Garrison Brothers raises funds for Good Bourbon for a Good Cause

Garrison Brothers raised $400,000 using their Laguna Madre bourbon. Photo: Rob Cordes, used with permission.

In April 2020, Garrison Brothers Distillery launched Operation Crush COVID-19, a fundraising campaign to help American communities recover and rebuild from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The initiative raised $400K by pivoting and dedicating the release of their rarest, most exclusive, top-shelf bourbon called Laguna Madre.  Fundraising ended on August 15 and recipients of the donations included 53 Texas bartenders, veteran-led disaster response organization Team Rubicon, Southern Smoke Foundation’s Emergency Relief Fund and the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation’s TX Restaurant Relief Fund. (Garrison Brothers Distillery, 2020)

Laguna Madre is named after the beautiful blue waters along Texas’ Gulf Coast. The ultra-premium bourbon was first aged for four years in new white American oak barrels. It was then aged for four more years in barrels made of Limousin oak from France, which is prized for the vanilla flavor it bestows. Limousin oak imparts spirits with distinct flavors of vanilla, sweet candy, cacao and thick, white chocolate. There are only 400 bottles of Laguna Madre remaining and they are available for purchase for $299/each exclusively at the Garrison Brothers Distillery Gift Shop in Hye, Texas. Additional donations to Good Bourbon for a Good Cause are strongly encouraged at point of purchase. 

Garrison Brothers Distillery is a small farm and ranch, located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, that authentically produces straight bourbon whiskey. Garrison Brothers introduced the first bourbon whiskey legally made in Texas in 2010 and they currently have a wait list of more than 17,000 people hoping to land a spot on bottling days. The distillery and its barrel barns are open to the public for tours in Hye, Texas.

Funds of Good Bourbon for a Cause  are distributed to charitable organizations in Blanco and Gillespie counties of Texas and also to charitable organizations that serve current and former American military personnel nationwide. The types of charitable causes that are supported include but are not limited to:

  • Organizations that help current or former American military veterans and their families
  • Organizations that help former American military personnel get back to leading a rewarding life
  • Organizations that help American veterans recover from debilitating medical, mental health or psychological challenges
  • Organizations dedicated to conserving and preserving nature, wildlife, green spaces, or historical landmarks and historical sites
  • Other charitable organizations that the board of directors determine to be within the intent and spirit of the formation of this corporation

To date, the nonprofit organization has raised and contributed over to $500,000.

 “The mission of Good Bourbon for a Good Cause is to change the world through the power of good bourbon. The highly-anticipated Laguna Madre release provided us the best tool to raise the maximum amount of money, and I’m inspired by the coalescence of our community during these uncertain times.” Dan Garrison, founder and proprietor of Garrison Brothers Distillery. 

Taco Cabana launches QuesoMania and new MargaritaPalooza flavors

Taco Cabana is retired some flavors and adding new ones to their popular MargaritaPalooza margaritas. Photo: Taco Cabana, used with permission.

Taco Cabana is excited to announce several new food and beverage items coming to its locations throughout Texas beginning Wednesday August 26, 2020. The popular restaurant chain is launching ‘QuesoMania’ and expanding its MargaritaPalooza flavor offerings. (Taco Cabana, 2020)

With the launch of QuesoMania, guests can enjoy three new and delicious loaded queso options. Quesos are available for purchase in size small or large for $2.99 or $4.29 respectively in the following flavor combinations: 

  • Queso with corn, cotija cheese and Taco Cabana Hot Sauce
  • Queso with chorizo, beans and jalapenos
  • Queso with ground beef and pico de gallo

Due to overwhelming demand, Taco Cabana is also extending its MargaritaPalooza offerings, replacing six current flavors with six new flavors. As of this week, the Frose, MojitoRita, Prickly Pear, Passion Fruit and Star-Spangled Banner Margarita flavors will be retired. Starting August 26, 2020, Taco Cabana will launch six new margarita flavors, including:

  • Green Apple
  • Pineapple Chamoy
  • Tamarindo
  • Spicy Guava
  • Sangria
  • Strawberry Mango

The Lime, Strawberry, Mango, Blue Curacao, Mangonada and Watermelon margaritas will remain available for purchase as part of MargaritaPalooza and the popular Dr Pepper margarita will also be available upon request. $2 margaritas are available for purchase all day, every day at locations in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston and San Antonio.  

