A quick birthday recap before I move on. The scheduled hot air balloon ride didn’t happen due to the wind. As it turned out, it was for the best as the day was full of activities, family, friends, and fun. My daughters scheduled a lake cruise and 25 people came to help celebrate my day. And, there was a magician! That was super fun! A wonderful celebration of 70 years on this earth! The first photo below is of me and my two incredible daughters. They even had T-shirts made for everyone. The birthday cake was like a travel back through time with all the photos attached to it. The boat was the Sapphire Moon on Lake Ray Hubbard off I-30 in Rockwall.
Birthday Cookies
My big sister, Linda Broday, got to come down to help me celebrate and that is us in the top left photo.
And last but not least is the wine glass the girls got for me. It was almost as big as me. 🙂
I am blessed beyond measure and want to offer a huge thank you to all who took the time to send birthday wishes.
My new motto for the next decade –
Live Life and Forget Your Age!
I will return next Monday with my regular post, but I do want to include this meditation because we are still under the big influence of the August Full Blue Moon. And if you missed Joan Hall’s post on the August moon, here is the LINK.
The full moon is a great time to release what is no longer serving you.
I am super happy to turn my blog over to Gwen Plano today so that she can tell us about her new book, The Culmination A New Beginning!
Thank you so much, Jan, for inviting me to your amazing blog and for helping me launch The Culmination, a new beginning. It just went public on Amazon, and I’m super excited. To celebrate, the Kindle edition is on sale at 99¢ through December.
So, what’s the book about? The Culmination can best be described as a military thriller. It tackles difficult topics such as denuclearization, the power struggles over oil in the Middle East, as well as the ever-present danger of war. Readers will find themselves sitting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, walking in the historic Red Square, and laughing with children in an orphanage in Turkey. They will glimpse the horror of war and watch the give and take of a negotiated peace. Readers will also meet the two heads of state who fall in love and subsequently commit themselves to creating a world in which all are family.
I never expected to write this book, but in some ways, I had no choice. The characters crowded into my office and insisted that I listen to them. In a very real way, they wrote the book. I simply tapped the keys and learned of the urgent need to become family. How perfect for Thanksgiving!
BLURB:
The Culmination, a new beginning is the third book in The Contract thriller series. After an assassination attempt on an Air Force base in northern California, tensions mount. Heads of state meet to craft a denuclearization agreement. The meetings between these nuclear powers take a murderous turn. A nefarious conspiracy re-emerges and leads the characters into the heart of the Middle East, where they encounter the unexpected and find a reason for hope.
EXCERPT:
Leaders from nine countries with nuclear arsenals gather in Reykjavik, Iceland to negotiate a nuclear disarmament treaty. Vice President Margaret Adler from the United States chairs the meetings. After an intense and heated exchange between two heads of state, Adler calls for order and addresses the group.
“If we’re honest with ourselves, or anyone else, we’d admit freely that we don’t trust, that we live in fear, and that we are always ready to impose a deadly strike. In fact, our power is measured by our ability to destroy. Isn’t that right?
“No one suggests that we abandon our need to protect our country’s boundaries and our people. Rather, today, we lay the foundation for an alternative way of relating. Shall we proceed?”
Members glance one at another and nod their agreement.
For the next two hours, the leaders present and discuss their preliminary ideas for progressive nuclear disarmament. The Pakistani leader asks for a break, and Adler concurs.
“Let’s reconvene in fifteen minutes,” she says.
As chairs get pushed back, and people stand, Adler walks out onto the deck. A chilly breeze brushes her skin, which she welcomes. This is her first visit to Iceland, and she smiles. What a perfect location.
The Russian President interrupts her reveries when he stands by her side. “This is a day I could not have imagined, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Vice President of the United States, looking out on …”
Adler smiles, “I couldn’t have imagined it either. Here we are, the two most powerful countries in the world, nations who have hated one another for a century, marveling at natural beauty and a child playing with a kite. No, I couldn’t have imagined.”
President Smirnov gives a side glance and asks, “Where did it occur?”
Adler realizes that he’s noticed her arm prosthesis. “Afghanistan.”
“Ah, another reason to hate Russians.”
“Don’t we all have reasons? You wonder who holds the power—truly. Those of us who can destroy, or a child who plays innocently with her kite?”
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