to this one.
Quickly, Michael Di Gesu is kindly featuring MOONLESS today on his blog. Check it out!
True heroes are all around us, in our every day lives, but some people stand out. During this A-Z Challenge I hope to share several of my real life heroes, and invite you to share yours in the comments.
onson, Thomas. Okay, so if you don't know who this is, you really need to get to know him. Here's a man whose life has been consumed by service to others since the age of 22 when he was called as a bishop (lay service--non paid) in the Mormon church (officially called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). Among the many tasks he was to carry out, 85 widows fell he under his care. He visited every single one regularly, and ended up speaking at each one's funeral over the ensuing 40 years.
He is a people person, one filled with stories who recites classics and thrives on beautiful poetry. He gives constant attention to "the one," spending many an hour at the sickbed or with downhearted families while leading a world-wide church of 15 million.
He's one of my personal heroes.
MOONLESS is only on sale at $1.99 for a short while longer. Have a taste of the awesomeness, eh?
Kiren unlatched the balcony door with a thin metal hook and slipped inside. He refastened the catch, gut twisting at the moonless sky beyond the glass. How long would his luck hold?
Alexia lay on her back, one arm lost in her dark hair, the other tucked across her chest. A foot dangled off the edge of the mattress, tempting him to slip it back beneath her blanket.
He grinned, envying her carefree abandon. Her latest read lay on the bed beside an extinguished candle. He lifted it. Fanciful words danced back at him. They too made him smile. She wanted adventure. He could supply that.
His eyes landed on the card he’d given her father and his smirk died. It had been shredded and reconstructed. His chest tightened. “Oh Alexia . . .”
Quickly, Michael Di Gesu is kindly featuring MOONLESS today on his blog. Check it out!
True heroes are all around us, in our every day lives, but some people stand out. During this A-Z Challenge I hope to share several of my real life heroes, and invite you to share yours in the comments.
He is a people person, one filled with stories who recites classics and thrives on beautiful poetry. He gives constant attention to "the one," spending many an hour at the sickbed or with downhearted families while leading a world-wide church of 15 million.
He's one of my personal heroes.
MOONLESS is only on sale at $1.99 for a short while longer. Have a taste of the awesomeness, eh?Kiren unlatched the balcony door with a thin metal hook and slipped inside. He refastened the catch, gut twisting at the moonless sky beyond the glass. How long would his luck hold?
Alexia lay on her back, one arm lost in her dark hair, the other tucked across her chest. A foot dangled off the edge of the mattress, tempting him to slip it back beneath her blanket.
He grinned, envying her carefree abandon. Her latest read lay on the bed beside an extinguished candle. He lifted it. Fanciful words danced back at him. They too made him smile. She wanted adventure. He could supply that.
His eyes landed on the card he’d given her father and his smirk died. It had been shredded and reconstructed. His chest tightened. “Oh Alexia . . .”
Have you known anyone who inspired you to want to be better? Who is the most selfless person you know? Have you done any good in the world today?
Wow, 85 widows? That's a lot of women to take care of. He sounds like an amazing man.
ReplyDeleteI know! Can you even imagine?
DeleteI like the question he asks in the video.
ReplyDeleteMe too. If we could only keep it in our minds, eh?
DeleteHe understood God's commandment to take care of the widows.
ReplyDeleteAlready caught your book's feature on Michael's blog!
I saw that! You're amazing at getting to all these blogs. Way to go, Alex.
DeleteI didn't know about him. I think he shows we are capable of so much more than we may believe. I have a friend, 30 years younger than I who set out at an early age to make this world a better place. She is focusing on animals, but of course her kindness and determination spills over to us humans.
ReplyDeleteI love it! A caring heart is a wonderful thing, eh?
DeleteI have heard of him, but I didn't know anything about him. Not many people would be willing to do that.
ReplyDeleteYay! Another awesome excerpt! The imagery in this is perfect. ^_^
Krystal, you're so kind. Thank you.
DeleteI agree with Krystal. And on my way over to Michael's blog!! (PS--love the tone with which you write, it's quite unique and refreshing!)
ReplyDelete*blushes* Thanks so much, Randi.
DeleteA bishop who speaks at every funeral !! now that is something. That speech is good too
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog
Thanks for the return visit! He's definitely a dedicated man.
DeleteI'm loving these excerpts! I'll head over to Michael now... :)
ReplyDeleteGuess I'll have to keep them coming, eh?
DeleteHe is an inspiration indeed
ReplyDeletehttp://throodalookingglass.com/2014/04/lamp-light/
Nice to meet you, Pheno.
DeleteHe is quite a role model. I've always been fascinated with missionaries. Believing in an idea so fervently that you will devote your life to that cause. Of course there are good ones and not so good ones, as in everything, but done correctly it is a dramatic selfless concept.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. They're pretty amazing in my book too.
DeleteMy best friend's mom was the most selfless person I've ever known. Her husband was a pastor and she was devoted to her church, her family, and anyone she ever met! Going to check out your book:)
ReplyDeleteI love selfless women. They're seriously what makes the world go round.
DeleteMichael did a fabulous "spotlight" for Moonless! LOVE this snippet!
ReplyDeleteWriterlySam
Echoes of Olympus
A to Z #TeamDamyanti
Thanks, Sam. He did do a pretty good job, eh?
DeleteNow there's a man who is going to Heaven. I'm learning so much about the wonderful people of our world, thanks to you Crystal!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how many inspirations there are out there, eh?
DeleteWow. He does sound like an amazing person.
ReplyDeleteDeb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com
I only showed the tip of the iceberg. Only the tip.
