It is an ache for the homecoming. The Greeks called it nostalgia.  Post-modern man, homeless almost by definition, cannot understand nostalgia. If he is a progressive, dreaming of a utopia to come, he dismisses it contemptuously, eager to bury a past he despises. If he is a reactionary, he sentimentalizes it, dreaming of a lost golden age. In this profound reflection, Anthony Esolen explores the true meaning of nostalgia and its place in the human heart. Drawing on the great works of Western literature from the Odyssey to Flannery O'Connor, he traces the development of this fundamental longing from the pagan's desire for his earthly home, which most famously inspired Odysseys' heroic return to Ithaca, to its transformation under Christianity. The doctrine of the fall of man forestalls sentimental traditionalism by insisting that there has been no Eden since Eden. And the revelation of heaven as our true and final home, directing man's longing to the next world, paradoxically strengthens and ennobles the pilgrim's devotion to his home in this world. In our own day, Christian nostalgia stands in frank opposition to the secular usurpation of this longing. Looking for a city that does not exist, the progressive treats original sin, which afflicts everyone, as mere political error, which afflicts only his opponents. To him, history is a long tale of misery with nothing to teach us. Despising his fathers, he lives in a world without piety. Only the future, which no one can know, is real to him. It is an idol that justifies all manner of evil and folly. Nostalgia rightly understood is not an invitation to repeat the sins of the past or to repudiate what experience and reflection have taught us, but to hear the call of sanity and sweetness again. Perhaps we will shake our heads as if awaking from a bad and feverish dream and, coming to ourselves, resolve, like the Prodigal, to "arise and go to my father's house."

    Yet for all their metaphorical suggestiveness, Dickinson’s and Whitman’s poems about the natural world neither preclude nor erase nature’s relevance as an actual living environment. In their respective poetic projects, the earth matters both figuratively, as a realm of the imagination, and also as the physical ground that is profoundly affected by human action. This double perspective, and the ways in which it intersects with their formal innovations, points beyond their traditional status as curiously disparate icons of American nature poetry. That both of them not only approach nature as an important subject in its own right, but also address human-nature relationships in ethical terms, invests their work with important environmental overtones. Dickinson and Whitman developed their environmentally suggestive poetics at roughly the same historical moment, at a time when a major shift was occurring in American culture’s view and understanding of the natural world. Just as they were achieving poetic maturity, the dominant view of wilderness was beginning to shift from obstacle or exploitable resource to an endangered treasure in need of conservation and preservation.A Place for Humility examines Dickinson’s and Whitman’s poetry in conjunction with this important change in American environmental perception, exploring the links between their poetic projects within the context of developing nineteenth-century environmental thought. Christine Gerhardt argues that each author's poetry participates in this shift in different but related ways, and that their involvement with their culture’s growing environmental sensibilities constitutes an important connection between their disparate poetic projects. There may be few direct links between Dickinson’s “letter to the World” and Whitman’s “language experiment,” but via a web of environmentally-oriented discourses, their poetry engages in a cultural conversation about the natural world and the possibilities and limitations of writing about it—a conversation in which their thematic and formal choices meet on a surprising number of levels.

    Originally written in the 14th century, now part of the HarperCollins Spiritual classics series, this beautiful contemplative resource, has been embraced for hundreds of years for its simple, engaging style and spiritual truths. As the unknown author assures us, “if you are to experience Him or to see Him at all, insofar as it is possible here, it must always be in this cloud.” —The Cloud of Unknowing.

    Originally prayed in Stanley Hauerwas's divinity school classroom on a variety of occasions, this collection of prayers not only displays an invigorating faith but demonstrates how Christians today can pray with all the passion of the ancient psalmists.

