Includes stories from the author's family and childhood as well as family recipes.

In World War II, Bill Dwyer served as a Stars & Stripes correspondent with the US Fourth Infantry Division in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany (often in company with Collier’s correspondent Ernest Hemingway). He was a member of a six-man truce party who went behind enemy lines for three hours and worked to negotiate the surrender of Rothenburg, a walled Bavarian city dating to the 14th century. For this action he was awarded the Bronze Star.

“Honor thy father and thy mother.” This is the fourth commandment from the ten God gave us through Moses in the Bible. This fourth follows the initial three signifying our duties to the Supreme Being. After God, our next obligation is to our parents. This shows the importance of parents. Notice the word is “honor.” It does not say “obey”; but “honor” certainly includes “obedience.” Furthermore, this commandment does not end when we each reach maturity. The commandment of honor signifies we must respect our parents all their lives. Our mother was Norah Attracta Cusack. Our father was Joseph Charles Meissner. By the usual social standards, they were very ordinary people on this planet. However, they possessed their own wonderful beauty and intelligence. They were most extraordinary parents who welcomed us to life, took care of our needs, ensured we received great educations, and devoted their lives unselfishly to us for decades. But they gave us much more than our mere bodies. They gave us faith, hope, and love during their long lives. They showed us how to live as God urges us to live. They continuously nourished us spiritually from our mother’s nightly “demands” to kneel in the living room praying the rosary to our Blessed Virgin to our father who drove us even in the blinding snow, freezing cold, and storms to church every week, ensuring we arrived on time. Here are words from my brother Robert for our parents: “As for our son, Scott, [who suffering from severe PTSD, ended his life], I agree he is somewhere around and still present in the universe. So are our mom and dad. I think after we die, we will learn how all this is done—you know Mom and Dad are the greatest proof of God, religion, and an afterlife. They were so good and worked tirelessly for our family. If you asked them about religion, the church, and faith, they might say it really doesn’t matter, except you treat your fellow human beings with dignity and acknowledge God as Father. The rest of the argument really doesn’t mean that much.” So to Mom and Dad, we celebrate your lives and say an enormous thank-you.

Music is such an important part of Advent and Christmas. Can you imagine Advent without "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"? How about Christmas without carols like "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "Silent Night," and "Joy to the World"? It pleases the Lord Jesus when we sing of his coming with carols we know by heart. It pleases him even more when we think about the words we are singing. In 24 reflections on well-known carols and Christmas songs, James Howell explores the birth of Jesus. He ponders the meaning of certain phrases from these songs and relates them to our daily lives. The four weeks of devotions are arranged by topic: The Place The Men (Joseph, shepherds, magi) The Mother The Child A guide for weekly discussion is included. Join Howell in this rich remembrance for the Advent and Christmas seasons.

Join Belinda Jeffery for A Year of Sundays as she shares the recipes, musings and memories that inspire her cooking. A collection of Belinda’s much-adored and anticipated Sunday morning Instagram posts accompanied by beautiful recipes, A Year of Sundays is as much a conversation with a friend as it is a cookbook. Follow Belinda’s gentle guidance through recipes gathered from her cooking school on the Far North Coast of New South Wales, to those crafted from the harvests of local producers and her own garden, and others embellished with the imprint of personal memories. Cooking from the heart to relish in the beauty of just-picked produce or to simply indulge a craving, Belinda imparts her recipes with both encouragement and genuine joy. From her reassuring instruction in the art of pastry and baking to her relaxed approach to everyday dishes made from the freshest ingredients, A Year of Sundays is a cookbook for all occasions, all kitchens and all cooks. ‘Delicious, seasonal recipes for the home cook accompanied by [Belinda's] warm commentary on food and life.’ Good Weekend

This is an action packed fictional depiction of events portrayed through out the Caribbean, Cuba and Key West, taking place in the early 1820s. William Henry Pierce captains his ship the Carlota, a two masted schooner, sponging and hauling freight. Joseph, his eldest son, narrates this story of the exciting and horribly tragic events that befall the Pirece family. Spring arrives; their season begins as they head north from their home on Harbour Island. Captain Pierce contracts to purchase and deliver building supplies for a new school to be built in New Plymouth. Leaving Nassau loaded with supplies the ship is heavily burdened and is quite slow. They are attacked by pirates and a deckhand is seriously injured by falling debris requiring his leg to be amputated while at sea. While docked in Havana, Cuba, Captain Pierce acquires a new deck hand that unbeknown to the Captain has just murdered a fellow sailor and a Spanish soldier to obtain valuable stolen nautical charts. On their voyage to Key West from Havana, the crew of the Carlota witnesses a French Galleon that is being plundered by pirates. The ship is burned and sinks. Three survivors are pulled from the water, a young sailor, who soon dies from his injuries, a French noblemen and his beautiful niece who are en route to join her father, a wealthy plantation owner, in New Orleans. While in Key West Captain Pirece is gravely injured in a knife fight attempting to protect some of his crew. During his convalescing, Joseph sails the Carlota to New Orleans delivering the young lady and her uncle to her father. While they are absent from their home, on Harbor Island, a yellow fever out break occurs. Many of the towns people die from the disease including the Captains wife and youngest daughter. Unable to deal with his loss, Captain Pierce and Joseph move what is left of their families to Key West to begin a new life.

Make the Most of Your Opportunities to Build Others Up You don’t need to be big or bold to impact those around you. By recognizing your ability to be a positive influence, you unlock your power to change lives for the better. With more than 3 million copies of his books in print, bestselling author Stan Toler is a trusted voice on leadership and making a difference. In The Power of Your Personal Impact, Stan examines how you can profoundly change the world you live in. This book will help you… develop a vision and purpose for your future discover ways to motivate others using kindness and compassion encourage people to achieve greatness in their own lives Your words, actions, and attitudes hold the strength to leave a lasting impression. The Power of Your Personal Impact will help you understand how to make the most of your gifts as you use them to inspire others.