Showing results by narrator "Marie Hoffman" in All Categories

Author Joanne Steen tackles the subject that terrifies parents of military personnel - the death of their son or daughter on active duty. In short, accessible chapters Gold Star parents find thoughtful explanations and trustworthy advice for coping with military grief. Steen weaves together realistic examples with voices of other Gold Star parents, connecting the listeners to the wisdom of those parents who have walked in their shoes.

Kacey Chance is a former actress turned detective. Luckily for her, acting skills come in handy during investigations. Kacey's latest assignment is to investigate a suspicious workplace accident. The victim, who worked at local hangout Rockburger, is seeking a large cash settlement. A stakeout at the victim's residence reveals nosy neighbors and colorful roommates who drop hints that nothing about this accident is quite as it appears.

Rudyard Kipling’s best loved book, full of timeless and beloved tales of adventure. The story of Mowgli, the abandoned "man-cub" who is brought up by wolves in the jungles of Central India, is one of the greatest literary myths ever created. As he embarks on a series of thrilling escapades, Mowgli encounters such unforgettable creatures as the bear Baloo, the graceful black panther Bagheera, and Shere Khan, the tiger with the blazing eyes.

Many Americans believe that their own government is guilty of shocking crimes. Although paranoia has been a feature of the American scene since the birth of the Republic, in Real Enemies, Kathryn Olmsted tells us that it was only in the 20th century that strange and unlikely conspiracy theories became central to American politics, In particular, she posits World War I as a critical turning point and shows that as the federal bureaucracy expanded, Americans grew more fearful of the government itself.

The massive orphan train exodus whisked three-year-old Teresa from the safety of her New York orphanage, where the worst thing the Foundling nuns did was wash her curly black hair, to a desolate house and cold-hearted "parents" in Kansas. There, she entered a small and strange Volga German world whose inhabitants spoke a language she had never heard. In this odd world, she encountered whippings and sexual abuse. Mail-Order Kid looks at the orphan train movement through the eyes of one small child who yearns to know her "real" mother.

Kilee Brookbank was a typical sixteen-year-old, but her last ordinary day erupted in an explosion that consumed her house, burning forty-five percent of her body and sending her to the brink of death. After thirty-eight days of surgeries, skin grafts, physical therapy, and excruciating pain, Kilee had to discover how to live again. Now a thriving college student, Kilee has become an author, advocate, and philanthropist focused on helping other young burn survivors and their families.

In The Frustrated Dreamer: When Your Dreams Are Bigger Than Your Now, Juanita Jones combines raw, uncut, and unadulterated truths to help you gain an understanding on "the why" that's standing between you and a life with power, purpose, and a plan.

She's spent a good portion of her life in search of happiness - struggling to find her place, and to discover her worth. But if there's one thing Nicole Thomas has figured out, it's that every experience contains an important lesson, and that God has been there for every step along the way. So with that knowledge, she began to blog. From the ins and outs of divorce and child-rearing, to important conversations with friends, her everyday reflections served as a creative outlet.

Are you tired of toddler temper tantrums? Has your school-aged child's misbehavior gotten out of hand? Get ready to discover proven tactics that make it easy to positively change your child's behavior and build a loving, bonding relationship!

I became interested in researching different weight loss information because I needed it for myself. I used to be skinny and could eat anything I wanted without gaining a pound. Then that changed to the point of me struggling just to lose ten pounds. I realized that in a year's time, I had gained 60 pounds. Reality did not hit me until I stepped on a scale. It was heart wrenching.

One of the best time investments in your day is taking five or ten minutes each morning to make sure you look good. This may sound like vanity, or even like an extra burden during busy mornings, but you owe it to yourself to see that you're well groomed and looking your best before you leave the house. Knowing how good you look will make you happier and more confident throughout your day. When you take good care of yourself, you're more likely to be able to focus on your work and take good care of others.

A well told story of one life, multi-faceted and multi-colored. What emerges is sheer enthusiasm, a love of live, and a willingness to follow new paths, but always with a positive attitude. For Miki Bell, a series of events caused her to drop out of school at the young age of 12. Working her way through life as a seamstress, hairdresser, police officer, and immigration officer, all from the ages of 12 - 26, she has managed to capture the hearts of everyone around her.

Many of us in the body of Christ are living below our privileges as sons and daughters of God. We yearn for more in our experience with him but don't know what's missing. In A Widow's Might, Judy Knox reveals the missing element and explains how to get it. Losing her husband due to complications following heart surgery could have been devastating. Instead, Judy's 10 weeks with him in the hospital ICU became a turning point, where she turned from her own strength to God's.

Olivia is now in her sixties and widowed. She had been disillusioned by her parents when she was young and discouraged by her late husband Jack, to follow her dreams. Now when she enters the gazebo that was once a place of romance and intimate moments for Jack and Olivia, she finds it just a place to reminisce about her past life. A mysterious letter not only changes Olivia's thinking, it changes her life in more ways than she could ever imagine.

This story is actually a daily account of a naturalist's years of observing and writing about zoological and insect life on her estate. It takes place in the late 1890s at The Grove, Stanmore, in England, Mrs. Brightwen's very beautiful and secluded estate. Here, there were woods and shrubberies, a lake, and a large garden that offered a field for Mrs. Brightwen's zoological and insect observations. It was not, however, until her 60th year that she began to be a writer.

It has been suggested that the story of a deity suffering, dying, and being resurrected has been told 16 times in the history of mankind. In today's world it seems as if no one is listening. This idea of suffering and resurrection is just one of a handful of ideas that have populated the literature of faith from around the world and throughout the ages. Collected here, and crossing all boundaries, is that wisdom. Put to use in your own life there is no doubt a new spirit will be awakened within you.

Wonderful stories about an enchanting cat and her friends. A great story to read to the very young and detailed enough to provide entertainment for the tween or older reader. Missygirl has no graphics. Instead, the author's descriptive words paint very moving pictures of Missygirl's adventures.

In her spiritual autobiography, Barbara Becker shares her journey of becoming a healer and teacher of love and compassion. In understanding the lessons of forgiveness in herself and others, she learns we are here on Earth to explore the separation from our magnificent self. Enclosure - A Spiritual Autobiography reveals through our choices and creations, we protect ourselves from knowing who we truly are.

Margaret Mohrmann has devoted most of her professional life to caring for children, and in Attending Children she shares the remarkable education those children and their families have given her. Her narratives are both painful and hopeful, tragic and funny, full of remarkable characters and sometimes bizarre families.

Claire and Jim were friends, lovers, and sometimes enemies for 27 years. In order to get health insurance, they finally married, calling their anniversary the "It Means Absolutely Nothing" day. Then Jim was diagnosed with cancer. With ever-decreasing odds of survival, punctuated by arcs of false hope, Jim's deteriorating health altered their well-established independence as they became caregiver and patient, sharing intimacy as close as their own breaths.