Books
Character That Conquers Procrastination
How To Live A Life That Completes Dreams
The most crucial theme running through this book is the idea that the more you want your life to have meaning and to be productive, the more reason you have to confront, and defeat procrastination.
Procrastination Is A Symptom of Character Problems
Most books on procrastination give you methods to deal with immediate procrastination… that task or project you are putting off right at the moment. SThe promise states something like: “Having a problem with procrastination? Weell, defeaat that monster right now!
The Aim of This Book is Different Than Most “Procrastiation” Books
The aim of this book is closer to the principle embedded in the much loved illustration of teaching a man how to fish, as opposed to giving him a fish. The goal of this book is to present a lasting solution to the problem.
However, if you are in the middle of a procrastination-induced crisis right now, included within the book are some basic steps you can use right now to deal with the crisis. Just understand that unless you are able to develop a lifesstyle that keeps procrastination at bay, one this episode is successfully dealt with, sther will be another crisis right around the corner. The purpose of this book is to solv THAT problem!
Principles Upon Which This Book Is Built
1. Posistive Character is the key to a productive Life
2. We build our own Character
3. Self-awareness is the cornerstone of character building
MARTIN AND THE MOUNTAINTOP, the poem, was written in response to feelings about the human qualities of Martin Luther King, Jr. I had wondered what emotions the “man” Martin must have gone through when people he loved died in the cause. We know he valiantly struggled forward after every act of hate and violence; but I wondered if, in his quiet (or not so quiet) moments with God, sometimes asked if the struggle was worth the lives of loved ones… especially those of innocent children.
In fact, this poem is dedicated to Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, Carol Robertson, and Denise McNair; the four victims of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing on September15, 1963
The book addresses the question: How did the “man” Martin, find a way to go deeper into the cause, and to continue the climb? His dream of Brotherhood, and his vision of the promised land, suggest a unique link with God. These are the elements tapped for the poem MARTIN AND THE MOUNTAINTOP.
My love for James Weldon Johnson’s poetry, especially “The Creation” and “Let My People Go,” influenced the style of this effort. The rhythms and imagery of his style lends itself well to the relationship between Martin Luther King and his God.
About the illustrations.
My wife, Carol, when I asked her to illustrate the poem for me… looked into my excited sketches and suggested that I do them myself. I protested, reminding her that… “I can’t draw…” She just smiled and said, “Give it a try.” These illustrations are the result of that trying. Thank you, Carol.
Too often Christmas and Easter are viewed as two separate events in the life of Jesus. They, indeed, do mark two events…the beginning and ending… of our Savior’s life… but together these “events” fulfill the Singular Purpose of His life.
These two poems, Godson and The Magnificent Difference, illustrate one man’s understanding of the purpose, meaning, and connection of these two spectacular events, in this remarkable gift of Salvation from God.
Richard Gordon is a poet-playwright living in Lake Elsinore,, California. He is the author of Martin and The Mountaintop: An illustrated Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His play Bulldog and the Bear, won the coveted Lorraine Hansberry and the Michale Kanin playwriting awards. For over twelve years, Mr. Gordon taught Oral Interpretation at California State University at Fullerton.
In his own words:
“The joy of Life… the Joy of people… has always been the underlying themes of my work. For the past forty years I have been writing… not as a “writer” per se, but as a husband, celebrating his wife, and as a father lifting his children in song… and now as a grandfather soaring with my grandkids.”
I am at a stage in my life when I ask: Why do I create?”
Well, the answer becomes clearer every day. I create because I have a great desire to share my sensibilities with the world.
Joy, and its source, is what I seek to share most.
Orange Sherbet And Hot Chocolate is a collection of poetry that taps into the basic human need for caring and compassion. These poems satisfy some of that need. It is poetry both personal and inclusive. Personal in that most poems are about individuals or particular situations… inclusive in that the poems are universal in emotion and impact. Orange Sherbet And Hot Chocolate is a satisfying and inspirational read.