As a successful writer, keynote speaker, consultant, and seminar leader, Debrena Jackson Gandy has helped thousands of African-American women access their inner power and live life more joyfully and boldly. All the Joy You Can Stand: 101 Sacred Power Principles for Making Joy Real in Your Life is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to her best-seller, Sacred Pampering Principles. This engaging, thought-provoking book features 101 Power Principles that will help you tap into what brings you joy in your life and give you the spiritual tools to manifest the desires of your heart, including how to:Discover Your Sacred SelfStrengthen Your Gratitude MusclesIntegrate Renewal Into Your LifeBe a Sensuous WomanFree Your Creative GeniusCultivate Your IntuitionBecome a Spiritual GardenerBe the Architect of Your LifeExpand Your Joy Threshold Using insightful stories from her own life, as well as the lives of her readers, friends, and seminar and lecture participants, Debrena Jackson Gandy has written an uplifting and transformational get-real guide for women who want to develop their spiritual strength and actualize their divine potential. Whether it's freeing your spirit by learning to release and forgive, or discovering how to more gracefully move through life's cycles and seasons, here are proven answers for some of life's most difficult questions. Prepare to be challenged and to ask yourself, "How much joy can I stand?" For as Debrena says, the more joy you can stand, the more joy God gives you.
What separates happy marriages from miserable ones? Surprisingly, it’s not healthy communication. It’s not conflict resolution skills. It’s actually the size of the marriage’s joy gap . Joy Gap/joi gap/ (n.)-1. The length of time between moments of shared joy When the joy gap gets bigger, problems are more likely to overwhelm you, resentment creeps in, and you start to feel distant and alone in your marriage. When the joy gap is smaller, you regularly feel connected and happy, problems feel manageable, and your marriage becomes a reliable source of joy. But how do you ensure that you’re experiencing joy regularly? Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey have studied relationships (and neuroscience) and discovered four habits that keep joy regular and problems small. Some couples do them naturally, but anyone can learn. That’s why each chapter includes 15-minute exercises that boost joy and re-train your brain to make joy your default setting. You’ll learn new skills including how to: return to joy more quickly after disconnection create stronger bonds and elongate times of happiness boost your enjoyment of physical and emotional intimacy Find out what your marriage looks like after a little work and a whole lot of joy.
For fans of David Sedaris and Nora Ephron, a humorous, irreverent, and poignant look at the gifts, stereotypes, and inevitable challenges of aging, based on award-winning journalist Steven Petrow's wildly popular New York Times essay, "Things I'll Do Differently When I Get Old." Soon after his 50th birthday, Petrow began assembling a list of “things I won’t do when I get old”—mostly a catalog of all the things he thought his then 70-something year old parents were doing wrong. That list, which included “You won’t have to shout at me that I’m deaf,” and “I won’t blame the family dog for my incontinence,” became the basis of this rousing collection of do’s and don’ts, wills and won’ts that is equal parts hilarious, honest, and practical. The fact is, we don’t want to age the way previous generations did. “Old people” hoard. They bore relatives—and strangers alike—with tales of their aches and pains. They insist on driving long after they’ve become a danger to others (and themselves). They eat dinner at 4pm. They swear they don’t need a cane or walker (and guess what happens next). They never, ever apologize. But there is another way... In Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old, Petrow candidly addresses the fears, frustrations, and stereotypes that accompany aging. He offers a blueprint for the new old age, and an understanding that aging and illness are not the same. As he writes, “I meant the list to serve as a pointed reminder—to me—to make different choices when I eventually cross the threshold to ‘old.’” Getting older is a privilege. This essential guide reveals how to do it with grace, wisdom, humor, and hope. And without hoarding. Praise for Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old: “Unbelievably witty and relatable, I alternated bursting into laughter and placing my hand over my face in horror thinking, Oh my God, is that me? I often say, at this age we have something young people can never have…wisdom. My dear friend, Steven Petrow, has wisdom to share in this honest, funny, wry guide to keep us young at heart, without desperately hanging onto our youth. I am buying this book for all of my friends!” —Suzanne Somers, New York Times bestselling author of A New Way to Age “Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old is an irreverent, funny, honest look at aging and all the things we take for granted as normal parts of aging. They don’t need to be. If you struggle with getting older and want to find a fresh perspective on lessons learned about what NOT to do as we age, and what TO do to stay young in heart, spirit, mind and body, read this book.” —Mark Hyman, MD, #1 New York Times bestseller author of The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet, and Head of Strategy and Innovation at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. “Steven Petrow resolved to do things differently than his parents had when he gets old because he wished they’d been able to enjoy life more. His solution? He created a list! In this book, he shares the secrets to living a full life regardless of our age. It's all about the decisions we make every day. My advice in a nutshell: Read this book and keep it handy.” —“Dear Abby” (Jeanne Phillips), nationally syndicated advice columnist “It’s never too early to imagine what your life will look like as you age. And as I once wrote, ‘We are not hostages to our fate.’ Petrow’s book will help you plan, think, and redefine what it means to get older—and even laugh while doing it.” —Andrew Weil, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Spontaneous Healing and Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being “Steven Petrow not only has a great attitude about life, he is wise about how to live it. Like me, he says we should embrace our one life 100% and not let a number—our age—get in the way of anything! Steven’s book will help you rethink the word “aging” and approach this next chapter with a positive and proactive attitude. Plus, this book is fun!” —Denise Austin, renowned fitness expert, author, and columnist “Steven’s writing feels like sitting with a friend—one who is unusually gracious, warm and frank.” —Carolyn Hax, author of the nationally syndicated advice column, Carolyn Hax Praise for Steven Petrow: "Steven Petrow's Complete Gay & Lesbian Manners helps gays and straights navigate the subtleties of the same-sex world." —People "Move over, Emily Post! When it comes to etiquette for members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community—as well as their straight friends, family members and coworkers--author and journalist Steven Petrow is the authority." —TIME "What could've easily become a novelty book has emerged as an exhaustively researched, essential resource thanks to advice columnist and etiquette expert Steven Petrow." —The Advocate "From having kids to planning funerals, Steven Petrow's Complete Gay & Lesbian Manners has most facets of gay life covered. Ms. Post would approve." —Entertainment Weekly "An indispensable refresher course...on what's proper in modern...life." —Kirkus Reviews
A big book of manners for the more than 15 million lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the United States and Canada and the people who love them, work with them, and live with them. Written by Steven Petrow, the go-to authority on the subject—he’s the same-sex wedding expert at The New York Times and a columnist for The Huffington Post, Yahoo’s Shine, GayWeddings.com, and the “Q” Syndicate (with distribution to more than 100 LGBT newspapers and websites)—this is the definitive book of LGBT etiquette. Encyclopedic in its approach, filled with practical wisdom, lively wit, and much insight, Steven Petrow’s Complete Gay & Lesbian Manners covers everything: from coming out to being out in the workplace; from dealing with the joy and complexity of same-sex weddings and commitment ceremonies (including how to propose and write meaningful vows) to handling the legal paperwork every couple needs. There’s a chapter on sex etiquette, and another on the challenges and opportunities of raising a family, plus sections on travel, bullying, entertaining, meeting new friends, introducing your partner to your family, a primer on gay pride, and so much more. Throughout there are hundreds of questions—some posed by LGBT folk, and others by straight people: What do the mothers of two brides wear to a lesbian wedding? What do you say to an anti-gay joke? How do you answer “Who’s the father?” when there are two mothers? Manners, yes, but with a twist. **In recognition of Quality, Excellence, and Design, this ebook has been granted a QED seal of approval from Digital Book World.**
These beautiful pages invite you to pick up your brush and grow. Kristy Rice's joy-focused approach to watercolor art has won the hearts of fans worldwide, and with this journal Rice offers ways for all levels of painters to make "art for joy's sake" and simultaneously paint a personal keepsake or add beauty to your inspiration wall. Includes 10 illustrations ready to be watercolored on thick, textured paper, alongside full-color tear out reproductions of the same works painted by Kristy herself, demonstrating palette choices and brushwork. Enrich your art with "prompt" ideas to inspire your painting's growth; pages with no-stress exercises for techniques; inspirational artwork and quotations; and even a few recipes for nourishing your body along with your spirit! Each item in the Artisan series is designed to offer a specially crafted watercolor discovery glowing with Kristy Rice's creative touch. Also in the series: Watercolor Cards: Kristy Rice Designs.
Rick Joy's reputation as one of the country's most gifted designers, whose mining of materials and site create transcendent, even poetic buildings, was established in his first book, Desert Works. This follow-up, Studio Joy Works, marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of his firm's founding and continues the careful documentation of the growing body of his important work, including houses in Vermont and California, his first public project, a train station in Princeton, New Jersey, and residences abroad in Mexico and Turks and Caicos. The projects in this book are further contextualized with an essay by Joy and spectacular photographs.
