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2 episodes with if mom
2 episodes with if mom
These are all products that I use and support which can be ordered online Please note: All women owned businesses GIFT CARDS https://captainblankenship.com/pages/about-us Why I love Captain Blankenship products: I am a lap swimmer and the chlorine is brutal on one's hair. The shampoo and conditioner strips away the chemicals and nourishes my hair. “Captain Blankenship intentionally source ingredients grown with sustainable farming practices. We choose to formulate with plants and minerals that have been used by cultures throughout time for their healing and beneficial qualities for scalp and hair health.” Captain Blankenship has been on a mission to beauty while leaving less waste behind. That means fewer ingredients, fewer products, conscious packaging and mutually beneficial partnerships that help restore natural resources that are lost along the way. As we continue our journey in a direction that sustains both people and planet, we deepen our purpose to be a wild force for good, curators of creation and students of nature's unmatched intelligence. Our founder's last name is Blankenship. A friend once referred to her as the "Captain of the Blankenship". Years later, when Jana was formulating products in Berkley, it was the first name that came to mind. Lots more information in the FAQ section on their website WILLOW TREE ACCUPUNTURE and WELLNESS Cosmetic Acupuncture: Restore Natural Beauty and Wellness - Willow Tree Acupuncture & Wellness. https://willowtreeacupuncturewellness.com/ While Dr.Debra Rhinehart's new office is now in Pittsburgh, her website and Instagram provides lots of FREE IDEAS for Mom to improve her health and beauty for FREE. FOR THAT DIY package I suggest using the website . These are all HOLISTIC PRACTICES. One of the best beauty treatments is Dr. Rinehart's Gua Sha that you can use at home. No tiny needles involved! If Mom is a book lover, give her the gift of an ANTHOLOGY with a great writer P. A .O”Neil For links to other books which feature her stories visit her GOODREADS or AMAZON author page: P.A O'Neil. P. A. O'Neil has been writing professionally over eight years. Her stories have been featured in almost sixty anthologies, journals, and magazines from several continents. She is twice winner of “Story of the Month” on the Spillwords Press website. She and her husband reside in Thurston County, Washington. She is a member of The Sound of the Baskervilles, the John H. Watson Society. Her books, Witness Testimony and Other Tales, as well as Two Sides of the Same Coin: In-between stories of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, are available in paperback and eBook, from Amazon. For links to other books which feature her stories visit her GOODREADS or aMAZON author page: P.A O'Neil. Resources CAPTAIN BLANKENSHIP https://captainblankenship.com/pages/about-us WILLOW TREE ACCUPUNTURE and WELLNESS https://willowtreeacupuncturewellness.com/ P.A.O'Neil Books by P.A. O'Neil (Author of Witness Testimony and Other Tales) https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/17994233.P_A_O_Neill Kundalini Yoğa Guru Jagat and Shiva Rose A great DIY VIDEO for mom's serene and beauty day Kundalini Beauty Secrets with Shiva Rose + Guru Jagat, author of Invincible Living - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GfTc7uCVd8 Wine and Food Bubbles - most women like bubbles . Gruet from New Mexico is still one of the best WINE the best value and quality TRY GRUET ROSE NV Brut Rosé $17.00 CONACT Valerie Hail valerie@allinourminds.com www.allinourminds.com Merci
When you hear the word “grandparents”, what comes into your mind? For me, it's someone who loves their grandchildren unconditionally. And they just want to GIVE all the time. There's some truth to the phrase “If Mom and Dad say no, go ask Grandma!”. “Grandma” brings up an image of an older woman, in the kitchen baking cookies. “Grandpa” means the old man out in the garage, tinkering with the lawn mower and having me “help” by handing him a wrench or a screwdriver. But those are just stereotypes. And sometimes real life doesn't match up with the way we commonly think of how grandparents are supposed to be. As a little girl, Gwen saw her grandparents all the time. And she knew her grandpa could sometimes be a not very nice person. Then one day, Gwen's grandma decided she'd had enough. Content warning: this episode includes discussion of gun violence. If you'd like to contact Gwen, she's in the WWTL Facebook group: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/213 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase. Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Garth Heckman TDAgiantSlayer@gmail.com The David Alliance The Journey Away: Understanding Why Individuals Leave the Christian Faith Understanding the Journey Away from Faith Faith deconstruction, within the context of Christianity, refers to a process where individuals critically examine and potentially reject the religious beliefs they once held as true…. I don't believe it is a critically examined decision. I think 100% of the time it is emotional. Remember what Fatigue makes cowards out of all of us. Vince Lombardi… I feel it is the same way when we walk away. We become fatigued in our walk. We let the struggles of life beat us up and drain us. We want a quick fix, we want a “feel good moment”, we have dissapointments… but they are all based on our feelings. Seeds of Doubt and Disillusionment start out as feelings from things that did not go our way. One significant factor involves negative experiences with the church itself. The role of parental influence and the strength of religious reinforcement during childhood also play a critical part in the development and retention of faith. If Mom and Dad do not have an active vibrant and powerful walk with God… you are more prone to walk away or at least never dive in deep. Moreover, higher education and exposure to diverse perspectives can introduce substantial challenges to established religious beliefs. The experience of being challenged with new ideas and concepts that contradict religious teachings, often encountered in college or university settings, is a significant factor in the rejection of religious beliefs. deconversion process. The Weight of Experience: How Personal Struggles Can Erode Faith Personal experiences, especially those involving suffering and disappointment, can significantly erode an individual's faith. Trauma, loss, and the perception of unanswered prayers often prompt individuals to question their relationship with God and the tenets of their Christian belief. Similarly, the experience of perceived unanswered prayers can lead to feelings of doubt and abandonment, or question the efficacy of prayer itself and the nature of God's involvement in the world. Intellectual Challenges to Christian Beliefs Intellectual challenges pose a significant hurdle for some individuals in maintaining their Christian faith. Conflicts between religious dogma and scientific understanding, particularly concerning the origins of the universe and life (e.g., evolution versus creationism, the age of the earth) , also contribute to a shift away from faith. Furthermore, the intellectual struggle with the problem of evil – The Social Landscape: Influence of Community and Culture on Faith Social and cultural factors wield considerable influence on an individual's faith journey and can significantly contribute to the decision to walk away from Christianity. Interactions with people holding different beliefs can challenge the exclusivity claims often made by Christianity. Emotional and Psychological Aspects of Faith Deconstruction The process of faith deconstruction is often accompanied by a complex array of emotional and psychological experiences.Feelings of guilt may arise from questioning or doubting long-held beliefs, often deeply ingrained by religious teachings that emphasize unwavering faith. This internalized pressure can lead to significant anxiety and the fear of divine punishment or social ostracism. Phases of Transition: Understanding the Stages of Moving Away from Faith Individuals moving away from their Christian faith often go through a series of stages or phases. The process typically begins with initial questioning and doubt, often triggered by specific events, intellectual challenges, or personal struggles.This initial phase can be marked by cognitive dissonance and a struggle to reconcile emerging uncertainties with existing beliefs. Following this, individuals may enter a stage of exploration, actively seeking out alternative perspectives and critically evaluating religious doctrines. This involves intellectual engagement with viewpoints that differ from their religious upbringing and a willingness to examine the foundational tenets of Christian belief. Some would say that the process of walking away from God is a multi faceted process with many limbs and tentacles and can happen in many many ways… I think it is more simplistic than that…. I believe it truly comes down to The Impact of Isolation from other believers. We see people all the time who become separated and secluded from others and that is the first step to walking from their faith. I don't just mean alone, but alone with the wrong people. Isolation causes inflammation of ones of ones information. Meaning when we see only one side of life, problems, religions, and we isolate ourselves form solid Christian relationships - these things become inflamed and infected in our psyche and soul and spirit. Slowly killing us. Why is scripture so strategic in continuing to meet as believers and that we are a body… because God in his infinite wisdom knows that isolation kills us. Stay plugged in, stay in church, stay in your bible study, stay in your Xn friends lives.
Requiem.Based on a post by FinalStand, in 13 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels. Once more, our esteemed academic Captain, Dr. Pierre O'Rourke Jean-Georges, led us through a rather confused and unhappy post-game liturgy in honor of; well in support of racial unity, I guessed. It was really hard to tell with the way he would ramble off-point every few minutes. The Football Team was in chairs on the floor of the gym with the Cheer Squad and Student Government. The rest of the student body was squeezed into the bleachers; very cozy.The Special Investigator also spoke briefly to the assembly, asking for our help on the case. The school was also hiring a 'Racial Grievance Counselor' who was, surprise, surprise, Dr. Nubia Franklin Jean-Georges; our Principal's wife. I was kind of curious who was making the school system pony up the money for her services as well as precisely when the 'interview' process had taken place.‘I wonder if she's qualified,' Kaelyne whispered.‘I wonder where they are going to stick her,' Vicky mused.‘Oh, I imagine she is going to get 'stuck' alright,' Mikhail snickered beneath his hand. Oh yeah, she was statuesque, smart, Black and projected complete confidence; right up my youngest triplets' alley.‘Ow,' he play-protested after Kaelyne smacked him.‘I did that for Taliyah,' she declared.‘She'll appreciate that,' I promised.‘I know she will,' Kaelyne smiled at me. After that disastrous Monday, Taliyah had been making steady headway in gaining Kaelyne's forgiveness which showed both her character (it was the right thing to do) and smarts (fear of my Mom).‘So; Alexander, what kind of bathing suit should I wear tomorrow?' Vicky teased our eldest.‘One made out of edible body paint,' he turned and winked. ‘Big Bob is gone all weekend to some Sheriff's convention in Miami, Florida. He goes to it every year.' Alexander being sexy-nice to Vicky was Also a good sign for our upcoming weekend.A withering glance from the Coach stilled our conversation. It was bad enough we were 'disrespecting' Darius' shindig. Our team had gotten their asses handed to them tonight in a game they should have won even without our star Running Back. It was easy to see having his father face criminal charges and loss of employment had shaken up Rashaan.His first outing as Team Captain had been a disaster; and now he had to sit here and listen to the various tributes to the guy he'd failed to replace instead of going anywhere else and getting shit-faced drunk and laid. The prognosis for both were pretty grim too,; what with the law enforcement being extra vigilant and the Cheer Squad being surprisingly inattentive to the Football Team's needs; which he was also getting blamed for.Darius had not only provided his players with victories, he had provided them status and perks as the premier athletes at school with the heritage of multiple highly successful teams being handed to them. Everyone 'looked the other way' because they were on the Football Team. All the girls wanted to be with them. Their parties always had plenty of alcohol and weed. They got good grades with minimal, if any, studying. Life had been good.Rashaan was having a horrific time maintaining that legacy. Not only could he not supply for his team, he couldn't even keep his own house in order. He had gone from 'three' hot-ass bitches (running true to type, the BBCs still refused to believe Taliyah had left him for Mikhail a week ago but now she, Sultana Berry and Randi Leigh Upshaw were openly gone) to none.Sure, they could still get 2nd and 3rd tier 'skanks', but just seeing all that prime booty walking around and knowing it Should be theirs and wasn't really bothered those student-athletes. A further complication was that under Darius, he kept the prime cunt specifically regulated both coming and going. That way the boys didn't have to worry about condoms, pregnancies and STDs.He kept the players clean by keeping the mouths, asses and vaginas they were fucking clean. No player stuck his cock into an unauthorized hole because if you did, Darius would destroy you. The object was to fuck who you wished in a safe hunting ground. Rashaan couldn't keep that level of discipline among either the women, or his own teammates.Rashaan also couldn't keep the booze and weed freely flowing. Darius hadn't shared his drug pipeline and wasn't likely to. Rashaan wasn't even trusted with the names of the entities capable and willing to buy and distribute alcohol to the under 21 crowd, plus Sheriff Big Bob's deputies were on the lookout for such shenanigans; more than happy to slap the cuffs on anyone 'Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor'.As a final blow, his dad was no longer Chief of Police. Sure, he was being promised that ruling would soon be reversed; but for Rashaan, it was yet another blow landing at an unfortunate time. His problems weren't mine, and I had more than enough of my own. He'd have to sink, or swim, on his own.We were released at 10:37 pm; far past the time for any of us to have any fun. The Cheer Squad angled for us as we left the bleachers with Taliyah looking particularly livid. A few football players were making a nuisance of themselves, but I sensed her troubles ran deeper.‘Hey, Betty Jo,' one of our linemen tried to separate out the pale-haired blonde, ‘let's head out and party.' Two more moved to put a wall between my brothers and her.‘I'm tired,' she complained.‘You'll feel better soon,' he promised.‘Without your help,' I grumbled. I wedged between the two, they put their hands on me and then Mikhail and Alexander drove fingers into each of their Solar Plexus. With them temporarily gasping for air, we put a perimeter around the other ladies while I put an arm around Betty Jo's waist.‘Boy,' the athlete hissed, ‘you best let go of this piece of ass.'Betty Jo's eyes flashed from him to me, caught between shame and hunger.‘I'm not a boy, your boy, or anyone, but my parent's boy,' I hardened. ‘I'd appreciate it you never demean Betty Jo like you just did either.'‘Is there a problem?' a White Deputy working his way through the crowd called out.‘This ain't over, Peckerwood,' the lineman snarled under his breath.‘Thanks for the warning, Dumbo,' I mocked him. He had big ears.‘It is Greg, Shithead,' he corrected me angrily.‘Separate; you two,' the Deputy demanded.‘Yes, officer,' I backed off. I had the girl which was the important thing.‘Vlad?' Brandy cuddled up to me as we left the auditorium.‘All's good,' I assured her. ‘Normal threats and insults. Nothing more.'‘Betty Jo; are you okay?' she turned her attention to the woman I was escorting along.‘Oh, I'm okay. Greg wanted to talk with me, but I'm not really interested in him anymore,' and then she smiled over at Alexander.‘He doesn't do it you for anymore?' Brandy teased.‘Who?' Betty Jo pursed her lips.‘Greg; the defensive tackle.'