There has been a new friend I’ve been seeing when we go to the Park.
Someone new that is homeless.
I’d like you to meet her.
Fortunately, she has been able to make a good friend quickly and they seem to be looking after each other.
Zion
Three weeks ago Brenda was telling me how they met. It seems that someone “dumped” Zion out of a car to get rid of her and Brenda saw Zion was out in the street. From the beginning, Zion trusted Brenda and she came to her. Brenda waited to see if anyone came back for her, but nobody did. She named her Zion after the Zion church in the area.
When I first met Zion you could tell that people had mistreated her because she was very fearful. I’m happy to say that over the last two weeks, I can see such a big difference in her! Brenda has taken her to get her shots and all the necessities. I know that Brenda has used money she had been saving to get back home for this. Her growing love of Zion, and the bond they have formed is very evident.
Brenda told me that Zion came at a point “right when she needed her”.
I also think Brenda was there right when Zion needed her.
Their bond has been strong right from the beginning. I asked Brenda that first occasion I met Zion if I could take a picture of both of them. She agreed.
Brenda and Zion
There is always someway to connect with people….if we just listen…if we just see….
Lord, continue to keep my eyes and ears open please!
Sometimes I need to be reminded of a few things so I don’t forget. Of memories and lessons I’ve learned. Memories I blogged and lessons learned.
Originally Posted: May, 2011
This post has been floating around in my head for at least a year now……that’s right a year, seriously. I might as well say up front, it probably still won’t come across the way I want it to, but I figure it’s been floating around in there for so long, I may need the space that this has taken up for some other things, and so it is time to just “word dump” it so to speak.
What has been floating around in there?
Gee, I can almost feel the laughter and general overall snickers that are coming through right now at that question – however, I shall laugh at myself along with you because I know that at any particular time I am completely random.
What I am referring to is Mother’s Day.
Why, you might wonder would I ponder on that for so long?
Mother’s Day has evoked many emotions in me over the years. (I suspect it has in many. It appears to seem that way to me because well, you can get some pretty strong reactions sometimes).
So….pretty much that is what I’ve been thinking about….all those emotions I’ve felt.
When I was younger, being raised as a Jehovah’s Witness we didn’t celebrate any holidays or birthdays. That is just the way it was and still is for JW’s as far as I know. I didn’t think about holidays or celebrations until I was old enough to realize and think about what “I” was missing. So, quite frankly since “I” wasn’t involved when I was younger, Mother’s Day wasn’t even in my radar. I don’t know if my Mother did anything to acknowledge Mother’s Day to my Grandmother after she converted to being a JW to marry my Father, because Mom was not raised a JW. Since Mom and Grandmom are gone, I can’t ask. I’d like to think she did, as they were close, but as Gus said in the movie Big Fat Greek Wedding “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.”
Sigh. I’d like to know the answer to that question.
When I was around five I was taught how to play the piano by my Great-Grandmother. I have fond memories of the music played, the piano and times in her front parlor. My mother inherited not only her upright piano but much of her music as my mother was one who loved to sing. One of the pieces of music that my Mom inherited was a piece titled “Mother”. My Mom told me that she sang that piece to her mother at church one time when she was around 12. I remembered that. I liked knowing that. I sensed the strong emotional connection she had to the song along with her memories. After my Great-Grandmother’s death I used to play that and some other pieces in the basement on the old upright piano that Grammie taught me on. I know that my Mom used to listen to me playing the piano upstairs over an intercom that we had. Sometimes I would sing along with the song.
I have that old piece of sheet music. It is worn and tattered. I haven’t played it in a while, yet I can hear the words and music sometimes and it can bring back the memories of me playing it in the basement.
I like to think she heard me singing to her.
When I moved out of the house in my early 20’s, and started living on my own, started living a life that was separate from the JW’s, finding out who I was, holidays and celebrations became important for me to understand.
While I may have started celebrating holidays and birthdays, I still didn’t do anything to “upset the apple cart” so to speak when it came to my immediate family. I wasn’t “in your face” about it with them.
There are a few exceptions where I celebrated a holiday with my Mom. Mother’s Day was one. Twice she let me acknowledge that day with her. Usually, it was “you know, we don’t celebrate holiday’s”. But twice, she let me. Once was when I said I wanted to take her out to eat with my Grandmother for Mother’s Day. I picked them up and drove them to the Safari restaurant (I wonder if it is still there?) for an early dinner complete with cocktails and conversation. We spent all afternoon together. I don’t remember what we ate, but I can tell you as a struggling single person living in an apartment, that was one credit card purchase I do not regret! I would do it all over again! I can still remember how happy and pleasant that afternoon was for all three of us. I also remember Mom being particularly happy and pleased about the day.
I remember both of their smiles from that day sitting at the table.
The other Mother’s Day she let me acknowledge was close to her death. By then, Craig and I were a couple, and I remember Craig and I stopped to visit her and I took her a pink sweater. This was the Mother’s Day before she died. I had bought myself one like it in white. I bought her a pink one. I thought the pink one was more cheerful. She needed something cheerful. Maybe I was the one that needed to see something cheerful on her.I don’t know, I don’t know. She said she liked it, and after she died I kept it and the white one I bought for a long, long time.
