If they are this marvelous, I could get hooked on graphic novels.

Habibi is the first "serious" graphic novel I've ever read. It took Craig Thompson seven years to research it, learn to read and write Arabic, and then to develop and illustrate both the plot and all the magnificent art in this book. Habibi is a fairy tale, incorporating the fantasy of the 1,001 Nights, the mystery of The Prophet's mystical experiences. But it also follows the struggles of two children - survivors. It is a parable of the evils we are committing upon the world, causing destruction through our own selfish foolishness. It is a story of cruelty and abuse, especially sexual abuse, and also about the redemptive power of love.

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Ken Capron is an intelligent man. I got that right away when we met recently. His gaze was strong and focused and he was quick and articulate when he answered my questions. I only knew he had dementia because he told me ahead of time. I had the same experience with Donna Beveridge. Since her diagnosis, she’s even become an accomplished artist and is chronicling her life with dementia in watercolor.

I think today should be all about Becky Sawtelle. No wait, let’s give her the entire rest of the week. She deserves it! For most of Becky’s life she struggled with her weight and finally decided to have gastric by-pass surgery. Dr. Jamie Loggins, from the Central Maine Bariatric Surgery Center did the procedure the end of January. 

When I wrote an update in March she was not happy with how things were going. Here’s what she had to say: “I had a really strong relationship with food. Now I can’t eat whatever, whenever, and how much I want. I miss that.”