Art, Music, and Books: Magical Forces Empowering Togetherness

Bringing people together will always generate a brilliant light in our world.

Yesterday was living proof ... Art, Music, and Books are magical forces empowering community spirit and togetherness.

My book and signing booth at the Downtown Santa Ana Artwalk on Sunday, April 4, brought in groups of wonderful people.

I met many superheroes---the kind of heartwarming friends who serve bite-sized positivity that is memorable and impactful. I met fourth-graders and first-graders who love to read and who love their elementary-school teachers. I met an international journalist who is writing a memoir that is very deep and personal about her family's history and culture, and the loss of her husband who recently passed. It's a book that will be a gift of love for her young son's future.

At my booth, a brilliant and glowing young woman shared her love of books, especially short stories, and that she started a new book club with a circle of friends. Their first read is a thriller, The Chain by Adrian McKinty. A Goodreads Choice Award. We've decided to stay in touch. I hope to join her special book club and read along with her circle of wonderful women.

Also at my booth, I had the honor of meeting a psychologist who has several non-fiction books published. She travels internationally and speaks at various conferences. I learned from her that she works with survivors of human trafficking. I couldn't help but listen deeply as she spoke, opening her heart to me. She is truly remarkable in all the ways she cares for human life, and her genuine understanding that all of us matter in this one world we share together. Imagine, she said, all that we can achieve if we erased our perceived differences and lived together in harmony. Yes, I thought to myself. A dream that can be our reality. A dream worth dreaming every single day.

Throughout the day and into the evening, I met a poet and songwriter who loves the energy of New York; a graphic-novel aficionado whose favored reading is Deadpool, horror, and ----lucky me! --- speculative short fiction; a young and quite handsome Veteran who read 150 books last year, mostly non-fiction and self-help. He made some great recommendations, one being The Man The Moment Demands: Master the Ten Characteristics of the Comprehensive Man. A quick summary is "becoming the right kind of man for every challenge that lies ahead."

I also chatted with a lovely young woman who lived in Australia for a year. She didn't plan to attend the Downtown Artwalk; rather, she came by after a brief stop at the local CVS. The DJ's music near my booth drew her in. I learned that she needed to take a walk. To get outside from being in her bed most of the day. She threw on some clothes and didn't intentionally choose to wear her baseball-style cap embroidered with Australia across the front. She had beautiful long hair, carried only her cell phone, and a sadness in her eyes. She shared with me that she is a survivor of the 2025 Bondi terrorist attack that occurred in Australia. I wanted so very much to give her a hug, and I hope my words of encouragement in helping her keep her strength, will be a hug in itself. She is a survivor. And that is greater than any magic I know.

Always, I will carry these incredible friends with me in my heart and soul. They are superheroes and powerful in bringing light into my life and this world.

#onelove

#communityspirit

#staystrong

#staykind

#beinspired