Guests can add chamoy to any TC margarita for no charge as well make any margarita a Jose Cuervo for an additional $2.  Margaritas are available via online ordering for front counter and curbside pick-up, as well as via the drive-thru with food purchase. Margaritas are also available for delivery via online ordering in San Antonio only.

MYTC! loyalty guests who complete the TC MargaritaPalooza Tour – purchasing all 12 flavors by September 30, 2020 –  will see their name on the TC MargaritaPalooza Virtual Wall. Download the MYTC! app to join and start earning points on all alcohol and food purchases.

To continue the celebration around MargaritaPalooza, Taco Cabana will also launch its Drive-Thru Weekend Fiestas starting Saturday, August 29, 2020. The fiestas will take place every Saturday and Sunday and will feature a special weekend-only menu, Taco Cabana MargaritaPalooza collectible cups available for $1, music and more. See below for the MargaritaPalooza Drive-Thru Weekend Fiesta offers, available Saturdays and Sundays only.

  • Any margarita + 3-pack of Flautas – $5.99
  • Any margarita + any Soft Taco – $4.00
  • Any two margaritas + 6-pack of Flautas – $9.99
  • Any four margaritas + Kickin’ Nachos – $13.99

Taco Cabana is also asking guests how they MargaritaPalooza at home by conducting a MargaritaPalooza At Home promotion launching tomorrow, August 26, 2020.  Guests who post a photo or video to Facebook or Instagram showing how they MargaritaPalooza at home while enjoying Taco Cabana menu items, tag @tacocabana, and include the hashtag #TCMARGARITAPALOOZA in their post will have a chance to be featured in an upcoming Taco Cabana TV spot or social media post.

“The response to MargaritaPalooza has been unbelievable and we’re very excited to expand our margarita flavor offerings for our guests.  To complement our $2 margaritas, we’re looking forward to the launch of QuesoMania as well. We invite everyone to Taco Cabana to try all the new items and to be a part of MargaritaPalooza Drive-Thru Weekend Fiestas.” – Fiesta Restaurant Group President and CEO, Rich Stockinger

Television adaptation: ‘Lovecraft Country’ by Matt Ruff

The television adaptation of Matt Ruff’s ‘Lovecraft Country’ is now on HBO. Photo: google

Matt Ruff is an American author of thriller, science fiction and comic novels, including “The Mirage,” “Bad Monkeys” “Fool on the Hill” “Set This House in Order” and “Lovecraft Country.” “Lovecraft Country” makes real the terrors of life in Jim Crow America and its lingering effects and combines historical fiction, pulp noir and Lovecraftian horror and fantasy.  It has been adapted into an HBO series by J.J. Abrams, Misha Green and Jordan Peele. Starring Jonathan Majors as Atticus, Jurnee Smollett as Letitia and Courtney B. Vance as George Freeman, it premiered on August 16 and follows Atticus as he joins up with his childhood friend Letitia and his Uncle George on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father.

 “Lovecraft Country” is a dark fantasy novel that explores the topics of H.P. Lovecraft’s horror fiction and racism in the United States during the Jim Crow era as experienced by black science-fiction fan Atticus Turner and his family. Set in Chicago in 1954, when Atticus’ father goes missing, he sets off from Florida with Letitia and his Uncle George, publisher of “The Safe Negro Travel Guide,” to Chicago to try to locate him. On their journey, they encounter the terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the strange tales that George loves to read. It is a blend of magic, power, hope and freedom that stretches across time and touches diverse members of two black families.

Celebrate National Dog Day with Whataburger and San Antonio Humane Society

Celebrate National Dog Day this Wednesday August 26 with Whataburger. Photo: Whataburger, used with permission.

This National Dog Day, Whataburger and the San Antonio Humane Society are partnering to host ‘The Ulti-Mutt Pooch Party’ for dog lovers everywhere. (Whataburger, 2020)

Set for Wednesday August 26,from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Whataburger’s YouTube channel, the live-stream celebration will feature adoptable pets, pool playtime with pups of all shapes and sizes, plenty of dog-friendly cake eating, an orange-and-white striped doghouse and maybe even a shout out to cats. Whataburger will also be launching their new pet collection that day, details coming soon.