Eventually, you realize the memories are in your heart and your head, and you can let go of some “things you’re holding on to”. I don’t remember when I gave away the sweaters, but one day I did, I didn’t need them anymore.
June ’83 My sister, me, Grandmom & Mom (Mom found out she had cancer 6 months later)
Mother’s Day after that I continued to celebrate with my Grandmother who had always been someone that I enjoyed celebrating holidays and birthdays with. She was such a blessing and joy throughout my whole life. (I’ve talked about her and her influence in one of my previous blogs here).
Becoming first a step-mother and than having babies changed the way I thought about Mother’s Day. It made me look at things differently. I was blessed to have my Grandmother with me during my early days as a Mom. She did her best to keep me grounded. She was the matriarch of the family. She was my mentor. She showed me Jesus.
I confess though, there was a time when Mother’s Day evoked a not so nice emotion
…….jealously, greed, envy.
Sometimes I would see all the hype and hoopla about “this is how it should be” or I would see friends getting treated in a way that I thought was better than I was being treated, or I felt like I was missing out on something because of my situation, and then those sinful feelings would appear. No use pretending that isn’t what those feelings are. Just plain sin.
I didn’t like it. I don’t like to admit it. But it’s true.
So then, I got to thinking, wasn’t I just back to being the kid I was again when I was little? I mean, wasn’t I making it about the “I” again?
What was the origin of Mother’s Day after all? Did or does it have anything to do with the fact of me being a Mom? Why was I thinking about me, and not about my Mom?
The history of the American Celebration of Mother’s Day began with Anna M. Jarvis remembering her mother in 1908. Anna petitioned the church where her mother had taught Sunday School for over 20 years to have a day to celebrate Mother’s, to remember her mother and in honor of peace. Her request was honored and on May 10, 1908, the first official Mother’s Day celebration took place at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia and a church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Check out more details here.)
Anna wanted to remember her Mom. Anna never had children of her own. I don’t see that she intended the day to be about that at all. She wasn’t thinking about herself. She was thinking about her Mom.
Now, I know there are a lot of people who love/loved their Moms, but there are just as many that don’t know/knew their Mom’s, or who don’t/didn’t get along with their Mom’s.
I hate to say know that I fell/fall in those categories…as a daughter, and as a Mom on some days.
Sigh.
I’ve read blogs about dysfunctional families, (really, don’t we all have them), where they are blasting their Mom’s sometimes, I’ve read blogs where there is a sweet appreciation for what their Mother’s have done for them. I don’t get a sense that they always get along, just that they have grown to appreciate them for the individuals they are. I have friends who don’t know who their Mom’s are, and some who know their Moms, but really don’t like them sometimes. I know some who love their Mom’s dearly. I know friends who have a relationship that can only be defined as cordial with their moms. I know friends who want a deeper relationship with their Mom, but realize that what they have is “all they will get”. I have friends who grieve for lost Moms.
I understand. I have been all these women at times.
Psalm 139:13-16
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
God choose my mother. He choose your mother. For a reason. God has our best interests at heart. Does it make sense some days? No. But then we have that pesky human brain always trying to make sense of things.
I need to remind myself at times there are certain things I won’t understand. I need to trust in the wisdom of God.
Mother’s Day. It’s not about me being a Mom. It’s about my Mother.
Yes, society has hyped it up and Anna M. Jarvis herself didn’t like what society had made the day become. In 1923 she filed a law suit against New York Governor Al Smith. She was increasingly concerned over the commercialization of the day in the flower and card industry. (See related link here)
But isn’t that what Satan would like to do with something that’s done in love.…turn it back to sin..make it about stuff, greed, envy and jealously. Oh, he’s ‘good’ at what he does isn’t he?
Well, I’m choosing to make it about the love. I’m choosing to remember the good.
I know my Mother loved me the best she could.
I choose to thank the Lord for giving me the Mother that he gave me and the precious memories that I have.
qqq My Mother, probably in her early 30’s
That is what Mother’s Day is truly about – remembering to thank the Maker for the Mother he choose for you. I was blessed to have her. I was doubly blessed to have a truly wonderful Grandmother who filled that role in my life in so many ways.
Thank you Lord for the blessings you have given me in life.
Here’s in remembrance of you Mom, Happy Mother’s Day!
Here are the lyrics from my original piece of sheet music as best as I can tell:
M-O-T-H-E-R – A word that means the world to me.
Words by Howard Johnson. Music by Theodore Morse
I’ve been around the world, you bet, But never went to school, Hard knocks are all I seem to get, Perhaps I’ve been a fool; But still, some educated folks, supposed to be so swell, Would fail, if they were called upon a simple word to spell. Now if you’d like to put me to a test, – There’s one dear name that I can spell the best: –
“M” is for the million things she gave me, “O” means only that she’s growing old, “T” is for the tears were shed to save me, “H” is for her heart of purest gold; – “E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining, “R” means right, and right she’ll always be, – Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER”, a word that means the world to me.
