Sunday’s Shinng Star

CMash August 14, 2011 Leave a Comment

Sunday’s Shining Star will be off the air this week.

Due to technical difficulties with blogger, I was unable to post any images until Friday night. I usually draft up my Sunday’s Shining Star post Tuesday, Wednesday the latest, to give the guest blogger enough notice that she will be the guest. This way, if it is not convenient, I have time to draft and showcase another blogger. Giving the guest 2 days notice didn’t seem right.

Hopefully the glitches have been fixed and Sunday’s Shining Star will return next week. Have a great day everyone!

Guest Author

The story continues……….

CMash August 14, 2011 3 Comments

I postponed Sunday’s Shining Star today due to technical difficulties with blogger. It has been hit or miss with it all week. Seeing that for me, it’s been on a miss basis, I felt that I couldn’t draft up the post in advance giving the blogger enough notice so I thought it best to not have it. But instead I showcased an author the other day, Lynda Fishman, an incredible woman who has had an amazing life and has written her memoir. She just sent me this guest post that was a tad bit late, but I would like to share it with you today.
So once again. Ms. Lynda Fishman………….

Repairing Rainbows

A True Story of Family, Tragedy and Choices

This is a remarkable true story of a thirteen year old faced with horrific tragedy, and the journey she took from disaster to life fulfillment.

Rita and Saul had a fairy tale life. Rita, a woman with a heart of gold, was a caring, kind and generous wife to the jolly and friendly Saul, who loved to giggle at his own jokes. Their three adorable daughters, Lynda, Carla and Wendy knew the perfect family life that many children can only dream of having – a very close-knit family in a home filled with riches – not rich with money, but with priceless love and happiness which they shared with extended family.

Sweet tunes of music from the big brown radio in the kitchen echoed through the bustling household that was often filled with laughter and celebrations with relatives. The aroma of delicious dinners permeated from the kitchen, and the entertaining piano playing and dance steps of little feet in the living room was performed with joy.

The three sisters have never flown and are looking forward to the plane ride and the family Bar Mitzvah in California. Young Lynda convinces her parents to let her fly a week ahead with the grandparents to help get everything prepared for their month long stay in California. A week later, Carla (11), Wendy (8) and the mom, Rita (39), board a flight from Montreal bound for LA, with a stop-over in Toronto.

Their Air Canada flight 621, with 109 people on board, crashes seven miles from the Toronto airport. There are no survivors. It was pilot error.

Saul receives a horrific phone call with tragic, shocking news that changed everything. His family has been extinguished in an instant. Inconceivable.

In a state of complete horror and despair, Saul is completely emotionally paralyzed. Unable to move past that terrible day, Saul withdrew into himself, struggling and distraught, leaving thirteen year old Lynda alone in her grief.

Never again the father she knew, Saul, too broken to recover, was so immersed in his own grief that he simply continued to exist, in a state devoid of life or hope.

Lynda, at the young age of thirteen was basically orphaned. She officially lost her mother and two younger sisters and unofficially lost her father too. Teetering on that tender brink between childhood and adolescence, Lynda faces profound loss, the responsibility of a father in a complete state of shock, a house to take care of, and complicated decisions about how to proceed with their shattered lives.

Their home is transformed from comfort and joy, to despair and deafening silence. Terrifying sounds of crying shatter the silence in the house – sounds of sadness and misery emitting from a broken man and a terrified young teen.

Saul and Lynda are unwillingly assigned to a new category of heartbreaking loss, one that not many people will ever experience. Faced with agonizing memories of funerals, nightmares, sorrow and hardship, a young teen and her dad are left to cope with immense grief and loneliness.

Pursued by ambulance-chasing lawyers, Saul becomes involved in an overwhelming and intimidating legal battle with Air Canada. What happened behind the headlines was different than what the public was told. Shockingly, Air Canada’s ruthless, insensitive legal team handled the aftermath of the plane crash and the subsequent law suit in a callous and heartless manner. With complete lack of sensitivity, the family was subjected to hours and hours of depositions as they itemized the dollar value of a mother and two little girls. Saul was essentially bullied into settling for what was obviously a ridiculously low settlement.

Unable to face the reality of this colossal tragedy, Saul is stuck in a state of emotional denial, pushing his daughter further and further away.

Pursued by a pretty widow, Saul quickly marries Sonia who personifies the evil stepmother stereotype in all the darker senses of the word. Controlling and self-absorbed, Sonia wedges herself between Lynda and Saul, constantly forcing Saul to choose between them.

For years to come, Lynda is hurt, frustrated and angry at her father.

At age seventeen, Lynda meets and falls in love with Barry, her soul mate. Barry has also suffered tremendous loss – his mother died when he was an infant, and his father died when Barry was seventeen, just a few months before meeting Lynda. To make matters even more interesting and challenging, Barry has a developmentally delayed brother, a few years older than him. Barry and Lynda are left with the responsibility of Mitchell.