Whataburger has been making burgers since 1950 when Harman Dobson opened a humble hamburger stand in Corpus Christi, Texas.  He wanted customers to take one bite and say, “What a burger” so he named his stand on Ayers St “Whataburger.”  Now with more than 800 locations across the country, Whataburger continues to deliver fresh, made to order meals every day with superior customer service.  Community support includes charitable giving and volunteerism to nonprofit organizations that focus on children’s charities, cancer research, hunger assistance, disaster relief and military support.

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‘Winter of the Wolf’ by Martha Hunt Handler is the coming of age novel of a young girl coping with her brother’s suicide.

Martha Hunt Handler is an environmental consultant and author who grew up in Northern Illinois dreaming about wolves and understanding that her role is to tell stories and be a voice for nature.  After she and her family relocated from Los Angeles to South Salem, New York, she began to hear wolves in her backyard and for the next twenty plus years, she has been an advocate for wolves at the Wolf Conservation Center, where she currently serves as Board President. Her first novel, “Winter of the Wolf” is an exploration in grief, suicide, spiritualism and Inuit culture told through the perspective of Bean, a fifteen year old girl.  All books sales from this novel will go to the Wolf Conservation Center.

“Winter of the Wolf” begins as Bean wakes up feeling cold, stiff and covered with a sheet and her first instinct is to believe she is dead.  Instead, she is in her northern Minnesota room in the middle of winter with her bedroom window open. She is still recuperating from the trauma of the previous night, when she, her best friend Julie and older brother Sam were in an automobile accident. The night ended in tragedy with the discovery of Sam’s dead body in his room from an apparent suicide by hanging. With the entire family in shock, the household is in disarray and Bean makes it her mission to find out the truth surrounding Sam’s death, since they were extremely close and she knows in her heart that he would never commit suicide. He loved life and nature and admired the Innuit culture, who do not believe in suicide. With Julie’s help, they review Sam’s life, his last days alive and his deeply held beliefs and in the process, reconnect with their own spiritual beliefs to get to the truth, no matter how painful.  In the end, they discover that he was a victim of auto asphyxiation, also known as ‘the choking game,” but in knowing what really happened, the family is finally at peace and Bean experiences her own spiritual growth, which includes accepting that souls never really die, they just move on to other forms.

In a note after the last chapter, Martha Hunt Handler explains that she was inspired by the death of her best friend’s 12 year old son, of what at first appeared to be suicide, to write this book. She combines this experience with her work as an environmentalist, her love of wolves and spiritual beliefs to tell a young girl’s inspirational coming of age story.  Narrated in the first person point of view, it is classified as a Young Adult novel but the themes of grief and spiritualism appeal to any age group.  It tactfully approaches the topic of teen suicide without making it just another depressing teen angst novel. The positive spiritual angle is refreshing, including the thought that ‘we are energy, and as such, according to the first law of thermodynamics, we cannot be created or destroyed but can only be transferred or changed from one form to another’ –  death only means that a person’s time in a human body is over, but their soul lives on, becoming part of the world around us. The extensive character development creates relatable characters and because it is written in language that is easy to understand, the story flows easily from page to page, making it an exciting page-turner. There is an-author-recommended list of sources for further reading on spiritualism, life after death and the Innuit culture. “Winter of the Wolf” is a must-read and recommended for anyone dealing with grief and in need of comfort, spiritual guidance and one viewpoint surrounding the mystery of life after death.

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

Television adaptation: ‘The Coroner’ by Matthew Hall

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Matthew Hall is a British screenwriter and novelist, often credited as M.R. Hall, who practiced law until 1995 when he became a full time writer. His first novel “The Coroner” was published by PanMacmillan in 2009 and was shortlisted for the Crime Writer’s Association Gold Dagger Award for the best crime novel of 2009. It is the first in the Jenny Cooper series which centers around Jenny Cooper, a lawyer who is appointed Severn Vale District Coroner. She is hoping for a quiet life where she can recover from a traumatic divorce but the office she inherits from the recently deceased Harry Marshall contains neglected files hiding dark secrets and a trail of buried evidence. Adapted into a television series by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, it stars Serinda Swan as a recently-widowed coroner in Toronto who investigates suspicious deaths and has been renewed for a third season. The first season premiered on the CW on August 5.

