Among our favorites? The Enchanted Blue Topaz Ring (shown above)–also available as an antiqued aquamarine ring, antique style ruby ring, and in many other genuine gemstone types.

Another delectable jewelry piece? The Vintage Floral Diamond Engagement Ring Set, a part of the same collection among Apples of Gold’s Diamond Rings.

This is a wonderful book to read slowly for deep reflection and meditation with a cup of tea or coffee by your side. These heart-felt “songs” should be savored slowly, devoured practically and initiated completely into one’s daily walk. In difficult times such as these, Katherine’s book is without a doubt a refreshing reprieve for the days ahead.

Purchase Songs of the Feathered Wind at Amazon.Com

I first saw Roots as a child of 8 or 9 with little to no knowledge of race or slavery; the only Black people I knew were a few kids in elementary school who mainly associated with each other, and most of us were too afraid to make any serious attempt at friendship; we were a product of our time.

The mini-series, which aired in 1977, left an indelible image upon every fiber of my being. I was fascinated and although I was too young to understand all the implications of the story, I knew that something important and tragic was unfolding before my eyes; something big, something I should know about.

I was seeing for the first time that the world as I knew it was not always as it appeared. It was as though something strange and unexpected had disrupted our perception of the world and we were the better for it.

Somewhere in the depth of my being, I was reminded of Roots now, as a 36 year old married man with 4 kids of my own. My wife was one of the few of my generation who had not seen Roots, and she being from the South, who better to relive the story with than she whose roots also went back to such a time as this.

The one thing I took away after each episode was relief from my own challenges, fears, and problems and great thankfulness for how truly free I have been my entire life and will continue to, in all high probability, remain.  The other sensation that I left with each night, after each episode, was a deep, lingering sorrow in the pit of my soul. I cried countless times when children were taken away from their parents, imagining that those were my own children; when entire cultures were disrupted and freedoms taken away, I pictured how I would want to strike back, as Kunta Kinte, but could not.

Freedom is taken for granter in a land as great as ours now is; Roots gave me an inkling, a shadowy hint, of what that tremendous lack of freedom in America would be like, without having to live it myself.

Twenty Seven Years have passed since I first saw Roots on TV. And this time it has left a scar now on my soul that I cherish;  I would have it no other way for the verity of our history and the deeper understanding of our real-life tragedies.

Roots is one of the most important stories of our short, American history–and still extremely relevant over 30 years after its first release.

Whether you rent it on Netflix like we did or Buy It At Amazon.Com, your perception of America will forever be altered and aligned with the truth of who we are and how far we have truly come. Thank you, Kunta Kinte.

Also check out the original novel by Alex Haley: Roots: The Saga of an American Family

This is one of the few books that I keep next to me and go to in times of greatest need (other than the Bible). I read and re-read its pages and virtually every time … God speaks to me directly and eloquently from the astoundingly deep passages of Blessing your Spirit.

What struck me immediately as I opened the pages were the simple words: “I call your spirit to attention in the name of Jesus Christ”. Aptly spoken, these words hit me like a baseball bat every time and my spirit and mind truly hones in on the words and prayers being so intricately and accurately spoken over me.

Each new “blessing” starts with these or similar words and I am certain that as the writers wrote, they purposed that God’s Holy Spirit would take root in the reader’s body, mind, and spirit to absorb God’s blessings over them.

Filled with highly condensed blessings, each word needs to be carefully digested because of the sheer depth of each passage.

Blessing your Spirit is available at Amazon.Com.

The only thing lacking in this book is that the Title and the Cover–which is not horrid, but does not come close to capturing the depth and compelling nature of the words contained within the book itself. But I guess this confirms the old adage, Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover.

Features a portrait of President Grover Cleveland and has a face value of $1,000.00.

Since most were destroyed by the U.S. Treasury, this is a rare find worth well over the face value today.

Now a scarce collectors item, this is perfect for framing and display.

Can be Purchased at reputable Stauer luxury company.

The Stauer Story

Stauer comes from a long line of watch collectors, historians, and crafstman. With an eclectic and limited edition collection of historical treasures, such as the $1,000 Federal Reserve Note, $500 Federal Reserve Note, rare gold coins and many other unique collectible items, you can be sure of your purchase with Stellar.

Order directly online at Stellar.

Ahava Skin Care Products is the only cosmetics enterprise indigenous to the Dead Sea region, driven by a deep passion to unearth the secrets of the revitalizing effects of minerals on the skin.

The Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the world for millenia.  It was once a place of refuge for King David, and later served as the world’s first health resort for King Herod.

Ahava Dead Sea Treatments offers natural moisturizers for dry skin, purifying mud masks, cleansing creams for all skin types, purifying gels for oily skin, Dead Sea mineral body lotion, and more.

Visitors from around the world travel to the Dead Sea for thalassotherapy (salt and mineral baths) and bathe in its saline waters for its cleansing and healing properties.

The Dead Sea has become a major center for health research and treatment. Due to the rich mineral content of the waters, the very low content of pollens and allergens, and the reduced ultraviolet of solar radiation in the atmosphere all contribute to uniquely enriched healing properties.