‘Oh him!' she seemed surprise. She was Alondra's cross-racial twin alright. ‘Yeah. He and the other guys just want to push and pump me; it feels so; boring really.'‘Not like Alexander?' Brandy led her along.‘Oh no!' she exulted. ‘Alexander makes me feel all tingly; and he doesn't call me bitch, or whore, or nothing like that,' she tacked on.The crowd was dissipating as we moved into the Parking Lot.Alexander was in the lead with Vicky and Alondra on either side should he need support. Mikhail was slightly detached off to my left, arm around Taliyah, deep in conversation with her. His normal cheerful carelessness was gone, replaced by a serious mein. Kaelyne was behind Alex, with the other cheerleaders spread out between us. At the rear of our clump, herding us along, was; Mom and Jewel; huh?They were chatting amiably, one adult to another, not a teenager to a mother. That worried me for reasons I couldn't pinpoint. A little tug from Brandy reminded me where I was suppose to be paying attention.‘Some of the girls are coming over tonight,' she murmured seductively.‘The only one I want to be with is you,' I frowned.A million mega-lumens-bright smile flashed across Brandy's face.‘Not bored with me?'‘How would that ever even be possible?' I gasped.More pure, unfiltered happiness from my Lady.‘You make me very happy, Vlad,' she snuggled in.‘Ditto, Princess,' I kissed the top of her head.‘Hey,' Betty Jo interrupted. ‘Are you anything like your brother?' (?? because, ya know, we were only identical triplets??)‘We are triplets, Betty Jo,' I instructed. ‘We are identical; in all physical regards.'‘Does that mean your dick is just as big?' she asked with innocent intent.‘Yes,' Brandy confirmed. ‘Yes, it is.'‘Oh; nice,' she smiled at Brandy.‘Betty Jo, why don't we get your stuff and head out?' Brandy suggested. Betty Jo left my side with that smile still on her lips. ‘Will I see you tonight?' Brandy directed my way.‘I'll try,' I grinned.‘Okay,' she winked then off she went to round up the others. Mikhail brushed passed me, going the other way; toward Mom.‘I'll be hanging out with Taliyah tonight, Mom,' he addressed our maternal unit.‘Is there a problem?' she studied him. Jewel was silently observant.‘I'm eighteen, tomorrow isn't a school day and I don't have any chores to do I'm aware of,' he ticked off his salient points.‘Why don't you say 'hello' to Ms. Lafontanté?' Mom was falsely polite.‘Hey, Jewel,' his words were brutally sparse of emotion.‘Hey, Mikhail,' she was somewhat amused.‘Hey, Vlad,' she was a tad more polite toward me.‘Hello, Jewel,' I projected much more civility than my brother. If Mom found it necessary to chat with Jewel, it was worth all our time to be more polite and Mikhail should have known better.‘Jewel, please give me a moment with my youngest,' Mom separated from that imposing young lady and walked five steps away with Mikhail.‘I'm glad we didn't have a misunderstanding last night,' I proffered.‘Why?' Jewel tilted her head and appeared to dissect my every word and move.‘Violence without purpose is beyond wasteful; it is stupid and the product of nonadaptive minds,' I stated.‘I don't recognize the quote,' she smiled after a moment.‘It is a Vladimir original,' I smiled back.‘I think I could have taken you,' she added.I had to think over that for a few seconds myself.‘Is that what you were talking to Mom about; asking to come over to our house and spar?'‘Perhaps; that and a few other things,' she allowed.Mom was coming back. Mikhail was going off with Taliyah. Why? I didn't know.‘Night Ms. Lafontanté,' Mom nodded.‘Good night, Ms. Samsonov. Night Vlad.'‘Night Jewel and; you would have lost,' I affirmed as I turned to leave.There was no reply. Before we split up; I was going back home with Alexander; she was hanging around until Dad finished up and dismissed the other Deputies; Mom gave me a shoulder 'bump'.‘Nice one,' she grinned up at me.‘Huh?'‘With Jewel.'‘She thought she could take me with a rattan practice weapon and I thought to dissuade her of that delusion,' I explained. It was the truth after all.‘Girls like Jewel; don't take 'no', or 'you can't do that' for an answer, Vlad,' she enlightened me.‘Even when it is the truth?'‘Especially if it is the truth,' she smirked. ‘Girls like Jewel want to change the World, not accept anyone's assignment for them in it.'‘Well; she is Mikhail's problem, not mine. He's hot for her. I'm perfectly happy with Brandy.'If only that was the way the World worked;Cheer Squad (12 Girls: 4 Black, 6 White and 2 Mixed)The Black girls were;· Sultana Berry (Very Light fawn complexion).· Vantrice Kirby (Very Dark umber complexion), (hair dyed florescent red-black striped, shoulder-length hair).· Alondra Lamb (Very Light tawny complexion).· Taliyah Malik; the Co-Captain.The White girls were;· Brandy Crystal Carson is Co-Captain.· Amber Lee Huffington, (Brunette hair).· Mia Ryker, (blonde hair).· Misty Dawn Sizemore, (Russet hair).· Betty Jo Starling, (Blonde hair).· Randi Leigh Upshaw, (Brunette hair).The mixed girls were;· Le 'Pearl' Yates; (Raven-haired, half-Vietnamese/half-Black· Noémie Lucie Desdunes (Creole) Zulu Princess Posse· Jewel 'C. S.' Lafontanté· Dana Owens· Régine Hunt· Maxine Shaw· Shayla Karen White· Sunny Cobb· Lana Michelle Moore (the token white girl)Saturday: The Flashpoint.Note: currently, Vlad is dating Brandy Crystal Carson {the Sheriff's daughter} and Mikhail is dating Taliyah Malik {the Madam Mayor's daughter} while Alexander remains somewhat unattached.)I wasn't able to make it to the Carson household Friday night, though I did learn about the reason Mikhail did: Thursday night the Malik family had begun to implode. Mamma Malik had gone to a separate bedroom; and locked the door. Papa Malik hadn't taken that well, deciding to bury himself in alcohol as an appropriate response. That had been Taliyah's Friday morning. A series of late-afternoon blistering communication exchanges with her parents hadn't helped much.I resolved to make it up to Brandy by going over early ~as in 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning, early; and waking her with kisses. She'd told me the passkey for the home's security system (and 'yes', it had been changed after she dumped Darius for me, just in case).I got there; and the Living Room looked like it needed more than a little cleaning. Pizza boxes and soda cans were strewn about the place. Apparently, Brandy and company hadn't gone straight to bed last night..From what I'd already been told, she had Taliyah (Malik), Noémie Lucie Desdunes, Amber Lee Huffington, Alondra Lamb, Misty Dawn Sizemore and Betty Jo Sterling already here. The other five members of the Cheer Squad would be arriving later this morning and all were planning on spending tonight (Saturday night).Noémie Lucie, Amber Lee and Misty Dawn were strong supporters of the Brandy and Taliyah co-captaincy of the Cheer Squad, so that explained their presence. Alondra and Betty Jo were here out of worry the members of the Football Team might try to 'kidnap' them, once they were off school grounds: so safety measures had been taken.With Robert 'Big Bob' Carson, the County Sheriff, away for the weekend at a Law Enforcement convention in Miami, Florida, he had wisely deposited at least one Samsonov guarding his northwestern Arkansas home last night. Surprisingly, Mikhail had sensed Taliyah's soul-hurt about the situation and wanted to be there for her. He'd put his burgeoning playboy tendencies aside when she really need him. His transformation last night had surprised both me and, to some degree, my Mom, Gayle Fonteneau Samsonov.No one was awake in the house yet. From the rich aroma wafting from the Kitchen, I could tell the automatic coffeemaker had already prepared a full pot and was keeping it warm. I dropped my book bag; sans books, but with a change of clothes, two swimsuits and a few other 'gifts from Mom'; by the sofa first, then began transferring plates and glasses from the Living Room to the dishwasher in the Kitchen. I thought I heard someone out on the front porch.No one knocked, so I finished the trip to the kitchen. I was on the way back when I was pretty sure I heard someone trying to get in; with no luck. You had to be a pretty stupid thief to try and break into the County's chief Law Dog's domicile, even if he was currently out of town. Then there were the four cars and two electric-blue with yellow lightning bolts KTM 690 Enduro R's motorbikes (mine and Mikhail's) in the driveway and front lawn for Pete's sake. It wasn't like the house looked deserted.Seeking the Carsons.Someone rang the doorbell. I wasn't sure how to take that. A quick double-check revealed the door had a spy hole and there was a security screen further into the room. I made use of the spy hole since it was closer. The object on the other side was the best disguised house burglar I'd ever seen, or heard about. I opened up the door, a sappy smile plastered to my slightly flushed face. At the last second I thought to shove my hard-on to the side in a doomed attempt to make it less obvious.‘Hello, how may I help you?' I greeted the gorgeous, mature, platinum-blonde feminine bombshell standing before me.‘Do the Carson's still live here?' she appeared distressed.‘Oh, yes Ma'am,' I bobbled my head. ‘Hi. I'm Vladimir Samsonov. The owner is out right now and I'm here for a party being thrown by his daughter, my girlfriend, Brandy.'Her face transformed from confusion and worry to secret amusement.‘It is a pleasure to meet you, Vladimir,' she put forth her hand. I gladly took this elegant, graciously offered extension of her luscious form. I ended up kissing her knuckles instead of shaking it as I understood that was the Southern Gentlemanly thing to do to a lady. Her eyes twinkled as she added, ‘I'm Jodi May Memphis Carson; Brandy's my daughter.'My heart caught in my throat. From what little I knew, a few months back, Brandy's Mom had run off with the previous Senior Deputy; Big Bob's #2 Man; a Black 'gentleman'; and Big Bob was still pissed about it. I'd never broached the subject with Brandy.So, how upset was Big Bob? Well, I hadn't recognized his gorgeous wife because Big Bob had taken all pictures of her down around the place and Brandy never talked about her. That was a pity because she was an absolute beauty. Her name and history would definitely explain the luggage she had with her too.No car was in evidence which suggested she'd arrived via hitchhiking, or taxi. There was no one outside expecting money, or checking to see if she was okay;‘Please,' I stepped aside. ‘Come on in. Don't worry about your luggage. I'll get it.'‘Thank you,' she stepped inside. ‘That is very gentlemanly of you.' Points for me!With two over-stuffed dress bags, two large suitcases and a roll-on, I definitely felt overburdened, and I was certainly getting my weight training in for this morning, but following Mrs. Carson into the house made all but one of my physical aches go away. I was certain she was talking to me.What she actually said; I had no idea. She had on this contour-hugging, pale lavender skirt and a white, nearly-transparent imitation Peasant blouse with a black mesh bra underneath. This was above unadorned, creamy-tanned calves and white, open-toed heels (4 inches maybe?). Her finger- and toe-nails were a dazzling, pale pink to accent the ensemble.With the way her hips rolled when she walked, each step made her firm ass bounce just a tad which also just happened to accentuate the luscious lines of those exquisite calves and thighs (what I could see of them). Her hair boiled down to her mid-back like a wild torrent of molten gold. I swear to God, I had this unnatural impulse to push her over the back of the sofa and fuck the ever-living soul out of her.‘Vladimir? Vlad?' Jodi May addressed me. Apparently she'd been asking me one, or more, questions while I had been daydreaming. She'd stopped and twisted at the hip so she could look at me. Her salacious twist of the lips and carnivorous eyes told me she knew exactly why I hadn't answered her and where my mind had wandered off to.‘I; I apologize, Mrs. Carson.'‘Call me Jodi May,' she purred.‘Wha-ha, Yes Ma'am!' I nodded vigorously.‘I was asking I thought Brandy was dating Darius Pope. What happened to him?'Ice flushed thru my veins and my brain re-engaged. She'd known about Brandy and Darius; to some degree anyway; and she'd run off with a Big Black Cock-Monster herself. As a mature woman, she was a 10+, but as a Mother, in my book, she wasn't rating so high all of a sudden.‘So you were aware Darius Pope treated your daughter like a cum dumpster?' my countenance hardened. ‘She was handed about the team for all of them to use?'I could see it in her eyes; the comprehension; the denial; the creation of some fantasy which allowed her to carry on with the illusion she'd done no wrong.‘All White men think that way,' she settled on an imperious frown. ‘Darius loves my daughter.'‘And he's got the copious amount of humiliating footage to prove me right too,' I glared. ‘Or would have had if my family not intervened. Now Brandy has someone who truly loves her and wants to protect her from predators who would treat her as nothing more than three nameless orifices, a smoking hot body and a pretty face.'‘As it currently stands, it turns out Darius pissed off one too many folks and somebody decided to beat the ever-living crap out of him and six of his boys; all at the same time. Darius ended up crippled, maybe for life. He is currently hospitalized, undergoing reconstructive surgery on both his knees; in Little Rock. That doesn't matter because by the time Darius got his, I'd already convinced Brandy she was better off with me and she's stuck with me ever since,' I concluded.‘Poor Darius,' Memphis grew all concerned, nostalgic and misty-eyed. Yep, Darius had fucked Brandy's Mom as well. A quick information rewind had me recalling this convention of Big Bob's was a 'yearly thing', making the return of his runaway wife to his stoop rather conveniently timed.‘Where do I put your bags?'That brought her back to the here-and-now and looking at me, not through me.‘I imagine the Master Suite might be a tad inappropriate,' I stated factually.‘Young man,' she studied me, ‘this is still my house and I'll hang my clothes were I wish.'‘Absolutely, Mrs. Carson,' I nodded. ‘It is just placing them in the Master Bedroom comes with a complementary call to your husband; in Miami; while doing so in the Guest Room, the one at the other end of the house (because this house had Three), comes with some forbearance. By all means; decide away. After all; it is your house.'‘How do you think Brandy will feel about you threating her Mamma this way?' she pouted remarkably like her daughter.‘She won't give a damn,' I gave back nothing.‘My daughter and I had a better understanding of; things,' she turned all hurt and aggrieved. 'Things' like Mamma's infidelity and running off with a Black stud; because Brandy was lying to her father about getting some of her own at school.‘Things a White boy wouldn't understand,' she dug in her claws.‘Possibly,' I shrugged. Her shit was getting heavy. ‘I'd appreciate it if you would make your decision now. I was planning on cleaning up down here before waking Brandy with a few 'good morning' kisses. I can top that off with the knowledge you are here as well.'‘Put my things in the; far; Guest Room,' she motioned in the proper direction with a head toss. ‘I'll wake my daughter. I'm sure she has missed me.'‘Good choice,' I nodded. ‘Here is a piece of unsolicited advice. Your family hasn't picked up an automotive fetish in your absence; your daughter has friends over for the weekend, so making a commotion might by; unfortunate.'My information perplexed her.‘She is probably alone,' Mamma Carson hazarded.‘Unlikely. Taliyah was pretty upset last night so I'm willing to bet they crashed out with my brother; in the Master Suite while the five others are in the Game Room making use of the three sofas, sleeping bags and bear skin rug,' I hypothesized right back.‘Brother?' she worked out from all that information.‘Please come along with me while I explain,' and off I went. Reluctantly, the delinquent Mamma followed. Mind you, the far Guest Room was hardly a hardship being 12'x18' with a queen-sized canopy bed, walk-in closet and 72' wall-mounted TV. The counter-top space was minimal and the bathroom was down the hall, but since this wasn't the sleep-occupancy part of the dwelling, it was pretty much hers alone.‘As I said 'I'm Vladimir Samsonov'. My Mom and Dad are Gayle and Nicolay Samsonov. He is the new Senior Deputy and has over two decades of experience with the Alaska Highway Patrol and a legacy of law enforcement going back hundreds of years.'‘Of greater importance to you, no doubt, is that my Mom is Gayle Fonteneau Samsonov, heir to the Fonteneau fortune and estate; which is what brought us to town; my Great-Aunt Matilda's death and her Willing us the whole deal,' I gave Jodi May Memphis the 4-1-1.‘Oh,' she pursed her lips. ‘How is the 'town' handling this?'‘What?'‘The return of Gayle Fonteneau?' she inquired. She was in the closet, hanging up what she needed to while I was in the room, ass resting on the bed.‘Why do you think they would be upset?'‘Let's just say Gayle and her crazy brother didn't leave Kingston on the best of terms,' she evaded.‘I already know about my Mom's rape and the town's denial. I know my Uncle Theo went into Kingston, found four of those bastards and beat them so badly none ever fully recovered. I know the Mayor and Great-Aunt Matilda struck a bargain so that Uncle Theo stayed out of jail. I know the Mayor has passed-on, as has my Great-Aunt. I know my Mother hasn't forgotten, or forgiven, a damn thing.'‘I'm sure Mayor Fox and Chief Quinterre are less than impressed,' she smiled at me. She knew the score. This was BBC Country.‘Chief Quinterre is no longer Chief. He lost his job last Thursday night; for molesting my Mom, having one of his buddies molest your daughter, and being caught at it by an Arkansas State Investigator. My Mom is supporting Mayor Fox's bid for the State Senate seat while Chinedu Malik is in the dog house for his philandering ways.'‘That's; something,' she muttered.‘Oh, and the previous High School Principal is no more. He attempted to put his hands on my Mother, so she put him in Intensive Care; including ripping his dick off,' I kept chatting. By the flashing of Memphis' big baby blues; that was another BBC she'd be missing. Sadly, I was no longer surprised.‘The new guy; well, you'd have to meet him to believe him. He's a treat.'‘How so?'‘How to describe him; He's a college-marinated, proudly bi-sexual, agnostic, married-to-a-freaking-Goddess, beefy, Black Canadian-Haitian-American Fruit Loop.'‘Huh?'‘I stand by my assessment,' I grinned. ‘Let me go get Brandy,' I headed for the door.‘Vladimir, Vlad, ah; is Brandy; okay?' Jodi May worried.‘I do my utmost to make her happy; and I; well, I'll let you talk with her and decide for yourself,' and then I left.I worried about what I was going to say when I found Brandy. As I had surmised, she was upstairs, in the Master Suite, on her Daddy's bed,
