Weathering the Storms

Like many, many others, I lost power, time, and money when a derecho and other strong storms ripped through the parts of Illinois last week.

I lost the same in 2020, when a derecho also ripped through the area, smack in the middle of the COVID-19 shutdown.

At the time, I was writing nine months worth of daily reflections on kindness (finding opportunties to be kind and finding kindness in others where I might have missed it otherwise), which I published later that year.

Here's what I wrote on two of those days in 2020.

AUGUST 10 

Be kind: Be thankful for the luxuries we take for granted.

A derecho blew through Will County this afternoon.

            Shortly afterwards, I was wandering through rubble, taking pictures of the aftermath for The Herald-News

            This single, brief storm uprooted trees, damaged homes and properties, and cut power to thousands of homes. Many people were especially angry about the loss of power and internet.

            Offering prayers and thinking good thoughts for the safety of the workers who bring us such luxuries as refrigerators and hot water might be a better use of time while we’re eating crackers in the dark than griping.

AUGUST 14 

Be kind: Spotlight someone else’s good works.

An injured baby squirrel will live another day because a kind person picked it up after the derecho and found a local squirrel rescue to accept it.

            That might not sound like a big deal to you.

            But you are not a squirrel.

            Yes, I wrote a story about it. And I’m glad I did. Because I added a postscript to this post.

            A few weeks later, someone I know in another state rescued two baby squirrels and didn’t know what to do.

            By connecting the novice with the expert, two more squirrels are now doing well.

From "Nine Months of Kindness"

Thoughts. I Haz Them: 2022 (Part 3)

Three Kindness Reflections

Good morning!

Three thoughts from Nine Months of Kindness to inspire the beginning of your week.

1) Be kind: A detour in your day might mean the world to another.

2) Be Kind: Sometimes, the best show of appreciation is to show up.

3) Be kind: Learn to be a gracious taker.

May blessings abound for you today and throughout the entire week and may you find grace in unexpected places.

 

Books and Bombs

If you come out to WriteOn Joliet's fifth anthology release party on Dec. 9 at the Black Road branch of the Joliet Public Library, be sure to stop by the BryonySeries table and check out our books, a "Books and Bombs" special offer, and opportunities to win some books.

You want details about these, right? Sure you do!

And here we go!

Books and Bombs:

Every person who buys one (or more) of these combinations will receive a free, locally chef-made chocolate bomb per combination - while chocolate bombs last.

Chocolate bombs are not limited to one per customer. But for each additional bomb, you must still purchase one of these four combinations.

1) One "regular" young adult or adult BryonySeries book (choices include any book in the "drop of blood" trilogy, Lycanthropic Summer, The Phoenix, Ruthless by Ed Calkins Steward of Tara or any of the Before the Blood books) or Nine Months of Kindness.

2) Any two books in The Adventures of Cornell Dyer series.

3) Any three books in the Bertrand the Mouse series.

4) All three of our BryonySeries cookbooks.

To check out our books, visit bryonyseries.com/general-store.

Bertrand the Mouse giveaway

We will "give away" one complete set of all Bertrand the Mouse books published (to date) AND one hand-crocheted Bertrand the Mouse to one lucky person to take home for keeps.

NO purchase is necessary. Just drop your name and contact information in our Bertrand Box. 

A random person (not anyone from our team) will select the winner at the end of the event and leave the prize package at the library's circulation desk for the winner to pick up at his/her convenience.

Holiday "Visage" Giveaway

This BryonySeries book is the second book in the "drop of blood" trilogy and can be read as a standalone.

The book is out of print and only available from us.

It has some "extras" in the back of the book that are not in the official version (such as a picture of me in a kangaroo suit).

The cover is very different.

And it has an introduction by me celebrating artists and creative folk. This is the first and only BryonySeries book that has an introduction.

We will be giving away three of these. Again, NO purchase is necessary. You only need to drop your name into the "Visage" box.

A random person (not anyone from our team) will select the three winners at the end of the event and leave the prize package at the library's circulation desk for the winner to pick up at his/her convenience.

WriteOn Joliet's Fifth Anthology

And, of course, we will have plenty of anthologies (the 2021 anthology and a limited number of past anthologies) available for sale - along with the opportunity to meet many of the writers who contributed to these wonderful books of poems, essays, and short stories.

The anthology is a fundraiser for WriteOn Joliet, so all money stays with the group to support additional programs.

But I live too far away....

For anyone near or far who cannot attend the actual event:

You may purchase the anthology here.

And message me at bryonyseries@gmail.com if you're interested in some of the BryonySeries books.

I will reward your reading of this post by working out a special discount just for you.

For those planning to attend:

The event is from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Joliet Public Library, 3393 Black Road, Joliet.

Great food and drink (including coffee) is available for purchase at the Book and Bean Cafe, which is located inside the library.

ALL purchases of ALL books by ALL authors will be handled at The Book Market's checkout table.

After nearly two years of pandemic living, I'm looking foward to meeting you in person.

Invite your family. 

Invite your friends. 

Invite your neighbors. 

Invite anyone who likes books and great coffee.

For more information, bryonyseries.com, writeonjoliet.com, jolietlibrary.org, and bookmarketjoliet.com.

Nine Months of Kindness

By late 2019, I had an idea to correct some of the negative attitudes that had crept into my thinking. So what's a writer to do?

I know. Write a book about the process.

 And then to share took with others. Just in case anyone might be curious to read what I learned along the way or embark on a attitude shift of their own.

The topic was simple. I wanted to explore simple, reachable, and attainable ways to be more kind. 

I also wanted to be more aware of the kindnesses of others (not necessarily directed at me, just in general) of the many, varied, and even subtle ways people display kindness.

So on January 1, 2020, I wrote the first entry. And I continued writing one each day for the next nine months.

Or to be more realistic, I often jotted a few notes as placeholder text and then caught up on the actual writing when I had more time.

Most of the entries are brief - a few lines or a couple short paragraphs.. Only one entry, I believe, runs into a second page. So if you wanted to read just one each day, your commitment time would be less than five minutes - and that would include opening the book.

And isn't the cover art beautiful? My daughter Rebekah designed it from one of her photos. 

Here is the back cover summary:

They say “kindness” begins at home, and home starts with the person in the mirror. In “Nine Months of Kindness,” writer/editor Denise M. Baran-Unland spent part of 2020 exploring ways she could become kinder to herself and the people in her life. She shares her experiences, and her reflections, in this book.

Ironically, Amazon released the book on January 15, the day I turned fifty-nine and a half and also the day I began my eighth year as the features editor at The Herald-News.

You may purchase Nine Months of Kindness here.

And for an immediate reflection on kindness, visit check out this blog post by WriteOn Joliet member and poet Holly Coop: https://hollycoopauthor.wordpress.com/2021/01/03/spread-the-virus.