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Reflecting on Mother’s Day

20 May

Once again, we are blessed to have a post from Patricia Franklin. She is reflecting on her Mother’s Day experience this year. It touched my heart, I hope it touches yours too~Onisha

A Few Thoughts

Patricia Franklin

Mother’s Day – always a special day, especially when you don’t have any special expectations, but enjoy the blessings that come with the day. 
 Mine was great, simply because I got phone calls from all of my children — a rarity for me.  The boys usually call, but my daughter does not get that privilege very often.  We had a winter storm here for Mother’s day and it was cold, windy, rainy and snowy.  So I decided we would go to a movie.  We went to see “Heaven is for Real.”  I loved it.  The theater was full and everyone was crying by the end.  
The elderly lady next to me was huge, had a big box of popcorn and a gigantic drink. She also had a big bag.  Don’t know how she fit it all into her tiny seat. She was with her adult son.  At one time I might have remarked on the way she looked, but I have learned for the most part to look at people’s hearts and not the exterior.  Maybe it is my age, or maybe it is that working at a crisis center for so long, I have learned to see people the way they are inside.
At the end of the movie, the woman turned to me and said that she lost her husband two years ago.  The tears were streaming down her face as she continued “My son said he had to go first to prepare a place for me.”  I said “The children know”  (as in the movie) …  “I don’t know why the world finds it so hard to believe … it is really very simple.”  I had to leave the theater then, or lose my husband in the crowd.  So I patted her on the shoulder and left. 
It was very crowded exiting the theater. Usually everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere else fast, but something was different with this crowd.  Everyone was smiling and friendly and unhurried, instead of pushing and shoving and in a hurry to get out into that busy world again.  What a beautiful experience.  If only we had more uplifting experiences like this in our lives, imagine what would happen.
We then went to a restaurant and had dinner next to a family with two little red headed boys.  The smallest boy turned around in his high chair, smiled and spoke to me like he knew me.  We enjoyed watching the family so much and I told the Mom so as I left.  The little boy was blowing kisses to me and I thought how quickly they grow and are gone. This family seemed to treasure these precious moments.  It was very nostalgic to me and made my Mother’s Day very special.   A beautiful, simple day filled with love and care.

 

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100 Years and Counting….

22 Apr
Today we are pleased to have our friend Patricia Franklin on Old Things R New. It is so good to have her back for the day~Onisha
Patricia Franklin
A Few Thoughts 

Easter Morning!  I’m sitting here in my backyard contemplating and marveling at the meaning of Easter and realizing He really does make all things new! 
There is new growth on my rose bushes. The new blossoms are out on the tree and a brand new baby squirrel explores the branches and discovers the delicate new growth and enjoys the sweet taste for the very first time. There are new blossoms on the strawberries in the garden and plenty of new weeds and dandelions that popped out since our much needed wet spring snow of two days ago. 
But I have been impatiently waiting  to see if our 100 + year old plant will grow this year in our garden. We brought this plant several years ago from the old family home and transplanted it here.  It was very sparse last year, and we were not sure it would make it another year.  Yesterday, I spotted little dark green leaves coming up in the garden spot. Was that the beginning of this special plant, or just another weed taking over the area?
This morning after greeting the newly risen Christ at church, I hurried home and ran to the garden spot to search again for the new life of the plant.  Lo and behold, three strong green leaves were open and reaching for the sun (Son) !!  It is not a weed, it is the 100 year old plant…. alive and well!  I realize again, He really does make all things new on this Day of Days!  Praise God!

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The Snow Bird Shuffle

26 Feb

Our friend, Patricia Franklin is back to share a story about Snow Birds and if you live in Florida or Arizona, they aren’t people from up north!~Enjoy,  Onisha.

A Few Thoughts

Patricia Franklin

I don’t know what the bird’s official name is, but I have always called them snow birds. They show up outdoors in the winter when everything and everyone else runs for cover from the snow and cold.   Late December or early January they show up to spend the winter near our birdfeeder. They are hearty little fellows and very striking against the white snow with their dark heads and back, buff colored bellies and black little “snow boots.” They are about the size of a sparrow and join the little red headed finches and sparrows at the feeder.

