Redbook Book Picks

March 31st, 2010 by Regina Brett

 

The April issue of Redbook magazine offers tips on the "one-step secret to hotter sex," how to clear clutter, a recipe for Key Lime Cake and...three books to buy: Fireworks Over Toccoa, by Jeffrey Stepakoff, Imperfect Birds, by Anne Lamott, and God Never Blinks, by yours truly. They're giving away 20 copies of each book. You can enter the contest at redbookmag.com/winit

 

As for that one secret to hotter sex, here it is:

 

Breathe.

 

Apparently deep breaths increase the flow of oxygen and can...well, buy the issue.

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106-year-old Wisdom

March 28th, 2010 by Regina Brett

Ella Mae Johnson died last week at 106. I had the honor of interviewing her right after Barack Obama was elected president. The thing that stood out most about her was how childlike she was, that sense of wonder in her eyes. Even though she could barely see, she couldn't wait to see what else life would teach her. 

 

I'll never forget the picture of The Good Samaritan on her dresser. She said it was the first thing she looked at in the morning and the last thing she looked at before going to bed. It reminded her to live a life of compassion, a life for others.

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Faith in books

March 27th, 2010 by Regina Brett

If you're looking to add to your nightstand, Bill Tammeus offers an interesting selection of faith-based books. He was most gracious to include my book, God Never Blinks. I met him through the National Society of Newspaper Columnists years ago. He wrote the most eloquent column about finding himself an adult orphan after his mother died. It's in his book A Gift of Meaning.

 

Bill lives a gentle, peace-filled life. I trust his selection, which includes books on evolution, Celtic spirituality, the poetry of Rumi, a Buddhist atheist and a spiritual survival guide for gay and lesbian Christians. One book is about heaven, all the things people imagine it to be.

 

Heaven? I see it every time my 1-year-old grandson claps his tiny dimpled fingers.Where do you see it?

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Being Present in the Present

March 25th, 2010 by Regina Brett

My little grandson is teaching me every day to slow down. He just turned 1 but isn't ready to give up crawling to walk. He's too fast on all fours.

 

He loves to climb steps. I stand close behind, clutching his onesie as he goes up. The other day he made it all the way to the top of the stairs then froze when he saw a sunbeam in his path. He couldn't figure out what it was. What a delight to see him reach and grab the light only to come up empty again and again. He was mesmerized. So was I, at his profound presence.

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Early Book Reviews: They like me!

March 18th, 2010 by Regina Brett

My daughter called to read me the early book reviews. Man, these reviewers are fast. I just received my own hardback copies of God Never Blinks on the day those reviews were posted on Amazon. I couldn't wait to open the box, but decided to wait until my daughter and husband could gather around it. We all felt giddy when we saw the bright orange cover.

 

My favorite review so far is the one by Toodles! -- you gotta love someone who goes by the name Toodles! -- who said: "Reading this book is like sitting down and reminiscing with your mom, aunt, or grandma about things that have happened in life."

 

How cool. I feel like actress Sally Field when she cried,  "They like me! They really like me!"

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Candles for Keely

March 16th, 2010 by Regina Brett

Four years doesn't diminish the pain.

 

Four years ago today, my cousin Phil lost his 16-year-old daughter. Keely had struggled with bipolar disorder and finally gave up. She took her life one afternoon, just went into the bathroom and hanged herself.

 

I never knew she had bipolar disorder until she died. Phil and his wife, Binnie, opened our eyes to all who suffer. Every year they ask the family to light a candle for her, and to remember all who struggle. They sent an email this week reminding us that every 16 minutes someone in this country commits suicide. Of those, 90 percent have brain disorders like Keely did, disorders people like Theresa Borchard and the folks at NAMI have dedicated their lives to illuminating.

 

My yahrzeit candle is burning on the stove, for Keely, and for all who have lost the battle. 

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Beware the Ides of March

March 15th, 2010 by Regina Brett

Welcome to my new blog. I'm not sure what it means to kick it off on the Ides of March, but at least it's a memorable date for anyone who read Julius Caesar. I seem to remember only two lines from that  play: "Beware the Ides of March" and "Et, tu, Brute?" 

 

Hope you had a chance to test drive my new website. My book "God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours" comes out on April 13, so I've been doing a countdown on Twitter, tweeting the lessons backwards from 50 down to blastoff day. Only 29 days left. 

 

My friend, Terry Pluto, told me that no one will care as much about your book as you do. He's probably right; it's like wanting everyone to think your new baby is as cute as you do. The book really is cute, and bright, too. You can't miss that orange cover.

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