SHOCKING…HORRIFYING…UNTHINKABLE

As much as I was disturbed by this movie for so many reasons, I was also very disturbed by a few reviewers’ comments. I agree, the movie was not presented in the most entertaining way but really, that was not the point, nor its purpose. How can one be so shallow as to not have compassion and sympathy for these individuals and what they endured?

I’ve volunteered in the prison and jail ministry for several years. No matter how much society wants to deny it, these cases are not rare, unheard of, or fabricated. They happen all the time! What often goes on in the systems can be like a horror movie played out, messing with people’s lives on all kinds of levels. Destroying one individual at a time, often taking many innocent people with them.

One thing this movie brought to lights is not only is the system often unjust, the people working in it are often evil, filled and hatred. There are innocent lives being shattered, as well as the affects it has on their loved ones.

How often do people point fingers, condemn, and judge! But never stop to think of their loved ones. They are often the innocent and hurting. We all have a father and a mother, grandparents, many of us siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, best friends. Whether or not someone is guilty or innocent, they often have loved ones out there that did nothing wrong to deserve the hurt by every cruel word and action directed towards the one convicted.

This movie elicited so many emotions it’s hard to even put them into words. Each story unique, tugging at my heart. To think what these individuals endured! How their families suffered! And for what?!?!? They were all innocent! But the revelation of that fact could NEVER reverse the damage that had been done from a wrongful conviction!

But through it all, God did show up! These men and this woman are extraordinary, faithful, inspiring individuals.

When the movie ended I was speechless, motionless for some time. I clenched my eyes shut and sat in silence, tying to soak it all in.

How? – How could people be so cruel?


Why? - Why do we allow such things to happen?


Evil? - How can one allow Satan to enter their lives and inflict so much pain and injustices?


God? - God has nothing to do with Evil…that’s all Satan. God allows us free will, and with that free will many men have chosen to follow Satan instead of God, therefore allowing evil to attempt to devour the world and destroy God’s people He loves so dearly.


When I was finally able to pull myself together, I did the only thing I could after such an experience. I reached for my Bible. I closed my eyes and opened it up. The pages before me…the end of Matthew, chapter 12 and be beginning of chapter 13. The bold heading that stood out and grabbed my attention reflected that of the movie. Once again God had not failed to comfort me in my time of need, giving me His word to find peace. At least enough to allow me to eventually fall asleep.


I pray that people from all over will watch this movie. That it will move their hearts the way it did mine, giving them the knowledge and compassion to realize we are in no position to judge and condemn. Yes, there are those that are guilty and should pay for their crimes. But there are also those that are wrongfully convicted. For those that are guilty, I just have one phrase those judging…What would Jesus do! And that’s not a question. The facts are all there in black in one. One just has to open the cover and read. Treat others they way you’d want to be treated. You reap what you sow. And the greatest of these is…love.


REVIEWERS COMMENT I FOUND VERY DISTURBING:
Pure talking heads here. Several wrongly convicted ex-cons, played by actors, tell their stories of woe. You've heard it all before. This is a stage play adaptation that's more play than movie. Maybe the play worked better. This got on my nerves.


MY COMMENT TO THIS REVIEWER:
Sorry to hear you missed the whole point. The words "no heart" comes to mind. I agree at first it was hard to stay focus. So many different stories and the way it was presented. But if you’d stuck with it, you might have been captivated by the individual’s lives, as well as discovered the horrifying truths and then maybe you would have discovered some compassion within.


MORE REVIEWERS COMMENTS THAT DIDN’T SETTLE WELL:
1) Anyone can tell these people's stories. I would be pissed if I have to pay to see this movie in the theater.
2) This HAS to be one of the BORINGEST if not The Most Boring movie I’ve EVER seen !!!Guess I could tag it A Waste Of Time?

COMMENT TO A REVIEWERS:
Sorry to hear you missed the whole point. The words "no heart" comes to mind. I agree at first it was hard to stay focus. So many different stories and the way it was presented. Sorry to hear you weren't captivated by the individual’s stories enough to discover the horrifying truths of then, allowing you to ascertain some compassion within.

