Community First

A love letter to the healing power of collaboration and feeling seen, The People's Purge: Words of a Goat Princess Vol II is a must-read for anyone looking to rid themselves of the guilt of existing and get lost in the razor sharp mind of Jessie Reyez. Born from a popular long-running series on...

One misplaced parcel, one snowy lane, and a quiet love that grows by the light of a lantern. When the first real winter snow hides Willow Lane, Lydia Zook’s neat life as a village seamstress is nudged off course by misdelivered letters and a stubborn neighbor who means well. With timbers, beeswax, and steady hands, Amos Byler—the quiet carpenter whose eyes are as careful as his joinery—helps build a simple post cupboard to keep the lane's parcels safe. What starts as a practical solution becomes a tender work of repair—of relationships, of reputations, and of two hearts learning to ...

"...Hammer's voice is brimming with such melody that, if you listen to it long enough, you can probably get drunk off it." — Vulture.com *Now a major motion picture from director Luca Guadagnino, starring Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet. Winner of the 2018 Academy Award for Adapted...

You are meant to be in relationships that bring joy and connection—that help you know soul-deep peace and leave you feeling loved instead of lonely. Instead, surface-level friendships, filtered social media feeds, unresolved conflicts, and unhealthy relationships can often seem to harm our self-worth, spiritual growth, and mental health—and keep us from the very relationships that could bring that true connection.

Resilience & Psychological First Aid for PIOs is a unique guide for Public Information Officers, especially in public safety, who are navigating the high-stress world of crisis communication. Written by Nick Arnett, an experienced PIO who also has deep expertise in crisis response and resilience, this book offers a unique blend of practical strategies and evidence-based practices to enhance personal and professional resilience. The book delves into the unique challenges PIOs face, including delivering difficult news, managing emotional people, and handling media. It emphasizes the ...

Modern society is plagued by fragmentation. The various sectors of our communities - businesses, schools, social service organizations, churches, government - do not work together. They exist in their own worlds. As do so many individual citizens, who long for connection but end up marginalized, their gifts overlooked, their potential contributions lost.

The annual Hollow Creek celebration is the town's pride, a perfect autumn day filled with laughter, parade floats, and the sweet smell of caramel apples. This year is the biggest yet, drawing crowds from across the state. But as the sun sets, the sky darkens with an unnatural shade of green. The weather warnings come too late. When an EF5 monster descends upon the crowded festivities, the heart of the community becomes a storm-ravaged warzone. A first responder battles through the debris to find the living. A mother clings to her child as the world is ripped apart around them. A ...

In the quiet valley of Hemlock Creek, the woods have always been a sanctuary. Now, they’re a tomb. It begins with a single hiker, found suspended in the trees, his body partitioned by filaments stronger than steel and sharper than a surgeon's scalpel. Sheriff Brody, just weeks from a peaceful retirement, finds himself facing a predator that shouldn’t exist. But this is no simple monster. It's an intelligent, extraterrestrial species systematically turning his home into a slaughterhouse. The invaders' webs are a biological impossibility, a weaponized architecture of living glass that can...

It’s not like she’s the only woman to ever have a baby. At 35. On her own. But Anne Lamott makes it all fresh in her now-classic account of how she and her son and numerous friends and neighbors and some strangers survived and thrived in that all-important first year. From finding out her baby is a boy (and getting used to the idea) to finding out her best friend and greatest supporter, Pam, will die of cancer (and not getting used to that idea), with a generous amount of wit and faith (but little piousness), Lamott narrates the great and small events making up a woman’s life.

The Unity Tree Adventure - What Shall We Do Today? Series Perfect for Ages 6-9 Early Chapter Book Educational Adventure Fiction When mysterious coffee bean vines appear overnight on Imani, Tommy, and Maya's favorite front steps, the three friends know they're in for another magical adventure! This enchanting tale combines fantasy excitement with valuable life lessons about community, intergenerational friendship, and environmental stewardship. What makes this story special: ✅ Educational Value: Seamlessly teaches children about community building, respecting elders, sustainable living, ...

As a response to the increasing violence in our culture, the widening ideological divides, and the growing gap in economic well-being, there is greater awareness that a deeper sense of community is desperately needed. But even as we acknowledge the need to build community, the dominant on-the-ground practices about how to engage people, civically and organizationally, remain essentially unchanged. We still believe community is built with better messaging, more persuasion, and social events for people to get to know each other better. All of which is naïve.

Your Essential Guide to HOA Board Success: From Newbie to Leader! Are you a new HOA board member feeling lost in a sea of bylaws, budgets, and resident concerns? This book is your lifeline. Designed specifically for first-time board members, it demystifies the complexities of HOA management and empowers you to make a real difference in your community. Inside, you’ll discover: Clear explanations of governing documents and financial responsibilities. Practical strategies for effective communication and conflict resolution. Proven techniques for managing maintenance, enforcing rules fairly, ...

Where does one go, you might ask, when the world falls apart? When the immutable facts of your life—the mundane, the trivial, the take-for-granted minutiae that once filled every second of every day—suddenly disappear? Where does one go in such dire and unexpected circumstances? I went home, of course.

Okay, trimming the expanded version by approximately 1618 characters requires significant condensing while retaining the core value proposition. Here's a much leaner version based on the expanded Option 1: Headline: Master Hazmat Response: The Volunteer Firefighter's Playbook for Awareness & Operations Body: As a volunteer responder, you're often first on scene for hazmat incidents where safe, effective action under pressure is critical. Are you equipped with the essential knowledge? Incorrect action can have severe consequences. The Volunteer Firefighter's Playbook: Hazmat Awareness and ...

In 1978, when Jamiyla was two years old, her mother, Ummi, quit her job, converted to Islam with her husband, and moved into an exclusive Muslim society in Brooklyn. Once inside the Community, the family was separated by its powerful and charismatic leader, Dwight York, who was hiding behind the name Imam Isa. Instead of the devotional refuge they’d imagined, the Community was a nightmare of controlled abuse and unspeakable secrets. Forty years later, Jamiyla was ready to excavate and understand a past buried in bad dreams, disturbing memories, and inexplicable rage.

I can’t hear myself think. Loud noises were coming from next door. What the hell is that noise? My new neighbor, that’s what! I storm out of my office and bang on the door. The door swings open, “Well, hello, Beautiful! How can I make you mine?” he says. With an eye roll and frustration, I complain about the noise. He hands me some noise-cancelling headphones. What about my client?! He hands me another set of noise-cancelling headphones. "How am I supposed to hear her?" “Oh. Not sure.” He says. “With your ears, maybe?” His eyes watch mine; they twinkle with mischievousness I...

299 Days: The Community, the third book in the 299 Days series, reunites Grant Matson with his family after his wife, children, and in-laws accept that the only way to survive the Collapse is to flee the comfort of their suburban lives and join him at his isolated cabin in the woods. With riots becoming more violent, power outages more widespread, and the military crumbling, Grant and others throughout Washington State realize they must organize if they want to endure.

In 16-year-old Mike Hernandez's life, only one thing is clear: Gay is not okay. His family's life revolves around the church, a church run by the vocally intolerant Pastor Myers, so Mike has resolved to spend his life in the closet. His only escape - besides the occasional, anonymous gay make-out session - is his art. He pours his complicated emotions into risque drawings he keeps in a secret sketchbook. A sketchbook he carries everywhere. When his sketchbook goes missing in the middle of Sunday school, Mike is sure his life is over.

Great things can be accomplished when like-minded individuals gather. There was a time when only in-person gatherings existed. Today, we can gather virtually, a testament to the power of human innovation. This new way of gathering inspires us to make changes that will leave this world a better place. However, how we communicate and do business in this fast-paced digital world can frequently feel impersonal. Gone are the partnerships built on handshakes and friendships built on warm hugs. This trilogy of anthologies explores the stories of thirty-six individuals who've found their way to ...

As more and more people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders live in the community, opportunities for interactions with first responders (police, fire, EMT, etc.) have increased exponentially. Training for first responders has been non-existent or not always been optimal, however, and this has unfortunately led to misunderstandings with tragic consequences, including people with ASD being shot and killed and first responders being injured. In First Responders and People Diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum: What Each Needs to Know About the Other, Dr. Bobby Newman provides the information ...