The Weight of Silence

Highlights of India Volunteer Trip

Shelley Seale — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:21:00 +0000

The Miracle Foundation recently returned from India, and another successful (and fun) volunteer trip. This was the first group volunteer trip to the Bethel Home, TMF’s newest home in South India. TMF Founder Caroline Boudreaux and Travel Coordinator Barbara Joubert share their Top Moments from the trip: The boy who couldn’t smile One of the [...]

The 7477+ Mile Pilgrimage to the Holy Ganges

Shelley Seale — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:30:22 +0000

Today’s story is a guest post by Lloyd Greene, a fine art photographer. One of the Holiest Places for Hindus is the west bank of the Ganges River in Hardiwar, India. Many people pilgrimage yearly to pay respect at this “Gateway to God.” This spiritual center is where the Temples reside and evening prayers are conducted. [...]

Before the Sun – Help a “Born Into Brothels” student realize his dream

Shelley Seale — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:30:26 +0000

Maybe you’ve seen the documentary film, Born Into Brothels. A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, Born into Brothels is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta, where their mothers work as prostitutes. Zana Briski, a New York-based photographer, gives each of [...]

When it’s Dangerous to be Born a Girl

Shelley Seale — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:07:13 +0000

Today’s U.K. paper The Telegraph declared a very troubling headline: India ‘most dangerous place in world to be born a girl.’ Females are almost twice as likely as males to die before reaching the age of five, The Telegraph quotes UN figures. Disturbing and scary don’t even begin to describe such statistics. It’s heartbreaking enough [...]

India Chooses You

Shelley Seale — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:34:53 +0000

I never expected to be in India. And without a doubt, I never thought once I had been I would return, again and again. It wasn’t the exotic beauty that drew me back. It wasn’t the warmth of the people, their gentle and inquisitive nature, their open hospitality. It wasn’t the storied, ancient history of [...]

In Plain Sight but Invisible

Shelley Seale — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:00:54 +0000

Sitting on my backpack in the Rourkela railway station at ten o’clock p.m., I am waiting with my group of four other volunteers for our train. We hover around our amassed baggage, far more than the five of us need because many of the bags contain art supplies, games and treats for the children at [...]

Weight of Silence Available on Kindle!

Shelley Seale — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:26:06 +0000

The new Revised & Expanded 2011 edition of The Weight of Silence is now available for the Amazon Kindle! Click below to preview the book on Kindle, and order your copy today: Kindle Price: $9.99 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet Product Details Format: Kindle Edition File Size: 1087 KB Print Length: 333 pages Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0980232376 Publisher: CreateSpace (June [...]

You Bought Me Sleep

Shelley Seale — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:45:43 +0000

This is a post for TRAVEL BLOGGERS GIVE BACK, a unified movement of bloggers giving back by posting stories about their favorite charity organizations. Join us on Facebook, and please help spread the word! The idea of volunteering in another country has long been considered the province of students and recent graduates; images of intrepid twenty-year-old Peace Corps [...]

The Austinist Book Review

Shelley Seale — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:27:56 +0000

The classic "All Things Austin" website, The Austinist, has just reviewed the new 2011 Revised and Expanded edition of The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India. Thanks, Austinist! The review is below, or you can read it at The Austinist here. To purchase your copy of the new edition of The Weight of Silence, please click here. It's available through CreateSpace, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and others, and there is a Kindle edition as well!

Where are They Now? Order Autographed Book and Get Free India Photo

Shelley Seale — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:40:34 +0000

If you have been following this blog, or read The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India (original edition), you may be wondering what has happened to some of these kids over the past few years. They may have grown near and dear to your heart, as they have to mine. I have returned to [...]