    And the good news is that adapting bodybuilding as your lifestyle will see you gain immense benefits ranging from fitness to personal health. Therefore, understand what bodybuilding entails; know how to practice bodybuilding safely and obtain dramatic results, train consistently, have quality exercises, check on your diet and maintain a positive attitude and see amazing transformation in your physique. This guide will help you demystify all your bodybuilding myths and give you some tips on adapting this exciting regimen. Here Is A Preview Of What You'll Learn...The Basics of BodybuildingBodybuilding: Why Bother?Your Body Type: Its Place In BodybuildingGetting Started with TrainingExercises Targeting Individual Muscle GroupsGetting To The Next Level: Tips That Will Guarantee Massive Rapid SuccessAnd much, muchmore!Download your copy today!

    

    From the crystal waters of the Caribbean to the sunny shores of Hawaii, the historic coast of Melbourne or a fishing village in Maine, these beachfront books will deliver the joys of summer loving any time of year! Island Pursuits: Former U.S. Marine Adrian Mendez returns to his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago only to run into a feisty island goddess with one flaw - she has no love of anything military. Caribbean Melody: Their dancing duo was an overnight sensation at the posh Martinique hotel, but is Kristen just Leon's ticket to stardom or something more? Surge: University transfer student Marcus sets out to earn fellow student Lara's friendship, but a secret could jeopardize everything he's worked for his entire life. As the heat rises, he must choose between love and his dreams. Doubts of the Heart: Recent breast cancer survivor Nica Dobson is trying to regain her spirit and accept the changes in her body and mind. Now an old flame and ancient secrets challenge her to embrace love, too. Naturally Enchanted: As a struggling journalist, Owen Cooper has to make a name for himself, and a tip that a real-life witch is living on Mango Cove may just lead to the big story he needs. Undercover as a shipwrecked tourist, he worms his way into Ezra's family and their secrets, but can he get her out of his heart? Seducing Phoebe: Phoebe Fitzgerald is about to marry wonderful Marco Petronelli - until her ex turns up and declares his undying love for her. Confused about her feelings, she calls off her wedding. Can Marco convince her their relationship is worth saving? His Hawaiian Christmas: When Clara O'Fallen gets a promotion to paradise, she can't help feeling homesick for her Wisconsin winters. But smiling surfer Kai Schmitt might just show this scrooge how to hang loose and catch the spirit of the season - the aloha spirit! Paradise Point: Inheriting half ownership in Paradise Point marina is a break Liv Barnette embraces with open arms. The sexy downside? Sharing her windfall with Army Ranger Adam Lark, who wants her gone . . . or so he thinks. California Sunset: Annie Gerhard is struggling to keep her Silicon Valley techie job during a recession, while John Johnson is trying to make a go of his bookstore. Neither has time for romance, but fate is taking care of business. Five of Hearts: As lead singer for the boy band Five of Hearts, Dean learned that women only want him for his money and fame. So he has a good reason for hiding his alter ego from his neighbor, Shannon, and everyone else in Scallop Shores. But the closer he gets to Shannon and her children, the more he realizes he may have made a mistake. Sensuality Level: Sensual

    She spends most of her job traveling from city to city, training staff members on how to use the company system. She’s great at her job, but she’s struggling to find a balance between work and home life. Determined to create a more stable environment, through email she asks her boss to cut down her traveling, but he refuses. She’s never met the man, but already she can’t stand him. It’s at a conference not long after that she ends up in bed with a handsome stranger, only to find out that it was her boss. What happens when you’ve slept with the enemy? Find out in this steamy employee, billionaire boss romance by Alicia Beckton of BWWM Love.

