Life, Love and Lilies: The Sanctified Self - A Book Review

This is one homework assignment that I take joy from!

After a relaxing Presidents Day weekend of hosting friends from Atlanta, including a post day trip to the Nation's Oldest City, I received a very thoughtful gift.

Brenda Bunch Strickland gave me an autographed copy of her book, "Life, Love and Lilies: The Sanctified Self." Even though the weeks have passed since then, I knew that the time would finally be right for me to read Brenda's thoughts on life, love and lilies.

Thankfully, after a school year of challenges, I sat down in a quiet waterfront park here in Bath, Maine to enlighten myself with Brenda's unique perspective. I managed to breeze through but also to savor her words like the sweet summer air around me and the cooling waves of the river at my feet.

Firstly, don't let the title fool you. This book is specially created for those who believe that being 'sanctified' is about as rarified as becoming a saint or a martyr. In reality, Brenda shares her thoughts about how we can achieve our potential as spirits in the material world.

For this lifelong journalism student, Brenda skillfully breaks down the who, the what, the when, the where and the why of our very existence. With as much reason as passion, she takes me on a journey into purpose, existence and the road ahead. The usual baggage of sin, fear and guilt are set aside so we can learn to travel light.

And what a trip it is. Brenda understands that it takes universal thinking to understand the universe. She does not limit herself to one path or condescend on other beliefs to make her points. She embraces all that is good and I know that the good returns her gentle hug.

Yes, the bookstores are populated with religion, new thought, new age and all that could keep a thinker occupied for centuries. Yes, we may never grasp the answers to all of life's questions in this lifetime. Brenda, however, has a worldview that make her efforts worthy of recommending to all who want to begin somewhere.

Central to her book, in my opinion, is the Bible verse from the Book of Matthew. We are to behold the lilies of the field as they toil without worry for their sustenance. This has been misread by many to think that we can just sit there and expect good to come our way. In practical terms, Brenda explains that even the most leisurely and lovely among us have work to do as the lilies serve to hold the ground together in the face of erosion. We, too, have our work and we too can lay down our worries to make room for the best that we deserve.

I hope that you consider looking up this great book to read for yourself! To order a copy ($20 plus shipping), call 404-734-8827, email brenstrick@gmail.com, or visit www.brendastrickland.us.

Library Appreciation Week 2013 :-)

This week is Library Appreciation Week and I would like to begin by dedicating this blog post to Mary Sapp. When I was in junior high school, Mrs. Sapp was our librarian - or media specialist in 'newspeak.' I already was an avid fan of books and media, but Mrs. Sapp helped cultivate in me a desire for learning that remains with me today.

Where did this reading jones begin? My earliest memories of reading come from those formative days of reading Dr. Seuss books with my mother who stayed home with me during the day to enrich my ever-expanding mind. I remember eagerly running to the mailbox to pick up the latest edition of Highlights Magazine. I recall the day that my mother arranged for me to get my first library card even before I entered Kindergarten. And, as the late Paul Harvey liked to say, there was the rest of the story...



I do not know where my learning would have gone without the likes of Mrs. Durbin and Mr. Harbin at W.E. Cherry Elementary or Mrs. Brummitt at Orange Park High School. I felt at home in the Media Center (Or library in 'oldspeak') because the educators who worked there were like travel agents who arranged for me to see new places and experience new awakenings with the opening of every book.

All along my path to today, I am grateful to the free public resources that have been, and hopefully will continue to be, available to people of all ages. Andrew Carnegie was right when he set about making knowledge and enlightenment available to the masses. Even among the captains of industry during the Gilded Age, there was an appreciation for the power of the pen and the impact of the page. The greatest ancient libraries eventually met their doom, but we are much more evolved than allowing our stacks to fall to the wayside for the sake of so-called progress.

This week, I implore you, your families, your friends and your communities to save our culture by appreciating our libraries and advocating on behalf of these hallowed halls of knowledge for ourselves and for those tho inherit our culture and civilization. There, of course is a price to our support but our libraries have a value that is priceless!

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