Paradise Lost.by senorlongo. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.I checked her clock; 9:47; still plenty of time before her parents returned, but we were both a mess. I pulled MP up, leading her to the shower as cum dripped down the front of her body. I stepped aside to let her into the shower first but she pulled me in with her. This was certainly a night of firsts; first fucking, first cunny eating, first shower with a beautiful hot girlfriend. We washed each other carefully as we kissed and groped each other. I turned off the shower and we dried each other slowly; in wonder of what we had done. I sent her to dry her hair, telling her I'd clean up the bathroom so her dad would learn nothing of our wonderful evening. Once she was back in her room a quick spell turned everything right; clean and dry, just as it had been earlier.I walked back to MP's room to dress and she looked shocked. “Uh; how'd you clean up so fast? It's like magic.”“No, not hardly; I've had lots of practice at home. I'm always helping my mom so taking care of this was child's play.” She accepted my explanation as she returned to her hair dryer. As I turned around to pull on my shorts I whispered another spell; one that would dry her hair promptly. She commented that she'd never done it so quickly, but let it drop as we walked into the kitchen.MP's mother had made some brownies and left some chips and salsa. I opted for the brownies. MP went to the fridge for some sodas and ice while I cut the brownies from the tin, placing them neatly on a plate. Hand-in-hand we went into the living room. We turned on the TV and watched some stupid movie on HBO. MP was in a playful mood, feeding me bits of brownie from her lips. That was an offer I'd never refuse. Had MP worn a lot of make-up and lipstick I might have been concerned. I didn't want her dad to know we'd been making out, let alone fucking. We talked, kissed, talked and laughed, and kissed some more. The time flew by as it often does when you're having a great time. Before we knew it the clock read 12:15 and we could see headlights in the driveway. MP snuck a quick kiss and we settled back onto the couch. MP took my hand in hers and held it. I looked at her questioningly, but she held me even tighter.Her mom and dad stepped in through the door a moment later. “Everything go all right, Mary Patricia?” her mom inquired.“Just perfect, Mom,” MP replied with a huge grin on her face, “just perfect.” I rose to go but Mrs. O'Brien waved me down with her hand. “No reason to rush off on our account, Jeremy. Stay a while and enjoy yourself.”“Yes, Jeremy, take your time. We really appreciate your helping out like this. Now that we know we can leave Mary Patricia on her own with you I think we'll be going out more often. Good night, kids.” He turned and walked upstairs with Mrs. O'Brien following. She made the “Okay” sign with her fingers and winked before she stepped out of sight. We waited until they were upstairs before speaking.“Hear that, Jeremy?” MP asked excitedly. “We'll be able to do this again and again. We're going to have a great time together, aren't we? Instead of answering I pulled her to me for a long hot kiss. MP put her hand on my leg and giggled. When I moved back a bit she said, “Sorry, but this'll have to wait a bit,” as she moved her hand up and down my cock. We kissed again and again until almost two o'clock when I staggered home.To my surprise my mom and dad were up waiting for me. “So, how was it?” my dad asked.“Dad, it was phenomenal and so was she. If you don't mind I'd just as soon skip the details, but it was a wonderful evening. I'm going to bed. Good night.”Monday morning I got up a little early so I could call on MP for the walk to school. I took her hand as she walked out the door. I could see her mom in the doorway and she was smiling at the two of us. We walked down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand. When Ted and Josh saw us they did a double-take, but didn't say anything. We stopped just outside the school and kissed briefly as we would every day until the school year ended.Chapter 4.Mary Patricia (MP) and I became a real couple. She was always invited to my house for parties and family functions and I spent almost as much time at her house as I did at my own. When the school year ended we were inseparable. Her mom knew we were enjoying each other so we didn't have to sneak around like a lot of kids do. We were free to do what we wanted around her pool or yard and since both my parents knew we often used our pool, especially when MP's dad was around. We had a lot of outdoor sex that summer so we made doubly sure to use plenty of sunscreen in places where we definitely did not want to burn like our butts and abdomens, plus, of course, MP's delicious tits. I loved putting it on her.Early on in our relationship I mostly rubbed and massaged her breasts; maybe I just didn't know any better; but as we progressed I grew to love suckling her nipples, and because MP liked it a little rough, I often used my teeth to gently nibble her tender flesh.At night I would often take MP to a movie or an arcade at our local mall. For the first time I grew to understand why couples enjoyed sitting in the back row of the balcony. Our local theater is an old one. We don't have a multiplex; our town is too small to support one. Our theater's age means it's decorated in what I've been told is the art deco style; much more ornate than the contemporary theaters I've seen. Most of the films shown in the theater are “revivals” like “Shane” with Alan Ladd and “High Noon” with Gary Cooper. We howled when we saw “Blazing Saddles,” one of the few movies we actually saw in its entirety. We held hands and I put my arm around MP but we didn't kiss or grope each other the entire time.The only problem with going to the movies was that we sometimes had to walk home. The walk took us through one of the few tough neighborhoods in our area. MP always clung close to me, afraid of every shadow. Of course, she didn't know at that time of my magical abilities. Had anyone actually approached us they would have really regretted it. I could make us appear to be cobras like I did with Alan Hamilton or even space aliens. I could also cause excruciating pain just by saying a few words. After “Blazing Saddles” we had just passed the neighborhood safely and were now in the woods en route to our street. I pulled MP off the sidewalk into a small clearing that I knew was maybe thirty feet away. I put my hands on her ass and pulled her close to me. “Didn't you get enough at the pool today?” MP kidded me.“No, MP, I can never get enough of you. You know that, don't you?” She looked up at me and smiled. Her hands found the bulge growing in my shorts. She unzipped me and pulled my hard cock through the hole.“I hope I don't get my knees dirty. I'd have a hard time explaining to my dad that I was giving you a blowjob.” She used her tongue, lightly teasing my helmet, and driving me crazy in the process. My knees were growing weak as she worked her magic on me. She may not have been a “person of magic,” but you couldn't prove it by me right now. Looking up, the moonlight reflecting from her eyes, she oh so slowly took me into her mouth. She was able to get me halfway in without gagging. She moved up and down my cock and it was great, but I wanted to help her, too. I pulled her up, kissed her deeply, and lifted her by her thighs. I backed MP into a tree, pulled her panties aside and pushed into her cunt. Her slit was soaked with her juices so I slit into her easily. MP groaned as I entered her, throwing her head back as her ecstasy overtook her. “Fuck me hard, Jeremy. Push yourself all the way into me.”I was hammering her poor cunny, lifting her eight inches or more with every thrust. Even though we had fucked twice by her pool this afternoon the sex was incredibly hot and exciting. MP helped herself by rubbing her clit and soon she was close to cumming. “Just a little bit more, Jeremy. I'm almost there.” And then she was. She opened her mouth and would have screamed had I not covered it with mine. As she was coming down from her high I blasted hot white semen into her over and over. Every thrust was drowning her womb. I collapsed into her. Thank God we had the tree for support. I slowly let her down and gave her my handkerchief. She stuck it under her panties to staunch the flow that was running from her cunt, seemingly by the gallon. We made our way back to the sidewalk and laughed all the way home. I had her come into my house to wash and clean up before returning home. My folks took one look at us, shook their heads, and smiled. MP returned the hanky; it was a sodden mess. I dumped it in the trash.Our relationship hit a turning point in one Saturday afternoon in early August. Her dad was playing golf and her mom was at a card party so we made our way to her room for some great sex. I closed the door behind us and began to undress MP. Being summer she wasn't wearing much and neither was I. In a moment we were naked and in each other's arms. I lay her on the bed and climbed on after her. We kissed and touched each other, expressing our love for each other. I climbed between her legs and had just entered her when I heard a noise in the hall. The door flew open and in rushed her father. Before he had a chance to do or say anything I froze him in place with a gesture of my hand.MP was a mess of conflicting emotions. “Jeremy!” she shouted in fear just before noticing that her dad wasn't yelling and wasn't even moving; not a single millimeter. “Jeremy, what; ? How?” I pulled out of her and told her to get dressed. When we were both done I sat her on the bed and started to explain. “Don't worry about your father. He'll forget what he saw and he'll be fine. He's not hurting; it's just that time has stopped for him. When I bring him out of it he'll see us on your bed going over your algebra, just like we've done dozens of times.”“But, Jeremy, how did you; ?”“I'm never supposed to tell or even let anyone see me do magic, but I have no choice now. I'm a wizard, MP. My mom's a witch and my dad's a warlock. We're people of magic. I can do all kinds of things.”“You mean like Harry Potter?”“NO! Harry Potter is just a bad joke, but I can do many of the things that he claims to do.”MP thought for a moment before speaking. “Like make my boobs grow? Was that you?”“Yes; guilty; it was me; my magic. Remember what I did; licking my thumbs, placing them on your chest; that was to hide the spell I put on you. And, before you ask, I did the same thing to Sarah, but I let hers grow and grow and grow until my mother made me reverse it.”“Uh; Jeremy; did you make me fall in love with you and want to fuck you?”I held her tenderly for several minutes before lifting her face to mine. “No, MP,” I replied shaking my head. I continued, “For two reasons; first, because manipulating people like that is strictly forbidden, and, second; because I really, really care for you. I'd never do anything to hurt you. Falling in love with me and deciding to fuck me was all you, not that I objected even one little bit.”“Are you going to make me forget all this like you're going to do with Dad? Are you sure you're not hurting him?”“No, MP, he's in kind of a state of suspended animation, sort of like being asleep. And, no again, you're not going to forget a thing. Even I cannot make someone forget as much as I've told you. However, I am going to work a spell on you that will make it impossible for you to ever tell anyone what we've talked about here. You and I will be able to talk about it, but nobody else. And, no, it won't hurt you. You won't feel a thing. In fact, you won't even know that anything has happened.”“Oh, Jeremy, I wish this hadn't happened.”“Me, too, but it has so we have to make the best of it. I still love you as much as ever and I hope you still love me.” While she was assuring me that she did love me I put the spell on her.“Done. Feel anything?” When she shook her head I told her it was time to deal with her dad. MP found her algebra book on her shelf. Her mom and dad bought her one because; basically; she sucked at math. I often helped her with it so working together would be natural and accepted. She gave me the book; I opened it and released her father.“Oh, hi kids. Getting ready for the coming school year, huh? Well, don't let me disturb you. My golf game got rained out. Never know it by the weather here, though, would you?”“Okay, Daddy,” MP replied as he closed the door. “Jeremy,” she continued, “I didn't really believe you until just now. I thought we were in really big trouble and Daddy has a terrible temper. He could kill you.”“No, MP, we were never in any danger just like we were never in any danger walking home from the movies. I did like you clinging to me, though. That was a lot of fun.” Changing the subject, I continued, “Here, you can put the book away now.”“Jeremy, can you make me get good math grades, you know, like you?”“Sorry, MP, it doesn't work that way. We can do a lot of things but we can't make someone into something they're not. And we can't make someone do something they wouldn't normally do. Just like with hypnotism.”“Can you tell me some of the things you've done?”“I suppose so. Let's see. Okay, I stopped Alan Hamilton from bullying in fourth grade. Remember that? I made him see Ted, Josh, and me as king cobras and then I made him fall and break his leg. You already know about your breasts and Sarah's. I also used magic to clean up the bathroom our first night together and dried your hair. That's just a few. I really don't like to talk about it. I'm not allowed to and if your dad hadn't barged in on us you would never have known.”“Is this going to change us, Jeremy? I love having you as a boyfriend.”“I hope not. I love you, MP. I think I always have. I don't know what the future will bring but I do know that I love you very much.”“Thank you, Jeremy. Let's go over to your place. I really need you now. You got me all horny and then we got interrupted. I want to finish what we started.Okay, with you?” I took her by the hand and led her from the room. Next stop; paradise.Chapter 5.We walked to my house. Mom was waiting for us when we walked in the door. “What happened, Jeremy?”