In “The Coroner,” the tragic death in custody of a young boy seems to be linked to the apparent suicide of a teenage prostitute and the death of Harry Marshall, the previous coroner. Jenny discovers that Marshall was behaving strangely before his death and that he was investigating a case but abruptly changed his mind. In the face of powerful and sinister forces determined to keep both the truth hidden and the troublesome coroner in check, Jenny embarks on a lonely and dangerous one-woman crusade for justice which threatens not only her career but also her sanity. Subsequent books in the series include: “The Disappeared,” “The Redeemed,” “The Flight,” “The Chosen Dead,” “The Burning,” “A Life to Kill” and “The Innocent” – a short story.

In the television series, Jenny is a former ER doctor whose husband dies of an aneurysm and leaves them in debt because he had a gambling problem. She suffers from clinical anxiety and is haunted by her husband’s sudden death and her inability to save him since she was there when he collapsed. During her first case, she fires the senior coroner when she uncovers his apathetic attitude and afterwards she is faced with the possibility that his past cases will have to be re-investigated. It also stars Roger Cross as Detective Donovan “Mac” McAvoy who helps Jenny in her investigations. The first two episodes show promise and the troubled Jenny, who powers through her own demons to speak for the dead, is an intriguing character.

Pearl announces Fabric Shop and Nonprofit Labor Program

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Niche at Pearl has created The Stitch at Niche. Photo: Niche at Pearl, used with permission.

Pearl is announcing new initiatives by select retailers to better serve customers and the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to the launch of the Pearl Farmers Market Online to aid local farmers, these programs showcase the resilience of Pearl tenants as they adapt to changing circumstances. (Pearl, 2020)

With sewing and crafting on the rise across the country since the start of the pandemic, Niche at Pearl is creating its newest concept: The Stitch at Niche – a carefully curated fabric shop and project space. The shop will launch at the Niche at Pearl store starting on Friday, August 21, 2020. The Stitch at Niche will include one-of-a-kind textiles, trims, and buttons not available at other fabric stores. Much of the fabric has been developed specifically for the Niche brand with textile manufacturers from all over the world that only work with the garment industry. Niche at Pearl will be offering the fabric and trims by the yard and prices vary based on the material.

The Stitch at Niche will stock simple sewing patterns from the Niche collection for garments and projects. By Fall, it will roll out a collection of limited in-stock and semi-custom home decor to include pillows, curtains, napkins and other soft goods. Once it is safe to do so, Niche will host maker workshops and classes in store in the project area, led by its designer Nilgun Derman, its team and guest makers. In the meantime, the store will release short how-to videos on practical sewing tips and easy at-home projects.

The Stitch at Niche will stock over 75 kinds of rotating textiles and hundreds of buttons and trims:

  • Silks and silk dupioni in a rainbow of colors and patterns
  • Linens and linen blends, including solids and digital prints
  • French jacquards and brocades
  • Embroidered knit jersey and cotton shirting
  • PFD (prepared for dye) linens, cotton and knits for tie-dye and small batch dyeing projects
  • Boiled wool and lightweight outerwear fabrics
  • Handmade, detailed buttons in shell, horn and wood, including large decorative buttons
  • Beaded and crocheted trims

Traveling sewing kits will also be available for $8 and will include: black hinged tin, needle/thread, seam ripper, tape measure, “twinbutton” shell buttons, black mini safety pins, elastic band and set of snaps. Niche at Pearl will additionally carry pattern kits for simple home projects.

With the recent rising trend of virtual wine classes and wine packs to go, High Street Wine Co. added them to better serve its customers. But High Street’s programming offers a unique give back approach with the launch of its Nonprofit Labor Program.

For every wine pack and select wine classes purchased, High Street allocates service hours and sends its team members to volunteer with its nonprofit partners — all of which were selected by their team. At online check-out, guests can choose which organization to support, including San Antonio Hope Center, Meals on Wheels, West Avenue Compassion or San Antonio Food Bank. Guests can also choose to match labor contributions to pay High Street’s staff to take additional time to volunteer for the organizations. Wine packs and classes vary in price and selections are available on High Street online.

High Street has temporarily transformed its interior into a donation drop-off station. Guests can drop off donation items, which High Street then delivers to its nonprofit partners. To kick-start the program and encourage donations, High Street is providing complimentary Pearl beer to anyone who drops a donation from the approved list (must be 21 and older to receive complimentary beer).

