MSI Press Blog

  excerpt from Good Blood (Schaffer) -  Author Note  People ask me when I began my journey with Good Blood, and my answer is always the same “when I was born.” I laugh when I say it, but it is true. As a child in Montréal, I would curl up next to my dad and beg to hear the stories of his childhood, his family, and his incredible war experiences. “Dad, tell me again how you had the bullets taken out without pain medicine and you didn’t even cry. Dad, tell me again how you healed.” “Dad, tell me again,” was my favorite line.  With my mom, it was different. It was forbidden to talk to her about the holocaust for fear that she would faint, and I was always afraid she wouldn’t come to. Yet, as a child, I did know three things about her war experience, and those three things made a deep impact on me:   She had exit papers to leave, but she stayed to help her parents.  A Christian family hid her and her parents, and it was a Jew who informed on them.  Her father gave her a gold chai

  In her classic tome on death and dying, On Grief & Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief through the Five Stages of Loss , Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identifies five stages that those faced with shocking news associated with loss or potential loss go through: Denial (avoidance, confusion, elation, shock, fear) Anger (frustration, irritation, anxiety) Bargaining (struggling to find meaning, reaching out to others, telling one's story) Depression (overwhelmed, helplessness, hostility, fight) Acceptance (exploring options, new plan in place, moving on) Th subsequent works by Kubler-Ross, including those with colleagues, as well as works by others building on her research have pretty much confirmed these stages. How long it takes to go through any one of them depends upon the individual. Future Cancer Diary posts will dive deeper and personally into these stages. Grief is a complex and highly individual topic and intrinsically intertwined with cancer. MSI has published some helpful w

  The following is an excerpt from Women, We're Only Old Once: Keep What You Can, Let Go of What You Can't, Enjoy What You Have Left . What’s Really Happening to Our Face and Skin?  “Everything is just breaking down … it just is,” Dr. Haycox told me matter-of-factly in her captivating English accent.(personal interview 11/04/10). Skin is the largest organ of our body and the first to show the signs of aging. Just like our vital internal organs, skin is regenerating at a slower pace; unlike our internal organs, we can see it. Of course, a life without skin is unimaginable, but it is lost on most of us that the skin is a complex organ without which we would not have protection, body temperature control, pain or pleasure sensations, hair, and padding. We also wouldn’t have the body contours and structure that shape our faces, our expressions, and bodies.  Skin is flexible and accommodating of thin figures and obese figures, although once skin is stretched over an obese build for

  The second MSI book by Pat Young and the eleventh in our pandemic series, Exercising in a Pandemic , was released today.  See information about Pat's other book, Life after Losing a Child , HERE . 

Parenting has its joys; it can also be demanding when all does not go as planned or hoped, as in this picture of parents with their son and two emergency room specialists, raising up (literally) their physically challenged daughter. MSI Press offers several unique books on parenting--for the everyday difficulties and the unique challenges. Take a look! 3 65 Teacher Secrets for Parent s by Cindy McKinley and Patti Trombly See posts by and about Cindy and Patti, including book excerpts, HERE . Courageous Parents   by Dr. Haim Omer Read posts by and about Dr. Omer, including book excerpts, HERE . How to Be a Good Mommy When You're Sick by Dr. Emily Graves Read posts by and about Dr. Graves, including book excerpts, HERE . Lessons of Labor by Julia Aziz See posts by and about Jula Aziz, including book excerpts,  HERE . Life after Losing a Child by Pat Young and Joanna Romer See posts by and about Pat  and Joanna. Noah's New Puppy by Richard R

  Meet our author-moms and author-teachers who have written absolutely splendid books for mothers about motherhood and parenting!  Cindy Alder & Patti Trombly 10 Quick Homework Tips 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents Read MSI blog posts about Cindy and Patti . Julia Aziz Lessons of Labor Read more posts about Julia HERE . Frank Bagdade \ I Love My Kids, But I Don't Always Like Them Read MSI Press blog posts about Franki HERE . Julie Gentile 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices IPPY Living Now Book Award Book Excellence Award How to Stay Calm in Chaos Honorable Mention, Kops-Fethering International Book Award Read MSI Press blog posts about Julie HERE. Dr. Emily Graves  How to Be a Good Mommy When You're Sick Read MSI Press blog posts about Emily HERE . Colette McNeil Choice and Structure for Children with Autism Gold award, Education, Reader Views Literary Awards  Silver award, Parenting, Reader Views Literary Awards Understanding the Challenge of "No" for Children with