9/7/15, Two Wolves
Hi Everyone,
One of the readers who made a comment to my blog post of August 24th, shared a wonderful quote: “The legend of the two wolves, Hope vs. Despair. Which one wins? The one that you feed.” That is so true and so inspiring. Thank you!!!
I just added some new quotes to my office wall, and moved one of my favorites to where I see it more directly. “One of the deep secrets of Life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others” by Lewis Carroll.
The reader who offered the quote about the wolves referred to the men who recently stopped an armed gunman on a train between Amsterdam and Paris. A man carrying an arsenal of weapons, including a machine gun, boarded the train, and injured three people before 3 American Servicemen and a British teacher stopped him, before anyone else could get injured. Miraculously, no one was killed. And their incredibly bold act of courage saved the lives of countless people on the train. It is shocking, heartbreaking and terrifying that acts of terrorism have now become not part of daily life, but a frequent occurrence: school shootings, shootings in public places, homemade bombs, suicide bombers due to mental illness or politics. Every time we go to large public gatherings, or even just go out to buy groceries, go to school, or take a trip we are facing the very real possibility that something unexpected and dangerous could happen. We can’t worry about it constantly, or hide at home, but the possibility is very real. The Boston Marathon, the attacks in Paris, shootings at Universities and even at elementary schools. It is becoming increasingly frequent, and alarming. One of the US Servicemen from the train said not to simply stand by and watch it happen, but to do something when it does. I cannot imagine having the courage to do that, and yet people become heroes every day when they step in and step up and save others. I cannot even imagine the sheer guts it must take to do that, the bravery and selflessness. Those who acted on that train were decorated three days later as heroes to whom the French government was grateful.
We all try to perform acts of kindness every day—-but to save a life? Few of us will ever do that in our lifetimes.
There is a saying in the Talmud that I have quoted in my books: “To save one life is to save a world entire.” The brave people on the train who acted to stop the gunman saved many lives. And perhaps even more in future if by their example others will attempt to stop acts of wanton destruction of human life.
For those of us who are not as brave or heroic, to act well, to be kind, to be honest, to protect those weaker than we are, to stand up against injustice, to protect the helpless, to speak out against wrong doing or the bullying or persecution of another human being, to stand beside those who have no one to defend them——these are things we can do without facing an armed gunman, but will make this a better world. Mother Theresa said that “we cannot do big things, we can only do small things with an immense amount of love.” Perhaps we can all be heroes in some small way in our daily lives, and inspire others to do the same. If we are brave in our hearts, maybe we will become braver in our acts. Even one small act of kindness for another human being. May we feed the wolf of Hope, and not the wolf of despair which leads to crimes of inhumanity against others……..May you be safe and protected!! And remember to feed the wolf of Hope. Have a good week,
love, Danielle
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Enjoyed your new novel very much. Different write for you. Kept my interest to the very end. Another book enjoyed.
hope is all we have when everything else seems to be…lost.
Please send a list of all your books so I can be sure I have not missed any. I have all I know of in hardcover. Loved all of them.
Thank you,
Barbara Brant
Could you please send a complete list of your books to my e-mail. My boyfriend is collecting your books and we would like to make sure we complete the collection.
“An answer to the growing insecurity of our world,” it may be the title of this piece of architecture.
This spontaneous and heartfelt text, written in one go, can also affect women and men working from noon to midnight.
The end is intentionally blurry! Should we absolve when one is forced to feed the bad wolf to survive? Yes, when we know the causes.
Hello Ms.Steel:
I have been an avid book reader since the age of five. My great grandmother instilled this wonderful gift in me, telling that books are your very best friends and will ALWAYS take you on an amazing journey as long you are willing and interested. With that being said, I have been reading a book every chance. Through the good times,bad ones,sad times,hurt,heartache, disappointment,and anything that happens in life that causes us to be thrown off-balanced. I began reading your books when I was at a low place in my life. When I finished the first I looked for other titles by you. I love your style of writing. Before I knew it, I was hooked and began reading every one of your books. Later, I went to your booklist and purchased each one until I was caught up. My finances changed and I couldn’t afford to purchase them. Remembering what Mr great-grandmother instilled in me, I went back to the library and read all the at were published. Once I got caught up, I learned how often and bought each one. I was so intrigued that asked ALL family to buy whatever was the latest book for all major holidays (birthdays,mother’s day,and christmas). My best friend started buying the book and mailing it to me. Then I found out about amazon and got on your newsletter. Now I always stay up on upcoming releases. We share a lot in common. I especially loved your two books on homeless and saving battered women and finding them help to get their life back. I loaned that book to someone and never got it back. After reading that book I was so touched that I want to operate an intervention place for battered women to transition to so that they can get their life back and get back in society. I would really appreciate a copy of that book or at the very least, the steps you took to make this project a success. Please send me this information to my email or to my home address. I will NEVER share this information with anyone else and am only asking because this has my deep passion to give back and make a difference to people that have been battered and need to transition to the right place to get their life back. Thank you so much for your time. I am now awaiting your newest novel “Undercover”. Looking forward to another great read. Your books mean so much to me and truly keep me grounded and always awaiting the next one.
c.hollinshed
P.S. I understand about the old typewriter. It took me a long time to learn the internet because it scared me. But I do have faith that if I learned, so can you. But, I respect your choice. I am sure your typewriter is your source of inspiration,your muse as well as your good luck. So, if “it ain’t broke, leave it alone”.
Best wishes as you continue wring more novels. I am hooked forlife.
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