Through research, I came to realize that there are some really fucked-up people in this world — The siege had begun at Mount Carmel — the Branch Davidian’s headquarters — with four ATF agents and six Davidians killed, after which a ceasefire was negotiated. An arbitrator, in contact with David Koresh, asked for Koresh’s cooperation in releasing the children inside the building. Koresh told the arbitrator that…

My family and I moved to Iowa for a job and survived a twister on the day we arrived — We had been transferred to the Midwest because my husband accepted a new position with the company he’d been with for five years. “It’s a golden opportunity!” he kept saying, as if he needed to convince me, knowing I wasn’t thrilled to be moving to a place in the middle…

A hope for our world — What is it we seek, When the world looks so bleak, With all the hatred, chaos and strife? I seek to be like a bubble we blow, That can put on a great show, As it meanders and changes…like life. It has an ability to be, More than you can…

The power of a touch — Touch. Such a simple yet powerful action. Not a poke or prod. Those have negative connotations and effects. They are to get attention and are harder. Who wants to be poked? A touch is softer. It can say, “Hello, dear friend. It’s so good to see you!” Or it can…

Pondering past lives and love affairs through many centuries — My friend, Cassondra, was tall and slender yet not a beauty, with her thin lips and high cheekbones that didn’t quite go with her aquiline nose. Although she had lovely brown eyes and a genuinely happy smile, her greatest feature was her long, thick, black hair. It cascaded down her…

What I learned from researching Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple and David Koresh and the Branch Davidians — There aren’t many people who have not heard of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple and his horrifying execution of over 900 followers that came in the guise of a mass suicide. How could that have happened? How could anyone have that kind of power over such a large mass…

What I learned from researching the Rajneeshees — If you missed reading part one, go back and read it here. Or carry on… The exact definition of ‘cult’ seemed a bit nebulous, when I researched the term because opinions varied. One definition claimed that a cult was: having a charismatic leader, self-appointed, who required devoted followers to obey…

Through research, I came to realize that there are some really screwed-up people in this world — We moved to a small town in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon six years ago after buying a business with our partners. Each partner thought the place was lovely but me. I thought the town seemed backward and uncared for. We learned that the community used to be a thriving…

In the final episode, we reunite with Mac after he has a very strange interaction — Just before sunrise the next morning, I turned on the two-way radio in case Mac had gotten an early start. I then went back to bed and slept until a little after 8 am when the radio’s crackle woke me up. Dear, God! What relief I felt. Isabelle had awakened…