Fellow Higher Ground Books & Media author Nancy Flinchbaugh came up with an intriguing concept for a book. Since I was planning a road trip from Ohio to upstate New York, I decided to load the audio version of Letters from the Earth.
In May 2015, the Earth “wrote” her a letter and told her to start a blog! Since then, she received more periodic letters from the Earth which encouraged, uplifted, and challenged her. The messages provided a fresh voice of Gaia/God, who calls her — and us — to slow down and take time to appreciate the miraculous nature of all, and to awaken to needed changes to avoid environmental destruction. While I don’t personally share her ecological doomsday passion, I do agree we all have a role to play as we strive for proper stewardship of the earth.
I did like the format. Each of the 24 letters in the book was preceded by the circumstances of the day — concerning a garden party; about darkness in winter; at the beach; encouraging her to continue listening; and about a walk in the arboretum, for example. These established the back story for Earth’s letters and Nancy’s response. It was a nice blend.
Nancy’s words — from the messages she received to her response — flow freely with emotion. You can sense her passion without getting hit over the head with it. You can easily recognize her deep relationships with family, friends and Mother Earth, giving you, as a reader, a similar relationship with people and places you do not personally know. Through Nancy, you become vested in them.
The only negative I found — and this is not her fault as much as the medium (audiobook) — was many of the responses blended together. After awhile, the audiobook became white noise in the background while driving. {Actually, that a common complaint I have about audiobooks in general.} I suspect an actual book in hand might remedy this.
Nancy Flinchbaugh writes as a spiritual practice, which led to writing two novels, Revelation in the Cave (2012) and Revelation at the Labyrinth (2017). Revelation in the Roots is coming soon! Born in Dayton, OH, she graduated from Otterbein College and later attended the University of Texas at San Antonio for her master’s degree. She has worked for local government coordinating mediation, fair housing and intercultural programming since 1994. She completed a contemplative leadership course with the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, leads contemplative retreats and groups and is a certified labyrinth facilitator with Veriditas Labyrinth organization. She lives in Springfield, OH, with her husband, Steve, and cat, Emily Rose. You can find Nancy on her websites at spiritualseedlings.com, where the fictional MAMs {Magnificent and Marvelous} comment on books read by the real-life MAMs Book Club Springfield; on nancyflinchbaugh.com; and on her author Facebook page at Nancy Flinchbaugh, Author.
You can buy the paperback on Amazon or from Higher Ground Books and Media for $10.99 at either site. It is also available on Kindle for $3.99 or Kindle unlimited for free; and as an audiobook from Amazon for $10.47 or one credit. The book is also available from the author for $10 (including tax) with free local delivery, but shipping charges for out of town delivery. E-mail Nancy at nancyflinchbaugh@gmail.com.
Letters From the Earth: (audiobook), Nancy Flinchbaugh, author; Syrena Harris, narrator; Publisher: Higher Ground Books & Media (Nov. 1, 2019); $10.47 or 1 credit; Listening Length, 3 hours and 41 minutes; Unabridged; English; ASIN, B07ZTGGNHP.
Paperback: 159 pages, $10.99 (Prime); Publisher: Higher Ground Books & Media, $10.99 (Sept. 10, 2018); English; ISBN-10: 1949798038; ISBN-13: 978-1949798036.
Kindle: $3.99 (free on Kindle Unlimited); File Size: 8598 KB; Publisher: Higher Ground Books & Media (Sept. 9, 2018); Sold by Amazon.com Services; English; ASIN: B07H7TVZ5G; Text-to-Speech: Enabled; X-Ray: Not Enabled; Word Wise: Not Enabled; Lending: Enabled; Screen Reader: Supported; Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled.
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Your beliefs don’t make you a better person, your behavior does.
The Light 