LINDA SAMMARITAN
When God says no to my shortsighted demands, He shows me the beauty beyond.
Worthy of our Praise
Do you ever feel God doesn’t hear your prayers, that He doesn’t care? Have you been praying a specific prayer for forever, and nothing has happened?
I’m not promising easy answers to those questions. I’m still seeking answers myself. No cookie cutter solutions–which I’m sure you’ve already given up on, but I hope this blog site and author website can provide hope while we both wait for the God of the universe to finish His work behind the scenes.
Like us, Debbie and her family, the main characters in Reaching Into Silence, are waiting on God to help them through their struggles. As I come up with ideas, I may post some little detail related to the plot. Something in life worthy of reflection. The questions we have for God, questions Debbie might consider. Occasionally, I add photos of my sister and our family, the real-life Debbie, Krista, Phil, and Wayne!
Also once a month, I post an article related to thoughts on God and people and the universe–spiritual metaphors.
I trust He has a perfect plan for me–and for you. Plans to make us better than we ever dreamed. The God who set the galaxies in motion and who put together all the parts of an atom is more than worthy of our praise!
My Blog
From Christmas to the Resurrection: My Quirky Tradition
While I love the Advent season and lighting candles leading up to the birth of Jesus and...
ECON 102: A Course From George Orwell and Socialist States Past and Present
When the Berlin Wall fell in in 1989, the free world cheered. Can you understand why?
ECON 101: A Course from John Wesley, The School of Hard Knocks, and My Parents
The Value of a Buck My parents made sure I learned the value of a buck and how to earn one before...
A Smoking Wick or a Brilliant Flame?
I love the Advent season with all of its symbols. Garlands. Wreaths. Calendars. Creches. And...
Oceans of Brokenness and Love
If you notice the layout of my website or if you read my newsletter, you have a distinct sense...
Silence Invites Violence: The Power of a Divisive Spirit
“Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.” ― Edmund Burke Tomorrow is the anniversary...
Books
World Without Sound
World Without Sound is a fictionalized version of our family’s struggle to communicate with my deaf sister. Tricia was a “German Measles” baby, born at the end of 1964 in the middle of the rubella epidemic. Hundreds of thousands of children were born with severe disabilities.
Tricia is profoundly deaf. She is also blind in one eye and has a mild case of cerebral palsy. At three months old, she underwent pioneer open-heart surgery to close a hole in the aorta.
What was it like to grow up with a sibling who couldn’t hear or speak? How did she learn our language? World Without Sound shares those answers with all who are interested.
Short Stories in Anthologies
While I enjoy reading fantasy and science fiction, I don’t write in those genres. My writing portrays real life, and each of my published short stories is grounded in a true event.
“Right 232” in Light Bearers is nonfiction. My father never told us what happened until years after his miracle.
“Higher Ground” in Hodgepodege recounts some real events that my parents experienced in Hurricane Irene.
The idea for “Save the Last Dance” in Dancing Up a Storm came from my high school years. However, the main character is a vague (and better) version of me at that age!
ASL
Fifty years ago, most schools for the deaf believed teaching deaf children to speak was the most helpful form of education if they were to get along in the hearing world. So I never learned sign language when I lived at home with my sister. Times and attitudes have changed.