DeleteI never heard of Thomas Monson before this, but I'm happy to say I have now because of your post. He is a true inspiration.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I got your newsletter and I have to say the cover for Soulless is STUNNING! You definitely chose right. :)
He is indeed.
DeleteYay! I'm so glad you like the cover. I'm pretty stoked about it too. =)
This was my first time hearing of Thomas Monson. He does sound like an amazing person with a kind heart.
ReplyDelete~Jess
He definitely is.
DeleteI saw Michael was featuring Moonless on his blog today. That's great!
ReplyDeleteI was pretty stoked too. He did a great job, didn't he?
DeleteHow nice that Michael featured your book!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Thomas Monson, but he does sound like a really nice guy.
I think it was pretty nice of Michael too. He's just a nice guy like that.
DeleteMonson has a beautiful story despite the tragic side. Now there's a life of service in today's world.
ReplyDeleteHe is definitely inspiring.
DeleteWow, that was one intense intro over at Michael's! He did a great job with Moonless :D
ReplyDeleteI did not know of Thomas Monson before, how amazing to know there area people like him out there!
He did do a pretty great job. =)
DeleteI think there are more people like him than we realize, they just live quiet lives.
Serving others selflessly is a virtue. :)
ReplyDeleteThe Immarcescible Word
One to be emulated, eh?
DeleteMy husband is the most selfless person I know....until Parkinson's disease arrived. He is still my hero though!
ReplyDeleteAw. That's so sweet. I love reading your posts, by the way.
DeleteI'm glad to see an ode to President Monson. He is a great, kind man, and example to anyone seeking to be kinder.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! I wish I could have done service to how amazing he is.
DeleteI've meant some selfless people but I'm not sure of any to compare with Monson.
ReplyDeleteHe's a rare find.
DeletePeople who are compassionate, no matter their faith, are worthy of being called heroes!
ReplyDeleteI love how you ended your post with the question - "Have you done any good today?" That is something I am going to take away from this blog. Good luck with the rest of the challenge!
ReplyDeletehttp://themagicquill.blogspot.in/
Thanks! It's definitely something we should try to keep in mind, eh?
DeleteGreat post as usual on a worthy man. Thanks for sharing about him.
ReplyDeleteI was glad to do it.
DeleteDropped in to see Michael this morning and spotted Moonless!
ReplyDeleteYay! He did a great job, didn't he?
DeleteSo many inspiring people! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I could only pick 26. You should have seen the ones I had to scratch off my list.
DeleteYikes. That's a lot of visiting. Inspiring story.
ReplyDeleteHe's a good man.
DeleteI expected Mother Theresa for this post. But he's a good one too. Selfless.
ReplyDeleteLOL. I could have chosen her. She was great too, but I thrive on the lesser knowns. (Although I do have to include a couple well known names.)
Deletewoot woot to the Prophet! I'm off to check out Michael...
ReplyDeleteLet me join in chorus. He's awesome.
DeleteThere is so much to learn from visiting folks in the a-z! I did a little volunteer work today, but certainly feel like I could have done more!
ReplyDeleteWay to go, you. We can't burn ourselves completely out, but a little here and a little there adds up. You never know how much a little means to the one.
DeleteI was most inspired by LeAnn Thieman's story when I heard it a few years ago: "As a volunteer for Friends of Children of Vietnam in 1975, LeAnn helped raise money and supplies for the war orphans. In April she agreed to escort 6 babies from Saigon to their adoptive homes in the USA. By the time she arrived in Vietnam, bombs were dropping outside the city! She was greeted with, “Have you heard the news? President Ford has okayed ‘Operation Babylift’. You’ll help take out not 6, but 300 babies!” The caring and the bravery of those volunteers and others who saved babies and children from war zones over the years touches my heart.
ReplyDeleteWow! That's quite a story. I can't even imagine that kind of crazy, but I suppose we are stronger and more capable than we typically think. Thank you for sharing her!
DeleteAwesome spotlight! He's one of my heroes too.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of him a few times, but if he's your hero, I'm definitely going to have to research him some more! At first I read 85 windows, and I was like. . . wow. That's quite a job. But 85 widows, that's amazing.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Windows... You must be tired. ;) I wish I could have said more, but space is limited. I could go on about him for a long, long time.
DeleteThat is so amazing that he kept up with all those widows and spoke at their funerals. Amazing person indeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd all the people he's served in the meantime... He really is amazing.
DeleteSpending time with my mother today before she leaves to go home. This was something we both did for each other and it was wonderful. I took her to my garden club meeting and introduced her to the ladies, then we did errands and went home to sit and talk together and reminisce... It was an easy day, full of being together and at peace. Days like this are precious and rare. I felt blessed to have it with her.
ReplyDeleteI love it! We really have to seize those moments, don't we? It can be so easy to get locked into our digital world and neglect the important parts.
DeleteI am learning so much from your posts!
ReplyDeleteEducational and uplifting, right?
DeleteLove, love, love, President Monson. He is one of my heroes too!
ReplyDeleteYay! *high five*
DeleteThat's the name of one of my college professors and almost thought I was reading about him.
ReplyDeleteHe sounds like a great man and I like the question posed in the video.
He's definitely a good man, though I am fairly certain he never taught college. He was in printing instead.
DeleteMy father inspires me to want to be better. He's a Church of England vicar and he always seems to have time for everyone who needs him and he really cares about people. He had always inspired me. He also has a wicked sense of humour :).
ReplyDeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings - AtoZ (Vampires)
FB3X - AtoZ (Erotic Drabbles)
That's awesome. I had to marry a man with a sense of humor, because seriously, who doesn't love a man that can make them laugh?
DeleteThank you for stopping in, Rajiv.
ReplyDeletethat is very insightful and the speech is really good, nice post :)
ReplyDelete