Quiet Before the Storm

In The Quiet Before the Storm, witness the aftermath of nature’s fury and the resilience of the human spirit. This powerful visual and emotional journey explores the catastrophic aftermaths of hurricanes Ike and Michael, the devastating tornadoes in Garland, Texas (2016), Dallas, Texas (2019), and Mayfield, Kentucky (2021), and the record-breaking flash flood in Wimberley, Texas (2015).

As an Austin firefighter and Texas Licensed Public Insurance Adjuster, I’ve captured the wreckage, miracles, and profound moments of despair and hope through my camera lens. This book is more than just photographs; it reflects on the interconnectedness of our lives and the forces of nature that shape them.

Each photograph, short story, and poem testifies to the enduring impact these events have had on me and the communities I serve. Amidst the devastation, there is beauty and resilience in the faces of those who rebuild their lives and the moments of kindness that emerge in the darkest times.

As you turn these pages, ponder the questions at the heart of our changing world. Is the increasing frequency and intensity of these disasters a result of global warming, human intervention, weather weapons, or ‘Acts of God’? While I may not have all the answers, I hope to spark conversations and inspire action to understand, prepare for, and mitigate the impact of the next rounds of storms.

Join me on this journey and find strength in the quiet before the storm, as we brace ourselves for the storms of weather and the chaos we face in our government.

Radical Resilience

In this incredible world of diversity, there is a darkness that blinds us from recognizing the beauty and value of all humanity. We are held hostage by our misconceptions, prejudices and fears.

How do we break free?

There is hope in the darkness. Beacons of light shine amongst us revealing the goodness of mankind. These courageous ones are moved by the people before them. They see into the human heart and respond with compassion. They understand their responsibility to partner for justice, creating a Radical Resilience that causes people to rise above their circumstances to thrive.

May the power of partnership create a Radical Resilience that changes the world.

Reconsidering Medicine

This is an original book on the philosophy of medicine. It considers philosophy of medicine as a subdiscipline of philosophy of science. This volume is grounded on an epistemological bottom-up account that arises from the clinical situation, the epidemiologic, and the resulting public health account. It is not a review of the literature, and it is not intended to frame the debates, or to analyze and compare the various number of viewpoints.

Medicine is the human activity, which begins by a linguistic act that identifies the negative norms of health: it begins with a first distinction that splits biological processes into three conventional parts, normal, abnormal and pathologic. Neither of them is a natural kind. Being abnormal is intrinsically bad and admits of degrees, while being pathologic is dichotomous. Being normal is factitious and counterfactual much the same as frictionless planes in physics. Leaving apart the ethical aspects, this book endeavors to uncover the implicit conceptual network, the chief junctures of medicine, should they be found, and their articulations with clinical and community medicine. It results that medicine is pervaded with dichotomous concepts such as scientific vs pragmatic discourse, function and malfunction, abnormal and pathologic, needs and wants, causation and explanation, clinical vs community-oriented care, physical vs psychiatric diseases, mental illness vs deviancy, and so on. Medical thinking has two dimensions intrinsically interweaved, namely a constant amalgam and admixture of biological and normative aspects, so that this essential hybrid nature of the grammar of medicine endorses opposite approaches, naturalistic or normativist, biological or value-laden, realist or instrumental, reductionist or holistic, phenomenological or analytic.

Refrigerator Door

Refrigerator Door!

How one household item became the epicenter for cherished memories.

The refrigerator door – that communal billboard found in every home. Covered in photos, mementos, report cards, and takeout menus, this humble appliance takes on far greater meaning. It becomes a tapestry of everything important to a family.

In Refrigerator Door, author and father Thom reminisces on the refrigerator door of his childhood. This mosaic of fading photos and fridge magnets shaped his upbringing and brought his family together. Now Thom passes along the tradition to his own children, reminding them that even an ordinary door can be transformed into something extraordinary with the memories we choose to display.

Join Thom on this heartwarming journey that reveals how a refrigerator door quietly yet profoundly chronicles the story of a family. More than just a surface for sticking homework assignments and takeout menus, it is a celebration of all that gives our fast-paced lives meaning.

Rooting Out Violence

Life and death are merged in the terror of unrelenting global violence. Rooting Out Violence describes a model, ‘Healthy Sensory-Emotional Integration,’ with the scope to help adults assess the human capacity for violence in themselves, in members of their communities, as well as, in leaders of their countries. The book provides a violence prevention model to mitigate trauma and human rights violations throughout our lifespans and throughout the world. Healthy Sensory-Emotional Integration is a public health model that is understandable and achievable globally.

The manuscript identifies how blind-sighted we have been historically by not emphasizing the number one variable in the capacity to commit a violent crime; for funding violence prevention in institutional siloes, such as, corrections and child protection programs, when the inner nature of each of us counts; and excluding comprehensive research on preventing trauma, not just funding treatment strategies.

