Monthly Archives: October 2014

Life

Choosing Death Over Life

The news recently tells of people choosing death over life. One woman has a brain tumor and fears the pain it may bring, and chose to get the pill that will end her life. She plans to choose the day of her death. After losing prominent people to suicide, this is too much.

Life is beautiful. Life is important. Each person is built with the internal drive to maintain and continue life. Until the time of our death we do all in our power to preserve our own lives and the lives of those around us, especially those whom we love.

Life is given by God and He will take us home when it is our time to return to Him. Taking any life continues to be murder, whether another life or your own. There is darkness in the lives of some people that seems overwhelming to the point they choose to end it.

When one faces a disease that in most cases ends in debilitating pain, the desire is to avoid the pain, at any cost. Death seems to be the better choice.

Many men and women choose life in similar and worse situations. They choose to suffer valiantly, to face the pain with love for family, and determine to live the life given them honorably. These men and women are honored for living.

There is no honor in the cowardly choice of giving up, fearing to face the pain and avoiding the lessons of life that come when we confront pain.

Life is our purpose on earth.

In my book, Eve Remembers, Eve considers the pain of losing a child to death. She says:

“Our sorrows multiply. Father told me I would have sorrow in the conception of my children, but I did not understand the sorrow would be greatest with the murder of a child.”

A murdered child is one pain, cancer is another. In either case, there are joys and learning that only come from suffering. Only through pain can some things be learned. I honor those who choose to suffer.

Follow my website: http://www.AngeliqueCongerAuthor.com and learn more about Eve Remembers.

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National Novel Writers Month

It’s Time to Write Again!

It’s the middle of October. I’m becoming anxious to begin writing again.

Last year my sister encouraged me to join National Novel Writers Month, or NaNoWriMo, with the goal to write 50K words in the month of November toward a novel. I was somewhat hesitant to agree, as I had never managed to get more than a chapter written on a novel. I feared I wasn’t able to write something worth reading by others. What would I write?

I remembered a story floating in my brain for years, one I’d tried to write several times before, never successfully. I changed perspective, wrote as if I were her, and easily wrote my 50K words in less than the 30 days of November. I continued writing for another month and ended with over 100,000 words of a first draft.

The last ten months have been spent editing. I realized I was attempting to cover too much time, too much history. That book, Eve Remembers, is now a much more manageable 63,000 words, waiting for a final edit from me, Beta Readers, a professional edit, and a professional cover before I finally trust it to be shared with the world.

Eve Remembers recounts the early life and story of Mother Eve. During the year of writing, she whispered to me the stories of her life. It has been an exceptional, fulfilling year; it will be even better when I see it available for you to buy.

Now, it is nearing November again, time for the mad rush of writing. For a time I wondered ‘what will I write this year’. The last edit of Eve answered the question. If you enjoy reading my first book, other similar books will follow, as part of Ancient Matriarchs Series. Book Two: Into the Light is my November project. Yes, Book Three is planned, as well, Out of the Dark.

I never thought I’d become an author, though I’ve joined most of you in desiring to write a book. I hope my work will be appreciated and accepted by readers.

If you are interested in becoming a Beta Reader, reading an early version of Eve Remembers and commenting on it to give me help in making it perfect; I would love to hear from you! Fill the little form on my website http://www.AngeliqueCongerAuthor.com or send me a note at Angelique@AngeliqueCongerAuthor. I’ll get back to you and make arrangements to get it to you.

Happy reading. I’ll be spending November writing!

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Fear of Muslims, Freedom

Fear of Offense

Something weird is happening to America. We have accepted people of all nations and religions, eventually with joy. We have been called a “melting pot” and a “stew of nations.” In the early years people emigrating from a new location, such as Ireland and Italy, were met with dismay and suspicion. Never, however, did Americans bow down to a new group of people in fear of offense.

Let me say upfront that the tenants of my religion include:

“We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.”

In the history of my religious belief, men and women faced angry mobs intent on killing or ejecting them from their state many times. Even today we face a lack of respect and suspicion.

When I see Facebook memes suggesting Muslims should be forced to give up their sacred women’s clothing, or forced to give up something sacred to them, I cringe and remind my friends this has happened to us. We must be fair, kind, and loving, not fearful.

However, why should we be so condescending to remove all of the things we love that may offend a Muslim? We have had Muslims in our midst for many years, and have not had problems. They have not demanded we take the cleansing packets from Kentucky Fried Chicken, and why should they? If they don’t want it, they don’t have to take it! Yet, some stores are fearful of offense.

In one state, a store helped a city pay for upgrades to a street, earning the right to put up a sign. It included the word “bacon”. I don’t remember who complained, but they had to remove the offensive word. It offended Muslims. This practice continues throughout our country. We fearfully suggest they be ejected, or we do silly things to avoid offense.