I watch the little snow birds trying to find  food while the snow is coming down and covering everything in sight.  The snow piles up on the bird feeder.  When the other birds run for cover,  the little snow birds come soaring in, land on the feeder and start shuffling their little feet back and forth and dig up the seed that is buried in the snow.  They are doing their little dance which I call the “snow bird shuffle.”  They are so flamboyant  and enthusiastic it lifts our mood and carries us on through the dark bleak days of winter into the light of spring.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

Nuthatch

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God’s Creation Carries On

6 Apr

A Few Thoughts

Patricia Franklin

I’m sitting here in my backyard on Holy Saturday morning recalling the shocking events of Good Friday. I imagine what was going through the minds of Jesus’ followers…  the let down, the unbelief, the grief and pain.  After suffering through the crucifixion and death of their Saviour, the followers of Jesus are devastated and confused, as are all of us. Is there any hope?  What lies in the future? What are they to do?
The sun is shining brightly today. Nature is still intact. My yard is showing signs of new life as the grass is beginning to green up and a few plants are peeking through the brown earth.  I listen to the sounds of the birds. While the doves are still mourning and proclaiming the loss of the Lord, the robins, red finches, blue jays and sparrows are loudly singing joyously… in anticipation of what is coming.  There is a cacophony of song, along with the staccato of the woodpecker chiming in with the chorus. The birds are totally focused on serving their Creator in the only way they know how.  Do they, in some strange way, instinctively understand and anticipate the resurrection and its significance? 
Then suddenly it is quiet, as they all go back to their silent vigil of waiting… only the mourning sound of the doves continues.  All at once a little red finch lights on a branch close by. He begins quietly chirping, as though speaking to me and explaining that everything will be ok. Then a song sparrow chimes in. Together they are proclaiming to me and to the world that there is hope! In spite of all that has happened, God’s Creation carries on.

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Surviving the Winter

16 Mar
A Few Thoughts
Patricia Franklin
This has been a long and cold winter here in Colorado, and we have been feeding the many species of birds who either stayed the winter or came passing through. Our bird feeder is mounted on a pole on my patio, just above my little rose that I planted in a barrel in the Fall. We put a wire cage around it and added dry leaves to keep it from freezing.
During these waning days of winter, a couple of squirrels have joined the birds, also looking for food. So they have been devouring the seeds that fall around the barrel. The squirrels love to get inside the cage and dig through the leaves for the seed.  I stand here by the patio window on cold days enjoying the birds and watching the squirrels chase each other around the yard, and I wish I could be out there too. A couple of times I noticed that the bigger squirrel chases the smaller one away from the barrel all the time and will not let him eat, while he himself is getting pretty fat.  But the smaller one has such a sunny disposition that he will entertain himself and me by running all over the yard, chasing his tail and doing flip after flip in the air. He is so cute and a real gymnast. 
On a couple nice sunny days, I was able to sit out on my patio chair just a few feet from the feeder.  I noticed that Fatso was really skittish and ran away when he saw me, but Frisky hung around and wanted his turn to eat. He crept up close to the barrel, then stood up on his hind feet and looked me in the eye. I stayed put, and he relaxed after a minute or two and started eating all around the barrel. Eventually he jumped up and in the cage and enjoyed a nice meal.  This happened a couple of times while I was out there and Fatso would stay away.  I figured Frisky had caught on and knew she was safe from Fatso bothering her. So I tested my theory the other day when I saw Fats in there for too long.  I went out and sat in my chair.  Fats ran away, and it wasn’t too long before Frisky came leaping across the lawn, stood up about 4 feet from me and looked me straight in the eye. Then he jumped up into the cage eating to his heart’s content. So today I repeated the same thing and I even talked to him while he was there. He did not seem to mind. So both of us sat there happy as a lark on a summer day.  Such is entertainment in the long cold days of winter in Colorado.

