Every day is filled with opportunities to seize joy. Yet true joy cannot be forced. It springs from the hearts of those who are content, grateful, and at peace with themselves, with others, and with God. Though trials and challenges are a part of every life, joy can be developed, cultivated, and then practiced on a daily basis. Karen O'Connor offers seven keys to finding true joy in Squeeze the Moment. Learn how to look at life in a fresh way, full of gratitude to God, and to squeeze the moments--the happy ones, the tragic ones, the predictable ones, and the unexpected ones--for all they're worth.
Every day is filled with opportunities to seize joy. Yet true joy cannot be forced. It springs from the hearts of those who are content, grateful and at peace with themselves, with others and with God. Though trials and challenges are a part of every life, joy can be developed, cultivated, and then practiced on a daily basis. Karen O’Connor offers seven keys to finding true joy in Squeeze the Moment. Learn how to look at life in a fresh way, full of gratitude to God, and to squeeze the moments—the happy ones, the tragic ones, the predictable ones and the unexpected ones—for all they’re worth.
“If you could use some wild escapism right now, Hiaasen is your guy.” —Janet Maslin, The New York Times From the author of Skinny Dip and Razor Girl, a hilarious, New York Times best-selling novel of social and political intrigues, set against the glittering backdrop of Florida’s gold coast. It's the height of the Palm Beach charity ball season: for every disease or cause, there's a reason for the local luminaries to eat (minimally), drink (maximally), and be seen. But when a prominent high-society dowager suddenly vanishes during a swank gala, and is later found dead in a concrete grave, panic and chaos erupt. Kiki Pew was notable not just for her wealth and her jewels--she was an ardent fan of the Winter White House resident just down the road, and a founding member of the POTUSSIES, a group of women dedicated to supporting their President. Never one to miss an opportunity to play to his base, the President immediately declares that Kiki was the victim of rampaging immigrant hordes. This, it turns out, is far from the truth. The truth might just lie in the middle of the highway, where a bizarre discovery brings the First Lady's motorcade to a grinding halt (followed by some grinding between the First Lady and a love-struck Secret Service agent). Enter Angie Armstrong, wildlife wrangler extraordinaire, who arrives at her own conclusions after she is summoned to the posh island to deal with a mysterious and impolite influx of huge, hungry pythons . . . Carl Hiaasen can brighten even the darkest of days and Squeeze Me is pure, unadulterated Hiaasen. Irreverent, ingenious, and highly entertaining, Squeeze Me perfectly captures the absurdity of our times.
It happens to everyone: an “aha moment,” an epiphany, or serendipity. But perhaps we didn’t recognize it was no coincidence; rather, it was a “holy moment,” God at work in the details of everyday life. Maybe it was a timely phone call, a chance meeting, an unexpected windfall or a friend saying something when needed. Holy moments happen all the time! It’s up to us, however, to recognize them. Lenya Heitzig knows how to search out these holy moments, and she wants to help others spot them, too. Through personal stories, Scripture and beautiful photography, she explores ways to see God’s presence in ordinary events and occurrences. Then, in five biblical steps, she helps readers appreciate and recognize God at work. Find out how ordinary situations can have extraordinary outcomes through recognizing these simple holy moments!
No other instrument has witnessed such a dramatic rise to popularity--and precipitous decline--as the accordion. Squeeze This! is the first history of the piano accordion and the first book-length study of the accordion as a uniquely American musical and cultural phenomenon. Ethnomusicologist and accordion enthusiast Marion Jacobson traces the changing idea of the accordion in the United States and its cultural significance over the course of the twentieth century. From the introduction of elaborately decorated European models imported onto the American vaudeville stage and the instrument's celebration by ethnic musical communities and mainstream audiences alike, to the accordion-infused pop parodies by "Weird Al" Yankovic, Jacobson considers the accordion's contradictory status as both an "outsider" instrument and as a major force in popular music in the twentieth century. Drawing on interviews and archival investigations with instrument builders and retailers, artists and audiences, professionals and amateurs, Squeeze This! explores the piano accordion's role as an instrument of community identity and its varied musical and cultural environments. Jacobson concentrates on six key moments of transition: the Americanization of the piano accordion, originally produced and marketed by sales-savvy Italian immigrants; the transformation of the accordion in the 1920s from an exotic, expensive vaudeville instrument to a mass-marketable product; the emergence of the accordion craze in the 1930s and 1940s, when a highly organized "accordion industrial complex" cultivated a white, middle-class market; the peak of its popularity in the 1950s, exemplified by Lawrence Welk and Dick Contino; the instrument's marginalization in the 1960s and a brief, ill-fated effort to promote the accordion to teen rock 'n' roll musicians; and the revival beginning in the 1980s of the accordion as a "world music instrument" and a key component for cabaret and burlesque revivals and pop groups such as alternative experimenters They Might Be Giants and polka rockers Brave Combo. Loaded with dozens of images of gorgeous instruments and enthusiastic performers and fans, Squeeze This! A Cultural History of the Accordion in America represents the accordion in a wide range of popular and traditional musical styles, revealing the richness and diversity of accordion culture in America.
Getting older is portrayed in the media as something to dread! We use Botox, color our hair, dress younger, go on special diets...anything we can do to put off the inevitable. But rather than fearing aging, it's time to embrace it, says popular speaker Karen O'Connor. We can handle the aging process and its blessings and burdens with grace, gratitude, and grit! By looking at seven areas of life-faith, family, friends, finances, fitness, food, and fun-O'Connor shows you how getting older can mean getting better! Learn how to "raise your happiness quotient," change your attitude, and discover the delights of being 50-plus.
Discover the power, joy, and love of living a present, authentic, and intentional life despite a world full of distractions. If technology is the new addiction, then multitasking is the new marching order. We check our email while cooking dinner, send a text while bathing the kids, and spend more time looking into electronic screens than into the eyes of our loved ones. With our never-ending to-do lists and jam-packed schedules, it's no wonder we're distracted. But this isn't the way it has to be. Special education teacher, New York Times bestselling author, and mother Rachel Macy Stafford says enough is enough. Tired of losing track of what matters most in life, Rachel began practicing simple strategies that enabled her to momentarily let go of largely meaningless distractions and engage in meaningful soul-to-soul connections. Finding balance doesn't mean giving up all technology forever. And it doesn't mean forgoing our jobs and responsibilities. What it does mean is seizing the little moments that life offers us to engage in real and meaningful interaction. In these pages, Rachel guides you through how to: Acknowledge the cost of your distraction Make purposeful connection with your family Give your kids the gift of your undivided attention Silence your inner critic Let go of the guilt from past mistakes And move forward with compassion and gratefulness So join Rachel and go hands-free. Discover what happens when you choose to open your heart--and your hands--to the possibilities of each God-given moment.
This volume gathers together cutting-edge research from the Third Workshop on Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics and gives a solid overview of the state of the art in robot algorithms. The papers cover core problems in robotics, such as motion planning, sensor-based planning, manipulation, and assembly planning. They also examine the application o
