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Hi.

Welcome to This Awful/Awesome Life! My name is Frances Joyce. I am the publisher and editor of this magazine. We'll be exploring different topics each month to inform, entertain and inspire you. Meet new authors, sharpen your brain and pick up a few tips on life, love, entertaining and business. Enjoy and please share!

September 2021 in This Awful Awesome Life

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We hope you enjoyed the August 2021 issue of This Awful Awesome Life. Many thanks to Lilly Kauffman, Orlando Bartro, and Linda Cahill for their contributions to the issue.

September is here and we’re heading into the Labor Day weekend. Linda Cahill has some quick and easy recipes courtesy of Pampered Chef to make any weekend delicious.

September is banned books month. We have information on the Banned Books Week Coalition, the top ten challenged books of 2020, and statistics on challenged books. We also have a fun Rebus quiz on Banned Books. I reviewed Constance: The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs. Oscar Wilde by Franny Moyle. It’s not a banned or challenged book, but it examines the life of a woman who was directly affected by the censorship of her husband’s writing and the social mores of Victorian Society.

Orlando Bartro is back with a clever article about idioms.

Did you pack your lunch or buy when you were in elementary school? Take a trip down memory lane with Lilly Kauffman as she takes us to lunch in her first-grade cafeteria.

September is bittersweet for me because it is the month my son Christian entered this world and blessed us for twenty-eight years. I miss him terribly. We had planned to invite friends to share in a celebration of his life this month, but cases of COVID are on the rise gain, so we’ll wait for a safer time. If you knew Christian, you’d understand. Because of his illness, we had to be very careful to protect him from colds, flu, and especially the virus. He would have insisted we do the same for our family and friends.

September will be a difficult month for many people as we commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Lilly Kauffman shares a reflection on 9/11 and the emotions she felt that day. We have some wonderful books for kids about 9/11 in our book recommendations this month.

With all the controversy surrounding wearing masks, have you ever wondered how many people routinely wore/wear masks for their jobs? We have a list, and I think you’ll be surprised to realize how many occupations, sports, and hobbies require masks of some sort.

I’m watching the Hulu original, Nine Perfect Strangers, and I thought it would be fun to feature all things Melissa McCarthy for “What are You Streaming this Month?” Don’t miss “September in Pictures,” reading recommendations for adults, and our sneak peak at the October issue of This Awful Awesome Life.

Samantha Sayers has been missing since she disappeared on August 1, 2018, after a day of solo hiking at Vesper Peak near Seattle, Washington. Sam grew up in the Erie, Pennsylvania area where her parents Ron and Lisa still live. Her family is exploring all avenues of inquiry to find and bring her home. In the face of such an enormous challenge, they have chosen hope. Please keep sending positive thoughts to Sam and her family. As promised, we will be displaying a yellow ribbon for Sam on the opening page of each issue of This Awful Awesome Life until she is home.

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If you are a person of faith, please pray for her safe return to her family. Because we are an online publication, we can update this article with any news. We will also post information on our Facebook page. Thank you!

Please share our link, thisawfulawesomelife.com with your friends and family.

Be sure to subscribe to our free mailing list* and each new issue of This Awful Awesome Life will be delivered directly to your inbox with a personal note from me. We won’t share your name or email address. Like us on Facebook for the latest from This Awful Awesome Life!

Happy Reading,

Fran

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*We were experiencing some problems with our subscription list, so I apologize if you have not been receiving an email each month with the link to the latest issue of This Awful Awesome Life. The problem has now been corrected. Thanks for your understanding!

 

Next Month in This Awful Awesome Life - November 2021

Challenged or Banned Books by Fran Joyce