About two or so
weeks ago, I was struggling. Things weren’t going the way I wanted or hoped
they would. An angry parent or two who didn’t bother to speak to me but
directed their anger to someone else, who then informed me. An angry teacher. A
couple of angry kids.
Admittedly, I was
down. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, and my mood tends to show despite
my efforts at hiding what might be roiling around inside me.
Into my office
walked a teacher. Upbeat. Positive. Happy.
She sits down and
the conversation went sort of like this:
“Is something
wrong?”
My response was to
shrug and say, “Just a bad day.”
She hesitated and
said, “Well, I’m sorry if I add to it, but I felt I needed to tell you that my
cancer is back.”
First of all, this
young lady has been and is a trooper. She has battled and battled, and I have
no doubt she will keep doing so. I cannot imagine the fear and anxiety she must
have. Yet, the words didn’t match her outward mood. Knowing her for the past
eleven years, that is typical for her. She is a walking, talking ball of
energy, and a motivator. A class act in the classroom, in the hallways, among
her peers, and in meetings. I like being around her because she is so positive.
And positive
despite the cloud hovering over her. Despite her news, despite what she is
going through.
Secondly, I felt
like a heel, and a heck of a lot weaker and smaller than I’ve felt in a long
time. My “bad day” is nothing compared to her “bad day.” Whatever “bad day” I
might have is nothing compared to what she is going through.
How unfortunate
that I might display my mood when all around me, there are many others who are
going through so much more significant trials and troubles than I am.
I know of three
kids in wheelchairs and will be for their lifetime, while I have the ability to
walk and run. A young lady has to worry about someone’s perfume, cigarette
smoke, vaping because she has an extreme reaction to most things we might not
even notice, and when she does, she is carted away in an ambulance due to her
asthma. Kids with peanut allergies who, if not acted upon quickly, could die
from mere exposure to it. A young man whose personality and smile is so big and
so broad he makes me smile just thinking about him. He suffers from a muscle
disorder and his fine motor skills are lacking.
Marriage worries.
Worries about children. Financial woes. The list is endless.
And yet, I had a “bad
day.”
Nothing in my “bad
day” compares to any of the above.
So perhaps . . .
I . . . and
perhaps you . . . need to consider our own reactions to our own circumstances,
and how this might affect not only ourselves but others. How does my . . . your
. . . “mood” affect the moods of others? How does my . . . your . . . words and
stories affect the thoughts, and feelings, and mood of others? So much of what
we say or do impacts the heart and soul of others without our knowing it. It is
tragic and criminal if we do know it and proceed anyway.
Perhaps we need to
stop, or at least pause, to think before we speak, before we unload on someone.
Perhaps we need to consider just how “bad” our day, our lives really are in
comparison to the lives around us. We might be surprised that no matter what we
are going through is nothing in comparison to what the guy or girl sitting or
standing next to us, or walking down the hallway in the opposite direction is
going through- even if she or he wears the smile and laughs at the joke.
Something to think about . . .
P.S. To that
teacher who is battling cancer who apologized to me for adding to my “bad day”
I know you are reading this. I just want to say you are stronger than just
about anyone I know. My thoughts and my prayers have been with you and will be
with you. Take care and we’ll see you soon! You’ve got this! I believe in you! God
Bless!
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
To My Readers:
Connect with me on Social Media:
Twitter at
@jrlewisauthor
Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author
Good News!
Spiral Into Darkness has been nominated for Top Shelf Book Awards! That is quite an honor! I’ll find out more
in late November or early December.
Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer for Midwest Review had some wonderful things to say about Spiral Into Darkness:
“Joseph Lewis
excels in building more than just a 'whodunnit' mystery. His is a novel of
psychological suspense that weaves a 'cat-and-mouse' game into the equation of
dealing with a killer who is much cleverer than anyone he's run up against in
his career as a detective. Tension builds in an excellent, methodical manner as
Lewis creates a scenario that rests firmly on not just the actions of all
involved, but their psychological foundations. The result is a powerfully
written work of psychological fiction that is highly recommended not just for
mystery and police procedural readers, but for those who appreciate literary
works well grounded in strong characters, plot development, and emotional
tension. Great buildup, great insights, great reading!”
Readers Favorites wrote:
“If you enjoy
thrillers, especially psychological ones, Spiral
Into Darkness by Joseph Lewis will grab you good and proper in the opening
two chapters. You will find yourself avidly turning pages as a serial killer
accosts his victims, confirms their identities and blasts away their faces with
a .38 pistol. If you are interested in both the good and bad sides of humanity
and why we each turn out as we do, Spiral
Into Darkness won’t disappoint.”