If you chose to make the effort to locate and watch this movie, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

Blessing,

Kym

THANK YOU FACEBOOK

When one says the word “facebook” what comes to mind is a mix of good and bad.

THE GOOD:

Connections – Old friends, classmates, relatives, people you don’t know, people you’d like to know.

Communication – A way to get the word out there about something that is near and dear to your heart.

Networking – When you’re trying to build a name, it’s a great tool for getting who you are, out there.

Discovery - A way to discover new things. New people.

THE BAD:

Time – If you’re not careful, it can eat up your time like sitting on the couch, watching TV like a sack of beans.

Privacy – You put yourself out there for others to get to know you. Now you can be found in a whole new, easier way. Others know your business.

What good has come from my being on facebook, something I had no interest in when I first heard of it. I must say it has been fun to see where people are in life that I have not seen or heard of since my school days. I also love the connection with other authors. It’s also been a means to learning of thing that touch my heart that I otherwise may not have been exposed to through the sharing of videos.

If it were not for facebook, and “liking” THE BAND PERRY, I would have missed out on a wonderful opportunity to meet them. It wasn’t long ago that I’d discovered them on Youtube, and fell in love with their music. I just received their first CD a week or so before opening my facebook up one morning and to my surprise, I discovered they were going to be at a Best Buy near my home!

Well, I certainly couldn’t pass the opportunity up.

That very day I made last minute plans to go and see them. With their CD blaring in my van, I headed for Downers Grove. I was semi surprised to find a long line when I entered the store but oh how worth the wait it would be. As I stood in line for an hour or so, I met two other women. We talked the entire time, sharing stories. They hadn’t brought their cameras, so I offered to take pictures for them as well.

I must say THE BAND PERRY exceeded my expectations. I realize their a relatively new band, but still. When it was my turn, Kimberly looked me in the eyes as she held out her hand and asked me my name. Both Neil and Reid did the same. They signed what I had brought for them to sign, as well as allowed me to take a picture with them. Not once did I feel rushed.

So thanks to God, facebook, and THE BAND PERRY, it was an amazing day!

http://www.thebandperry.com/

CAN'T WAIT TO READ HER FIRST BOOK, THIS ONE WAS SO GOOD!

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS has my head in the clouds, dreaming of meeting my Gideon. What a wonderful story.

Probably the first half of the book I took my time, reading slowing, absorbing every word. After that point, I could no longer hold back and flipped through the pages, rapidly. If the cover doesn’t draw you in, then the title surely will. But if that isn’t enough, if you dare to read between the covers, the first page is bound to capture you.

As an aspiring writer, I savored every word. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS was brilliantly written, with an amazing storyline that will take you on an adventure you never want to end. How could one not fall in love with Gideon Westcott, as well as Adelaide Proctor? Every character was alive, bringing you into their world in such a way you forget they’re not real.

Karen was able to give Gideon a strong faith in such a natural way it flowed throughout the book, never seeming forced or jarring. Adelaide’s was also presented in the same way. Two wonderfully strong characters that seemed to compliment one another.

There was never a dull moment in HEAD IN THE CLOUDS. What there was is a wonderful placement of action, and romance at all the right times. Always believable, keeping you turning the pages. Right up to the very end.

It’s hard to believe this is only her second book. I can’t wait to get started on her first, A TAILOR-MADE BRIDE. Karen has definitely been added to my “favorite authors” list.

Funny thing, I had forgotten I signed up to be an influencer for this book. In September I went to the ACFW Conference in IN, and spotted HEAD IN THE CLOUDS and purchased it, along with A TAILOR-MADE BRIDE. When I arrived home, guess what was awaiting me? A copy of HEAD IN THE CLOUDS from the publisher! So even though I originally signed up to be an influencer, I don’t consider myself one because before that became a reality, I had purchased it on my own. I was that drawn to the story!

GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY

Would the guilty party please speak up…
or rather, bark.

THE SUSPECTS:

#1 Prince, our male black Standard Poodle. Age, six.

#2 Hammie, our newest addition, a one year old male Collie mix we adopted from Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois, May 2010.

#3 Piglet, the oldest, yet smallest of the bunch and only female. A black Pug. Age, eight.

Just like children, each one is unique with their own personality, bringing something different to the family.

