Mornings.
I
wake up to the dogs playing in the rooms below before Kim puts Daisy in her
cage. Then Kim goes out for her three- to six-mile run. All is quiet.
I
hear the refrigerator purring quietly. The air conditioner trips on and goes
off. Sun seeps into the window nudging me to get up. I do.
Kim,
back from her run relaxes on the couch. Daisy asleep on the tile floor. She
likes it there since it’s cooler than the carpet. Stella disappears. She is
somewhere. She likes to sneak up on you. Cat like.
The
sun beats on my back, warming me nudging me to begin my day. Already have.
Doesn’t she know? Berries washed and placed in containers. Breakfast eaten.
Time for writing. The keys on my computer making semi-regular taps on the keyboard.
Not intrusive, just necessary.
There
is strength in silence.
A
time to reflect, to think, to gather thoughts as my mind drifts to this or
that. Sometimes lightning fast, other times slow as I consider something
interesting. Often times, one thought leads to another and another and . . .
Quickly, without editing, without censorship. Grasping this or that.
Silence
doesn’t mean agreement. Silence doesn’t mean disagreement. Silence just is.
No
need to speak. No room for noise that isn’t necessary or purposeful.
Silence
makes room for thought, clears the path of the troubled mind and soul. Silence
makes peace of oneself, for oneself.
Silence
is comforting, soothing. Silence is necessary.
We
retreat into ourselves. Perhaps retreat is the wrong word. Perhaps we attack
ourselves. Ruthlessly. Without care or concern, often times without compassion
or tenderness. Without the thought of the heart or soul. Marking off one
transgression and another. Balancing a good versus a bad. Our own worst
critics. Sometimes wound so tightly we have trouble breathing. Silence can be
scary as much as it can be comforting.
Still,
I prefer silence. Wrapped in a favorite blanket, feet tucked under, nestled
back in a soft chair. I’ll take my chances with my inner critic. Sometimes I
win. Other times . . .
Sun
and silence seem to travel together. Rain and silence can seem like strange
partners, but partners just the same. All three necessary, and each giving a
different flavor to each other.
And
morning silence, for me, is different than evening silence.
I’d
rather have light than dark. Soft shadows rather than the edge of harsh
darkness. Too much out there in the dark. All is open in light. I disagree with
Paul Simon when he calls darkness an old friend. There is something disquieting
and uncomfortable in darkness. Not necessarily a friend.
And,
however we deal with silence is okay. It is right and just and pure. Embrace it
as a friend, a companion. As a necessary partner. Needed. Necessary. Peaceful.
Something to think about . . .
Live
Your Life, and Make A Difference!
To
My Readers:
My
new book, Betrayed, will debut Nov. 12, 2020! It is a
contemporary psychological thriller using some of the same characters from my
previous work. It takes place on the Navajo Nation Reservation in northeast
Arizona.
Below
is the book blurb. Pretty excited about it.
Integrity
is protecting someone who betrayed you. Courage is keeping a promise even
though it might mean death.
A
late-night phone call turns what was to be a fun hunting trip into a deadly
showdown. Fifteen-year-old brothers George Tokay, Brian Evans and Brett
McGovern face death on top of a mesa on the Navajo Nation Reservation in
Arizona. They have no idea why men are intent on killing them.
Betrayed
is a contemporary psychological thriller and an exploration of the heart and of
a blended family of adopted kids, their relationships to each other and their
parents woven into a tight thriller/mystery.
“Once
again, author Joseph Lewis has written a fast-paced psychological thriller
mystery that immerses readers into a dark world few encounter.”
—
Joan Livingston, author of the Isabel Long Mystery Series
“Betrayed
is at once an emotional chapter in author Joseph Lewis’ continuing
coming-of-age story and an intriguing thriller. Following both law enforcement
and a group of teens searching for a missing boy on Native American land,
Lewis’ latest also provides a unique view into Navajo culture. A layered story
that explodes into a bullet-riddled climax.”
—
Rick Treon, award-winning author of Deep Background and Let the Guilty Pay
Connect
with me on Social Media:
Twitter at @jrlewisauthor
Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author
Spiral
Into Darkness:
Named
a Recommended Read in the Author Shout Reader Awards!
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:
A
PenCraft Literary Award Winner!
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
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
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. http://tinyurl.com/Splintered-Lives-J-Lewis
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
Photo
courtesy of Olya Voloshka and Unsplash
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Thank you for your comment. I welcome your thought. Joe