Great News!!! - 12:30, Saturday, August 9, 2008 - By John |
A Must Read Novel!!! Just a Season is a luminous story into the life of a man who, in the midst of pain and loss, journeys back in time to reexamine all the important people, circumstances, and intellectual fervor that contributed to the richness of his life. This fictional narrative begins with a grief-stricken father visiting the gravesite of his beloved son who was killed in a tragic accident; a moment that he and no other loving parent should ever have to face. As he sadly gazes at his son's headstone and reads what is inscribed there, the dates 1981 - 2001 bring about an illuminating discovery. The tiny dash that separates the years of one's birth and death represents the whole of a person's life. So if this tiny dash were to tell his life's story, what would it say? In Just a Season, the dash of this man's life is revealed and what emerges from the pages of this book is a legacy of true benevolence and grace. Praise for Just a Season . . . "Just a Season is a thought provoking debut by author, John T. Wills. ...focusing on various topics such as pain, suffering, love and life. The characters and the plot are captured very well. It is very well written from beginning to end. This is one of those books, where you cannot judge the book based on its title and cover." Congratulations well done! -- Afrika Asha Abney ". . . Thank you for your example of tenderness and discipline in what I know is a story of love, delicately shared with readers in a way that says, this life, though brief, is significant. So hold it in highest regard for "the dash" is our legacy to love ones, indeed to the world, which we are blessed to share, albeit, for Just a Season." Excellent! --Sistah Joy, Poet, Cable TV Host "Wills pulls you in from the very first page... Just a Season is a heart-wrenching story about growing up and believing in yourself. I highly recommend this book to young men in high school, trying to find themselves and feeling like they have nowhere to turn." -- Cheryl Hayes, APOOO Book Club "Not since The Color Purple have I read a book that evoked such emotions. John T. Wills possesses the ability to transport the reader directly into the life and struggles of his main characters story. I was educated in a way that did not afford me the benefit of truly understanding the significance of the historical events taught from a stand alone perspective. This book actually touched my heart and inspired me to increase the equity in my "dash"! Excellent -- Tonja Covington "John T. Wills captures male bonding between generations and lets the reader passively watch as family love and closeness unfold on the pages . . ." Outstanding -- A great read -- Cheryl Robinson, Host & Executive Producer of JustAboutBooksTalkShow.com "JUST A SEASON is laced with thought-provoking commentary on the Vietnam War, the assassinations of the 1960s, the migration of crack cocaine into inner-city neighborhoods, and a myriad of other ills that have rocked America. This is a very good piece intertwined with several history lessons spanning many decades." -- Dawn Reeves, RAWSISTAZ "John T. Wills particulars each notion so eloquently that you feel that you're actually right there with him... this is an inflicting history lesson that I believe all African American males should experience." JUST A SEASON is a pivotal read -- Carmen, OOSA ONLINE BOOK CLUB "From the first page you are transported into John's world as if you are there and are experiencing it with him. I am amazed at how John is able to use the events of the time to let you know where you are in time. I felt as if I was teleported... his ability to describe what was going on during that time makes me extremely proud of my heritage. You will come away with a feeling of, now I know why that is. I thoroughly enjoyed 'Just a Season". - Mia L. Haynes "Just a Season is a work of love, respect and honor... A book filled with the wonder of life, and the pain and growth encountered in living it." Outstanding! -- Ron Watson, Editor, New Book Reviews.Org "in the final analysis the tiny little dash represents the whole of a person's life . If someone, for whatever reason, were to tell the story concealed within my dash. What might they say? ". A thought provoking and powerful read that will forever resonate within my soul . . . Speechless . . . Carron Visit: http://www.justaseason.com/ to read excerpts, reviews in there entirity and much more. I would greatly appreciate you're sharing this message and my pages (www.myspace.com/justaseason) with your friends in support of this effort. I humbly thank you for your support.
