{"id":517,"date":"2019-12-11T19:27:47","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T09:27:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?page_id=517"},"modified":"2019-12-11T20:04:55","modified_gmt":"2019-12-11T10:04:55","slug":"realities-of-life-4","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/realities-of-life-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Realities of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Realities of Life: Reflections in Verse<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The poems in this book were first written, sometimes\nquickly, by Alex to capture insights about life that he had gained. Some of the\nthoughts came straight from his heart, in the peaceful early morning hours,\nspent reflecting on life over a cup of green tea. Others were inspired by\nreading and contemplation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After sharing his first drafts with Eva, she masterfully\nedited them. Furthermore, she meaningfully added to the initial thoughts and\nreflections, greatly enhancing the original versions. She also drafted a few of\nthe poems herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In compiling this collection, the intentions have been that\nas much as possible, the poems would be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Reality-based\n     \u2013 true to lived experience.<\/li><li>Inclusive\n     \u2013 speaking to readers on any spiritual path, or none.<\/li><li>Timeless\n     \u2013 relevant today, next year, and in decades to come.<\/li><li>Universal\n     \u2013 able to touch people&#8217;s lives across a broad spectrum.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>However, while the poems are intended to speak to people of\nany spiritual orientation, readers may find a gentle undercurrent of Christian\nand\/or Buddhist thought as a result of the background and studies by their\nauthors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alex and Eva are pleased to have permission from Jindrich\n(Henry) Degen, Eva&#8217;s father, to use some of his mainly abstract paintings as\nintroductory pages to the sections and to the individual poems in this book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The poems are arranged under the following themes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Truths\n     of Life<\/li><li>Wisdom\n     for Life<\/li><li>Acceptance<\/li><li>End-of-Life\n     Reflections<\/li><li>In\n     Memoriam<\/li><li>Friendship<\/li><li>Family<\/li><li>On a\n     Lighter Note<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>With the authors now well into their sixties, as well as having over the years been drawn to interact with and serve older members of their communities, the poems overall reflect a serious side of life. Specifically, four trains of thought have emerged: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(1)  Life has many wonderful qualities and is a precious opportunity to benefit oneself and many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(2)  This life is impermanent and can end unexpectedly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(3)  Life is inescapably governed by cause and effect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(4)  Life is not without difficulties, frustrations, and heartaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To balance the soberness of the poems, Eva wisely suggested including a section entitled &#8220;On a Lighter Note&#8221;!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May readers find the feelings and thoughts about life captured in the poems helpful and insightful for their own life journey. Words, of course, are limited and so may they point to the deeper, heartfelt, and sometimes inexpressible, meanings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alexander and Eva Peck (December 11, 2019) <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a free PDF copy of this book, please click <a href=\"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Realities-of-Life.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"here (opens in a new tab)\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A paperback version of <em>Realities of Life: Reflections in Verse<\/em> is also presently available through Amazon.com for the cost of $1.71 (USD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"192\" height=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Realities-of-Life-192x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Realities of Life: Reflections in Verse\" class=\"wp-image-496\" 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