We hope you enjoyed the January 2025 issue of This Awful Awesome Life.
Many thanks to Orlando Bartro for his contributions to the magazine.
Let’s hope the next 25 years of the 21st century will be less awful and a lot more awesome.
So far, it’s a close call.
With the cost of almost everything certain to increase in the coming months, remember; we are a free publication.
Please take a moment to thank and recognize FEMA for their continued response to the natural disasters that occurred across the United States in 2024 and the horrendous wildfires still burning in California. It’s their job, and they are doing it well, no matter what you’ve heard. Let’s hope they are allowed to continue. A special thank you to all our first responders, firefighters, medics, animal rescue, and incarcerated individuals who volunteered to fight the fires. We appreciate and thank the firefighting units sent from our neighbors Canada and Mexico plus contingents of firefighters from around the world who came and risked their lives to help in our time of need. Good neighbors are a blessing, and we must never forget that.
Our condolences to the families and loved ones of the two recent aviation accidents. If you are concerned for the safety of our airways, call, or email your U.S. Representatives and Senators and let them know now is not the time for rash budget cuts, layoffs, and hiring freezes.
According to Orlando Bartro, “A Detail Transforms the Whole.”
This year, in addition to a short story for each issue related to the theme in some way, I’ll be writing a poem each month. This month, my short story and my poem are about love.
February is Black History Month. Black history is American history even though the contributions of African Americans and the challenges they have faced are not fully represented in our history books. Now is the time to learn who developed the gas mask and the traffic light, automatic elevator doors, a laser cataract treatment device, or the Murphy bed. What do you know about Andry’s Rebellion, the Amistad Mutiny, or the Cicero Riot of 1951? If these events had been more than a footnote in our history books, everyone would know. Do your homework. Look these events up.
For our new column, “Happy Birthday,” celebrating the birthdays of famous writers, I selected John Steinbeck.
“Dare to Believe” is back, and we are featuring two African American poets, Tracy K. Smith, and Gil Scott Heron. Smith was the poet laureate of the United States from 2017-2019. Heron was a poet and musician. His poem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” became a major influence on hip hop music.
This month, I reviewed The Art Of Starting Over By Heidi McLaughlin. Is romance easier the second time around? What about baggage you’ve accumulated over the years?
For February 25 in “The Twelve Months of Fruit,” I decided to feature Cinnamon Baked Pears.
Our reading recommendations for kids, young adults, and adults feature African American authors, poets, and playwright.
This month we are testing your knowledge of love symbols in our “Show Me You Love Me” Quiz.
We’re constantly updating our Author Page to include the latest published works of your new favorite authors, and we’re adding authors. Being able to give authors a free place to display their work is a dream come true for me, so please check every month to see who’s new and what’s new.
Don’t miss our new Artist Page where we will be celebrating creatives and providing their contact information. We will be updating and adding to the list during this month and the following months, so keep checking our new page.
Everything in Between is now available in audiobook. The narrator, Louise Porter, does a wonderful job bringing Sabrina and her story to life, and I can’t wait for you to have a listen. You can purchase the audiobook for Everything in Between on Amazon, iTunes, or Audible. https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Everything-in-Between/dp/B0DDR8GRWS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TV0J0HCWYT7T&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tdRKc5MxwdOobXZOLckDvQ.0BXe9QYH3JnZOn9j0LC6Yy6gCG9UI3lIcRu4KlRnIPs&dib_tag=se&keywords=everything+in+between+by+frances+joyce+audiobook&qid=1725234363&sprefix=everything+in+between+by+frances+joyce+audiobook%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-
All year we’ve been encouraging you to make informed choices at the ballot box. The election may be over, but insuring we have responsible qualified cabinet members is our next job. If you’re worried about the capabilities/qualifications of certain nominees to understand the needs of our public-school students, housing, the environment, Healthcare, Social Security, or safety regulations that protect our workers, please make those concerns known to your Senators. You can email or call their office and make your concerns known. If you support FBI background checks for anyone working in the president’s cabinet, please make those concerns known. We The People should have a say in our future. If you don’t want a billionaire and his newly hired employees without proper security clearances having access to your private information and finances, speak up because it’s happening. Do you want people with no accountability to the American people evaluating how your tax dollars should be allocated and the benefits you will receive? Let the people in Congress know what you expect them to do to restore our safety, security, economy, and good standing in the world before we have a recession and/or a major global conflict.
If you are worried about the direction of our government, start preparing for the midterms now. Do your research, so we don’t end up with legislators who care more about partisanship than serving the needs of the American people. The League of Women Voters is a reputable and impartial source for information. Check them out before you head to the polls.
Please keep showing up and voting. We will never tell you who to vote for, but we will keep telling you to vote and do your homework!
Which incumbent legislators have actually authored and submitted legislation to benefit Americans? Who’s all talk and soundbites? Who refuses to bring legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives or Senate, so our Representatives/Senators can vote on it? We pay them to conduct the government’s business, not to sit and do nothing. We don’t pay them to do the bidding of political parties or billionaires. Would you hire this person to run your business or trust them to be a fair boss? Would you trust them to make decisions about your safety and well-being?
Samantha Sayers has been missing for six years 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.
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, but only after it is verified. Thank you!
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Happy Reading,
Fran