3 X 5's: Index Card Wisdom from Best of Books

BLACK WOMAN TEACHER Maya Angelou (1997). Even the Stars Look Lonesome . Angelou is an international writer and speaker that empowers black women and also inspires everyone with her wit and wisdom. This is a collection of short stories...all based on her personal experience...all with wisdom messages: home should fit the people that live there, not the other way round aging: by all means, do it sensuality and sexuality are a both/and proposition we need art for the sake of our soul...to live fully and grow healthy signifying--scraping the skin from one's body using artful words and a special cadence in speech that some elder black women have mastered--usually directed at someone else so that the intended receiver overhears the comments but has no way to directly respond...a special way of teaching that is an art form is the place where you live a house or a home...if a house, how can you make it more of a home (or maybe you need to move to a place that you can call home)...if a home...

BODY WISDOM Mirka Knaster (1996). Discovering the Body's Wisdom:                                               Comprehensive Guide to More than Fifty                                                      Mind-Body Practices  that can Relieve Pain,                                                 Reduce Stress, and Foster Health, Spiritual                                                 Growth, and Inner P...

Maya Angelou Ellen Labrerque (2016). Who Was Maya Angelou?  Labrerque is a freelance writer with over 20 children's book (previously writer for S ports Illustrated for Kids ). This work is a biography of Maya Angelou. Very readable with illustrations that provide a good sense of significant moments in Angelou's life including:  stopped talking for 5 years after being molested as a young child,  gave birth to her only child Guy when she was 17 as a senior in high school, supported herself and her child through singing and dancing, including a world tour of 22 countries,  joined the Harlem Writer's Guild who at first told her her writing was "terrible,"  lived in Cario and Ghana for four years before returning to the states and building her writing career with books like, I know Why the Caged Bird Sings (autobiography), and And Still I Rise (poems), 30 years giving lectures and poetry readings around the world,  appointed professor of American Studies...

TALMUD Liel Leibovitz (2023). How the Talmud Can Change Your Life:                                              Surprisingly Modern Advice                                               from a Very Old Book. Leibovitz is an Israeli journalist and author of several books. He writes like i would image a good Jewish Rabbi storyteller...lots of details, rich with history, drama, and relational dynamics...only toward the end of the chapters is the big reveal, but even then it is left open for further discussion, more questions...it's the way of the Talmud. The Talmd is a combination of Halacha or Jewsih law, principles of living a good life, and Aggadah or stories that give life and color to the law...both are needed. Ther...

ANGELICA Raymond Arroyo (2007)(ed.). Arroyo wrote a previous book about Mother Angelica and then did more research to put the present more comprehensive book together that better represents her life lessons and spiritual practices. Mother Angelica (Rita Rizzo given Italian name) was a Catholic religious sister and founded EWTN Eternal Word Television Network at age 58 in 1981...prior to that, she founded a print shop in 1972 to creat "mini books" on spirituality...before that she created a homemade studio in a monastery garage! Some of Mother's wisdom: the present moment is like a blank sheet of paper that we write on--we can draw, scribble, make poems, make a mess...the choice is ours do it and drop it...don't hang on to success or failure gift of understanding is to see the spiritual meaning of everything* be like a broom, let G push you around wherever you are needed if you feel G wants you to do something, take the first step, and then the grace will come to take ...

ALL ABOUT THE LOVE bell hooks (2001). All About the Love: New Visions bell hooks (her pen name, her given name is Gloria Jean Watkins) is a professor (PhD English) and well-known author... her definition of love is unique: "...will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or anothers spiritual growth..." (p.10).  hooks advocates schools of love, being open to love, returning to love (i whole heartedly agree).  other insights: dimensions of love include: care, commitment, trust, knowledge, responsibility, and respect. we need a love ethic...to make all of our decisions in light of love. love is work, struggle, change, growth, risk, and surrender. biophilia is a love of life what does love mean to you?  consider adding love to your priorities when making decisions...especially everyday decisions like purchasing services and goods--how do these reflect love?  for those that you interact with every day, how can you be more loving in your speech, listen...

HOLY FOOLS Edward Hays (1993). Holy Fools and Mad Hatters:                                             A Handbook for Hobby Horse Holiness Hays is a priest who enjoys writing fable-like stories about spirituality. This is the story of a discipline (nipper) and Master (Window Sill) that walk the WAY of the razor's edge. Of the many lessons along the way: keep a reminder of death nearby to remember the preciousness of each day create a hermitage of the heart where you can be along with God  avoid becoming a zombie by cutting in half your to do list daily mantra: mirror, mirror on the wall, may i look with love on all celebrate whenever and with whoever you can reframe problems as GAMES to play we only spend about 2% of our time in nature--try to break that percentage every day keep your humility by wearing silly hats, shirts, shoes, accessories... get...