Purposely offending others occurs all the time by “comedians” who purposely give offense to everyone as though it is funny. It is not. There is nothing funny about offense. Friends will tease and say hurtful things in jest, and hurt a friendship. Nothing good ever comes from purposeful offense.

Nothing good comes from fearfully attempting to not give offense, either. We have gone too far in this. We live here in this country, too. We have rights, and I am offended by the fear that drives commercial establishments to remove items for that reason!

Most heinous is that communities are denying citizens the right to fly the American flag, as it may “offend” some part of a community! The flag is a symbol of each citizen’s rights to freedom, fought and paid for by our soldier’s blood. We allow others to fly the flags of the country from which they came, but we don’t allow our flag to fly? Ridiculous!!!!

People move expecting certain rights and opportunities in the city, state, or country. The Statue of Liberty and our flag suggest welcoming them, and allowing newcomers to enjoy our freedoms. They come for our culture, our freedom, our opportunities, and then complain about the culture that provides the very freedom and opportunity they crave. I have seen this happen in cities and states. Now it is happening in our beautiful country. People arrive and take advantage of the benefits provided by our culture; the freedoms earned by the protection of our flag, and are offended by them?

I hate to say it, but the airplane, the road, or the boat that brought them here travels in the reverse direction. Those who are offended by our culture, our bacon, our clean wipes, our flag, can suck it up and be decent human beings, or they can go home!

Without the culture we have developed over the past two centuries, there would be no United States for others to flee to for safety, no place of opportunity so freely available. Because of our culture, we have accepted immigrants whether they arrive legally or not. That, too, is part of our culture. Early settlers came to this country seeking freedoms not available in their home countries. Those freedoms have been earned and rights have been given. No newcomer has the right to disrespect the freedoms and rights won for them by others. No newcomer has the right to receive the benefits of our culture and our willingness to accept them and reject the flag and laws that made the available.

Citizens of this great United States need to get a grip and stop fearing others. We should not purposely give offense, but we should continue to have the right to be free Americans, and enjoy our culture, especially the right to fly the flag of our country, freely.

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Uncategorized

Must We Use It?

What is with all the bad language and need for sex in everything we see and read lately?

Many of the books I read are very nice books, with good plots and great ideas, until the author decides the F-bomb is required. Authors and others seem to be unable to express emotion without using foul, disgusting language.

Everywhere you turn, in movies, advertisements, television and often stores, banks and shops bad language slips through. Sometimes it’s a word or two, others the air seems to be clouded with the blue of the language.

The F-bomb isn’t the only word that crops up to blue the air. The name of our Savior, in part and in its entirety, explodes from the mouths of babes. Words we considered merely dirty when I was a child are considered appropriate fillers flowing from children, teens and adults. Additionally, sacred names of Gods are reduced to common terms with no respect or honor noted.

I mentioned my concern to my teens a few years ago. They informed me the language heard in R- and X-rated movies was mild compared to what they heard every day in high school. Sadly, this has not improved. The atmosphere is worse in high schools, middle schools, and even elementary schools. During the years I taught it was a constant battle for me to keep the language in my kindergarten class appropriate. Five and six-year-old children spewed dreadful language they heard on television, the playground, and at home.

Many years ago we knew a Marine officer who told us of his command. Junior officers and senior enlisted were expected to control their language. He said intelligent people discipline their more effectively without the use of foul, disgusting, or unholy language. Certainly, if a Marine can do this, everyday people can manage to clean up theirs.

Add to the language that distorts and burns our ears, is the commonness of sexual innuendos. Advertisements of all kinds suggest their products will allow users will make them look, act, or feel sexier. Tight clothing, short skirts, plunging or open necklines are worn by many—anything to suggest an opportunity for the illicit.

There is a general loss of dignity and honor. Good and wholesome words are replaced with slang and filth at every level. Men and women dress themselves and their children as though they are objects to be toyed with rather than beautiful individuals with possibilities for success. Hope is lost. Bad has become good, good is evil. Even the language supports it. When things are wonderful, the word “bad” is spouted.

As I am writing of our first parents in Eve Remembers, I suspect they would be horrified by the use of inappropriate language and the blatant sexuality. In their home, it was not so. But, Adam was a prophet and a seer. He probably saw our day, and was saddened that so many of his children have turned from Father to the Destroyer.

What do you think? Are people around you lazy in their speech, unable to find better ways to express themselves? Or do they uplift the world about them with clean and wholesome words?

What about you authors? Do you litter your writing and foul the mouths of your characters with filth and f-bombs? Or do they find better ways to express themselves?

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