Six Feet from the Edge

Johnny Sullivan is a bright and intelligent young man who finds himself caught in a dangerous life of crime and drug addiction. With his very existence on the line, Johnny must dig deep into his soul and revisit his past innocence to break free from the agony and suffering that threaten to consume him. The novel presents an intense battle of Good vs. Evil that unfolds in every chapter, as Johnny is pulled between two worlds: one defined by love, family, and nurturing, and the other by chaos and excitement. Six Feet from the Edge is a gripping and powerful story that explores the human spirit's strength and the enduring power of hope.

So, Tell Me

Have you ever wondered what a life of travel was like at a young age? Have you ever wondered how it would be meeting new people all the time growing up? Could you imagine strangers helping to watch you while your mother was sick? Can you fathom never making friends because you knew those relationships wouldn’t last? How grown up was a child expected to be or not be? Feelings of adventure, fear, sadness, and pure love all wrapped into this real-life story.

Soul-Making

Have you ever met someone and felt an instant sense of attraction or repulsion even though you do not know the person? In Depth Psychology this is an unconscious as well as alchemical reaction that is understood as part of psychic projective phenomena of affinity, where a constellated chemistry between two individuals is ignited. This phenomenon was understood by Jung mythically as the unio Mystica, or the union of opposites.

This presentation will share how Jung illustrated this psychological understanding of the transference phenomena in alchemical symbolism and illustrations taken from the 16th-century alchemical text, Rosarium Philosophorum. He utilized these illustrations to show the connections that exist between the transformative process shared by alchemy and an analogous transformative process that he discovered in the psychic growth of an individual.

The Bus Trip

In the heart-wrenching memoir, The Bus Trip, a mother revisits the poignant journey of love, strength, and indomitable spirit as she navigates the most devastating loss of her life – the passing of her vibrant daughter, Susu. From the exuberant days of Susu’s childhood, filled with laughter, teenager years filled happiness and togetherness, college years and blossoming into a young adult with a future so bright, the incredible bond of a mother and daughter, the universal tunes of Barney, to the heartbreak of a leukemia diagnosis in her early 20s, this tale paints an intimate portrait of a family bound together by unbreakable bonds. 

  

Through every hospital visit, every lab report, and every tear-shed moment, the memory of Susu – adventurous, witty, and ever-loving – stands as a testament to the power of love that transcends life and death. As the pages unfold, readers are invited to bear witness to the transformative journey of grief and remembrance. A mother filled with inspiration from her daughter and a family clinging to the love to guide them through this unimaginable journey.

  

For every parent, sibling, and individual who has loved deeply, The Bus Trip is a deeply moving story which serves as a profound reflection on the beauty of life, the pain of loss, and the eternal nature of love.

The Connection Value

The Connection Value is a book that delves into the psychological value necessary to foster inner harmony, allowing the heart to manifest the divine energy of unconditional love through the mind. This is a contemporary interpretation of what was traditionally referred to as “The Holy Spirit”. It is the physical transformation brought about by the Kundalini Awakening, which balances energy within and initiates a profound connection activation within the self.

Through The Connection Value, readers are invited to let go of past traumas and release themselves from the burdens of conditioning, personal struggles, and generational trauma that weigh on their souls. The book encourages readers to turn inward and seek their own inner peace, rather than seeking salvation or rewards outside of themselves.

This is a compelling and thought-provoking call to action for humanity to pay attention to the transformative power that lies within each of us. The Connection Value is a powerful tool for healing and growth, and an inspiration for those seeking a more connected and fulfilling life.

The Education of a Musician's Daughter

Attending college in the late 60s and early 70s was a challenge, but for Susan (now known as Sonya), it was also a blessing. Despite suffering an identity crisis during her sophomore year and navigating the pitfalls of the drug culture, Susan ultimately benefited from the open-minded spirit of the era.

This book, however, starts at the beginning of Susan’s education, during her kindergarten year, where she flourished in a magical world shared with her best friend. This idyllic time abruptly ended when her father uprooted the family from their Queens apartment to Schenectady for a job teaching music in public schools. The transition was difficult, and it took years for Susan to thrive in her new environment. Her awkward growth spurt alienated her from peers, and an encounter with a bully left her traumatized. Yet, the most challenging relationship was with her mother.

Fortunately, Susan was guided by a series of role models. Her father, a soulful musician, remained devoted and his love shone through the darkest times. Her Hebrew School principal, a Holocaust survivor, inspired her with his faith and New Age vision of the future. Two public school teachers believed in her, fostering her self-confidence. Under the wings of her Aunt Sonia, a disabled woman with an infectious positive attitude, Susan thrived. Aunt Sonia’s captivating stories also illuminated their fascinating family history.

The Enemies of Excellence

Excellence is the ultimate human power and the source of our greatest inventions, most successful businesses, deepest insights, furthest explorations, best performances, and most profound art.

Yet some people and companies fear, hate, or are otherwise opposed to excellence. Why?

In this book George Adams answers the question based on his many years of experience as a CPA, MBA, small business owner, and survivor of countless difficult life experiences.