“Her dad walked in on us, Mom. I had to freeze him while we dressed and cleaned up. We made believe we were studying when I brought him out of it. So, of course, MP knows about me.”“I'm sure you've already handled that.” I nodded as MP tried to speak, but she couldn't; the spell forbade her from telling anyone about me and my magic, and that included my mother, who was a witch. “Meanwhile, I think you two have some business to finish so off to your room, and, no, MP, I don't look like a witch, do I?” MP just stood there, mouth open, until I pulled her away.Once in my room I brought her to me, kissing her gently until MP pulled away abruptly. “Jeremy, how'd your mom know what happened to us and what I was thinking?”“Mental telepathy, MP; we can carry on whole conversations without anyone ever having to open their mouths. Wanna try it?”MP got really serious looking like she was concentrating on sending me a message. After a few seconds she asked me if I had received it.“I think so, MP,” I replied, “You want me to eat your cunny and then make wonderful sensational love to you.”MP laughed. “You don't need mental telepathy to know that. But, that wasn't what I sent you.”“I know,” I said as I leaned down to kiss her. ‘I love you, too.” She jumped back, shocked. “Remember I'm experienced and very sensitive to your thoughts, but I think with practice you could probably do it. Like, what am I thinking right now?”“Ha ha, you're so obvious. You want what you always want; me!” We laughed as we pulled each other close. I loved the touch of her soft skin and when she pushed those hard little nipples into my chest there was nothing I wouldn't do for her. I pushed her back onto the bed and knelt between her long slender legs. I rubbed my cheek against her soft thigh. I licked my way back to her knee and then back up the other side. I nuzzled her cunny lips with my nose, teasing poor MP cruelly before thrusting my tongue deep into her cavern. “OH, Jeremy! I want you in me. Fuck me now! Please!” I rose to my feet, lifted her legs onto my shoulders and leaned forward bringing my cock toward its ultimate target. Straightening up enabled me to push several inches into her.True to her word MP had seen her doctor for the birth control pills and began taking them right away. Our next time together occurred exactly four weeks after the first when her parents again went out for the evening. Unsure, I reached for a condom until MP shook her head and pulled me into her. Since then I had enjoyed the wonderful sensation of direct contact between my cock and her tight wet vagina. Today, as I eased into her we both savored the feelings of her cunny walls stretching around me. I loved the pressure on my cock; she loved being filled and, even more than that, she craved my cum in her cunt. The first time I shot my load into her she actually screamed in her ecstasy. She'd calmed down since then, but just barely.I leaned down to kiss MP, bending her in half. She tucked her ankles behind her head and began to move just like a rocking chair. Her motions were making me drive deep into her with every thrust and grinding her clit against me. I could feel my cock banging into her cervix and I was afraid I would hurt her until she sent me a telepathic message; don't worry, I love it. I pulled out and tried something I hadn't done before. I lowered my angle so my cock would rub against the front surfaces of her cunt. I had read about the G-spot and wanted to see if I could find it. I must have because suddenly MP breathed deeply and let out a long “Oh, God, Jeremy.” Maybe ten seconds later she began to shake and shudder until she lay still on the bed. I released her legs and lay on my bed next to her, holding her close.MP turned to me, bringing her hand to her mouth. “Do you think,” she whispered, “your mother knows I just had a monster orgasm?”“Probably,” I whispered back.“Oh, how will I ever face her?”“MP, my mother knows everything we've done, because I've told her, and my dad, too. Witches and warlocks can always tell if someone's lying; always! I can't ever lie to them so if they ask me about you I have to be one hundred percent truthful. If Mom had a problem with anything we've done she would have told me. Trust me, she knows and she approves and, if I know her, she's probably jealous as hell.”“Jeremy! I just realized; you didn't cum! Oh, I'm so sorry.” And then with a glint in her eye, “I think I need to take care of that right now.” She lowered herself between my legs to lick my cock which was still as hard and as sensitive as before. It didn't take but a second for her to begin cleaning my cock, removing every trace of her hot cunny from me as she licked me from my balls to my tip. All this licking was making me squirm, but when she tried to swallow my cock in a single swallow I got hot as hell in millisecond. Watching her blonde hair go bobbing up and down my cock was incredible sexy and it was making me want to cum desperately. But, in sex as in life, I always put MP's needs ahead of my own. I pulled her up and sat her on my cock. She sank down on it with a huge smile on her face.“Slow, MP, start slow so you can catch up with me.” MP began
In this episode, Sachin interviews Dr. Tom O'Bryan on excess inflammation and the effects it has on your body. They address the causes of inflammation, the purpose of inflammation in your body, and how it can accumulate by continued exposure to toxins in your body. Dr. Tom O'Bryan talks about his docuseries The Inflammation Equation, the experts he interviewed over a year for the docuseries, and how you can access this docuseries and learn more about inflammation in your body. Dr. Tom also recommends the Neural Zoomer Plus test to learn about excess inflammation you may have in your brain. Listen to learn more about excess inflammation and its treatment and prevention. Key Takeaways: [1:02] Sachin introduces today's guest, Dr. Tom O'Bryan. Today we're going to talk about one of the most important topics that impacts virtually every cell, every system, and every organ in your body, something that Time magazine has called the silent killer, inflammation. [1:24] Dr. Tom is not only a brilliant clinician but also very detail - and scientifically - oriented. He is working on a new project Sachin says will blow your mind. [1:54] Sachin welcomes Dr. Tom to Perfect Practice. Dr. Tom wishes he and Sachin lived in the same place to get together weekly or so for coffee. Dr. Tom lives in Costa Rica but he imports his coffee from Reno, Nevada, from Brain Bean. [2:44] Dr. Tom tells about Brain Bean, its founder, Dr. Michael Nelson, and their coffees, including Zen Blend. Sachin says “I'm going to buy it right now. … I'm sold. Thank you.” [3:55] Dr. Tom explains his work with inflammation. We wouldn't be here if we didn't have an active immune system protecting us every day. When it gets called up, the question is, what's it trying to protect you from? [4:55] A related thought is that, according to the CDC, 14 of the 15 top causes of death are chronic inflammatory diseases. It's always excessive inflammation that causes disease. [5:28] Dr. Tom shares a slide from Dr. David Furman at Stanford. The slide has three gears that are linked in a line. The first gear has teeth labeled with things that attack our systems: viruses, bacteria, inactivity, obesity, lack of regenerative sleep, excess stress hormones, and more. [7:11] When the first gear gets out of balance, it turns to the middle gear, labeled Systemic Chronic Inflammation. Your immune system is responding to a perceived threat. [7:44] Dr. Jeff Bland, the Founder of Functional Medicine, told Dr. Tom in an interview, “A negative thought is just as powerful at activating your immune system, creating inflammation, as exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.” [8:21] Dr. Patrick Hanaway, who co-founded the Functional Medicine Center at Cleveland Clinic, told Dr. Tom in an interview, after a diagnosis of Stage 4 throat cancer, “I thought I was bigger than the stress in my life.” [9:50] Then Dr. Hanaway talked about how he has learned to handle the stress of life so much better, which reduces activating the immune system. [10:24] Dr. Tom returns to the image of the three gears. The gear in the middle is your immune system trying to protect you. That turns the gear on the right, which is your genetics and antecedents, such as mercury toxicity. Genetics and antecedents point to your weakest link. [11:02] The pull on the chain attacks your weakest part. The pull on the chain is inflammation. Excessive inflammation is bad for you. [11:28] The World Health Organization tells us for the last four years, the average life expectancy for newborn children is less than the average life expectancy of their parents, meaning kids are expected to live shorter lives than their parents are expected to live. [11:50] The main reason for this shortened average life expectancy is the inflammation from your immune system trying to protect you from something. We have to identify what your immune system is trying to protect you from. Maybe your toxic dishwasher detergent! [12:57] We can't eliminate all exposure to toxins, but we can make progress. Keep working at it, a little bit at a time. Can you reduce your immune system's need to protect you? [13:54] Dr. Tom interviewed the actress Fran Drescher. She's a 23-year survivor of uterine cancer. Her oncologist saved her life. Fran wrote a NY Times bestselling book, Cancer Schmancer. She started the Cancer Schmancer organization to educate people about cancer. [14:50] Fran Drescher said the first thing you have to do is to treat yourself as your best friend. Educate yourself on the chemicals you use every day. For longevity and quality of life, take regular baby steps to reduce the load on your immune system trying to protect you. [15:27] Dr. Tom has patients answer a questionnaire and take labs before he sees them by Zoom. One of the tests is the Neural Zoomer Plus. It looks at 53 markers of excess inflammation in your brain. [17:18] Blue Cross Blue Shield came out with a paper in February 2020 that went unreported because the pandemic was happening. The paper said that in the previous four-year period, there was a 407% increase in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's in 30- to 44-year-olds. [17:56] Right now, there is an explosion of cognitive decline, diagnosed depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, brain dysfunction, autism, and attention deficit. The brain is a sensitive and active organ with 20‒25% of the body's blood at one time. Inflammation is killing brain tissue. [18:36] Dr. Tom has never had a Neural Zoomer Plus come back normal. Results show people have low-grade inflammation in the brain. It doesn't make them sick but it eventually triggers symptoms. Then they get diagnosed with a disease, after decades of inflammation. [19:31] A government report published in 2019 stated that Alzheimer's will bankrupt Medicare within 25 years because so many more people are getting it. [19:59] They showed that there are 20 to 25 years of excess inflammation in the brain before you ever have a symptom. You feel fine but your brain's on fire! By the time symptoms come you're pretty far down the path. [20:32] Look for antibodies being elevated. Dr. Tom tells of four immune systems. The one in our gut is like the sheriff. The marshall is in the bloodstream. The system in the brain is the glial cells. They fire an inflammatory cascade to get rid of anything that's not supposed to be there. [21:47] When you have chronic inflammation from environmental toxins like mold in your house, your immune system tries to fight it. Inflammation in the bloodstream crosses the barrier into your brain and the glial cells react like fireworks exploding and causing collateral damage. [22:44] The collateral damage causes elevated antibodies to get rid of the damaged brain cells. The Neural Zoomer Plus test identifies elevated antibodies in the bloodstream. Next, find out where the inflammation is coming from; food, mold, or toxins. [23:36] Dr. Tom says the Neural Zoomer Plus test looks at pathogens like herpes, cytomegalovirus, and streptococcus. Those pathogens can be in other parts of the body, but the antibodies cross into the brain. [24:24] Dr. Tom speaks of a connection between some celiac patients and antibodies to the cerebellum. If they have these antibodies, when they go gluten-free, the antibodies to the cerebellum go down. Dr. Tom calls this molecular mimicry. [25:21] When the cerebellum is attacked, you can lose your balance, or misjudge door frames as you walk through them. To test balance, take your shoes off, stand straight, lift your right knee in the air, and count to five. Let it down lift the left knee and count to five. [25:48] Repeat the test with eyes closed. That's a simple test for cerebellar balance. If you can't keep your balance, we now know where we have to look. Let's measure and see. Do you have antibodies in your cerebellum? We have a path to follow to reduce the inflammation. [27:30] The Journal of the American Medical Association, one of the most prestigious journals, published a paper on couples going to assisted fertility centers. It showed that women who ate three servings a week of organic fruits and vegetables had the best outcomes. [31:11] The study didn't address this, but Dr. Tom thinks the women were also doing other things to be exposed to fewer toxins, like using organic shampoos and soaps. Probably there were other areas where there was less insult activating the immune system trying to protect them. [32:07] Dr. Tom notes that a fertilized egg has no defense. It's completely dependent on Mom's environment. If Mom has a toxic environment, from a lifetime of accumulating toxic chemicals, and she's eating conventional fruits and vegetables, that takes her over the edge more often. [33:01] In those women, the implantation failed 18% more often, and if there was a pregnancy, it was lost 26% more often. That's powerful information! Anyone can eat three servings of organic fruits and vegetables a week while working in the direction of reducing the toxins in your life! [33:23] Buy organic shampoo from the health foods store. Don't use poisonous toothpastes. What we're being given is reducing the life expectancy of newborns compared to their parents and increasing the incidence of every autoimmune disease by four to nine percent yearly. [34:42] More people are getting sicker because more and more chemicals are accumulating in our bodies. [34:53] In Chicago in 2016 they collected urine from 326 women in the eighth month of pregnancy. They measured five different phthalates, and chemicals used to mold plastic. They followed the offspring of those pregnancies for seven years. [36:16] When the children turned seven, the study team did Wechsler IQ tests on the children. The children whose mothers had the highest amount of phthalates in urine during pregnancy had IQs seven points lower than the children whose mothers had the lowest amount of phthalates. [36:59] One IQ point is noticeable. A difference of seven IQ points is the difference between a child working very hard to get straight As and a child working very hard to get straight Cs. A baby's brain doesn't develop in utero to its full potential when Mom is high in phthalates. [37:46] Phthalates are what harden nail polish in four or five minutes. They're in your bloodstream within four to five minutes. [38:58] Part of Dr. Tom's goal is to reach women of childbearing age to attend The Inflammation Equation and listen to the experts. Dr. Tom went to seven countries for a year interviewing people for this docuseries. Just listen to what they say. It makes perfect sense. [39:32] The goal is to reduce the exposure to all of these things that activate your immune system, trying to protect you. You need to get the insult out of there so the immune system calms down on its own. [40:13] Taking Turmeric as an anti-inflammatory can help, but what is the source of the inflammation? Dr. Tom wants to reduce our exposure to toxins. You can protect yourself and your family by cleaning toxins off your food with a product like Veggie Wash from TrulyFree. [41:50] The Inflammation Equation can be found at TheInflammationEquation.com/Patel. Register here. When you register, you'll get the full interview with Fran Drescher. You'll laugh and you'll cry. Dr. Tom tells how Fran Drescher protects her home environment. [44:27] For healthcare practitioners, Dr. Tom hopes you will register as an affiliate. When you register as an affiliate, Dr. Tom gives you all the information to send to your patient base so they will attend. Dr. Tom wants you to be able to ask more engaging questions. [45:22] NASA published a gook on houseplants for space. Two six-inch houseplants in a 10x10 room absorb 74% of the toxins in the air. All home fabrics are soaked in flame-retardant chemicals that are not good to breathe. Get houseplants. Mother-in-law's tongue is a great one. [47:28] If your cabinets are not solid wood, they're pressboard. Pressboard is soaked in formaldehyde that off-gasses into the air. Furniture, too can be pressboard. Fran Drescher has a switch she uses at night to turn off the wireless in her home to protect her environment. [48:35] Sachin thanks Dr. Tom for always sharing what he learned, paying it forward to practitioners, and to all who are seeking better health. Sachin is excited about the event. He's excited always to learn more and keep pushing the envelope forward. [49:18] Sachin says we'll share all the links that Dr. Tom O'Bryan mentioned. Here's to having the right amount of inflammation, so that your body can heal, repair, and regenerate itself for a long healthy life. Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live Dr. Tom O'Bryan The Inflammation Equation More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done Tweetables: “The Center for Disease Control tells us that 14 of the 15 top causes of death are chronic inflammatory diseases. It's always excessive inflammation that causes disease.” — Dr. Tom O'Bryan “It was Dr. Jeff Bland, the Founder of Functional Medicine, who said in the interview that I had with him, ‘A negative thought is just as powerful at activating your immune system, creating inflammation, as exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.'” — Dr. Tom O'Bryan “You'll hear it time and time again from our experts. The pull on the chain is inflammation. Inflammation is not bad for you. Excessive inflammation is bad for you.” — Dr. Tom O'Bryan “The World Health Organization tells us for the last four years, the average life expectancy for newborn children is less than the average life expectancy of their parents, meaning kids are expected to live shorter lives than their parents are expected to live.” — Dr. Tom O'Bryan “There is such an explosion going on of cognitive decline, diagnosed depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, brain dysfunction, autism, and attention deficit. The brain is such sensitive tissue. … Inflammation is killing brain tissue.” — Dr. Tom O'Bryan “More people are getting sicker because there are more and more of these chemicals that are accumulating in their bodies.” — Dr. Tom O'Bryan Dr. Tom O'Bryan@TheDr-com on LinkedIn @TheDrcom on YouTube
Mylène is the eldest of three children. When she was barely a month old, her parents took her for a train ride in the Agawa Canyon. A few months later, she went hunting with them. And that's how her childhood unfolded. If Mom and Dad wanted to do an outdoor activity, the girls would always follow, learn and discover. Mylène quickly became passionate about all the activities she could practice OUTSIDE. During the winter, she will take as many snowmobile rides as she can depending on her busy schedule. Since she loves to discover new spots, she often prefers to go off-trail than to follow the beaten track. All the elements surrounding a good day of ice fishing bring her so much satisfaction: starting the fire in the wood stove, drilling the holes in the ice, breathing in the fresh air, getting the sun to warm up her face… and let's not forget the great taste of the fish, cooked over an open fire.And to reenergize, she finds that there's nothing better than snowshoeing in the woods.Presented by: @energypowersportsFanphotos by: @fasttracstuds#snowmobiling #snowmobilepodcast #snowmobilesessions #sledsessionsSupport the show
Interested in building your own Amazon business in partnership with 7 and 8 figure Amazon Sellers? If so, apply for your free consultation with Joie Roberts and the AMZ Insiders' team of experts here => www.amzinsiders.org/apply?sl=fp #entrepreneur #Amazon #podcast #howto #women Powerhouse women are driving big business in the Amazon FBA World and that's why my guest on this inaugural episode of Fearless Sellers is the brilliant Izabella Ritz. Izabella joins me for a candid conversation about what it looks like to be a bold, unapologetically ambitious entrepreneur and mother of four. She shares with us her fascinating journey from growing up in Russia (and experiencing deprivation) to building a new life in the United States, adapting (with huge success!) to multiple global cultures and selling styles. Izabella makes it all seem effortless, but the truth is a LOT of effort has been required for this Amazon startup guru to meet the exacting standards she insists upon, starting with herself. She outworks everyone but also keeps her core values front and center, protecting her family life with fierce time management skill. It's a formula that obviously works, given that Izabella has been able to build incredibly successful startup ventures – again and again! You'll love meeting this fascinating personality, learning about how she navigates the Amazon seller community and what it feels like to try, fail and ultimately succeed wildly in building a rewarding life. Join us in celebrating a woman who is modeling success for her children, aspirational moms and would-be entrepreneurs everywhere! Izabella Ritz: https://www.instagram.com/armagency/ Want to learn more about what our Fearless Sellers community has to offer? Just click here and go to our “Fearless” coupon to receive 50% off our next Live Amazon event. To learn more about starting or growing your own Amazon business, visit AMZ Insiders. Want 20% off the leading Amazon all-in-one software, Helium 10? Get your special offer here KEY TAKEAWAYS: (00:55) Izabella sets the stage for her evolution from hungry child in the former Soviet Union to entrepreneurial upstart coaching and training sellers while still in her teens. (03:05) Coming to America: About culture shock, adapting and how Izabella googled her way to building immigrant dreams around very small children and very big ambitions! (07:00) Realizing entrepreneurial dreams means being ready to: Embrace responsibility and challenge. Navigate and sit with uncomfortable situations. Push ahead even when you're past the point of exhaustion or discouragement. (08:00) The sources to which Izabella attributes her ambition? First-hand experience of what it is to feel hungry – literally and figuratively. A natural instinct for ferreting out and capitalizing market opportunities (starting as a grade school tutor who saw a niche and filled it). (12:56) About the 12 startup businesses Izabella has grown and sold in addition to establishing her long-term coaching program. (14:20) The Juggle: How Izabella has managed young children (soon to be four!) while managing businesses remotely by hiring support and taking charge of her time. (19:15) Izabella reflects on what it looks like to shape her children and accommodate their unique personalities (22:30) First Impressions and what people get wrong about Izabella: That she's scary! Social media can come across as sharp, strict, harsh. Intimidating (in large part because of her worldliness and global experience). (25:49) Exacting Standards: Izabella requires a lot – but never any more of others than she demands from herself! (26:20) All About Amazon and how Izabella launched her successful businesses, starting in 2015 and advancing to the launch of Ritz Momentum in 2019. (27:40) Why firing employees who underperform or demonstrate a lack of commitment is a non-negotiable. Entrepreneurs can't get the job done without a strong team! (28:50) Tackling challenges as a service provider in Amazon world: You have to learn the mentality! Adapting her native Russian- to a U.S./English-centric business structure, cultural norms and logistics. It's critical to build trust within the community – and quickly! (33:00) How Izabella keeps on keeping on: Have a problem? Find a solution (think creatively!) that will keep you going – anything from acupuncture to an attitude adjustment. Embrace the chaos. At least it's never boring! Restorative nights and weekends with kids/family are key. (35:20) In wrapping up, Izabella underscores the phenomenal power of women (even those short in stature) and the need to jump in fearlessly – and not waste time! (38:20) Parting Thought: Don't be afraid to fail (as Izabella definitely has!). The more you fail, the better you'll do the next time out! QUOTABLE: “You can change businesses and switch. We fall in and out of love with all parts of life.” (Joie) “The entrepreneurial life is not just pleasure and freedom … With the freedom comes responsibility, so you have to accept the challenges.” (Izabella “You cannot take away from me the stuff that is important. If Mom's happy, everybody's happy.” (Izabella) “You can always compensate for anything you want (including children) so long as you manage your time.” (Izabella) “People are wired differently but you always need your sense of self as a woman.” (Joie) “I have to watch myself when I'm talking to people – especially my first impression – because I'm sometimes going too aggressive.” (Izabella) “Don't be scared to fire people. If they are not profitable for your business, you have to fire them! It's a burden to have people who are not valuable.” (Izabella) “I'm always for the strong team. If your team cares about the results, your company will grow.” (Izabella) “I have my nights and weekends with family and you cannot touch this. Business is for business hours.” (Izabella) “Success stories are extremely powerful and when you can identify with someone … just follow them and look at their examples because you can join the line of these strong women.” (Izabella) “Take action. Do not waste time. And if something isn't working for you, get help to do it right or switch gears. It's okay to fail.” (Joie) ABOUT OUR GUEST: Izabella is a serial entrepreneur and business coach whose passion is to give new opportunities to business owners and make sure their Amazon business will start smoothly and grow faster. She helps entrepreneurs create and scope a successful business online that specifically specializes in finding products that sell with high demand and low competition. Her services include: Product Research, Customization and Design as well as identifying business challenges and advanced strategies to reach objectives. FOLLOW OUR GUEST: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN ABOUT YOUR HOST: From finding your first product to sell on Amazon to developing your community and ultimately selling your brand, Joie helps people start and scale their own Amazon Business. Partnering with AMZ Insiders, the leading mentorship program, she helps new community members grow and scale their businesses. Previously Joie built and ran commercial design and marketing companies and as a coach brings those experiences to clients, along with insider tools, tips, resources and strategies proven to drive high-profile business success on the Amazon platform. FOLLOW YOUR HOST: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | INSTAGRAM #SellonAmazon #AmazonSellers #AmazonFBA Interested in building your own Amazon business in partnership with 7 and 8 figure Amazon Sellers? If so, apply for your free consultation with Joie Roberts and the AMZ Insiders' team of experts here => www.amzinsiders.org/apply?sl=fp
Gentlemen, we're changing things up a bit on the podcast today and having a little bit of, shall we say… family fun. Today's guests are Alyce Dailey, her husband and fellow FRD brother Seth Dailey and their daughter Karissa. We probably could have had all four of their girls for this chat if they weren't in school… or in Nepal with my son Tiger bungee jumping off a 500-foot bridge! It's still crazy to think about it. In fact, when Tatyana and I realized that their daughter, Laura, was also going on this youth trip to Nepal, we both breathed a sigh of relief because that's how awesome these kids are. But that's a story for another time. Today, we're talking about entrepreneurs who are raising entrepreneurial daughters. As I mentioned, Alyce and Seth Dailey have four wonderful girls, and I'm thrilled that Karissa could join us for this chat to share her perspective on what it's been like growing up in the Dailey household with highly motivated and successful parents. We also talked about Alyce's new book called, The Magic Mom: 5 Principles to Unlock Your Natural Gifts to Raise Entrepreneurial Daughters. While it might seem like it's geared toward Moms, there really is something in it for everyone, especially entrepreneurs. And while there have been successes, like most families, there have been challenges too. You'll hear Karissa talk about what it was like when things weren't going very well and how her parents were transparent with their kids about it. Alyce opens up to talk about feeling burnt out from building a business, not being happy to go home at the end of the day, and how self-care was the spark that helped her break out of that period and ultimately led her to write the book. We'll also talk about how they taught their kids to interact with adults, which set the stage for their entrepreneurial mindset. Enjoy! Alyce & Seth Dailey Podcast Highlights Introduction to the Dailey family. Alyce and Seth's incredible love story about how they met. The spark that led Alyce to write The MAGIC Mom. The 5 principles for being a MAGIC Mom which applies to any parent. Some of the Dailey family's core values: Connection and making people feel like family. If Mom's aren't living a full life, it can actually be a burden on your kids. Teaching your kids how to interact with adults. Being transparent with your kids when dealing with challenges. Similarities between entrepreneurship and parenthood. Get the Full Show Notes Want access to the full show notes, including links to all resources mentioned during today's conversation? Visit FrontRowDads.com/365 Want to learn more about Front Row Dads? We are in the business of building better families. While most dads would say that family matters most, the challenge is they feel guilty knowing their careers get the best of them, and their family seems to get the rest of them. We help Dads become family men with businesses, not businessmen who have families, so they can thrive personally AND professionally. Subscribe to the Front Row Dad podcast to learn about fatherhood, marriage and how to level up your game at home, or if you're ready for the best coaching and true brothers to grow with, Join The Brotherhood! Are you getting all the shows? Subscribe today! Want to leave a review? THANK YOU! http://FrontRowDads.com/review
Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32"Please clear the table for me tonight, kids. I've got to get ready for a presentation tomorrow." Mom's voice got muffled as she went down the hall to her office. "Thanks!""Mom never has time for us anymore," complained Eliana as she and her brother Jacob cleared the dishes away. "She's always working!""Well, since she got promoted, she's in charge of more things now," said Jacob."I know, but it seems like she could still spend a little more time with us. It makes me mad that she doesn't even know I'm upset about it!""Why don't you talk it over with her?" suggested Jacob. "Tell her how you feel and see if she can work it out to do more stuff with you."Eliana shook her head as she put leftover fish on a plate and gave it to Oliver, their cat. "If Mom really loves me, she should know without me telling her." Jacob sighed. "Remember the sermon at church last week? We're not supposed to hold on to anger. We need to love others and forgive them like Jesus does, and that often requires talking things out when we feel hurt so we don't become bitter." Eliana just shrugged.A little later, Eliana heard gagging sounds and saw Oliver frantically pawing at his face. "Mom!" Eliana called. "Something's wrong with Oliver!"Mom came running. "He's choking!" Unable to help the little cat, they took him to the vet, who discovered that Oliver had a fish bone stuck in his throat. The vet was able to pull it out and said the cat would be fine."It's my fault," said Eliana tearfully as they started home. "I gave him the fish--I didn't know it would hurt him. I wish he could have told me as soon as it started to hurt.""I'm sure Oliver knows you love him and feel bad that he got hurt," said Mom.That evening, Jacob stopped in Eliana's room. "You know what, Eliana? Oliver couldn't tell you what was wrong, so you didn't know how he felt even though you love him. Why is Mom any different? How would she know how you feel if you don't tell her?""Maybe you're right." Eliana got up. "I'm going to go talk with Mom right now and tell her how I feel."-Cameron WroblewskiHow About You?Are you upset with someone? It's natural to feel that way at times. Sometimes you may even have good reason to get angry. But don't let your anger turn into a grudge. The Bible says not to let the sun go down--that is, let the day end--while you're angry. If someone has done something to hurt you, talk it over and settle the problem right away so you don't become bitter.Today's Key Verse:If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. (Matthew 18:15 (NLT))Today's Key Thought:Don't hold a grudge
