A Grain of Sand

About the Book

A Traveler’s Companion Forest Gump once told somebody, “My mom said that life is like a box of chocolate, when you put your hand into it you don’t know what you’ll get.” Have you ever come across a book without a table of contents? Every time you open it to read you don’t know what will come up to greet you, a poem, an essay, a vignette, a joke or what-have-you. But one thing is sure. Mostly they are short. When reading and suddenly you have to go as in an airport boarding area, or about to deplane, or in a dentist’s waiting room, etc. you don’t have to worry on what page you left off. Just close the book and put it away in your pocket, your handbag, your carry-on or back-pack and go. The next time you have a chance to read again, get the book, open it to whatever page you happen to turn and enjoy. The materials, besides being short, are diverse and not related so you have no problem in the continuity of what you are reading. And remember, as you read and re-read the poems, you tend to appreciate more the message being conveyed, the rhyme and rhythm and over-all beauty of each piece. But a word of caution; while the contents of the book are mostly brief, hidden within the writings are “gems of truths” that may cause the keen reader to mull over them long after the book has been put aside. On the other hand, maybe it can cause a private chuckle or two and change the otherwise harried trek into jauntier steps and make that plane in no time at all. The book is made for the jet-set people, the people on the go. It is light (paper bound) and handy. As the travel delays not only in airports but almost anywhere, become more inevitable and longer in time, this book is a welcome Traveler’s Companion.

About the Author

Romeo (Romy) Balein was born in Manila, Philippines on August 31, 1936. But during the Second World War, his family joined thousands of evacuees in an unprecedented exodus from the city. The family stayed in their hometown, Taft, Eastern Samar until after the war. The family then moved back to Manila where he continued his education. He finished a degree in Bachelors of Commerce, Major in Accounting and Economics. He worked both in the private and government sectors. He was a Supervising Compensation and Position Classification Specialist in the Department of Budget and Management when he retired and migrated with his wife and two daughters to the U.S.A and settled in Hamilton, Ohio.