sandy carouth

My poetry book, Turning the Pages of Life, will be displayed on the shelves of the Book Gallery at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference, held in Washington D.C. from June 25-28, 2010.  My book information (a photo of the book cover, description, and instructions to purchase) will be included in the ALA Annual Conference Book Catalog.    Complete with educational opportunities, thousands of exhibitors, and a speaker series, the ALA Annual Conference draws over 22,000 librarians and educational book buyers each year.  I am thrilled to have my book be a part of this exciting event!  As a representative from Xlibris Publishing Company wrote about my book:  “An anonymous writer once said, ‘Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.’  In her desire to capture life’s breath-taking moments, author-poet, Sandy Carouth, weaves a fascinating tapestry of profound thoughts into a wonderful poetic anthology, Turning the Pages of Life…Discover blissful sentiments of life through subtle yet profound masterpieces.  Feel a baby’s first grasp, laugh aloud, and remember your first heartbreak.  Reminisce life’s breathtaking moments and priceless miracles by Turning the Pages of Life“

My poetry book, Turning the Pages of Life…, is going to be featured at the yearly regional book fair exhibition, held at the New York Library Association, October 15-16, 2009, and also at the California Library Association, October 31-November 1, 2009.  Local newswires and press releases will be sent out to these areas, as written by an employee of the book publisher at Xlibris Publishing Company:

Remember Unforgettable Moments by Turning the Pages of Life…

Poetic anthology traces life through literary masterpieces

Houston, Texas—An anonymous writer once said,  “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.”

With the passionate desire to indeed, capture life’s breathtaking moments, author-poet, Sandy Carouth weaves a fascinating tapestry of profound thoughts into a wonderful poetic anthology entitled Turning the Pages of Life…released through Xlibris.  With over one hundred pages of original and entrancing poems, Turning the Pages of Life… opens the readers’ eyes to life’s outstanding miracles that make the world worth living.  Providing a nostalgic atmosphere, these heartening literary masterpieces paint the poet’s colorful past and depicts her radiant future.  Reflecting on a varied scope of themes—birth, childhood, friendships, heartaches, love, compassion, and faith—this seamlessly woven masterpiece opens the window to her soul.

Designed with beautiful rhythm and compelling photographs, Turning the Pages of Life… presents the blissful sentiments of life through subtle yet profound masterpieces.  A treasure for readers of all ages, this book conveys the best gifts life can offer.  For more information, log on to www.Xlibris.com.

“They fell, but o’er their glorious grave floats free the banner of the cause they died to save.”

-Francis Marion Crawford

Remember…

A Memorial Day Poem

It’s the time of year when we turn our thoughts

To our precious freedom, and those who fought

For our liberty that they wanted to save,

And that sent them to an early grave.

So on this day as we remember

The ones who were so brave;

Take a long, hard walk in their shoes

On the road they had to pave.

Soldiers fought the fight, the battle won,

As they trudged onward in the setting sun.

Never once regretting the choice they made;

Only asking their memory never to fade.

So fly your banner, so proud and free!

It’s the least we can do, you and me.

Let the stars and stripes wave freely in the wind.

Stand tall and proud, and never rescind.

And please, don’t take what you have for granted!

A high price was paid for those seeds to be planted.

Yes, blood was spilled; lives torn apart…

Hopes and dreams were shattered—ripped right from the heart!

Now they shouldn’t have died in vain, you see,

Having endured the pain for you and me.

Their lives will live on, just take a good look;

You’ll see their bright faces in the babbling brook.

In the tall, majestic mountains we’ll find

The strength of the soldier—one of a kind!

In springtime the newness of life abounds

As the earth is reborn and beauty resounds.

Yes, we’ll always remember their sacrifice,

And how they paid the ultimate price.

The stains of war may be washed away,

But no one will forget them, especially not today!

-Sandy Carouth May 2009

Thank you, Lord, for dying for me,

And help me show the lost world to see

That your love for them with your outstretched arms

Is meant to keep them from any harm.

Yes, you hung upon the tree that day,

But the mockers were blinded to “the way.”

A few eyes were opened to see the Light;

Deep down in their souls they knew wrong from right.

You were born to die, to save us from sin.

All we need to do is let you come in!

Open up our hearts to your saving grace—

Surrender our lives to their rightful place.

For you live within us, deep down in our heart,

And from our side, you wish never to part.

As we walk through this life hand-in-hand,

We’ll tell others about you; we’ll take a firm stand.

The world is still blinded to your love, it seems,

As we dash to and fro, always chasing our dreams.

Never once just pausing to glance up at the cross—

Never realizing the magnitude of that loss!

‘Cause you stand there now, with your arms open wide,

Waiting patiently for us to swallow our pride.

To ask you to please come into our heart;

Let the fire rage on from that first little spark.

Jesus is calling, “Come unto me.”

If you accept Him now, you’ll forever be

Up where the streets are paved with gold,

Where life is eternal—to have and to hold.

Yes, the groom will come to take home His bride.

There’s nothing that day we’ll be able to hide.

For our worldly deeds will be shouted out;

If you’ve come to know Him, there’ll be no doubt!

So trust in the Lord—do it today!

Can’t you see that there is no other way?

Accept this gift given freely to you,

And live for Jesus—he’s forever true!