WoHos!We got real stabby with it this week with LAKE BODOM and SLASHER S4 eps 1-4.LAKE BODOM/BODOM is a Finnish 2016 flick that has been on Mom's list for quite awhile. Mac pointed out some real flaws in it, though, and we brainstorm some ways to improve it. Our consulting fee is very reasonable and we are very available, any filmmakers out there who want to remake it!If Mom is the biggest fan of THE WAILING, Mac may be the biggest fan of SLASHER, the Canadian anthology series. We review the first half of the fourth season and it is full of lots of batshit family drama and guts. Lots of guts.We love hearing from you, WoHos! If you like what we are doing, please tell a friend. Content notes: In Mom and Mac Chat we talk all kinds of COVID business as Mom ventures back into the classroom for Spring semester. Everything should be fine, though, right?? I mean, what could possibly go wrong? We also mildly spoil THE MEDIUM (Mom can't stop talking about it!) Also, WOLF CREEK, but you've already listened to our episode on that one, so, you're good!(S1, ep. 5: Australia, Fair Dinkum!)https://linktr.ee/WorldofHorror Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/xafupi)
Davidson Hang Reflections and Lessons from a life worth living
These are some of the passages that really stood out to me. "I'm often asked where my melodies and lyrics come from. I may never fully comprehend how a song sprouts from nothingness into existence, and truthfully, I'm not tempted to decode the mystery. I hope to be constantly surprised, in amazement of how the tiny seed of a possible chord or lyric miraculously springs to life. That unexplainable process, that alchemy, is part of what separates art from logic and reason. I don't create from a set of rules or formulas. I tap into my true feelings and experiences and allow them to guide me." "Life's current was so obviously carrying me in the direction of music, and rather than trying to swim back upstream, I simply let the tide carry me forward. At the time, I wouldn't have described it that way, nor did I truly understand that there was a flow with my name on it. But from this side of life, I can see how every moment, every experience, every pivot, even my supposed missteps have been life's way of getting me where I have always been meant to go. Rather than resisting the current, I've learned to surrender." "a mother whose very presence gave me a deep sense of stability, the solid grounding I felt each time I walked through our apartment door. In essence, I longed for two mutually exclusive realities: inextricable connection and full-fledged self-reliance." “It saddens me that most of my heart is bitter towards you,” I wrote. “It's only that little part that feels sad that's not bitter … all I want is for you to mind your own business. I don't want the phone calls. I don't want the letters. I don't want the fake acts you pull to try and make me think you care. I don't want anything.” By the time those words rolled from the tip of my pen and onto my notebook paper, my longing for my father had hardened into resentment. My mother still recalls the many times when Craig said he'd fly in to see me but, for reasons unknown to me then, he did not show up. I'd sit beside the window in our living room, looking down over the terrace to see if I could glimpse him arriving. An hour or so after the appointed time, the phone would ring and I would overhear my mother, in hushed tones in her bedroom, saying, “Okay, I understand.” Moments later she'd emerge into the living room with disappointment etched on her forehead as she announced, “He can't make it.” That was it. Conversation over. Expectations once again dashed." "became my people. And yet through every age and stage, I kept my mask in position. The less others really knew about me, I reasoned, the less ammunition they'd have to make me look foolish. Only if I revealed my tender spots could they wound me. My true self, the one I kept so deeply concealed, only emerged in my diaries. There, I could unveil. If Mom got heated and I got tongue-tied, I could escape to sort out my thoughts and gather my words before the two of us spoke again. And alongside my musings and misgivings lived my poetry, my unfinished lyrics, my schoolgirl crushes, my feelings about Craig. On cotton pages scrawled with purple ink, I didn't have to be tough or brave or capable or strong. I could just be me." "My ballet teacher, thin and lanky, ordered me to “tuck in” my thick behind after I'd already tried to do so. With her second request, I became acutely aware that my butt was never going to “tuck in” as tightly as those of my classmates with smaller backsides. I suddenly felt self-conscious about a curvaceous figure that I'd been mostly happy with up till then." "My mother had to be strict as a matter of my survival. I grew up near Times Square before it became Disneyland, during a time when Hell's Kitchen lived up to its name. The kitchen, in most homes, is the place where the action goes down, where everyone passes through or congregates. It's hot. It attracts dirt. It's often loud and odorous—all accurate descriptions of my old stomping grounds." "Chopin was my homie. His compositions were poetry for the piano: layered, measure by measure, with the dark passion and poignancy that still speak to me. Ms. Pine believed, as I do, that great music is not confined to one style. As she guided me in studying the greats in every genre, she also encouraged me to add my own flair, to play from my heart. If I heard a song I loved on the radio, like Brian McKnight's “Never Felt This Way,” she'd have me create and perform my own composition. Her approach wasn't traditional, but it was genius because it kept me tuned in." "In my mother's gaze, I see grace. I see her profound love for her only child, a baby she once bravely chose to keep. I see a woman whose father was gone too soon and a mother determined to protect her own little girl from life's sharpest edges. I see someone who, on a prayer and a paralegal's meager paycheck, called on heaven to help her firmly ground me." "Craig never knew his own biological father. His birth certificate listed only his dad's name and occupation: policeman. “Do you want to meet him?” his mother had asked a few times when he was a boy. Craig had no interest. Between his mom and his stepfather, Michael, he had all the love and nurturing he needed, he'd tell me years later. Yet I've often thought about how the absence of Craig's father must have impacted his relationship with me, perhaps in ways he was not conscious of. I can only imagine how Craig, fatherless himself, must have felt on that summer afternoon when my mother sat across from him and said she was expecting me, and that, yes, he was the father. He was just twenty-seven then and, as he recalls it, still trying to find himself. As far as he was concerned, things had turned out well enough for him even without his dad around. The child my mother was carrying was undoubtedly his, but as he told her on that day, he wasn't prepared to put on the heavy mantle of fatherhood. Only now, as a parent myself, can I understand what may have been true: Craig was living out of the template he'd inherited. In the empty space left by Craig, my nana and fafa stepped in..." Overall I found her writing to be quite deep and a lot of what she is saying resonates with the pain of not having a father and growing up and how much that impacts your motivation and gives her the depth to make such powerful music.
5 Leadership Questions Podcast on Church Leadership with Todd Adkins
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Louie Giglio, pastor at Passion City Church and original visionary of the Passion movement. They discuss the following questions: What is the plot shift in this book?What issues are young people 8 to 12 facing today that you are most hopeful that they will be encouraged by through what you wrote in this book?What advice would you share for preaching or discipling parents to wrestle with their own giants?How can the giant of addiction manifest itself in kids 8 to 12 today?How can this book impact the spiritual and emotional health of the entire family? BEST QUOTES "When you are talking about the greatness of God and creation, your best audience for that is kids.""If you can start talking about anger when you are 11 and not when you are 41, why wouldn't you want to start doing that?""The big twist is understanding that we are not David in the story of David and Goliath, and if there is anytime to make that shift it is when you are talking to a 9 to 12 year old.""Jesus is David in the story of David and Goliath, and Jesus through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of God has already taken down every single giant.""Most 9 and 10 year olds are already struggling with anxiety on some level.""The very best thing a parent can do for their kids is to get help.""How will our kids see Jesus glorified? By letting Him bring forth victory in our life.""If we preach the Word week by week by week, we will be calling people up to who they are and calling people up to the giants that are standing right in front of them.""If Mom and Dad fall in love with Jesus and have a revival, then the kids are going to get to watch revival.""If you look at a household of young teens, you will see a lot of habits that are simply coping mechanisms and that is addiction.""Addiction is saying I don't think Jesus can help me with this so I want to find another lane to get in to help me cope, and those seeds are sown at ages 9 to 11." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES LifeWay Leadership Podcast Network LifeWay.com/CoronaVirus 5LQ Episode 54: Louie Giglio 5LQ Episode 261: Louie Giglio 5LQ Episode 361: Louie Giglio Goliath Must Fall by Louie Giglio Goliath Must Fall for Young Readers by Louie Giglio Goliath Must Fall Bible Study by Louie Giglio
#Joker Movie DECODED #Gnostic #InsaneAsylum #BatmanExposed - Crumb TV Audio from #CrumbTV ( #GetSnatched) Crumb breaks down the Joker movie exposing the true nature of the beast. He also exposed how & why Batman is a bad guy and Joker is a victim. Doctors will diagnose a child without even looking at the facts. People don't realize that what elders said is facts. If Mom is in a toxic environment then it effects the fetus after birth. Alot of children reactions are based on mommy's environment and happiness. If you have a child that isnt emotionally stable then reach them spiritually. Even through meditation to become one with self. This video is brought to you by G-Hustlas Clothing. https://graffiti-hustlas-clothing.mys... This video is brought to you by Author LaTanya Page-Balkcom. https://maat42plusgod.com/ ✍ The SNATCHED Podcast is an “Aware” or Afro-centric or “Woke” or “Black” Consciousness podcast highlighting the content from the media re-evaluator Crumb Snatcher. The use of the word ‘Black' in reference to people is used a commonly accepted term to describe Melaninated people of some level of African and/or Afro-Indigenous / Indigenous / Aborigine / American-Aborigine / Asiatic, Afro-Asian, Moorish, Indian, Afro-Indio, Afro-Indian, Neo-Nubian, etc. descent. (i.e. No, we do not think that we are adjectives. We are not literally talking about the color of one's skin, we are not necessarily discussing a nationality or legal status at all times, and we don't believe that we are from the planet, country, or city named "Black". We do love and support the family that are adamant and strict about these distinctions while we are more fluid in the use of the terminology. Warning - Trigger Warning. You WILL disagree with the Crumb Snatcher!! The Crumb Snatcher is a parody conscious-thought personality that mixes actual facts with humor and shock-antics to demonstrate the absurdity in American and world culture. The Crumb Snatcher is a loveable politically incorrect, thought-provoking, anti-organized religion, profane, demeaning, angry yet introspective collective of poor righteous teachers. Join their antics in conscious thought and new reality. Get SNATCHED!!!
If your senior loved one is dealing with Alzheimer's or Dementia, we still encourage a visit over the holidays. If Mom is overly sensitive to lights, turn off the blinking of the Christmas tree lights, because that can be overwhelming. Play music more quietly. Kelley Smith at CarePartners Living encourages families to contact a home care service and have someone come over to help with eating and toileting, to help with the things your loved one wouldn't want you to do anyway.
难度：两星【句子】Ah, Jeez. Didn't take the media long to get wind of this. 【Desperate Housewives S1E12】【发音】[ɑ:] [dʒi:z] [ˈdɪdnt] [teɪk] [ðə] [ˈmi:.dɪə] [lɒŋ]/[lɑ:ŋ] [tʊ] [get] [wɪnd] [əv] [ðɪs] 【发音技巧】didn't take the完全失去爆破+不完全失去爆破；wind of连读；【翻译】老天啊，媒体这么快就知道了。【适用场合】get wind of sth. （口语）听到……消息的风声；尤其是机密消息，别人不想走漏的风声；(informal) to hear about sth. secret or private: eg: She didn't want reporters getting wind of their plans.她不想让记者们知道他们的计划。eg: I don't want the public, and especially not the press, to get wind of it at this stage.在现阶段，我不想让公众，尤其不想让媒体知道这件事。eg: If Mom gets wind of this prank we're planning, we'll be grounded for the rest of the summer. 要是妈妈得知咱们俩在计划的这个恶作剧，今年夏天剩下的日子我们都会被禁足的！eg: If the press gets wind of this, the campaign will be over.如果要让媒体知道这事儿，这活动也算是完犊子了！in the wind: 某事即将发生（尽管你也不知道什么时候，怎么发生）about to happen soon, although you do not know exactly how or when: eg: Once again, big changes are in the wind.又一次，巨大的改变即将发生。eg: With the company doing so poorly these days, we're all afraid that layoffs are in the wind.公司最近效益这么差，我们都很害怕，很快我们都要下岗了。【尝试翻译以下句子，并留言在文章留言区】我不想让我的同事们知道我要离开的消息。
难度：两星【句子】Ah, Jeez. Didn't take the media long to get wind of this. 【Desperate Housewives S1E12】【发音】[ɑ:] [dʒi:z] [ˈdɪdnt] [teɪk] [ðə] [ˈmi:.dɪə] [lɒŋ]/[lɑ:ŋ] [tʊ] [get] [wɪnd] [əv] [ðɪs] 【发音技巧】didn't take the完全失去爆破+不完全失去爆破；wind of连读；【翻译】老天啊，媒体这么快就知道了。【适用场合】get wind of sth. （口语）听到……消息的风声；尤其是机密消息，别人不想走漏的风声；(informal) to hear about sth. secret or private: eg: She didn't want reporters getting wind of their plans.她不想让记者们知道他们的计划。eg: I don't want the public, and especially not the press, to get wind of it at this stage.在现阶段，我不想让公众，尤其不想让媒体知道这件事。eg: If Mom gets wind of this prank we're planning, we'll be grounded for the rest of the summer. 要是妈妈得知咱们俩在计划的这个恶作剧，今年夏天剩下的日子我们都会被禁足的！eg: If the press gets wind of this, the campaign will be over.如果要让媒体知道这事儿，这活动也算是完犊子了！in the wind: 某事即将发生（尽管你也不知道什么时候，怎么发生）about to happen soon, although you do not know exactly how or when: eg: Once again, big changes are in the wind.又一次，巨大的改变即将发生。eg: With the company doing so poorly these days, we're all afraid that layoffs are in the wind.公司最近效益这么差，我们都很害怕，很快我们都要下岗了。【尝试翻译以下句子，并留言在文章留言区】我不想让我的同事们知道我要离开的消息。
Melvin Taylor II shares stories that he can’t make up with AJ DUNK. When someone tries to play you by telling you “no matter what you will not play for me,” you realize dropping two things is ok. Especially when you pick up many accomplishments. Make room in your movie collection for “On The Mic.” When you somehow manage to get three words in for one word it is magic. Could have something to do with a 3X orange sherbet shirt. See What happened when you only have 10 seconds to answer for a chance to win 20k. Did you know god made people this big? Life tip: If Mom tells you more than once,follow orders. APPRECIATE IT *all caps* support is the move. Please Comment/Rate/Subscribe https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/i-cant-make-this-up/id1058665837?mt=2 AJ DUNK *all caps* “Laughter is always in style.” www.AJDUNK.com SUBSCRIBE *all caps* Audio Player
During Fall Prevention month, be a watchdog for your senior loved one. Tracy Marcom at Cascade In-Home Care asks: What is a family's role to check in with their loved ones? Some are hands-off, and may not realize how their love ones are declining. If Mom or Dad don't live nearby, they can put on a good front because they don't want to burden their children. Have a service that can come in, even in the beginning, as an in-home care agency before you really need it, is a peace of mind both to your loved one and your family.