Piglet, the only females, is stubborn yet very loving. She kind of does her own thing but loves to snuggle which makes up for her lack of obedience. My eldest daughter, six year old at the time, wanted to name her Pig, due to the double curl in her tail. My husband intervened, giving her the name, Piglet…although we often call her, Pig.

Prince, he’s a very tall, muscular Standard Poodle. He came to us from a very sad situation, all skin and bones with not one, but two kinds of worms. One of them only comes from flea infested areas. Yeah, I know. He’s a bit skittish at times but very obedient, unlike his Pug sister. Every time I take him for a walk, we go past a water tower. He does his best to escape to the other side of the street, terrified of the thing. I have no doubt the original owner, who I believe to have been running a puppy mill in her basement, lived close to a water tower. What other reason would a dog be terrified of a water tower?

Then we come to Hammie. After fostering thirteen dogs for Collie Rescue, Hammie came along. My nine year old had wanted her own dog for some time…but three dogs. Yikes. Anyway, Hammie came into our home and within a day my daughter laid on the floor, her arms wrapped around his neck, tears rolling down her cheeks, and looked up at me and said, “This is my dog!” How could we resist? Adn he was such an amazingly sweet dog.

Our family went to Six Flags Great American for the first time in years, the other day. We were gone for about ten hours. I was concerned about the dogs, mainly Hammie, but not too concerned because they were locked in what we call “the dog’s room”. A safe place that if any accidents occur, no big deal. There really isn’t much in there for them to get into, or destroy.

When we returned home, all was well…kind of. That is except for the dog bed!

So, who looks like the guilty one?

The huge Poodle off to the left?

The comfortable looking sable Collie mix in the middle of the green fluff?

Or the black little Pug, semi hiding behind the Collie?

Now mind you, Hammie has destroyed a couple of other dog beds in the short time we’ve had him, so I pretty much knew who the culprit was. He tends to get a little nervous when we’ve gone for long hours. We found that out the hard way, after the end of our couch was destroyed, along with the edge of a cabinet.

So, when I decided to write about this little fiasco, a funny thing happened. I dumped all the bedding back onto the floor like we found it that night. I then called all the dogs into the room. Prince was very reluctant. I had to literally drag him in and place him in his position. Hammie came pretty willingly, though once I tried to coax him to the middle of the pile of stuffing, he was reluctant, even though we had decided not to punish him for what we thought was his doing. Then there was Piglet, and with her stubborn self, I had to pick her up and bring her to the room. I placed her in the mist of it all, and after several attempts, was able to get the picture.


When I released them, Prince was out of there in a flash. Hammie and Piglet were a different story. Hammie kind of hung around, a little confused. Piglet on the other hand, started attacking the green fluff! She shook her head from side to side with the stuff hanging out of her mouth.

I think I’m getting a better picture of what went on while we were gone. Hammie started to chew and rip the bed. As soon as stuffing started to fly, Piglet joined in on the fun, tossing it here and there. Meanwhile, Prince sat nervously shaking in the corner, wondering if he too would get the blame.

"It was the Pig and Ham!" Prince would bark.

Do we love them any less for this little fiasco… no. Just like kids, I’m sure we’ll be laughing about it one day.

APPLE CHIPS?

APPLE CHIPS…what in the world are apple chips?

When my youngest daughter whom loves apples, asked my eldest daughter to peel and cut up an apple for her, she decided to use the crinkle cutter instead of the apple wedger. Why? Only a thirteen-year-old knows.

So she peeled the apple and then sliced it with the crinkle cutter, making apple slices with ridges, thus looking like ruffled potato chips. Now each time my youngest daughter wants an apple peeled and cut, which is often, she asked for apple chips.

In the beginning she’s tried to fool me by asking for chips, knowing she’d not be allowed potato chips at the time she was asking for them. Then she’d later laugh and let me know she meant “apple chips”.

Soon after “our apple chip invention”, she decided she’d like peanut butter on them. So now our apple chips are spread with peanut butter as well. I can’t complain, it’s a health treat after all. I’ve made them so often now; they have me hooked on them as well.

Imagine that…the kids getting their parent hooked on a healthy snack rather them the other way around.