—young and old, living last moments or navigating fundamentally altered lives—their stories provide unexpected healing for her own heartbreak. Balancing wonder and mystery with pragmatism and humor, Ellen Cooney (A Mountaintop School for Dogs and Other Second Chances) returns to Coffee House Press with a generous, intelligent novel that grants the most challenging moments of the human experience a shimmer of light and magical possibility.

I thought it was all over until I met her again. I was hurting myself to forget her, and yet I kept falling in love. I saw her, smiling and happy with him. As the tears in my eyes pleaded for freedom, I waited, for her, to give me that one smile... Sometimes life gives you a thousand reasons to fall in love, and just one reason to fall apart. I had stepped on it, and, I had to wait for three years to rediscover the soul within me. But, what happened to her in these three years? Does she love me still? This intense love story will make your heart fall in love over and over again.

Life can change in an instant. It can change when you least expect it. Sometimes it is for the best. I have been a keeper of many secrets since I was old enough to know what secrets were. No one knew the truth, knew the real me and what goes on behind closed doors. No one knows about the abuse I suffer at the hands of my father. No one knows about the cuts and scars I hide from the world. Why? Because I choose for it to be that way. To the outside world, I am your average teenager, but in reality, all I am is a broken girl with no one to love her, to see the real sadness in my eyes. Until him,Ryland, the new boy in town, the stranger that sees right through me from the moment we meet. We are drawn to each other like a moth to a flame, but the more I get to know him, the more I see I am not the only one fighting demons. He has his own. To start with, he was nothing but a pain in my ass, but day by day, we grow closer and become something that the others didn't realize we needed. A bond develops between us that becomes unbreakable. I don't think either of us realized that when two broken souls come together, it would be the thing that gets us both on the road to healing. He shows me something I haven't felt since my mum was still alive, something my father tried to make me believe that I didn't deserve, which is called love.

How two Vietnam POWs, one white and one black, formed an unexpected friendship that saved them both: “A moving story.” —John McCain Fred Cherry was one of the few black pilots taken prisoner by the Vietnamese, tortured and intimidated by captors who tried and failed to get him to sign antiwar statements. Porter Halyburton was a white southern navy flier who the Vietnamese threw into a cell with Cherry at the famous Hanoi Hilton, hoping that close quarters would inspire racial tensions to boil over. Instead, they fostered an intense connection that would help both men survive the war—and continue for the rest of their lives. An unforgettable story of courage and friendship, Two Souls Indivisible is a compelling reminder of what can be achieved, in the face of incredible odds, when we put our differences aside. “A riveting tale . . . Two Souls Indivisible joins the small list of essential tomes on the war, race, and to an even larger degree, books that describe the true meaning of heroism.” —The Seattle Times “A moving story of two men whose courage, sense of duty, and love proved greater than the depravity of their captors.” —Sen. John McCain

Raziel seeks to reclaim his homeland from the Rhotian empire with the help of a speaking sword and a warchild named Alicia who hears emotions as music and has mind control powers.