    When a patch member calls from the station after being arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, Moves is shaken by the fact that someone is setting them up. He knows he is going to stop at nothing until he finds the truth and makes sure that the Outlaw Souls get to walk free, but nothing could’ve prepared him from running into a beautiful woman that would change his life.That woman is Lacey, a prosecuting attorney for the DA’s office who Moves hasn’t figured out why she’d been sniffing around their stomping ground, but he’s determined to find out. The two of them cannot deny that they have a spark, and it makes things rather complicated while they try to unravel this mystery from two different sides. They realize that they belonged to two different worlds, but they’re going to come together because they have the common goal of wanting to put the real criminals behind bars.When they learn the truth about who had been framing the Outlaw Souls, both Moves and Lacey begin to question everything they’ve come to know, and they’re stuck trying to figure out what to do.Though, they’re not going to stop until the real criminals pay for what they’ve done, and that will lead to a shocking discovery that might give the Outlaw Souls their freedom or be the end of them as they know it. Will Lacey help Moves to uncover the truth? Or will she be the reason the Outlaw Souls never get the freedom they so desperately seek?BUTCH (Outlaw Souls Book 8)Butch wasn’t the man I was meant to be with...My whole life had been planned out for me. I accepted it a long time ago as the result of being the last in line of a powerful political dynasty. I had certain expectations to fulfill. That meant stuffy dinner parties and photo ops. And love? That wasn’t even a consideration when my parents planned my marriage to a man that was determined to make it to the white house someday. I was suffocating under the pressure, so I did something completely out of character. A biker bar, a wild night with a man from a completely different world, and my first walk of shame. That should have been the end of it, but it wasn’t.He showed up in my life, carving out a place for himself, even though I was supposed to marry another man. A man I didn’t love. Butch introduced me to freedom and fun, and the longer we sneaked around, the more I fell for him. Who would have thought that a tough biker could open my eyes to all the possibilities in life, if I were just brave enough to seize them? I have to make a choice. The life that I’m supposed to live or the man that cares about so much more than my lineage? Will it be my obligation to my family or the love of an outlaw biker?

    So there was this chick name Mercedes. Her life was mad shady…15 and pregnant with a baby. She wanted to be grown. but didn’t know sh*t about being a lady.The streets claimed her, couldn’t tame her, blame her mother though... She didn’t come from a stable home, she was in this all alone. Shorty just wanted to be grown. Looking for love and affection, she started flexing…and messing around, all around town…These streets and these freaks were her medication shorty was in a bad situation.Trading one needle from another to another...She prayed and prayed that she would never be like her mother! No self respect or no class...Life gone, what a straight waste. In revenge she started to give the world a taste... Bitter sweet, never did she once look like she weak! Not to mention..that butt was a walking death sentence! Sexually transmitted, if you know her you better run straight to the clinic. Let me tell you how all this started… Before we go do you know it's Aids awareness month? Do right and know your status. Because YOUR life matters!

    Being a natural born hustler with a winning streak on the track has put him on a pedestal. Fast cars, money and beautiful women are just some of the things that comes easy. However, an unintentional wrong turn leads to a three-year prison stint and puts his entire life on pause for a while. Cashmere Lux is Jabari’s ride or die girlfriend that holds him down throughout his bid. She’s not slow when it comes to getting what she wants and plays that card to her advantage while her man is away. When Jabari returns home, he finds that everything is the same, but his feelings have suddenly changed. Is Cashmere really the woman he thought she was? Tiana Thomas is someone Jabari has crushed on since his high school days. With a life of her own, she can barely find time for herself. However, after exchanging numbers, and a few by chance encounters, she finds herself becoming more and more attracted to the bad boy. Knowing he has a woman that’s with all the drama and nonsense, will Tiana be able to slip out of Jabari’s tangled web? Or, will she apprehensively find herself Fallin’ In Love With The Greatest Of All Time?

    I hope that this book makes everyone feel what I felt while writing it, and that love is a universal thing, and my story is not unique. And I hope that this makes them see that there is a beyond and that they can come out happy and clean. And, that this makes them braver than they already are, and gives them that little extra push and strength that they probably need

    Incisive and passionate, her poems represent Amber's unique perspective on universal issues of relationships, loss, and self-discovery. This collection provides a glimpse into the mind of a young woman struggling to define her own identity on her own terms.Jack Hirschman provides an introduction that places the poems in a literary context, and Amber prefaces her writing with a personal explanation that gives readers an entry point into her work. This striking collection marks the arrival of an original voice in the realm of young adult literature.

    The Mediterranean approach to food is a way of eating that includes balanced, whole foods, and is a way of planning meals and snacks that take into account seasonal products. You can find most foods at your local grocery store and farmers’ markets.