Safe Road Home

Accompanied by a DVD of an HBO documentary entitled: Smashed--toxic tales of teens and alcohol.

For Las Vegas widow Naomi, memories of a Pennsylvania Dutch childhood are an ache from the distant past, a painful memory of abandoned roots and lost connections. She has long since reconciled herself to the shattered dreams that had enticed her from her heritage and now simply lives in a tiny apartment, thick with loneliness and regret. Her sole consolation is her daughter-in-law Ruth. But when hard living claims both of her boys, the two women turn Naomi's creaky Impala eastward in a desperate, last-chance bid for hope and meaning. Thus begins a cross-country odyssey that brings her home to her old farm in Lancaster County--and to the values and rhythms of a life once spurned. Although the East is foreign territory, Ruth also finds a home here among the slow and authentic cadences of Pennsylvania farm country. And she finds love...

“With every chapter, readers will be further immersed in Santiago’s story as they root for his triumph over injustice.” —Booklist (starred review) “With unflinching conviction, Diaz sketches a frank, brief account of refugee youth in an uncaring bureaucratic system.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Harrowing but deeply illuminating.” —School Library Journal “Diaz’s crucial narrative shines a disconcerting light on the plight of children in US detention centers along the southern border.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) A young boy gets detained by ICE while crossing the border from Mexico to the United States in this timely and unflinching novel by award-winning author Alexandra Diaz. The bed creaks under Santiago’s shivering body. They say a person’s life flashes by before dying. But it’s not his whole life. Just the events that led to this. The important ones, and the ones Santiago would rather forget. The coins in Santiago’s hand are meant for the bus fare back to his abusive abuela’s house. Except he refuses to return; he won’t be missed. His future is uncertain until he meets the kind, maternal María Dolores and her young daughter, Alegría, who help Santiago decide what comes next: He will accompany them to el otro lado, the United States of America. They embark with little, just backpacks with water and a bit of food. To travel together will require trust from all parties, and Santiago is used to going it alone. None of the three travelers realizes that the journey through Mexico to the border is just the beginning of their story.

Many books focus on individual differences and how those relate to traffic safety such as accident proneness, gender differences, age, alcohol, and the effects of drugs. Others focus on the safety effects regarding the vehicle such as airbags, anti-lock brakes, navigation systems, intelligent cruise control and other new gadgets coming to the vehicle. Even though these topics are undoubtedly important for traffic safety, this book takes a unique approach as it focuses solely on the road environment. Designing Safe Road Systems provides the background for those who want to know more about the effects of road design on driving behaviour. It uses a systems approach to allow a better understanding of why and in what circumstances drivers may commit errors. This understanding will ultimately lead to road systems that prevent (fatal) errors from occurring. The book contains an overview of the current models and theories about human performance and human behaviour in traffic that are relevant for all those involved in designing safe road systems. The central theme of this book is how design principles can reduce the probability of an error while driving. The authors demonstrate how knowledge of human factors helps a road authority to better understand how road users behave. They argue that in many cases the design of the environment can be further adjusted to human capabilities, and that safety should be considered a system property to be built into the road system.

Seasoned detective, Jason Carmichael, is assigned the task of determining the controversial death of a fellow deputy in the mountains east of Sonora, California. Assertions of suicide, a possible accident, or a drug-related hit plague Jason since there is no conclusive evidence to prove either. Sheriff Owen Wheeler assigns a gutsy, self-confident woman as an aide to Jason. Attractive and married, the woman demands the deceased deputy be, at least, afforded the dignity of an official burial. An act she feels will finally bring him home. Having this woman at his side was not Jason's choice, but soon finds out what his life would be without her. A tiny circle is Jason's only compelling evidence to solving the case until their paths cross with that of a rogue cop who makes an unsolicited remark while being questioned as part of another wider investigation. Will Jason condemn this rogue or thank him?

Remarkably, as many as sixty-six thousand churches are in conflict at this moment, and one-third of those will experience permanent damage. Though Christ commanded his followers to forgive, we often don't, and that lack of forgiveness poisons all of our relationships. Churches are particularly vulnerable to unforgiveness for a simple reason--no one has taught us what forgiveness actually is, how it benefits the forgiver and the forgiven, and, most importantly, how to forgive. The Road Home provides a pathway to forgiveness and healthy reconciliation for churches wounded by conflict. While the road it follows is not easy--just as forgiving is not easy--the result is an explosion of grace and restoration, taking relationships beyond where they were to where they were meant to be.

My life was a disaster from birth I didn’t think that it was worth living, when something tragic happens to someone it was not easy to walk away and forget The pain and suffering the hurt brought me by someone I loved and looked up to who was my protector. Who later made my life a living hell I couldn’t understand why things had to go wrong and it had to be me out of all people But when God has a plan or a calling on your life you will go through turmoil, storms and trials, death seen and unseen and come out a new creature. Remember before I tell my story that you are not junk, a looser or a mistake. God doesn’t make mistakes he makes diamonds from coals.

Fierce and tender, this beautifully illustrated picture book depicts the journeys of woodland animals as they seek the safety of home in a wild, unpredictable world. Birds risk the elements to fly south for the winter. Rabbits flee wolves to find warm, safe havens in the burrows. Wolves race the threat of hunger before seeking their dens. All are parents teaching their young the ways of survival in a dangerous world. In the end, each pair of animals finds the comfort of home in each other, reinforcing the depth of the bond between parent and child. With soft and stunning art, this book is a giftable meditation on the fierce beauty of life and the love we find as we seek the way home.