Day: October 6, 2019

Voter registration deadline is Monday October 7

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Deadline to vote in the November 5 election is Monday October 5. Proposition 5 will protect Texas’ natural areas and historic sites. Photo: google

On November 5, Texans will head to the polls and vote in a constitutional amendment election. Voters will determine whether or not to pass Proposition 5, one of 10 on the ballot, which will create a dedicated stream of revenue to support the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission. This is important for protecting Texas’ natural areas, water quality, and history, and it is vital to our economy. (Texas Coalition for State Parks, 2019)

For Texans, the deadline to register to vote in the upcoming constitutional amendment election this fall is Monday, October 7, 2019, as voters must submit their voter registration at least 30 days before the election date. Those interested in voting on ballot items on November 5, 2019 can find out if they are registered to vote in the state, how to register if not, and discover where they can cast their ballots by visiting the links on the Texas Coalition for State Parks’ elections page.

Proposition 5 is a constitutional dedication of revenue from the existing sales tax, so those dollars can only be used by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission on public parks and historic sites and not for any other purposes. This Proposition requires no new taxes or fees. A “YES” vote on Proposition 5 on November 5 will protect Texas’ natural areas and historic sites, so Texans do not lose the very things that make Texas a special place in which to live.

The ballot language of Proposition 5 is: “The constitutional amendment dedicating the revenue received from the existing state sales and use taxes that are imposed on sporting goods to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission to protect Texas’ natural areas, water quality, and history by acquiring, managing, and improving state and local parks and historic sites while not increasing the rate of the state sales and use taxes.”

The Texas Coalition for State Parks, was launched by a group of former Texas Parks & Wildlife Commissioners and park advocates with the sole purpose of advocating for a constitutional dedication of the Sporting Goods Sales Tax to state parks funding. The Texas Coalition for State Parks PAC was formed to engage voters ahead of the November 5, 2019 election and encourage them to support Proposition 5.

“As our state population grows, we must promote and protect our public parks and state historic sites. We can all agree that these special places are vital to our economy and to our Texas heritage, culture, and way of life. A reliable source of funding for state parks and historic sites is an investment in our future and a gateway to the outdoors for every Texan.” – State Senator Lois Kolkhorst

“For too long, state lawmakers have entrusted the hardworking leaders and personnel of our state parks system with a very important job, but did not give them the resources they needed to accomplish it. This amendment will change that and provide the funding system necessary to preserve these natural treasures for future generations.” – State Representative John Cyrier

Book of the week: ‘Becoming Starlight’ by Sharon Prentice, PhD

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‘Becoming Starlight’ by Sharon Prentice, PhD. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

“Becoming Starlight” is a memoir about the process of grief and its relationship to the mysteries concerning the afterlife. This book will bring comfort to those who are feeling unrelenting sorrow over the loss of loved ones. This memoir is a story of surviving grief and mending the wounds of loss.

In this deeply personal book, Sharon Prentice shares her long and difficult journey to find inner peace and cope with the death of her daughter and husband, all while trying to reconnect with God. Even though the subject matter may be difficult at times, including the details of her husband’s illness and deteriorating health, some readers may find solace in knowing that others have experienced such hardships. The language is easy to understand and the story flows from chapter to chapter and makes it a page turner for the target audience. In this case, it is the religious community that may find themselves questioning their faith and are looking for reassurances that in the end, their faith is not in vain. Sometimes the tone is unforgiving to scientists, science and those who do not believe in the afterlife and may turn off some readers. Regardless, the highlight is definitely the author’s description of her Shared Death Experience as it comes across as a beautiful experience that surrounded her with love, hope and comfort when she needed it most. “Becoming Starlight” is recommended for readers who are genuinely interested in the afterlife and need the comforting words of someone who, despite her personal losses, came out a better person.

“Dr. Sharon Prentice, in her book Becoming Starlight, assists all of humanity by transmuting our collective fear of death into love when she journeys to that mysterious place we call Heaven and returns to share her experiences with us. This messenger is worth listening to.”
— Tim Miejan, editor of The Edge Magazine

“In Becoming Starlight, the author teaches us the most important lesson of all—that love is the eternal fiber connecting all existence, living and beyond. Her extraordinary true story provides faith and ease to all who wonder what happens when our loved ones or we die.”
—Randi Fine, Author of Close Encounters of the Worst Kind, Podcast Host of A Fine Time for Healing

Dr. Sharon Prentice is a psychotherapist and spiritual counselor whose work focuses on helping patients process the grief of losing a loved one. “Becoming Starlight” is her memoir of healing from the devastating loss of her daughter and husband. She experienced a unique spiritual experience, known as a Shared Death Experience (SDE) which gave her a peek into forever and a sense of peace that was otherworldly.

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Book review: ‘You Can See More From Up Here’ by Mark Guerin

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“You Can See More From Up Here” by Mark Guerin Photo: google

Mark Guerin is a playwright, copywriter and journalist who has an MFA from Brandeis University. A graduate of Grub Street’s Novel Incubator program in Boston, he is the winner of an Illinois Arts Council Grant, the Mimi Steinberg Award for Playwriting and Sigma Tau Delta’s Eleanor B. North Poetry Award. His debut novel “You Can See More From Up Here” is a coming-of-age story about the illusion of privilege and the power of the past to inform and heal the present. As of October 1, it is available everywhere books are sold.

“You Can See More From Up Here” begins with a memory that Walker Maguire would rather forget. He is in the medical exam room at American Motors with his father, the company’s doctor. The elder Maguire, an unhappily retired Air Force coronel, is making him take a summer job there and he needs a pre-employment physical. This memory takes place in the summer of 1974 but in the present, it is 2004 and a middle aged Walker is called to the deathbed of his estranged father in Bedford, Illinois. That summer, while working at the plant, he witnesses a bloody fight falsely blamed on Manny Camarasa, a Mexican immigrant but because he fears his white co-workers and his tyrannical father, he keeps quiet.

He thinks it is just a small lie, but it slowly leads to more lies, betrayals and the eventual disappearance of the Camarasa family and a lifelong rift between father and son. For years, Walker tries unsuccessfully to have an honest conversation with his father regarding the events of that summer but with him now in a coma, it seems that he will never get answers. It is up to him to find out what really happened and since too much time has passed, his memory is foggy so he starts a memoir. His father eventually passes so Walker never gets to hear his side of the story but some of his old demons are put to rest and he starts a new life in Bedford, after decades of running away from it.

In his debut novel, Mark Guerin paints a believable portrait of a Midwestern working class community and their everyday struggles. It contains the universal themes of family, first loves, racism and classism which are relevant at any time period. Growing up, Walker, whose father is a doctor, not only has to deal with family drama at home but also with resentments from those around him because of some imagined privilege that comes from being a doctor’s son. The author toggles back and forth between the past and the present without it becoming confusing. With easy to understand language and down to earth dialogue, the story flows easily from page to page, making it a natural page turner. The characters are well-developed and relatable but Piper, Walker’s little sister, remains a spoiled entitled brat in the past and the present. It is difficult to get through terms like “wetback” used to refer to the Mexican immigrants, but it brings the ugly truth of racism to light. “You Can See More From Up Here” is recommended for readers who appreciate a poignant coming of age novel that deals with racism, family drama, friendships, romance and the daily lives of the working class.

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.