Brad Wilcox grew up in Provo, Utah except for childhood years spent in Ethiopia Africa. He served his mission in Chile and later returned to that country to serve as a mission president for the LDS church. Brad is a professor at Brigham Young University and the author of Growing Up and Where do Babies Come From? Is it just me or is “the talk” up there on the list of things you dread as a parent? I try to be cool and normal and then I panic...every time! Brad is here with some tips. Today he encourages parents to step up to the plate and have open conversations with your kids. Brad suggests that by talking openly with your children you are strengthening the relationship. Some helpful suggestions he had include: -Start early. However old you were when you first heard about sex take 2 years off of that. Kids are being exposed earlier and earlier and the conversation, if possible, should start at home. -Ask your kids probing questions. Find out how much they know. Ask them where they heard something or what they think if means. -If Mom and Dad are available, both of you should talk to each child regardless of their gender. We want our kids to know that it is not a secret. Mom knows, Dad knows, and now they know too. -”The talk” is not a one time event. Keep an open dialogue going with your kids. If they ask you a questions, answer honestly. Frequently check in with them to see if they learned anything new or have any questions. -Many families encourage their children to wait until they are married before they have sex. Do your best as a parent to foster healthy thoughts and ideas about sex. It isn’t bad or gross. It is just a matter of timing. At some point you switch from “no no no” to “go go go” and you want them to feel ready for that. Brad’s Mom Squad Challenge: Stand in the shower and practice saying all of the anatomically correct terms. He feels that we should be able to say them without hesitation or embarrassment to our children. All by yourself in the shower is a perfect place to practice!
Smooth Stones and Empty Bones by Bennett North There’s a skeleton in the chicken coop. It’s some bare collection of abandoned bones, maybe a former fox, and it’s slishing through the pine needles and bumping liplessly against the gate. The chickens, for their part, don’t look concerned. Mom is still in the house, folding laundry. I take a watering can from where it’s sitting next to the potted mums and haul it out to the coop. When I dump it on the skeleton, it shivers like a wet dog but doesn’t retreat. I glance over my shoulder at the house again, then open the gate to the coop. The skeleton doesn’t appear to notice, so I get behind it and shove it out. The skeleton stumbles around like a dog with vertigo. “Shh,” I say when it clacks its teeth. If Mom sees this, I’m in so much trouble. [Full transcript after the cut.] Hello! Welcome to GlitterShip episode 50 for February 20, 2018. This is your host, Keffy, and I'm back with a reprint of "Smooth Stones and Empty Bones" by Bennett North. By day, Bennett North maintains computer labs at a local university. By night, she writes both short and long format speculative fiction (when she’s not too busy playing Minecraft or Fallout 4). She likes to think of herself as a runner and a rock climber, although she doesn’t do either of those things nearly as often as she’d like. She lives somewhere between Providence, RI and Boston, MA. Smooth Stones and Empty Bones by Bennett North There’s a skeleton in the chicken coop. It’s some bare collection of abandoned bones, maybe a former fox, and it’s slishing through the pine needles and bumping liplessly against the gate. The chickens, for their part, don’t look concerned. Mom is still in the house, folding laundry. I take a watering can from where it’s sitting next to the potted mums and haul it out to the coop. When I dump it on the skeleton, it shivers like a wet dog but doesn’t retreat. I glance over my shoulder at the house again, then open the gate to the coop. The skeleton doesn’t appear to notice, so I get behind it and shove it out. The skeleton stumbles around like a dog with vertigo. “Shh,” I say when it clacks its teeth. If Mom sees this, I’m in so much trouble. Its vertebrae are sharp and don’t look to be held together by anything tangible. I haul the thing out of the yard, stepping over the low stone wall that rings my mother’s property and marching out into the pine forest until I can’t see the house anymore. The further from the house I get, the less the skeleton moves, and by the time I’m down by the river, the skeleton is shedding bones like breadcrumbs. I drop it and it doesn’t get up again. I rub the indents on my palm left by sharp bone-points and hunch my shoulders a little. I hope it was the only one. When I arrive back at the house, my mother is hollering out the door for me. I shout a reply and then collect the eggs I’d originally been sent to get. My mom is a witch, or at least that’s what the people in town call her. She dyes her frizzy hair black and when she’s working she gives herself full drag-queen makeup, with the blood-red lips and glittery green eyelids. Right now, though, her face is washed clean of makeup and she looks old. She’s sitting at the table, the newspaper spread in front of her. Coffee is perking and strips of bacon sizzle in the pan. I put the basket of eggs on the counter next to the open bag of ground coffee. “How do you want them? Over-easy?” I ask, hoping she won’t ask why it took me so long. Mom hums. “Poached,” she says. “I’m watching my weight.” I fill a pot with water and put it on a burner. The bacon is crawling with white foamy grease. “How late are you working today?” Mom asks. “Just until three.” I dash some vinegar into the water and don’t look at her. “I think I might hang out with Mariposa after work, though.” My mother beams. “I’m glad you’ve found a friend,” she says. “I was afraid you wouldn’t meet anyone new after you dropped out.” She rises from the table and plants a kiss on the top of my head, then grabs some tongs to flip the bacon. My name is Helena. I’m seventeen years old. Tonight after work I’m going to show my girlfriend how to raise the dead. I work in the local Gas ’n’ Go. Business is pretty slow, so I mostly spend the day reading the newspaper. The local news headline is about the continued search for a nine-year-old boy who went missing in the woods a few days ago. It’s been cold these last few nights, nearly down to freezing, so it’s becoming less and less likely that they’ll find the kid alive. Quarter to three, one of the high school coaches comes in. I vaguely remember him from back when I still attended school, although I was never in any sports. He picks through a rack of cookies for a few minutes and I continue reading my magazine until he comes up to the register and tosses a pack of Oreos on the counter in front of me. “Forty bucks on number nine,” he says. I ring up the Oreos and the gas as he roots in his back pocket for his wallet. “That’s forty-two ninety-nine,” I say. He fishes a couple twenties and a five out of his wallet and nods at the newspaper rack. “They come by to talk to you yet?” “What?” I glance at the rack, too. “That missing kid. Fucking suspicious, if you ask me. Kid goes missing, I say to start with the Satanists in the woods and their animal sacrifices. ” “We had nothing to do with it,” I say stiffly. He snorts and waits for his change. Once I give it to him, he adds, “If another kid goes missing, I think a couple of us might take matters into our own hands. You tell your mother that.” He leaves the store. I stare at his retreating back and wish I were a witch like my mother. I’d make him piss sugar ants. The mental image keeps the sick feeling in my stomach at bay until Geoff shows up for the next shift. I try to wash off a bit of the stale coffee and gasoline smell in the bathroom, then head outside. Mariposa’s car is just pulling into the lot and she waves at me as I approach her. She’s borrowing her mother’s car, which is a teal Ford Taurus that’s probably as old as me. There’s a rosary hanging from the rearview mirror between two pine-scented air fresheners. I slide into the passenger’s seat and close the door. “Hi,” I say giddily. I reach across the seat and she grabs my hand. It’s the most I dare to do within sight of Geoff in the gas station. “Missed you,” Mariposa says. “It’s been ages,” I say, and we both laugh. We’ve spent more time together in the past week than we have apart. She exits the lot and onto Reservoir Street. Technically we shouldn’t be driving together since we’re both under eighteen, but I don’t think anyone’s going to catch us. “How’ve you been?” I ask as she drives. “Any . . . news?” Mariposa shakes her head and her mouth tightens. She’s got lots of glossy black hair and perfectly plucked eyebrows, and even when she’s upset, she still looks like a movie star. I can’t comprehend how someone can be so attractive. “Nothing,” she says. “My mom’s arranging a vigil. She still thinks they’ll find Javi alive.” Her breath hitches. “And I mean, I do, too, but I think . . . I don’t know. It’s like some kind of nightmare.” I squeeze her hand tightly. She squeezes mine back. “I don’t want to think about it,” she says. “Every time I do I just feel helpless. Distract me.” I tell her about work, although I don’t mention the high school coach. I don’t have many interesting stories, so I make some up and get her to laugh. By the time we arrive at her house, the two of us are giggling. Mariposa’s house borders the woods just like mine does. The same woods that her little brother has disappeared in. A bunch of cars are parked in the driveway and along the side of the road. “There’s a group of local guys looking for him,” Mariposa says. “They leave their cars here.” I think of the coach and then look down into my lap. “Um, want to go somewhere else?” “Like where?” She looks at me. “Oh, Helena, it’s fine. They’re not going to be jerks to you.” I’m not so sure. “I just sort of wanted to go somewhere . . . private?” She looks at me and her cheeks turn a little pink. “Okay,” she says. “The reservoir,” I say. “Let’s go there.” There’s a kayak launch on the reservoir behind a row of houses. Mariposa parks there nearby and then we pick our way along the shore until we find a little rocky beach. There’s a ring of scorched stones here where some teenagers lit a beach fire. The fire pit is filled with a couple half-burnt potato chip bags and broken Heineken bottles. We sit on a patchy bit of grass at the edge of the beach. The air is sun-warmed but has that mid-autumn chill to it that means tonight will be cold, too. The trees towering behind us are all red and yellow. A damp burnt smell lingers over the fire pit. Mariposa huddles under my armpit and clasps my hand between hers, trying to warm it up. “I feel like . . . like television lied to me,” she says, and then sort of laughs in a way that doesn’t sound happy. “What do you mean?” “Whenever bad things happen on TV, it’s because someone was doing something wrong.” She laces her knuckles between mine. “Like the kid goes missing because his older brother was smoking pot while babysitting. The girl gets raped because she was underage drinking. And it’s always some moral lesson. If you don’t do anything wrong, bad things won’t happen. If you do something wrong and apologize, you get a second chance. But it doesn’t really work like that, does it?” “People don’t want to hear about bad things harming good people,” I say. She’s silent for a moment, looking down at my hand. I can see that her lashes are wet. “Do you think this happened because we slept together?” I hug her tightly against my side. “No! Of course not. Real life isn’t like that.” “If my mother knew about it, she’d say I was responsible for this.” “She’s dumb. Sorry. But that’s just . . .” I shake my head. “It’s so stupid. There’s nothing wrong with us being together. It’s not like we’re going to get pregnant or diseased or anything.” “But we’re both girls,” she says quietly. I feel shaky and cold. “I know that,” I say. I want to take my arm off her shoulder, but she’s still holding my hand. “Do you think it’s wrong?” I ask. She shakes her head and then lets out a sob. “No, but I’m so afraid that they’re not going to find Javi.” She rests her head against my chest and falls silent. I have a knot in my throat like I might cry. It’s not as if I haven’t had these thoughts before. Most of my life I’ve been told that being queer is wrong. Maybe it’s becoming more acceptable in the world at large, but I live in a small town and they have small minds around here. “I don’t regret it,” Mariposa says finally. “I just . . . I get scared sometimes when I’m praying with my mother.” “I want to show you something,” I hear myself say. She lets go of my hand and I disentangle myself. The box is in my purse. I fish it out and then just clutch it in my hands for a moment. Shit, shit, shit. My stomach clenches. There’s no going back. “So, um,” I say, my mouth dry. I swallow and tongue the welt inside my cheek. “So you know how my mom is a witch?” Mariposa nods. Of course she knows. Her mother started a campaign to have mine evicted after my mother set up shop in town. There’s a strong Catholic community in town and they don’t like it when people claim to read fortunes and inflict curses. “Mostly she just reads palms and stuff,” I say. “She makes charms and things. That stuff’s not usually real. But sometimes it is.” I look up at her. Her dark eyes are serious. “Okay,” she says cautiously. I’m still clutching the box. It’s just an old cigar box, water-stained and dirty. I’d mostly brushed off the clumps of soil when I dug it up in the yard, but it had been buried for so long that the dirt had gotten into the grain of the soft wood. Maybe I can back out now. Make up some story. But I want to tell her. I like her a lot. I’m still not sure about that other L-word, but I think this relationship is pretty serious. She should know. “Do you believe in magic?” I say, stalling for time. After a pause, she nods. “I think so.” I set the box down. “You have to swear to never tell anyone about this. Ever. My mother would kill me if she knew I was showing this to you.” “I swear.” I flip open the lid of the box. Mariposa stares inside, a frown creasing her brow. It’s filled with maybe a dozen smooth river stones, each the size of my thumbnail. “These can raise the dead,” I say. She looks from the rocks up to me, waiting for me to explain. I swallow. “If someone dies, you put one of these in their mouth, and it will bring them back to life.” I close the lid of the box again. “It’s not . . . not real life. Not completely. They’ll be conscious and able to walk and talk and they’ll even have a heartbeat, but it’s temporary. The stones are like batteries—they keep someone alive for a year or two, but then you need to put in a new one.” She looks down at the closed lid of the box, then up at me again. “Prove it.” I chew my lip. “I don’t really want to waste them. Once we run out of these, they’re gone for good. Just think of them as . . . a second chance.” Her eyes widen slightly. “They would work on Javi?” “It depends on how long he’s been—” I don’t want to say the word “dead.” “If he’s too . . . far gone . . . these won’t work that well. The stones can only do so much.” Mariposa claps a hand over her mouth. Her eyes are shiny and wet. “So if they find him soon—” “I don’t want to make any promises. He would only live so long. He’d need a stone a year, and I can’t give you all the stones. My mother would notice.” She’ll notice if I even give away one stone, but Christ, I’m willing to take that risk. Mariposa rubs roughly at her cheeks. I can’t read her expression. Something scrapes over the rocks to my right. We both look and then Mariposa shrieks and leaps to her feet. Half of a chipmunk is sitting up on the rock, sniffing the air. It’s matted with dirt and blood. “The box . . . leaks,” I say. “Holy fuck,” she says, backing away. “It’s dead.” “That’s not like how he’d be,” I say. “It’s just because the box is here. It’ll die again as soon as we leave.” She’s making little gasping noises, hunched over and hugging herself. I get to my feet and then stand there awkwardly. I think she might scream again if I touch her. I shouldn’t have shown her the box. For all I know, they won’t find Javi in time. And how will I even get access to him if the searchers find his body? “So what do I do?” she says. She sounds like she’s having trouble breathing. “How does this work?” I pop the lid open and remove one stone. I hold it out to her. “I don’t know. It might not even work. Just take this in case you get a chance.” She doesn’t reach out for the stone. “I can’t take that with me. It’s witchcraft, Helena. If my mother knew—I mean, fuck, we buried my dead dog in the backyard. Is that going to get up if I take this stone home?” It might. I close my fingers over the stone. “Well then, um. If you hear news, call me? I could try to get there quickly . . .” It’s not going to work. It’s so obvious now that this was a mistake. But if it does work, and Mariposa gets her brother back, she’ll be so happy. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than to make Mariposa happy. Mariposa continues hugging herself. Her face is wet. She’s staring at my closed fist. She slowly nods. “Okay.” I put the stone back in the box and bury the box in my purse. Something splashes in the water, a fish, and I wonder if that’s dead, too. We both stand there in silence a minute, and then she creeps forward. She wraps herself around me. Surprised, I hug her back. She presses her face into my neck. “Thank you,” she whispers. When I get home, Mom has a client. The living room of the house is where she does her work. The walls have been painted dark purple and the windows are hung with lacy black curtains. The furniture is all old, dark wood and the room is lit with antique lamps. People wouldn’t believe my mother’s fortunes as much if all the furniture came from Ikea. She’ll be busy for a while, so I go out into the backyard. Our yard is always in twilight because of the tall pines that surround it. In the back, by the stone wall, there’s a flat piece of slate with a potted lily on top of it. I move the slate aside and look at the soft, freshly turned dirt. My mother keeps the box in here because the dirt muffles the power of the stones and stops dead things from crawling out of the woods. I scoop a hole in the dirt with my hands. It’s still loose from when I dug out the box last night. When I get down about two feet, I shove the box into the hole and push the dirt on top of it. I put the bit of slate on top of that and sit back on my heels. I brush the dirt off my hands and look around. My stomach is still tight. I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing. I suspect that I haven’t. That night, Javi comes out of the forest. I hear the noise through my bedroom window, which is open a crack to let in the cold air. I’m reading a book, my head propped up on a couple pillows. There’s a scritch-scratching in the yard, which catches my attention immediately. I’m afraid it’s another dead fox or something and I don’t want my mother to notice it. But when I step out the kitchen door and into the yard, I can see the hunched form of a little boy. He’s squatting in the dirt by the wall, pawing at the pine needles. He doesn’t appear to notice me. “Javi?” I whisper. My mother’s bedroom is on the other side of the house, and I’m grateful for that. He stops pawing in the dirt. I can see pine needles and leaf mold all over the back of his shirt, as if he’d been laying down recently. The only light I have to go by is what’s spilling from my bedroom window, but I think his dark skin might be mottled and bruised. “Javi, are you okay?” I inch forward, knowing he isn’t. When I touch his arm, his flesh is glacial. He turns his head blindly to me and I see more dirt caked on one side of his face. His eyes are opaque white. He’s been dead for days. The hypothermia must have got him the first night he went missing in the woods. My carrying the box around must have woken him. He makes a distracted humming noise, just air flowing over vocal cords with no intent behind them. I pull back, feeling a surge of horror in my throat. It’s one thing to see animals like this, mindless puppets of the stones, but it’s different to see a child I once knew. I back away. He doesn’t follow, not even when I run to the piece of slate with the potted flower on top. It takes me five minutes to dig up the box. The whole time, I’m composing text messages in my head. I’ve found him. He’s okay. Mariposa, sobbing, thanking me. My fingers hit wood and I scrabble the box open. The rocks clatter inside in my haste. I pull one out and toss the box on the pile of dirt, then jump with a tiny yelp when Javi bumps into me. His face nuzzles against my arm, but only because I’m in the way. He’s drawn to the rocks. “Open your mouth,” I whisper and touch his cheek. “Shh. Open it.” He doesn’t know enough to obey, so I push my thumb between his teeth and shove the stone in. I can almost feel the power behind it. It pulls at me as much as it pulls at him. I hear it clack against the back of his teeth. He sways a little on his feet and shakes his head. “Javi?” I whisper. His cold fingers clutch at my arm. He wheezes, a dead tongue moistening his lips. I wipe the dirt and leaves from his face. “Javi, do you remember me? Can you hear me?” His eyes move in their sockets but they’re still blind-white. I poke my fingers up under his chin, searching for the pulse in his neck. There’s one dull thump, and after a pause, another, but then nothing. Too far gone. He’s been dead too long. I can’t tell Mariposa. But . . . I can’t report finding him, either. Me, finding the missing boy when half the town is convinced my family is behind his disappearance? I found him but the stones didn’t work. I can almost taste the sickening disappointment of that. Mariposa won’t forgive me for offering her hope and taking it away. I sit down on the ground and hug my knees. Javi stumbles away from me. It makes me feel physically ill to watch him. What if I just hide his body? The rescuers might not find him. Mariposa and her mother won’t know what happened to him. Is it worse to find his corpse, or never find him at all? My mother might know what to do, but I have a feeling she’ll just contact the authorities. She would lose business and maybe even face police harassment, but I don’t think that would stop her. She wouldn’t want another mother to go through the horror of not knowing what had happened to her child. I tongue the welt inside my cheek and watch Javi make his slow way in circles around the yard. The stone will keep him in a state of suspended animation, never growing, never needing to eat or sleep. Never getting worse, but never getting better, either. He’ll be nine years old forever . . . or rather, for as long as the stone lasts. What if it were Mariposa who had gone missing? Would I rather she not be found? Or would I want a chance to say goodbye? Mariposa arrives half an hour after I send the text. She must have parked down the street and walked because she comes through the woods. I can see the bobbing light of her cellphone flashlight through the trees. I take Javi by the hand and wait for her. She steps over the wall into the yard and spots me, then comes to a dead stop. She keeps the flashlight pointing down at the ground, and I think it’s because she’s afraid to look at Javi directly. “Is he . . . ?” she says. “Is it . . . gruesome?” I look down at Javi. Apart from his eyes, he just appears to be sleepwalking. The few beats of his heart have cleared a bit of the bruising away, forcing his sluggish blood to circulate. “No,” I say. She raises the flashlight a little. The light dances over my feet, then up a bit until it’s shining on Javi’s face. He doesn’t respond to the light at all; doesn’t even seem to notice it. There is a long pause, as if Mariposa is steeling herself. Then she comes forward. She reaches out and touches his cheek, then flinches back. “He’s cold,” she says. Her voice is tight, as if she can barely force the words out. I say nothing. She reaches out again. He turns slightly into the touch, maybe responding to the warmth of her hand. She catches her breath at the movement and then pulls him into a hug. “Fuck,” she whispers. “Oh fuck, oh fuck.” He stands in her embrace with the patience of the dead. He doesn’t hug her back, but he doesn’t try to move away, either. Is there something in him that recognizes her? I can’t tell. “I’m so sorry, Javi. So, so, so sorry.” Mariposa rocks, pulling him into her arms like he’s a rag doll. I watch, wishing I could do something, but there’s nothing I can contribute here. “Is it cumulative?” Mariposa asks quietly. “Pardon?” I say. “The stones. If you gave him more, would they help? What if you gave him the whole box?” I hesitate. She sees it and goes alert. “Would it be enough?” “I don’t . . . I don’t think so.” I don’t know. It might. Each new stone, erasing a little more of his death. “Let’s do it. Where are they?” I don’t look toward the box. “We can’t. Fill his mouth with stones? One’s hard enough to carry around.” “He’ll be alive, Helena.” She gets to her feet, sweeping the light over the grass. “You keep it outside, don’t you? I saw the dirt on it.” “What happens in a year or two? Use them all now and they’ll all run out at once.” “Can you make more?” She pulls Javi by the hand as she stalks through the grass. “Where did you get them?” “There aren’t any more. This is it.” I chase after her. “Mari, please. You can’t.” She turns to me. “He’s my brother. I can’t leave him like—” She shakes his hand in her grip. “I know,” I say helplessly. “But you can’t fix him, either. You have to let him go.” Her eyes flick over my shoulder. I tense. She lets go of Javi’s hand and darts around me, sprinting for the box. It’s still laying on top of the pile of dirt where I left it, the wood pale against the dark mud. I run for it, too, and we both arrive at the same time. Her hand knocks the box over and it spills into the dirt. She scrambles to pick up the stones but I just go for her hands, trying to grab her wrists. “Mari, no,” I beg. “I can’t spare them all. I need them.” “I’ll scream,” she says. “I’ll tell everyone I found Javi at your house.” “Mari—” “I’ll—” She stops and looks at me. “Need them for what?” “We don’t have many left,” I say. “Helena. What do you need them for.” Her voice is very flat because she already knows. I tongue the welt inside my cheek where the stone has rubbed my flesh raw. “I was only gone for a couple hours,” I say. “I had a heart condition. My mother found me.” Her wrists lie still in my grip. She’s not fighting me anymore. She’s just watching me, her eyes wide. “These are all the years I have left,” I say. “Please let go of me,” she says. I do. She opens her hands and lets the stones fall onto the dirt. Her expression shifts slowly from shocked to angry, and then to cold. “Why do you get a second chance and he doesn’t?” she asks quietly. “What makes you deserve that?” “I don’t know,” I say. She rises to her feet, leaving the stones on the ground. Javi has wandered halfway across the yard. She goes to him and takes his hand. She doesn’t say anything to me as she leads him out of the yard. My mother finds me sitting at the kitchen table the next morning, resting my head on the smooth wood surface. She rubs my back and then goes to the percolator to start a pot going. The TV is on mute. The news flashes back and forth between pictures of Javi when he was alive and footage of an ambulance moving slowly away from the edge of the forest. The words “Body of missing boy found by search team” scroll at the bottom of the screen. “Hard night?” she says. I roll my eyes up to look at her. “I heard a bit of it near the end, when you two got loud.” She looks over her shoulder at me, pulling a new filter out of the bag. “I’d have come out if I thought it was necessary.” “I didn’t want to tell her like that,” I mumble. She sighs. “It wasn’t the best way to go about it, no.” For a few minutes there’s nothing but the sound of cooking breakfast. Mom hums as she works, fixing her coffee just right. “Why did I deserve a second chance?” I say finally. She pauses in the middle of spooning grounds into the filter. “Oh, hon,” she says. She puts down the spoon and sits in the chair next to mine, wrapping an arm around me. I lean back against her shoulder. “You deserved it because you’re a good person and I love you,” she says. “And because I’m selfish and didn’t want to lose you. I had the option of bringing you back. Most people don’t.” “I could have given her Javi, if she’d taken all the stones,” I say. “I’m not willing to give you up yet,” she replies. “I know you love Mariposa, but I don’t think it would have been doing her a favor.” “She’ll never speak to me again.” “Maybe. Maybe it’s a good thing, learning to let someone go.” Her voice is sad. She rubs her hand through my hair. It hasn’t grown since I died two years ago. My nails are stubby and short and will never get any longer. I’m stuck in the same body I was in when I died. “I never did have the knack for it.” END "Smooth Stones and Empty Bones" was originally published in the January/February 2016 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine and is copyright Bennett North, 2016. This recording is a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license which means you can share it with anyone you’d like, but please don’t change or sell it. Our theme is “Aurora Borealis” by Bird Creek, available through the Google Audio Library. You can support GlitterShip by checking out our Patreon at patreon.com/keffy, subscribing to our feed, or by leaving reviews on iTunes. Thanks for listening, and we’ll be back soon with a GlitterShip original by Andrea Tang.
We live in a fast-paced society and at the end of a long day it can be all too easy to make a habit of grabbing food to go. Remember that your children are watching the everyday choices the adults in their lives make. If Mom and Dad frequent the drive through, the children might think it’s a healthy habit too. Continue Reading Money Moment: Money Saving Tips While on the Go
Topic Introduction I was going through my archives of pedcasts the other day and I came across a gem--an interview pedcast with one of my excellent pediatric nurse practitioners, Anne Gessner. Anne is not only a great nurse practitioner but also a certified lactation expert with a lot of experience. She and I talked about various issues surrounding breast milk and I would like to summarize the excellent information that she gave my listeners and I. If you are looking for practical advice about production, storage, and use of breast milk, you've come to the right place. Breast Pumps 101 First, let's talk about breast pumps. The fact is, many mothers don't need one. Most babies are excellent at nursing and getting the nutrition they need unless they are born prematurely, are sick just after birth, or have other special health conditions like a neurologic condition, motor difficulties with sucking, or a structural problem like cleft lip or palate. Certainly for these families, a breast pump is essential equipment. There are also other situations where a breast pump is great to have. For instance, if Mom expects short periods of separation from her baby on a very intermittent basis, an inexpensive hand pump may be adequate. This type of pump is slow and tiring to use, but can get the job done for very occasional use. The nice thing about a hand breast pump is that they are very inexpensive. If Mom is going to be away from her baby for longer periods of time however, perhaps working outside the home, Anne and I recommend that you invest in an electric, double pump, manufactured by a quality company that has been in the business for a long time. These pumps will cost $200-$300 dollars, but they are well built, durable, and will hold up for the long haul. Remember, this little pump is going to get a lot of use. For those families that find themselves with a baby who is not a very good feeder like a premature baby, a hospital grade double electric pump may be needed. These pumps are very expensive, costing around $2000 but fortunately they can be rented. These pumps are excellent and worth the rental fee. And remember, under the Obamacare law, insurance companies are required to cover the cost of a breast pump. Take advantage of that opportunity if you think it will help you be successful breastfeeding. Handling Breast Milk Ok, now that you have mastered the pumping process, you need to learn how to handle and store breast milk so that your baby gets the maximum benefits of this wonderful food. Remember, breast milk is a powerful substance that has living cells that actually is capable of cleaning itself and maintaining its power and cleanliness. If some bacteria starts to grow in expressed milk, the milk actually protects itself from spoiling. Amazing. Storing it properly is not only a safety issue but is an attempt to preserve the good stuff that is in milk, the antibodies and living part of breast milk. While the data can sometimes be confusing, here is the consensus among experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics and the La Leche League with regards to the shelf life of expressed breast milk. Pumped breast milk that is kept at room temperature should be consumed in 3-7 hours. If the milk has been stored in the refrigerator, it should be used within 3-7 days, and if it has been frozen since production, it should be given to your baby within 6-12 months. An easy way to remember these times is the rule of 5s. Fresh breast milk, kept at room temperature, should be consumed within 5 hours, milk that has been cooled in the frig should be consumed within 5 days, and frozen breast milk should be used within 5 months. Thawed frozen or warmed refrigerated breast milk should be consumed within an hour of warming. Storage of Breast Milk You may be wondering what is the best kind of container to store expressed milk in. Your choices are bottles or plastic disposable liners made of plastic.
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