Encourage kids to live out loud and be their truest selves with this picture book from host of So You Think You Can Dance and mom Cat Deeley. Dream big, as big as the night sky full of stars. When you discover the things you love, you’ll find true joy. Journey through a magical world, filled with a colorful cast of animals, where readers have endless opportunities to be themselves and find freedom in expression. They will delight in the silly humor and undeniable spirit of this rhythmic picture book—and take to heart the message that they are enough exactly as they are! Cat Deeley’s debut is the perfect gift for baby showers, birthday parties, and moving-up ceremonies. Its cozy illustrations also make it an ideal bedtime book that you can read to your little one.
A gorgeous, easy-to-follow, and inspiring guide to stunningly realistic botanical drawing that covers everything you need to draw our natural world. Achieve amazingly realistic and vibrant botanical illustrations, from flowers so dazzling you feel as if you might be able to smell them, to tomatoes that look as if they've just been picked from the garden. Wendy Hollender is known for her vivid, detailed, and inspiring illustrations and in The Joy of Botanical Drawing, she helps you take your art to the next level by sharing her perfected techniques through short lessons that start simple, then build on the basics with easy-to-use and clear step-by-step illustrations. Using colored pencils and watercolor pencils, Hollender shows you how to accomplish scientifically accurate botanical portraits of a spiraling pine cone, a spiky chestnut, a fuchsia-tined radish, a graceful morning glory, and many more. From colorful leaves to delicate petals to textured bark and slender stems, The Joy of Botanical Drawing will give you the skills to complete lifelike drawings while also enjoying nature and the mindfulness of a regular drawing practice.
Foreword by Fearne Cotton. The Joy Journal for Magical Everyday Play by Laura Brand showcases fifty engaging activities for creative, everyday playtime to encourage a connection to nature, sense of joy and bonding with your kids, while nurturing your own inner child too. The activities are mindful, creative and, crucially, very easy things to make and do with children that you will enjoy as much as they will. From moon sand to flower soup and nature wands there are short, long, loud and quiet activities to take you from morning to evening – each with a focus on the risk factors: volume of effort vs child engagement and mess. Laura Brand has been testing these while writing and raising her two-under-two, and shares the happy accidents and road blocks she’s hit along the way in honest, open and often funny introductions to each of the exercises. This beautiful handbook will help you to inject fun, mindfulness and craft into bath-times, rainy afternoons, long journeys and play dates and to resist (as much as possible!) the temptation to succumb to screen time. Chapters take you through the seasons, with indoor, outdoor and on-the-go activities that are easy and fun every day. The Joy Journal will arm you with a variety of fun, focussed activities made with store cupboard and easily foraged supplies that you can turn to time and again.
My father is one of the most prolific preacher I have ever meet. One would be astonish at the wisdom that pours from him in conversation. I anticipated this book for many years because I suspected his writings would humble the strongest part of our existence (our wisdom) what I thought I knew about faith or trust was humbled after reading one chapter. His explanation takes you from faith to decision then back to faith. He deals with the emotions of walking in faith most would be afraid to mention. Its a must read. It introduced me to myself. Now Im really ready to make right desicions and walk by faith. dad. I love you Bishop Hurricane Johnson Dr. Thompson is a man of incredible wisdom he have inspired and trained myself and many young ministers to preach the gospel. I am proud to have him as my father not only spiritually, but naturally. Decisions are the things we are faced with on a daily basis. Dr. Thompson has the proclivity to tap into the depths of the problem and come up with an answer that is mind blowing. We style him as Dr. Wisdom. Thanks Dad for your incredible knowledge this book is a Wow! Just read it. Your son, Bishop Jr. Thompson There is not a day that goes by that we are not faced with a Decision, most of which we are challenged by and are in need of professional counsel. Dr. T.G. Thompson helps us to gain access to the best life possible and he gives positive insight for making better decisions. The Joy of Making Right Decisions is a person formula for success and fulfillment. Dr. T.G. Thompson opens the door to much needed wisdom and experience thats lacking in this generation and provides information that can revolutionize its readers mind forever. Get ready to elevate, expand and enlarge your capacity for making better Decisions because the answers that you need are all in this astonishing book, read it and be blessed. Great job Dad! -Dr. Torrey Phillips St. Mark MBC Quincy Florida
