The Little Bell That Wouldn T Ring

Christmas is coming! In a church tower, three bells practice ringing for Christmas Eve. But the newest and smallest bell in the tower is silent. What could be wrong? The dove, the wise crow, and all the other animals find good words to try to encourage the little bell to ring. But nothing works . . . until Christmas Eve when they find the words that inspire the little bell to ring out—“Peace on earth.” An inventive story about the meaning of Christmas, with ethereal illustrations by Maja Dusíková.

As Long as I Remember part one and two is the autobiography of an Australian life of a first fleet descendent growing up at Shooters Hill in the Blue Mountains near Oberon during the depression and war years. After the war she marries Jack Duggan from Oberon . Her sister, Nora, married Jacks brother Dan and they lived on a farm in Oberon. Thecla and John set out to make their fortunes and establish one of the great Hotel dynasties of the Australian private sector. Part One Here We Are and Part Two My very Green Years are for publication in this volume. They cover her family background, her childhood and her years leading into young adulthood. There are many more volumes that she has written but they have not yet been edited for publication. We are currently working on her second volume. Some will not be released to me until after her death for personal reasons. Thecla Marie is a 5th Generation Australian descendent of a Catholic Irish Convict, the first Phillip Hogan, and a Protestant Irish immigrant. Hogan was transported in 1799 on HMS Friendship. His crime was his involvement in the events leading up to the uprising. He was the mounted messenger who carried orders and news between the cells. He is still remembered in Irish Folk law today in the saying going like galloping Hogan. The ongoing saga covers such detailed historical notations, but focuses mainly on Theclas own life and upbringing in the Australian bush in a hard but loving environment of small tight communities. At the age of 15 she leaves Shooters Hill and travels to teach in Sydney convents in the prewar years but her nonconformity resulted in her failing as a teacher. During this time she taught herself shorthand and typing which led to her working as a stenographer at the small arms factory in Lithgow during the war years. These years were filled with friends and lovers, and the acquisition of a stylish wardrobe, the latter often being her primary concern. Following the war she struggles to survive in Sydney working at various city offices with her girl friends and residing in lower level bed sitters in the outer suburbs of Petersham, Marickville and Redfern, commonly known as the slums. Every time she found a nice place to reside in the city she was called back to Shooters Hill for the pea harvest by an obligation she undertook with her brother, Bert, before leaving the Hill. She maintains her connection with home. In between pea harvests she was able to travel and finds work in many different and interesting environment. Her improved wardrobe and experience was leading her into a better and better lifestyle. and finally she marries at the age of 25 and begins her married life with John Patrick Duggan. Together they establish a large and famous family of publicans, graziers and transport carriers. Her stories are told in an amusing self deprecating voice as if she was writing to a friend. Her descriptions are voiced in such a way as to make the reader believe they were actually there themselves and that makes for easy reading.

SOMETIMES ALL IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS The public perception of religious institutions is that the people who enter these Institutions are good and caring and compassionate. Though this story is a work of fiction, it is based on reality and that reality is: SOMETIMES ALL IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS.

Agnes Baker Pilgrim, known to most as Grandma Aggie, is in her nineties and is the oldest living member of the Takelma Tribe, one of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz. A descendant of both spiritual and political tribal leaders, Grandma Aggie travels tirelessly around the world to keep traditions alive, to help those in need, and to be a voice for the voiceless, helping everyone to remember to preserve our Earth for animals and each other in a spiritual environment. Considered an excellent speaker, she has mesmerized her audience wherever she appears, and now her wit, wisdom, memories, advice, stories and spirituality have been captured for all to hear. Honored as a “Living Cultural Legend” by the Oregon Council of the Arts, Grandma Aggie here speaks about her childhood memories, about her tribe and her life as a child growing up in an area that often didn’t allow Indians and dogs into many public places, as well as about such contemporary issues as bullying, teen suicide, drugs and alcohol, Pope Francis, President Obama, water conservation, climate change, and much more. This is an amazing recording of one of the oldest and most important voices of the First Nation and of the world. Her stories and advice will mesmerize and captivate you, as well as provide a blueprint for how all the inhabitants of the earth can live together in harmony, spirituality, and peace.