-Sandy Carouth 2008

At the unique, upscale bookstore, Read It Again & Again, located at 38 Braeswood Square, Houston, Tx.  77096,  I held a book signing on March 21, 2009, from 6:00-8:00 P.M.

A young girl, Lei-leen Ward came to serenade us with her beautiful flute!  Her parents, Brent & Shirley Ward, graciously brought her, and Lei-leen’s brother came, too.  It was a pleasure to meet them, and I thoroughly enjoyed the soothing melodies Lei-leen so expertly performed for us!  Everyone enjoyed that evening, filled with music and poetry!

My poetry book, Turning the Pages of Life, is now available at the River Oaks Bookstore, located at 3270 Westheimer (Westheimer at River Oaks Blvd), Houston, Texas  77098.  The phone number there is 713-520-0061, and you can ask Michael Jones or Jeanne Jard to assist you.  Drop by and browse while you are shopping in River Oaks!

Are You Going Right Back?

Are you going right back to the way you used to be?

Haven’t you seen anything God wanted you to see?

For amidst the devastation of the hurricane’s powerful blow,

The Lord had something special that He so much needed to show.

For we seem to plod along in life on our own merry way,

Completely wrapped up in ourselves, each and every day.

We’re out of touch, tucked away behind all those closed doors;

Even our closest neighbors we scarcely know any more.

And we put our time and effort all in material things;

Never even realizing the fallacy which that brings.

‘Cause more and more of everything doesn’t seem to satisfy

The emptiness and longing of the soul as it cries.

Guess it takes something sizeable to open up our eyes,

As we’re usually hidden behind some kind of fake disguise.

Caught up in a world of technology as we’ve grown,

We don’t even notice that we actually live alone.

But forced to emerge from our cozy home and inner shell,

We mingled with other people, and then we could surely tell

That there’s something terribly missing in the way that we all live—

We need to build closer friendships, as we have so much to give.

Since hurricane Ike’s destruction, I can definitely feel your pain.

As there’s not many people who weren’t more than remotely slain.

My heart is aching with overwhelming pangs of compassion,

As even people’s basic needs are suddenly in ration.

And I ask, “Were you somewhat humbled on this eventful day?

Enough to bow your head down low and then quietly pray?”

Glorifying our God for all of the everyday simple things—

For those precious little joys that a good life always brings.

So go ahead and think about it for a long, long while…

Will anything now change in your hectic daily lifestyle?

‘Cause if you weren’t quite shaken and stirred as the storm tore through,

Then I don’t know what else on earth could give you such a clue.

And if we never had to experience ill fate such as this,

We’d never slow down and appreciate our abundance and our bliss.

But with all of the inconveniences and our lives turned upside down,

We were able to help our fellow man wear a smile instead of a frown.

Yes, neighbors helping neighbors, and folks befriending strangers.

We’ll roll our shirt sleeves up and forget about the dangers.

Lord, take our focus off ourselves, to help all those in need.

Let us share our wealth, and thus your love, forgetting our own greed.

And may we never be complacent, taking things for granted,

As we bask in our abundance may our view of life be planted.

Ever looking upward for your guidance and protection,

So that you can always point us in the right direction.

This is an explanation of the “Waffles and Spaghetti” poem:

In this poem, I am portraying how men and women are totally opposite in how they think and react emotionally, as women tend to weave every aspect of their lives together (like spaghetti noodles), while men tend to compartmentalize their lives, being in one box (square) at a time (the waffle).

I entered this poem in the Open Amateur Poetry Contest, New York, NY, and received a notice stating that my poem has been certified as a semi-finalist in the International Open Poetry Contest, and it will automatically be entered into the final competition held in November!  It will also be one of the poems published in the hardbound volume of Immortal Verses, scheduled for publication in the winter of 2009.

Men are like waffles, while women are like spaghetti.
Our feelings spill out and rain down like confetti!
Men can’t understand us—try as they may…
They spend their whole lives in search of a way.

But the complex creature, known as the female,
Bats an average of 10, on a 1-10 scale!
She’s clearly high class; top of the line.
The male species ne’re saw anything so fine!

Opposites attract, or so they say;
None of that’s changed from the very first day.
A man and a woman—a woman and a man,
Go together, for sure, in God’s perfect plan.

You can’t live without me, nor I without you…
So let’s just fuse together and stick like glue!
We’ll iron out the wrinkles, and mend all the hurts—
Skip over the clouds and bright sunshine insert.

Still, we’re separate, quite different; apart it seems,
Yet our vision is set upon the same dreams.
So we’ll entwine our lives, and thus our hearts,
Vowing from this day never to part!

Now please be patient when I corner you,
Rambling on and on, when you don’t have a clue.
As time goes on, you’ll figure things out,
And we’ll live happily ever after, without a doubt!

My first book, an assortment of poems, is being published by Xlibris Corporation.   It is a walk through life, as life begins, and takes you on through childhood memories, then to the adult years with the friendships, love, and even heartaches that life brings.  Added to the mix are poems about a Mother’s lasting impression.  As words are the window to my heart, you will get a peek inside, as the pages turn, and I hope that you will find the book a source of comfort and encouragement as you walk through the seasons of your own life.

You can get a glimpse of my book, and a copy can now be purchased for your very own, or for a friend or loved one at:  www.xlibris.com/bookstore

Then type in Turning the Pages of Life under “books,” “search”

or call 1-888-795-4274 X7876  Book ID 51657

***The book can also be bought from amazon.com & b&n.com