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My new blog - 06:35, Monday, November 12, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
This is the last post on this blog, welcome to visit my new one!  |
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A musical car? - 03:09, Saturday, November 10, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
 When I was small piano's were something for the rich. I had to be satisfied with a recorder (which I was indeed). But nowadays people give away their piano's because they can't get rid of them otherwise. I found an add on the internet: a piano for free, in our town. As my husband plays piano and our daughter wants to, I called and could get it. An old one with a beautiful sound and subtle decoration. I found a remover firm that had some time left and who could pick up the piano. BUT. The couldn't get it into the house. Both our front and backdoors have some steps up with a fence. The piano can't pass these obstacles! They put it beside our car in the garage. |
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My New Travel Blog - 12:21, Friday, November 9, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
BlogSince some weeks I have been working hard on my new, professional blog for travelagent Openjet. This one is in Dutch, and sooo cool to do. I am almost addicted to it and could sit hours and days on end to investigate and write about travelling issues. Unfortunately I have other things to do too. Anyway it's so wonderful to have work that you love. Can't wait till Tuesday ...! (Monday is a Bahá'í Holy Day: than we celebrate the birthday of Bahá'u'lláh). Look at my Openjet Blog. |
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Halloween - 01:54, Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
 Today is Halloween night. The doorbell rang and we were a little unprepared. Who opens, etc? But before we could open, we heard some loud bangs. I opened and just saw a skeleton run away shouting: 'twas not me, twas not me!' Whoever it was, he or she left a nice footprint on our door. Halloween is a new 'tradition' in Sweden and they have translated 'Trick or Treat' into 'Treat or Mischief'. I mean litterally they say it that way. Halloween maybe fun for parties or so (our son is attending such a one). But ringing or banging on doors asking/forcing people to give something comes too close to begging. For Bahá'ís it's forbidden to beg or to give to beggars. Begging has to be cleaned away from humanity, just like slavery. Bahá'ís are encouraged to support themselves and their families, ànd we are encouraged to give to the poor. |
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The King and his Four Wives - 04:48, Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives.
He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another. He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times. The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her! One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone." Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!", replied the 4th wife, and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart. The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!", replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!" His heart sank and turned cold. He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!", replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave." Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated. Then a voice called out: "I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect. Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!" In truth, we all have the 4 wives in our lives: Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die. Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others. Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave. And our 1st wife is our Soul - often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout Eternity. Pass this on to someone you care about - I just did. Have a nice day |
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Routines - 11:13, Saturday, October 27, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
| I love routines. My routines make me feel satisfied and secure. I also accomplish a lot more when I follow my routines. Especcialy my morningroutines are wonderful. You'll soon understand why. As soon as I wake up I say a prayer and read a line from the Holy Writings of Bahá'u'lláh (who is the Manifestation of God for the time we live in). Than soon my husband comes with the newspaper, which I read while our son crawls in under the blanket beside me. He's 10 now. I wonder how long he'll go on whith that. After that I do my morning excersises, have breakfast, make coffee and turn on the computer to see what's new. My husband serves me my cup. Only after my coffee I am really awake. I get dressed and bike with my son to his school. I'm back at 8 and do some householdwork and at 9 I start my job which I do at home (translating and writing). Having routines doesn't make one's life stiff or so. I even believe they make my life more flexible because every thing has its own 'pocket'. Not only my day is devided in such pockets, also my weeks, years, and even my lifetime. Some things you do only once namely, I don't know whether you can call it 'routines' but things like: get born, schoolperiod, job, marriage, get babies, pilgrimage, get old and die. |
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Boys Name OWAIN - 02:40, Thursday, October 25, 2007 - By Anton |
| There are several theories on the origins of this name: it could be a Welsh form of EUGENE; it could be derived from either of the Welsh elements oen "lamb" or eoghunn "youth"; or it could be related to Esos, the name of a Celtic god. In Arthurian legend Owain, also called Yvain, was one of the knights of the Round Table, the son of King Urien and the slayer of the knight of the fountain. |
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Categories? - 03:51, Thursday, October 25, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
| Hello, where are my categories? I had all my entries ordered in categories, but since some time they just disappeared in the open air. Sorry for this. I hope to find out where they are. |