 

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A Trip to the Dentist

2 Mar

We are so pleased to welcome back Patricia Franklin- Onisha

A Few Thoughts

Patricia Franklin

Today was the day for a much needed trip to the dentist to take care of a cavity that needed to be filled.  The dentist swabs the area, waits a few seconds, then reaches in and I feel a little pin prick.  Was that her needle? That was easy. While I’m waiting for the anesthetic to kick in, I reminisce about trips to the dentist in the olden days.
My Grandpa had a penny tree down in the basement of his store and when we kids went to visit him there, he always had a few pennies for us in his pocket.  What could you buy with a penny?  Not much… I could not buy my favorite paper dolls or a comic book… but could always afford to buy penny candy. So we would wander on up the street to the candy store and spend our pennies on candy or bubble gum.  We did love sweets and got our fair share every chance we got. Well, apparently these were not too good for the teeth, so eventually we would end up with a toothache and a trip to the dentist.
The dentist came to town one day a month to take care of everyone’s needs. If he had a full schedule, he did not have too much time in between patients.  So I would sit down in his big old chair and he would tower above me and talk to me face to face while I watched him get his gigantic needle ready (no little numbing swabs to ease the pain in those days). He took that big old needle and jabbed it inside my jaw… then maybe ask me a couple of questions or tell a couple of jokes while he got out his drill. Then he would immediately start drilling…. all the time asking questions.  I’m sitting there clutching the chair arms for dear life and wondering how I’m supposed to answer him with the drill rattling my head and the pain searing through my whole body. About the time he was done with the tooth, my mouth would begin tingling and the anesthetic would kick in.  I never knew that the procedure was not supposed to hurt.  I figured the numb mouth was to keep it from hurting for the rest of the day.
Today’s trip to the dentist…..    A piece of cake.  Whoops, maybe I better not go there.

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SERENDIPITY – PART 2

5 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy

                                                     

One serendipity encompassed a large span of time.  Before we left for Germany, our Karen had to have tubes put in her ears.  She was 12 at the time, and rather old for it, but she needed it.  The pediatrician was a rather abrupt person, and not one I really cared to deal with.  However, once the decision was made to insert the tubes, he was the most compassionate doctor I think I’ve ever dealt with.  He was also the surgeon.  As I sat, praying – for him and his skill – he came out of the O.R., strapping on his watch.  He saw me, headed my way, and said “There you are.”  He sat down next to me and told me all about the surgery – how one tube fitted in just fine, but the other eardrum was “vascular” and bled a lot, so they just “slipped it in” right as Karen was beginning to stir.  Within a few hours, she was doing well, but we hadn’t been released from the hospital yet.  Then I noticed that she was acting in a strange manner.  Even though we were able to take Karen home that evening, she still wasn’t quite back to normal.  This wonderful doctor actually called the house that evening to check on her.  Remember – this was a military doctor!  That was not something I ever expected from him.  Turns out there must have been a bad batch of anesthesia, as they had three patients react the same way.

He told me that Karen was the oldest child he had ever placed ear tubes in.  And she would be his last.

He was such a wonderful surgeon – and he loved surgery.  So it was a bit of a shock and disappointment to find that the AF was involuntarily changing him from surgeon to Radiologist!  Just seems like they would leave the doctors in the field that was their specialty.

Fast-forward 15+ years.  Karen’s surgery had the desired effect – her hearing was restored and she never had any more problems with hearing.  We had moved to Florida, and began our medical stuff at Patrick AFB, near Melbourne.  Mammogram time again – oh joy!

XRAY

After I read the report, I was surprised to read a familiar name as the Radiologist.  I asked the tech if the Radiologist had ever been a surgeon, and she said yes.  So I told her about Karen’s surgery.  The next time I went back, I asked her if she had spoken to him about it.  She said that, at the end of one work day, he was sitting with his feet propped up on his desk, and she began telling him about me, and my story.  She said he dropped his feet with a thud, sat up straight, and said, “I remember that!”

Small world.

So even though I didn’t get to see or meet him again, my life was touched by this same man.  I hope that gave him a nice memory, as well.

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A Suicidal Nation

25 Jan

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the  landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that created a constitutional, nationwide right to abortion.  Patricia Franklin, one of our semi-regular contributors shares her feelings as thousands attend The March for Life in Washington, D.C. – Onisha

A Few Thoughts

Patricia Franklin

I sit in the stillness of the morn

Contemplating in the silence of nature surrounding me,

With a pain in my heart that is inconsolable.

