So Glad I M Me

"Twenty-one poems that will entertain you, inspire you, and celebrate you for who you are!"--Page 4 of cover

Expressions of love evoke a mutual sense of belonging and well being among parents, grandparents and children in this story about the importance that loving memories play in our lives and future generations.

In his tenth collection, Roddy Lumsden returns to some familiar themes in his work: the trials of oneness versus twoness, the seduction of small calamities, and vice versa. And the everyday mysteries, of running water, salt and sugar, roller skates and back-up flats. So Glad I'm Me also contains many 'conflation poems' where Lumsden has knocked the square peg of one subject through the round hole of another, often music-related. There are poems here about many songs and musicians, ranging from cult artists like Alex Chilton and Robin Holcomb to big names like Elvis and Morrissey. As ever, he relishes unusual words (nestlecock, twofer, farnesol) and interesting, taut forms, alongside a new strand of mid-length, discursive pieces in the spirit of Chicagoan poets Albert Goldbarth and Marianne Boruch. Lighter and less inward looking than in other recent collections, So Glad I'm Me is Lumsden's most optimistic and accessible book since The Book of Love, and was shortlisted for both the T.S. Eliot Prize 2017 and the Saltire Society Scottish Poetry Book of the Year Award 2018.

I'm So Glad You Found Me in Here, co-written by college graduate Matt Hobson, a nonverbal young man living with autism, and his mother, Nancy, is a touching story about Matt's disability and the obstacles he and his family have faced and are still encountering today. Being diagnosed as severely mentally handicapped until the age eleven, the Hobsons' story is an inspirational one and will serve to provide insight, support, and comfort to the parents of autistic and other disabled children. �So few try to see what is actually inside my heart and my mind.� --Matthew Hobson �I think the greatest thing that I can do with my life is to help parents see that you have to have faith that God will help you do your best to support your child.� --Matthew Hobson

Examines reasons to be glad that you are you.

Here's another book of funcouragement from Barbara Johnson as she continues to help her loyal fans find joy in the midst of pain. Barbara shares her own experiences and those of others who have tripped over life's hurdles and landed in the arms of God. She shows that laughing in the face of adversity is not proof of insanity but a form of healing.

Kids and adults as well will enjoy this brief and colorful illustration of the truth about creation.

For parents who have been knocked to the floor by bad news and plastered to the ceiling by unwelcome surprises . . . here's a book to prop you up, scrape you down, and (believe it or not) help you laugh again. Bad news is bad enough. .But bad news about your children carries a triple whammy of pain, worry, and "where did we go wrong!" An accident, an illness, an unwholesome lifestyle, a devastating decision?the truth about these awful events can turn your life upside down, isolate you from family and friends, drain you of hope, and overpower you with stress. If that's your experience right now, this book can be a lifesaver. Crammed with practical guidance and sanity-saving laughter, it's a gift of hope to you from "the queen of encouragement," Barbara Johnson and other men and women who are "out there on the dance floor of life, doing the lost-parent shuffle." Drawing on her personal experience, her years of ministering to parents in pain, and the letters she has received from hundreds of hurting (and healing) parents, Barbara Johnson shares: what you can expect in the days ahead?and how to cope what to do with your shock, pain, and guilt how to find grace for your ongoing stress how to love your kids without trying to "fix 'em" how to find comfort and encouragement in scripture, friendship, and the knowledge that you're not alone how to locate a support group?or start one of your own how to pull together with your spouse?instead of letting your pain pull you apart She salts each chapter with wry observations, uplifting letters, sunny day-lifters, cartoons and just plain-funny one-liners?to life your spirits and bring you comfort. Whether you're stuck on the ceiling, groping through the tunnel, smoldering in the fire, or down for the count, this book can keep you moving and even keep you laughing through your tears as you travel the rocky path from "Why me, Lord?" to "Thank you, Lord."