“I’m continually inspired by the resilience and innovation of our retail and restaurant community. Our partners are responding to the needs of San Antonio and creating avenues of support for their businesses and employees.” – Elizabeth Fauerso, Pearl’s Chief Marketing Officer

The Classic Theatre’s Season 13 announcement

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‘Macbeth’ will be one of The Classic Theatre’s Season 13. Photo: The Classic Theatre, used with permission.

On Sunday, The Classic Theatre celebrated its announcement of season 13, Theatre in The Rough, with carefully selected cocktail recipes, classic party favors to be delivered to all attendees, performance space reveals, the season 13 line-up of shows and conversations with season 13 directors. (The Classic Theatre, 2020)

For Season 13: We are the Choices We Make, each production will perform the first two weekends of shows at:

San Antonio Botanical Garden
555 Funston Pl.
San Antonio, TX 78209

The last two weekends of shows at:

The ESPEE (previously Sunset Station)
1174 East Commerce
San Antonio, TX 78205

Shows will be held at 7:30p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, except for a few Thursdays in April.

Season 13 opening show:  ‘Macbeth,’ by William Shakespeare – October 2 – 25, 2020  with alternate performance dates in March 2021. Performances Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30p.m. and directed by New York director Joe Goscinski.

‘Macbeth,’ a brave Scottish general, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. The play follows this loyal soldier as he seeks the crown regardless of consequences, asking the question ‘what happens when ambition subverts reason in an honorable and loyal man?’

‘Our Town’ by Thornton Wilder- February 5 – 28, 2021. Performances Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30p.m. and directed by Mark Stringham.

This heartfelt classic drama by American playwright Thornton Wilder tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover’s Corners between 1901 and 1913 through the everyday lives of its citizens. How do the characters find meaning and contentment with their choices as their dreams, relationships, and futures unfold?

‘Antigone’ by Sophocles – April 8 – May 2, 2021. Performances Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30p.m. and directed by Kelly Roush.

‘Antigone’ begins with two brothers fighting for the kinship of Thebes. Both men die in battle. Their successor and uncle, Creon, decides that one brother will be buried but the other brother will be left on the field of battle. Their sister, Antigone, finds herself having to choose between what she believes to be right, burying her brother, or following the laws of man and facing death herself. What happens when we are forced to choose between doing what we feel is right and what the world is telling us is right?  What forces us to take a stand? What are we willing to die for?

Flex Passes are on sale now:

  • There will be No Season Subscription options for Season 13 – Theatre in the Rough, instead only a flex pass will be available
  • Allows greater flexibility as we may have to shift plans as the season progresses
  • Represents 3 tickets to be used in any manner for Season 13 productions
  • It is our desire to produce all three shows we are planning on doing, but some may have to be postponed or cancelled.
  • If, for whatever reason, you cannot use the 3 passes, it converts to a donation to the theatre.
  • An investment in the theatre
  • The price of 3 Flex passes is $100. It is a little more than a 15% discount from individual tickets

Robert Downey Jr. to virtually join final Summer Drive-In film this Saturday

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The EVO Drive-In experience. Photo: EVO Entertainment Group, used with permission. 

After four sold-out weekends, Anthony Michael Hall’s Summer Drive-In Film Festival concludes this weekend courtesy of EVO Entertainment Group at the Schertz and Kyle locations. Anthony Michael Hall, known for films like The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, 16 Candles and more has been hosting the film festival. Each evening consists of a double-feature presentation shown outdoors at the EVO® Drive-In experience. On Saturday’s event in Schertz, there will be a virtual appearance by Robert Downey, Jr. who will live stream into the drive-in, as part of that evening’s “Iconic Duo” double feature, to participate in the festival’s Q&A. (EVO Entertainment Group, 2020)

Before he became known as Iron Man, he starred alongside Hall. From performing on the set of Saturday Night Live to co-starring in a number of films, Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr. were known as one the iconic duos of the ’80s and ’90s and remain close friends to this day.

Weekend 5 – August 14 & August 15
Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr.: The Iconic Duo – Hail Caesar / Johnny Be Good

Location:
Friday, August 14 at EVO Kyle
Saturday, August 15 at EVO Schertz

Throughout the screenings, guests will have the ability to purchase food and beverage, merchandise, autographs and more via EVO’s mobile app. During the intermission between the two films, guests will also enjoy a 45-minute interactive Q&A with Anthony Michael Hall and guests plus the opportunity to have a professional photo taken with the celebrities. In order to promote a safe environment, questions for the Q&A will be submitted via EVO’s mobile app or in writing. Guests who partake in the photo opportunity will be asked to wear a mask up until the photo is taken and photos will be available for download through EVO’s website. The use of personal phones for photos will not be permitted in an effort to limit the number of surfaces being touched during the photo opportunity.

All tickets are priced at $25.00 per vehicle and can be purchased online. Tickets are valid only for the weekend and location chosen and shown on the tickets. Guests must purchase a separate ticket for each event they wish to attend, there are no all-inclusive ticket options. Tickets are non-refundable.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic EVO Entertainment has taken extra precautions to better ensure the safety of its staff and guests. To learn more about EVO’s safety procedures visit EVO Cinemas online.

Book review: ‘In Service to Love: Book 1: Love Remembered’ by Darlene Green

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‘In Service to Love: Book 1: Love Remembered’ is the first in a series of three books by Darlene Green. Courtesy photo, used with permission. 

A healer, teacher and empath, Darlene Green began studying vibrational healing in 1992 and has written and led programs on living consciously beginning in 1998 in Seattle, Washington. She left her practice as a massage therapist in 2012 to answer a deeper calling and at a sacred site in Southern France, she connected powerfully with her Council of Light and returned to her ancient heritage as a Scribe. On December 26, 2017, Darlene received an invitation by the Council of Light for divine collaboration in a body of work title “In Service to Love.” It began as a journal for her own spiritual journey and includes daily entries for Day 1 through Day 366 and as a whole is divided into three books: “Book 1: Love Remembered,” “Book 2: Love Elevated” and “Book 3: Love Now.” “In Service to Love Book 1: Love Remembered: A Dynamic Experience of Consciousness, Transformation and Enlightenment” ‘offers a pathway for shifting your awareness from the de-stabilizing chaos of the external world to the ever-present, potent, multi-dimensional, innovative expression of Love this is your authentic nature.’

“In Service to Love” is Darlene Green’s deeply personal guide that helped her to realize and live her divine nature.  When she deducted  that it is also an invitation for other people to live up to their potential in a way that makes a difference in how they live their lives, she started sharing the daily writings with a close group of friends and family. It is the collaboration between Darlene, the Scribe and the Council of Light. Composed of Masters, the Council of Light includes the voices of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Archangel Michael, Archangel Gabriel, Melchizadek, Infinite Oneness, Isis, the Elohim, Buddha, Sanat Kumara, Metatron, the Hathors, Gaia, the Grandmothers, the Grandfathers, St. Germain, Legions of Light, and many more. The speaker in charge shifts, depending on the subject, and the Egyptian god Thoth, the “Patron of the Scribe” is the mediator of frequency in light.  It begins with a Welcome from the author where she explains the purpose of this project: [it] ‘provides a rich environment where your frequency will increase, your perspective will broaden and your next steps become illuminated.’ Book 1: Love Remembered includes Day 1 through Day 122 and is divided as such and is a collection of daily affirmations complete with mental exercises and meditations to help readers live an authentic and fulfilling life.

While it is easy to dismiss books written by healers or new age masters, “In Service to Love” is basically a self-help guide filled with positive affirmations, meditation guides and helpful visualizations meant to enrichen lives. Regardless of where the advice comes from, its intent is to help readers become the best self they can be. Every reader is different, so each will get something different from these daily writings. It can be read all at once and then return to specific days to reexamine important topics or it can be read a day at a time, similar to a ‘reflection of the day’ series. Standouts include Day 15: Presence and Conscious Choice where the emphasis is on being fully present in the day’s daily tasks, one at a time, giving each full attention and then moving on to the next one; and Day 6: From Past and Future to Now where it stresses the importance of not getting stuck living in the past; that if you are getting out of life what you have always gotten it is because you keep doing the same thing. Written in easy to understand language, it is filled with positive and encouraging messages that, considering how divisive and hate-filled our world can be, it does not hurt to take these messages to heart. “In Service to Love: Book 1: Love Remembered” offers readers a way to connect with their authentic self and live a more meaningful life and is recommended for anyone honestly looking to create a more positive vibe in their lives.

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