Words from the Heart

My Dad's Boot Camp Cohort - Great Lakes John Henry Neas, Jr.  My Dad survived WWII, returning home after the Japanese signed the surrender. He saw service in both sides of the globe.  First, in Normandy, and then in the South Pacific. Dad didn't talk much about the war. Like most veterans of his generation, the stories didn't come to light until their elder years, and then, usually when around their shipmates and comrades in arms. I've written before of the stories Dad told me. Some tear at your heart and others make you laugh. The photos below are of his last ship, the USS Hyman. This was the ship that he was aboard during the kamikaze attack in which he barely escaped death.  This is the ship where the surrender was signed for the small Pacific island of Pohnpei.   Pohnpei is where the missionary wife sewed an American flag under the noses of her Japanese captors, believing with all her heart that the allies would liberate the island. The...

I have as a guest Rev. Teal L. Gray, N.D. , who has recently released a new book, Spirited Tales. This book is an anthology of stories by several authors of whom I am honored to be included.  I wanted to share the book with you all, but also share more about Teal and why she wrote and compiled this book. What do you say to people who wonder how a Christian Minister writes in the genre of Horror and the Paranormal?  I explain that the Horror story defines good and evil very clearly for the reader, often as a cautionary tale. No other genre allows for spiritual and religious content more than horror. We all must navigate through this world and not everything or everyone is good or even honestly represented. You need to be knowledgeable about all the elements of the spirit world you are navigating through.  You wouldn’t go on a hike in unknown territory without familiarizing yourself with what type of animals, insects, snakes, and weather it has there would you?...