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Girls Name ANNA - 04:32, Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - By Anton |
| Let's start from not the most unique girl name. Mut it's the name of my wife! :) Girls name Anna: Latinate form of name HANNAH. It appears briefly in the New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. It was also borne by an 18th-century empress of Russia and by the main character in Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina', a woman forced to choose between her son and her lover. |
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The Birthday of the Bab - 03:12, Sunday, October 21, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
  Our guestsThe new era we live in all started with the Báb, Manifestation of God. Today all Bahá'ís celebrated his birthday (1819). In our little town we were two families who came together for saying some prayers, socializing and looking at a film we recently received by mail from South Africa (ordered and paid over the net). This professionally made film shows how the Bahá'í faith changes people and through that is busy changing the world. Have a look yourself, and if you like it you can purchase it here for 20$ all included. |
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10! - 04:49, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
 Our son had his 10th birthday today! |
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We are too rich! - 01:25, Monday, October 15, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
| Blog Action Day! Here, in the industrial world we work too hard and are too rich. We cannot take care of our world when we think that our jobs and the things we own are the most important things. In the years we lived in Latvia, right after the fall of the Iron Curtain, we were poor. Everyone around us was poor. In this period we learned that a human being can live with 10 % of what people in the western part of the world think they need. I am not a communist, I'm not involved in any politics whatsoever. But I do think that we can learn something the way people lived in the former Soviet Union. There was for instance a real minimum of waste from the households. You didn't throw away almost anything.  Buying meat on the market, Liepaja around 1993
 One garbagecontainer for the whole neighbourhood, Latvia around 1993 Do you see the cat?
Those years have been very happy years for us. You learn how to find happiness in small things. We danced of thankfulness when the water returned after a day of dry taps. Most of all you find happiness in the relationships with people (and animals) in stead of material things.  Happy pregnant me in my little kitchen in Latvia, 1993 |
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Had a nice day - 04:08, Saturday, October 13, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
| This morning still sleepy on the sofa I read in the newspaper that someone thinks I talk nonsense. Good mooorniiing. Than the phone rang and my colleague asked my advise about some translation. Than the phone rang again and a dear friend asked my advise for her garden. While I was preparing for a Ruhi meeting in our home, the bell rang. Two kind ladies with some 'Wake Up' magazines. I thanked them and gave them a Bahá'í pamphlet in return. In the afternoon we had our last Ruhi-book 1 meeting. We studied life after death and the meaning of life. Serious matters, but we still had a lot of fun. We decided to go on with Ruhi-book 2, which is about service to mankind. |
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Henna - 05:59, Wednesday, October 10, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
| I had just come out of the shower with my head full of henna and wrapped in some towels. Than the phone rang. I could hardly understand anything because of these towels, so I put the white receiver under them. Now I heard. It was the local TV, who had rung the wrong number. She was supposed to have called the Muslims. BUT. She got very interested, when I told her that I certainly believed in Muhammed, but was a Bahá'í. She asked if I would be home today, so she can contact me later. Wow. Don't ask me how the receiver looked like. |
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I seem to be a ... - 01:06, Tuesday, October 9, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
 The text could be true, but I am not a man. A pity that they only come with male illustrations, as if only that half of humanity blogs. Do you blog too? Try this little quiz! |
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Unity in Diversity or I Am Right - 02:50, Tuesday, October 9, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
| One week ago this column by me appeared in our local (Swedish) newspaper. Yesterday someone's answer was published. Sorry, I won't translate everything to English. To say it short, I stated that all worldreligions come from the same God, Who releases new teachings and rules for mankind every now and then (with an elapse of around 1000 years). You can check this. The critisism I get is that I should have stated that all religions are the same. This is not what I said. In contrary I said that we can all live in unity in diversity. Accept each other's religions as part of the beauty of the whole, like a garden with different trees, plants and shrubs. |
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The Big Contest - 08:27, Sunday, October 7, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
Two of my personal goals:
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Aaaaaaaah - 02:15, Friday, October 5, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
We took a photo in Israel of this fine cat, which I put on Flickr: Then Dragfyre discovered MC Saindon's photo of the same cat, taken some week later:  |
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Pilgrimage Photo's - 03:02, Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - By Margo Åkermark |
 I've put some more photo's from our pilgrimage to the Holy Land in my files on Flickr. These show mostly the different houses in Akká and Bahjí where Bahá'u'lláh has lived, and His Shrine. Welcome to have a look.
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