Papa S Angels

Thomas yearns to believe in Papa's angels, to see the unseen, hear the unheard, touch that which lies just beyond the ether of understanding. Yet, he is afraid that to do so will plunge him into the same deep place of madness that afflicted his father""seeing angels in the olive trees, and imagining the boy, Jesus, emerging from the caves along the dead waters. Even after he becomes a disciple of the itinerant preacher from Nazareth, and sees the glorious miracles, hears the stories of healing and comfort, he holds back, afraid to commit, afraid to lose himself in Jesus's calling to unconditional love. In the end, Thomas realizes that while his struggle for understanding matters, salvation demands acceptance of the persistent doubt that beats within the heart of faith.

My wife, Karen and I, (Karen has passed away) had four children and 14 grandchildren. The birth of those grandchildren brought great joy to us and motivated me to create a story upon the birth of the first eight grandchildren, the first in 1986 and the last in 1998. Each chapter lists chronologically the names of these eight grandchildren. One of the stories was created as I was driving one night from a YMCA job interview in Chattanooga, Tennessee to Kokomo, Indiana, where I served as CEO. This book contains Christmas stories I created for children to enjoy. It begins with Santa’s dog who gets lost and must be found so he can accompany Santa on his trip. Other unique characters are introduced, the Blue Angel, Miss Frilly Fox, a little boy named Bo who could fly, the walking trees, how snow began, the batmasters Desmo and his brother Rufus, the twin girls I and Y and many more. My grandchildren took great pleasure from reading their stories and I’m hoping to instill imaginative minds in others. Older children will enjoy reading the stories themselves and younger children having them read to them. The stories provide the children with something to think about. Many people said I should put these stories in a book, and so I did!

From the manger of Jesus Christ to the 21st century, this encyclopedia explores more than 2,000 years of Christmas past and present through 966 entries packed with a wide variety of historical and pop-culture subjects. Entries detail customs and traditions from around the world as well as classic Christmas movies, TV series/specials and animated cartoons. Arranged alphabetically by entry name, the book includes the historical background of popular sacred and secular songs as well as accounts of beloved literary works with Christmas themes from such noted authors as Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Hans Christian Andersen, Pearl Buck, Henry Van Dyke and others. All things Christmas are available here in one comprehensive volume.

Fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books will enjoy a citified version as Sydney Taylor gives a charming glimpse at a time when daily life was very different, but family and faith were surprisingly the same. After moving uptown to the Bronx, the charming All-of-a-Kind Family have a new home, new neighbors and new friends. There's always something exciting going on. Ella misses Jules who has joined the Army, Henny spills tea on a dress she borrowed without asking, Sarah works to win a prize at school, Charlotte takes the elevated train without paying her fare, Gertie makes a pancake, and Charlie is terrified when he meets Santa Claus! And things are are especially busy as Mother has gone into the hospital, and everyone must help out to make the house run smoothly. Generations of readers have loved growing up with the five Jewish girls whose trials and triumphs are as recognizable today as they were a hundred years ago. This fourth title of the series follows the girls as they grow into much more independent young women, and younger brother Charlie keeps everyone on their toes.