Best Thrillers wrote:
“The Bottom Line:
A thoroughly compulsive police procedural by one of America’s most promising
new writers. Joseph Lewis, author of our
Best of 2018 pick Caught in a Web, is back with another crime thriller
featuring world-weary Milwaukee detective Jamie Graff . . . While Lewis
savagely explores romance, drama, and sexuality with his wider cast of
characters, Jamie’s interpersonal life is refreshingly free of drama for a cop,
enabling him to be the determined, resourceful rock capable of cracking the
case. The result is a thoroughly compulsive crime thriller.”
And, Spiral Into Darkness has made it into
the Top 50 Indie Books by Reader’s
Choice!
You can find Spiral Into Darkness on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2RBWvTm and on Barnes and Noble at https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spiral-into-darkness-joseph-lewis/1129937958;jsessionid=0C9F7881E2F56139FAD36435022CB35D.prodny_store01-atgap18?ean=9781684332090
Best Thrillers had
previously reviewed my book, Caught in a
Web. It was named as a PenCraft
Literary Award Winner for Thriller Fiction! Best Thrillers called it “one of the best crime thriller books of
the year!” I am both proud and humbled.
You can find Caught in a Web on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696
or on Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caught-in-a-web-joseph-lewis/1128250923?ean=9781684330249
Caught in a Web is now available in Audio format. You can
find it at https://www.beaconaudiobooks.com/audiobookreleases/high-school-drug-rings-gangs-and-revenge-are-all-encompassing-in-caught-in-a-web-by-joseph-lewis
If you do read Caught in a Web, Spiral Into Darkness, or any of my other books, please leave a
rating and a review. I would appreciate it. Thanks for this consideration!
Spiral Into Darkness:
He blends in. He
is successful, intelligent and methodical. He has a list and has murdered eight
on it so far. There is no discernible pattern. There are no clues. There are no
leads. The only thing the FBI and local police have to go on is the method of
death: two bullets to the face- gruesome and meant to send a message. But it’s
difficult to understand any message coming from a dark and damaged mind. Two
adopted boys, struggling in their own world, have no idea they are the next
targets. Neither does their family. And neither does local law enforcement. https://amzn.to/2RBWvTm
Caught in a Web:
The bodies of high
school and middle school kids are found dead from an overdose of heroin and
fentanyl. The drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors and the Milwaukee
Metro area is controlled by MS-13, a violent gang originating from El Salvador.
Ricardo Fuentes is sent from Chicago to Waukesha to find out who is cutting in
on their business, shut it down and teach them a lesson. But he has an ulterior
motive: find and kill a fifteen-year-old boy, George Tokay, who had killed his
cousin the previous summer.
Detectives Jamie
Graff, Pat O’Connor and Paul Eiselmann race to find the source of the drugs,
shut down the ring, and find Fuentes before he kills anyone else, especially
George or members of his family. The three detectives discover the ring has its
roots in a high school among the students and staff. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696
Book One of the Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives:
Two thirteen year
old boys are abducted off a safe suburban street. Kelliher and his team of FBI
agents have 24 hours to find them or they’ll end up like all the others- dead!
They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. And the possibility exists
that one of his team members might be involved. http://tinyurl.com/Stolen-Lives-J-Lewis
Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives:
Six men escaped
and are out for revenge. The boys, recently freed from captivity, are in danger
and so are their families, but they don’t know it. The FBI has no clues, no
leads, and nothing to go on and because of that, cannot protect them. http://tinyurl.com/Shattered-Lives-J-Lewis
Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:
A 14 year old boy
knows the end is coming. What he doesn’t know is when, where or by whom.
Without that knowledge, neither he nor the FBI can protect him or his family.
The Lives Trilogy Prequel, Taking Lives:
FBI Agent Pete
Kelliher and his partner search for the clues behind the bodies of six boys
left in various and remote parts of the country. Even though they don’t know
one another, the lives of FBI Kelliher, 11 year old Brett McGovern, and 11 year
old George Tokay are separate pieces of a puzzle. The two boys become
interwoven with the same thread that Pete Kelliher holds in his hand. The three
of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their lives are in
jeopardy as each search for a way out. http://tinyurl.com/Taking-Lives-J-Lewis