The shared bond of pain allows them to form a deep, mutual understanding of each other.

You root for them as they build their relationship, get married, start a family and balance each other perfectly. Their lives flourish together. They are dedicated to each other and to helping others.

The final part of the story deals with life-changing and comforting visits to a Psychic Medium. Lynda and Barry receive specific, detailed messages and information from their family members on the other side that validates their on-going connection – illustrating without question that while they can’t be with them physically, they have stayed with them. It warms your heart to learn that Lynda and Barry’s family members are “alive and happy” in another realm, and that they have stayed among them as angels, guiding and protecting them.

Choices

It is obvious throughout the story that “we always have choices” and that it is possible with perseverance, courage and patience to be able to live life once again. Lynda made the choice to do everything she could to escape the cloud of despair. She chose to bounce back after such a monumental tragedy, to pick up the tragic pieces of her life and move on. She chose school, growth, positivity, career, family. She chose to stay super busy with school, volunteer work at hospitals, cooking, baking, gardening. She chose to fight the obstacles of pity. She chose hope over despair. She chose to survive and to thrive.

Both Lynda and Barry were determined to live – they chose to create a happy future and to live a happy life. They have strength, will and courage. They were determined not to succumb to sorrow and despair – to use whatever tools they could find, including considerable grit, to build a life together – to fashion the life they wanted. Together, they had and still have indomitable will to focus on the positive.

Repairing Rainbows is a Powerful Story

Prepare yourself for an emotional roller-coaster ride through gut-wrenching trauma, incomprehensible loss, terror, anger, hope, tenacity and triumph. It is powerful not only in regard to the tragedy, but in the messages delivered throughout the story. This is a story of victory – of rebuilding – of the immense power of positivity.

Repairing Rainbows is a story for everyone who delights in true-life accounts of triumph over tragedy. Repairing Rainbows resonates long after you finish the book – it is an unforgettable story of courage, strength and hope.

Repairing Rainbows is described as compelling, captivating, honest, brave, and inspirational. It is a truly special story about choices – a story that reminds you that you should never give up, keep on trying, and that every storm ends with a rainbow.

There’s no template to follow that will determine the course of any tragedy and the effect it has on ones life. But the toughest decision a person has to make is whether or not they are choosing life. Whether or not you respond to a crisis with hope, is a choice. It’s a choice about whether you want to live or die. Lynda chose life.

Sunday's Shining Star

Sunday’s Shinng Star

CMash August 14, 2011 2 Comments

Sunday’s Shining Star will be off the air this week.

Hopefully the glitches have been fixed and Sunday’s Shining Star will return next week. Have a great day everyone!

A Bit of Me

A Bit Of Me

CMash August 13, 2011 Leave a Comment

Hosted by Danielle at There’s A Book

From Danielle’s blog:
We all leave our “footprint” on the world, in one way or another. We each, individually, do something or are someone that makes the world a little better just by being here. I created this weekly meme to get to know the blogging community I love just a bit better. To know what makes them tick, outside of books, that is. Each week I will post a question to be answered in the following week’s “A Bit of Me(Me)”. Check back each Saturday to get the info for next week’s post and link up with your current post right here.
This week’s question: What’s one activity you’re looking forward to or that you’ve already done this summer?
Read more: http://www.theresabook.com/2011/08/a-bit-of-meme-tap-tap-tap/#ixzz1UG0eqqZI

First a caveat about Italian families if you aren’t familiar. Close friends are considered family. And in 3 weeks, there is a wedding, my bff’s son. I met her when our oldest sons started HS together and both families became very close and have been friends ever since. My oldest son, Paul, is in the wedding party, and my youngest son, Mark is coming home for the wedding and staying for the week. We haven’t seen Mark since March so we are definitely looking forward to that.

However, last week, the Groom-to-be severely injured his arm, which has resulted in the need for major surgery asap, which is scheduled for this week, 2 weeks before the wedding. He will be in complete immobilization for the day of the wedding. They had plans to go to Hawaii on their honeymoon, which they have decided to cancel. I am so upset for the kids. Can you imagine? Planning for a year, the gown, pictures, the venue, the band, etc etc and then this. And of course, it’s his right hand so the poor kid is worried as to how will he put the ring on his bride, or how will he shake hands, or even dance with his new wife and Mom. My bff and I, over this past year, have talked about all the tears we will shed, for happiness and for seeing these boys grow into men, and then this.

But it will still be a beautiful wedding. And the important thing is that they are entering into this marriage for all the right reasons and the vows they declare before God, will be taken seriously. And the best part, both our families will be together to celebrate this union. Three weeks and counting!!

