“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” Thich Nhat Hanh (October 11, 1926 – January 22, 2022)
Hello all and a warm welcome to you. This week I spent time with one of my teachers, Thay, as he was known to his students. There are so many beautiful tributes to this great Buddhist monk – I share with you here a very special one, from Marilyn Lamoreux Photography.
1. My first encounter with the teachings of Thay was at a Toronto documentary film festival, for his new film ‘Walk With Me’. For me, this was the start of a great learning experience.
I spent time enjoying a beautiful four-part documentary about Thay and Plum Village from the good folks at Plum Village, entitled ‘Gone With the Wind‘.
2. You may have come to realize I love good documentaries. I found a few wonderful documentaries this week. Do you recall the recent challenge of a group of students from Thailand trapped in a cave?
They were rescued, thank goodness and the rescuers made a documentary about this amazing rescue. What else could you name the documentary, but The Rescue!
3. My ear candy this week came from an obscure source, yes another documentary. Summer of Soul by none other than Questlove, all about a music festival that coincided with Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969.
Some of the best musical performances I have ever heard are featured in this film.
4. Winter Book Fairs – I look forward to the time when I can get out to attend in-person events, to share my love of reading and writing.
In the meantime, I am happy to share with you this amazing promotion that features a fantastic array of children’s books; Great Kids Books, including my book Samba in Brazil. Enjoy!
5. Finishing a book and putting it out into the world is really satisfying. I certainly could not do it alone and there are many people to thank. I thank you all very much.
Most of them know who they are, but just to reinforce my appreciation I have added their names to the dedication in my new book Scratchy the Squirrel: A Time for Friends.
The featured photo, an illustration actually, is by the illustrator of my book; the wonderful artist Joshua Miller.
Reviews are coming in and there is high praise for Scratchy – check out this 5 star Reader’s Favorite Review.
Thank you for reading, if you think someone you know would like to read my newsletter please share it with them. If you are looking for a great children’s book check out one of my books, including: Samba in Brazil; Paperback version, on sale for a limited time. And the Portuguese version, Samba no Brasil, is now available as a set.
Or one of my other books, Samba on a Snowy Day or the Brazilian/ Portuguese version Samba em um Dia de Neve.
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong and keep going.
Copyright © 2022 Paul Yanuziello, PNJ Services, All rights reserved.