Unity House is really stepping out from their traditional format into the world of competitive publishing with their first visionary novel for adults. This action has created some uneasiness for me in that I have a problem associating "fiction" and "Unity". But, by concentrating on the word "visionary" I can see that this format may have a meaningful place in the book world. Who better to fill that than our Unity movement. Some pillars of Unity have praised the action. Rosemary Fillmore Rhea, granddaughter of Unity's cofounders says, "What an original, creative novel that leads its readers to the light and shows them how to access their God-given energy! I love Mario's characters, and I didn't want their story to end. Unity is breaking new ground with this book." The author, Mario De Ferrari, is currently a Unity minister in Anaheim, California, and has an interesting and varied background. He was ordained by Unity in 1983.

You may remember when Clifton Taulbert was a guest speaker at our church. As far as I know, he still lives in Tulsa with his wife and son. He is an internationally acclaimed speaker, a Pulitzer nominee, and a popular leader of workshops on community building. I have enjoyed reading and hearing about the family and friends of his childhood.

What can I say about James Dillet Freeman, Unity's poet-laureate who recently celebrated his 90th birthday? His writing still appears bi-monthly in UNITY MAGAZINE and his poetry is often still published in the DAILY WORD. He is a reassuring sight around Unity Village. This little book, OF TIME AND ETERNITY, has never received much notoriety and will soon be out of print. I have enjoyed this collection of his writings, mainly because he says, "I like them."

Summer is in it's glory. Enjoy the hot sun, the warm breezes, and the cool evenings. Know the joy of being aware of the love, peace, and strength that are in you, in others, and throughout the world. When all is said and done, take time out of your busy schedule to do a little stargazing. It's relaxing, it's fascinating, and it's otherworldly. The heavens are magical---full of lore and history.

This visionary novel gives a glimpse of ordinary people living life on a greater plane. Nate Gordon is mysteriously drawn to Sun City, where he is thrown into a group of people who seem to be "mutants" of some kind. Nate is embraced by these people and whisked into a spiritual realm he never imagined. With his newfound friends, he solves a mystery, his career takes off at warp speed, and he falls in love. His earthly journeys take him to Los Angeles and the Netherlands, but his spiritual journeys take him to new dimensions. Through it all, Nate awakens to an awareness of himself and his place in the universe.

This work of fiction opens us to a world of spiritual possibility that seems as real as our physical world. You'll feel completely at home while you're reading and a bit homesick as you close the book.

This is a delightful inspirational book by the best-selling author of When We Were Colored and other acclaimed memoirs about growing up in the segregated South. Now Clifton Taulbert has distilled the essence of his memoirs down to the eight timeless values ---"Habits of the Heart"---that his elders practiced daily as they built a strong community for him in the face of adversity.

In this book Taulbert illuminates his message that by building strong communities we build strong, responsive individuals, holding up his own life as compelling proof. Taulbert's "benefactors," the kinfolk and neighbors who supported him in his youth, had no material wealth to pass along, yet their legacy left him richer than most. With perceptive stories about these unforgettable people who raised him, he illustrates each of their values and shows us how we can embrace them in our own lives. Taulbert's voice shines through as a refreshing guide to the spiritual core we as a society seem always to be seeking.

This is a collection of Freeman's writings that had never before appeared in a book. He has been writing for Unity for almost seventy years. Hundreds of pieces written by him have appeared in Unity publications and elsewhere. He chose these in the hope that they will help us answer some of our questions and meet some of our needs --- and mainly because he liked them.

The pieces came to him in different ways at different times. Writing for him is kind of a prayer. He asks God if He has anything to tell him that is true about Him and the world and you and me and life---or that may be helpful to someone---and he asks Him to help him to put down what comes as simply and vividly as he can.

"I have always had a strong feeling about my writing---at its best I don't write it, it comes to me, though sometimes only after hard work. Usually it is not an extended piece that comes, but only bursts and snatches, and it takes work to bring it to completion. But, I am grateful for any momentary flare of inspiration. For I feel that I have been vouchsafed an occasional glimpse into the nature of things and have come upon a few useful truths. And it is a special joy when what comes to me clothes itself---as fortunately it sometimes does---in words that are not only simple and clear but make a kind of music; for then I know that those who read it may not only see the truth with their minds but feel it in their hearts."

On Friday, July 26th, I received an e-mail containing two excerpts from a new book: "No Death, No Fear", by Tich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Buddhist Monk).

"If you were to love a cloud...you would know that the cloud is impermanent. {But} if you forget about impermanence and are attached to the cloud when the time comes for the cloud to be transformed into rain you will cry, "Oh dear, my cloud is no longer there".... The rain is smiling, singing, falling down, full of life, full of beauty. Yet because of your forgetfulness...you are caught in grief.... Meanwhile the rain is calling you. "Darling, darling, I am here, recognize me!"

"Go to the foot of a tree and make a list of all the things that can make you happy right now: the clouds in the sky, the flowers i n the garden...The list is endless. You have enough already to be happy now. You have enough to be free from coming and going, up and down, birth and death."

My, how I could have used that a couple of days earlier. I quickly forwarded it to my family. Unity always stresses life. We believe that life is eternal and that we are forever one with God's life and love. The warmth and wonderful relationships we have, have had, and will have, are all part of God's eternal life and love. I can look up at the clouds...and smile in the rain.

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