A Bit of Me

A Bit Of Me

CMash August 13, 2011 3 Comments

Hosted by Danielle at There’s A Book

Winners

And the winner is……….

CMash August 12, 2011 Leave a Comment

…………of LEFT NEGLECTED by Lisa Genova

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2011-08-12 22:04:21 UTC

Linda Kish said… 26 One of my best friends had a stroke a few years ago and suffers from left neglect. Trouble is she is/was left hand dominant, too. I would love to read this book.

An email has been sent to the winner and she has 48 hours to respond with her mailing address or another winner will be chosen. Thank you to all that entered.

Winners

And the winner is……….

CMash August 12, 2011 2 Comments

…………of LEFT NEGLECTED by Lisa Genova

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2011-08-12 22:04:21 UTC

Linda Kish said… 26 One of my best friends had a stroke a few years ago and suffers from left neglect. Trouble is she is/was left hand dominant, too. I would love to read this book.

An email has been sent to the winner and she has 48 hours to respond with her mailing address or another winner will be chosen. Thank you to all that entered.

Guest Author

Guest Author Lynda Fishman

CMash August 12, 2011 Leave a Comment

Another great day!!! Nicole, from Tribute Books, will be introducing us to an amazing woman today as she stops by, visits and talks about her novel. Please, help me give a very warm welcome to this incredible author, Ms. Lynda Fishman!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In 1970, when she was thirteen years old, Lynda’s life came to a disastrous halt when her mother and two younger sisters were killed in an Air Canada plane crash.

As a young teen, Lynda made a conscious decision to become happy and to lead a fulfilled life. Lynda chose to live. She was committed to learning, growing and making a difference. Determined to find meaning and purpose in her life, she managed to muster up the courage and strength to dream big, to be idealistic, to strive for more, and to live a meaningful life where she could make a difference in the lives of others.

Lynda Fishman is a trained clinical social worker who has spent over twenty years as a camp director. In the early 90s, Lynda was one of the first camp directors in the Toronto area to incorporate children with special needs into mainstream camp life. Lynda has devoted a lifetime to organized camping and is passionate about the positive role of camping in a person’s life. She is the owner and director of Adventure Valley Day Camp.

Lynda is a motivational and inspirational speaker and facilitator. She has published articles and training manuals on leadership, teamwork, bullying, trust, childhood health and wellness, communication and customer service.

Lynda’s husband, Barry Fishman, has his own amazing story to share, having been orphaned at age 17 and left alone to care for his brother with special needs. Lynda and Barry met as teenagers and have been together since then. They have three grown children, and the whole family is heavily involved in supporting children dealing with tragedy, cancer or other life-threatening diseases, fund-raising and charity events.

Barry has spent his entire career working in the health care and pharmaceutical industry. He is President and CEO of the Canadian operations for the world’s largest generic pharmaceutical company, Teva Pharmaceuticals. Barry serves on the Board of Directors of the Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Lynda is a woman of action. She has incredible enthusiasm for life. She is persistent, focused and faithful to her dreams and goals. She is willing to work for everything with patience, optimism and determination. She finds ways to be grateful and positive. Lynda goes out there and does what she has to do with a CAN DO attitude of gratitude, positivity, compassion, and honesty.

More links on this remarkable author:
Blog Tour web site: http://repairing-rainbows.blogspot.com/
Repairing Rainbows website: http://repairingrainbows.com/
Lynda Fishman’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/RepairingLife
Excerpt link: http://repairing-rainbows.blogspot.com/search/label/Excerpt
Reviews link: http://repairing-rainbows.blogspot.com/search/label/Reviews

ABOUT THE BOOK

At thirteen years old, Lynda’s life comes to a disastrous halt when her mother and two younger sisters are killed in a plane crash. Her father, overcome by despair, simply continues to exist, in a state devoid of hope. After burying a wife and two young children at the age of 44, the overwhelming responsibility of raising a daughter alone completely immobilizes him.

Teetering on that tender brink between childhood and adolescence, Lynda faces the responsibility of a father in a complete state of shock, a house to take care of and hundreds of decisions about how to proceed with their shattered lives.

In Repairing Rainbows she candidly describes the agonizing memories, deafening silence and endless hardships that are the fallout of incredible loss. As we follow her through marriage, motherhood and her own spiritual journey, Lynda reveals her complex feelings of hope, anger, pity and determination. Most importantly, she learns the crucial difference between “truly living” and the existence that is so often mistaken for being alive.

A true story, written by a woman whose normal and abundant life hides a terrible past, Repairing Rainbows is loaded with important lessons to help others overcome struggles and obstacles, and fulfill their lives. It is a powerful, captivating, riveting and easy-to-read story that will undoubtedly touch the hearts of its readers.

Watch the interview: