Ralph P. Brown is a native American of the Mohawk tribe.  Ralph has written a book that explains the concept of the medicine wheel and how to apply it to our lives.  The medicine wheel helps us in our journey of self discovery by teaching us life lessons that we can use to understand and explore the areas of our life that are often a mystery. 

          The medicine wheel uses stories and pictures as well as direct instruction to teach.   The symbols and the energy forces add understanding to what we are to learn in our daily lives to be a better person and to live our lives more fully and with purpose.  The realm of the physical and spiritual self are life forces that exist at the same time.   People who are willing to seek guidance in their lives through learning about the merging of the physical, spiritual and emotional planes are often those people who seek to understand their purpose in life.  We all have a purpose in life and are happiest when we are willing pursuing it.   I found this book to be very enlightening.

        The author, Ralph P. Brown is also a very talented artist.  He does pointillistic art work.  You can view some of his artistry here:  http://www.mirroredwindows.com/ .    Ralph and his wife Anita live in Nebraska and operate the Mirrored Windows Gallery which showcases Ralph’s gorgeous artwork.    You can check out his website about this book here:  http://www.ralphpbrown.com/.  I think that you would find the book very informative as well as beautifully presented with a gorgeous cover and some artwork scattered through the pages of the book.  Enjoy!

         When it was discovered what she had done…she was called before Dr. Mengele who was also known as the Angel of Death in the camp.  She could have been sent to the gas chamber like so many others were.  Instead, she was ordered by Dr. Josef Mengele to paint portraits for him of the gypsies in the camp; as well as, to draw pictures of the many horrible “medical experiments” that he performed on those who were imprisoned in the camp.  Dina thought for many years that the portraits of the gypsies were destroyed.  It was in performing the artwork in the camp that her life and that of her mother were spared.

       In fact the portraits were not destroyed…they were sold to the Auschwitz-Burkenau State Museum after the war ended.  There are seven watercolor portraits of the gypsies; and, Dina Babbitt would like them returned.  Dina says that she feels that neither she, nor the gypsies can have spiritual freedom unless the portraits are returned to her.  I would imagine that Dina poured her soul into those portraits.  After all, how can you look upon such individuals, knowing their probable fate, and trace their very visage upon the canvas; and, not be one with them in spirit?   She has much support internationally; however, at this point, the museum allegedly refuses to return them.  You can write to the museum here in support of Dina:  muzeum@auschwitzorg.pl .

          You can also visit Dina’s website to learn more about her and see some of her work here: http://www.dinababbitt.com/  .

           After WWII, Dinah was hired as an assistant to Art Babbitt who was working for Warner Brother’s in Paris at the time; and, who was a former Disney animator who worked on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  They fell in love and later married, Dina was Art’s second wife.  Together they raised two daughters, Michele and Karin.  At least some good came out of such an evil time in history.  Their love and marriage I am sure  brought about a healing balm.  After all, Dina used the images of the talented animator to soothe the young children, who daily faced death daily in the concentration camps.  It is as if God himself sent a bit of the comforter to them thru Dina and the artistry of two talented artists.

           Dina was born on January 21, 1923 in Czechoslovakia, but, is now a U.S. citizen.  Just as recently as this past  summer of 2008, Dina was diagnosed with an aggressive tumor in her abdomin and was scheduled to have surgery performed to remove it.  It is her most fervent desire to have her portraits returned to her so that she can hold them in her hands one more time before she passes away.  She would like to see the portraits visit the Holocaust museums in the United States!  Please feel free to contact her family to help support their cause of the return the portraits to a woman who risked much to bring a smile to the children of Auschwitz; here is an email address:  michele@dinababbitt.com  or mushkane@yahoo.com . 

         This time in history can never be forgotten or denied.  If by looking into the faces of the victims of the concentration camps helps to make it real…then Dina Gottliebova Babbitt has used her talents in a very serviceable way.   Those portraits bring the horrible cost of forgetting that those who are different from us are still human and deserve to live life to it’s fullest.  It should not be up to another individual or organization to get to decide who should live and who should die.  We must uphold the lessons learned from setting back and waiting for the world to right itself in the area of human rights.  May the powers that be bring Dina’s portraits home to her, to soothe her heart and her soul.

    My brother in law is going to do some illustrations for me.  That is great.  I know most publishers don’t want the written word submitted with illustrations.  I will only send the combo submissions to those that do.  Those that prefer to use their own illustrators will just get the story.

     Now the hard part for me is the waiting for the ‘ yeah or the nay’.  So far, two nay’s on the first story submission.  So, i am psyched to send it back out for other publisher’s to take a look at it.  But the hard thing is the wait; when you put it in the mail, the waiting is  3-6 months for EACH SUBMISSION.  Who knew it could take so long.  Geez.

     It can be somewhat discouraging.  In the meantime, i am training myself to write other things and get them out there.  But i must learn to be semi-organized about creating a system of who and when i submit to.  So, i will create a log…for each story and put them in a seperate file (until i figure out a better way). 

     Oh, the beauty of experience.  I need a couple of successes here so that i can get the swing of things and keep myself motivated. 

      Kids today are exposed to so much negativity….i need to figure out what stirs their boat.  The old days of see spot run are gone and kids need positive, uplifting experiences.  Lots of color, tons of active, interaction  with others (in this isolating techno age we all live in) and an interesting fun place  to escape to for a short time.

     Hey, sounds like the very reasons i pick up books to read !