The silence and stillness surround me

And there is no solace for the little souls of the unborn

Who have never seen the light of a day like this.

The silence of their screams is deafening

In my ears and in my heart. Their sighs echo

In the breeze soaring through the pines.

How can this selfish nation live with its guilt?

How can it sleep, or survive

Knowing what it has done and careing not?

How will our Creator deal with us,

This greedy, ungrateful, unseeing, uncaring and insensitive nation

As it slowly drowns and dies from its own gluttonous appetites,

Not knowing or caring about the silent cries

And senseless slaughter of its children?

 I sit in the stillness and I mourn

And contemplate the suicide of a nation,

Which cannot,and will not survive without its children.

 

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Praying for Cranberries

1 Dec
A Few Thoughts
Patricia Franklin
 
In the crisis center where I volunteer, we are very busy this time of year. Each family or client can receive a food sack once a month and used clothing every other month, i.e., a pair of pants and 2 shirts per person, a coat or pair of shoes once every six months. We can process about 100 or more families through the system in a 3 hour time period. Donations are mostly from churches, local  food stores and people who know why we are here. This organization was started several years ago by a few downtown churches, and has spread throughout the community.  I work at the front counter, where we keep a file on each person or family. Our clientele is steadily growing as the economy worsens and the holidays approach.
There are some very sad cases, many due to health and family problems, some jobless, elderly, homeless, etc.  In my position I don’t always know the details about the client. We have to work pretty fast, so there is not much time for conversation. But once in a while it seems like time stands still for a moment and you are struck by a particular person. For instance the other day a woman came in on a cold day and said she had no sox and asked if she could just have a pair of sox.  She was thrilled when the woman from clothing came out and handed her two pair of used sox.
The other day, a quiet middle-aged man came up to the counter and I asked “How are you today?”  Quietly he answered, “Well, not so good.  Things have been better. My back is bad, my legs…. and lots of things… but I pray a lot.”  Then he stood quietly waiting for me to fill out his paper work.  I said to him, “I’ll pray for you too.”  He started to walk away and suddenly turned back and said “Today I’m praying for cranberries.”  I stopped and looked at him as he walked away and tears came to my eyes as I thought.  “Of all the things that he must need, he simply prayed for cranberries, wanting this simple little thing for himself.” 
I don’t know what he got in his food sack that day, but with a lump in my throat, I went home that day praying with all my heart that he would get his cranberries.
 Stay on good terms with each other, held together by love. Be ready with a meal or a bed when it’s needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it! Regard prisoners as if you were in prison with them. Look on victims of abuse as if what happened to them had happened to you.
Hebrews  13:1-3   The Message

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Nature’s Thanksgiving

21 Nov
A Few Thoughts

 

Patricia Franklin

 

 

English: Fall leaves in Eugene, Oregon

English: Fall leaves in Eugene, Oregon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

 

Sitting in my backyard near the Rocky Mountains on a quiet Sunday morning, trying to absorb the waning rays of the Autumn sun, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the peace and quiet of nature around me.  Even the birds were silent.  “This is God’s creation in silent and awesome worship,” I thought to myself.  The bare branches of the trees and bushes, a single flower, and even the browning grasses are reaching quietly to the heavens in praise. 

 

 

The many words and songs that we think are essential in our Sunday worship were absent, and blessedly so.  The awesome silence made the beauty of nature stand out in its simple, beautiful thanks and praise to God.  A quiet breeze comes up and whispers its praise.  Suddenly the cry of a bluejay pierces the stillness in a heartfelt “Alleluia” to its Creator. Even a little yellow butterfly (In November?) comes fluttering around and about and then it is gone. … maybe searching for its Maker?  

 

 

We are a blessed, yet thankless generation rushing along, worrying and searching for what…. the gifts of the Creator?  They are all around us, but humankind passes by unaware, living in a noisy, self-absorbent little world of its own making.  Yet nature itself is crying out in silent praise and thanksgiving to God.

 

 

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your Creation that never forgets your Goodness, and cries out to you in its quiet, simple and humble way.

 

 

Fallen Leaves

Fallen Leaves (Photo credit: MSVG)

 

 

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