When I was but a baby, long before I learned to walk, While lying in my cradle, I would try my best to talk; It wasn’t long, before I spoke, and what the neighbors heard, My folks were very proud of me, for “Mother” was the word. Although I’ll never lay a claim to fame, I’m satisfied that I can spell the name.
“M” is for the mercy she possesses, “O” means that I am never on my own, “T” is for her tender sweet caresses, “H” is for her hands that made a home, “E” means everything she’s done to help me, “R” means real and regular, you see, Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER”, a word that means the world to me.
Tomorrow begins a new chapter with Operation Soup and Smokes. Rebecca and Keith will begin their journey on to Oklahoma, (you can follow their story on Rebecca’s blog), and so the day will definitely seem different without them.
Two weeks ago, Chuck presented Rebecca a card with the signatures from most of the people that we have been serving. I was able to grab a quick picture. Rebecca is in the background receiving the card.
We have been meeting as a group to discuss how we will continue on, and are excited how God has provided new people in the group. We also look forward to seeing how Rebecca and Keith will start OSS in Oklahoma.
Another twist in the Operation is Marlo will be moving sometime in the future, yet we are also excited for her because she is looking to start a OSS where they move.
Marlo
So potentially, Operation Soup and Smokes is looking at being in three different States within the next few months! That is so awesome and exciting to think about! Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
I will be filling you in on some more stories and pictures as we go along, hopefully more frequently!
A quick side note, we served some soup out of the car on our way downtown two weeks ago….so in essence we are “mobile”!
Rebecca and Keith we will miss you tomorrow, safe journeys! Love you guys!
Some of the things I wondered about before we started going to the park to help with Operation Soup and Smokes was, what exactly were they doing, what role would I be expected to play, what could I possibly do, what would I say, what if someone asked me something that I didn’t know, was I expected to walk up to complete strangers and preach, would I be uncomfortable, would I be gulp, safe?
I don’t know why I thought of some of those questions. Maybe it was because of preconceived notions. Maybe it was because I still had lingering long-drilled religious-ease (is that a word?) talk swirling around in my head that to witness you had to witness.
Sometimes I just need to be reminded. One of the scriptures that the Lord impressed again upon my heart was Acts 1:8. Here is Acts 1:1-10. I’ve included the whole passage so you can see the whole context. Plus, it also is a source of comfort for me to know that those that actually walked with Jesus didn’t really get it sometimes. They needed to be reminded. We are really not so different today.
Acts 1: 1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b]the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
The Bible is clear on what it means to be a witness. It doesn’t say “to witness” it says “be a witness”. It is also clear how the Holy Spirit will do that. We are not left on our own abilities or strengths or knowledge. Whew! That’s a relief. That takes a huge weight off doesn’t it?
Looking back, I also don’t know why I would have thought about being uncomfortable considering the people that were going. I mean they don’t make me uncomfortable. I enjoy their company, I look at the examples of how they are living. Maybe my uncomfortableness was actually self-examination.
Whatever, my initial hesitations were, it finally just came down to “why not?” There was a need, I could cook or bake something. Maybe there wasn’t the money available to provide as much as we could have before, but we could provide what we had. If not cooking or baking, I can serve the food, I can smile, I can talk.
Now as far as what if I was asked something I didn’t know? Well, it isn’t exactly any secret that I can talk. (There is a reason I had “talks to much” on my report cards growing up). I decided that I would have to just have faith that God would provide the words that I needed or the ears to hear or eyes to see what I needed to prompt a discussion. So far that has worked. There definitely isn’t any method other than that. Every week my discussions are completely random with people. (Thinking about that, my brain works pretty randomly at times, so this is a good thing.)
So when we are asked what do we do? This is pretty much it…we are ourselves, loving people, led by the Holy Spirit to be a witness the way He directs.
Wow…what a difference in the weather from the previous visit. The sun was shining with temperatures in the low 70’s. We expect high 80’s this week!
Met two guys who had just arrived the previous night after walking six days from the coast. Craig asked if they would like something to eat, they said “man, we’re just thankful for anything!”. Six days of walking! Can you imagine yourself doing that?
We also met another gentlemen new to the area from another part of the state. He came up to us when we started to unload the car, and helped. He stayed around listening to everyone talking. He started talking to me about how God puts people in your life when you need them. He said he just began to realize that now that he is older, (he just turned 50). Haha older, we joked about that for a bit. He said his mother was a religious person, she didn’t get to church much, but she talked about it at home. He said he had a “Bible for dummies, well it wasn’t called that, it was one of those study Bibles, but it helped him a lot”. I laughed and told him I had one of those too, and yes, they did help a lot!
We spent some time talking with Levi and Jason, both whose ministry is walking closely with the homeless. Jason is in transition housing and asks for your prayers as he is actively seeking to be an ordained minister. He is, to put it in his words, “following Levi’s foot steps as he walks with Christ”. They both can become discouraged at times when they feel “under attack” and ask that you pray for them.
Carolyn, Levi, Jason, Denise
Right now we decide when we are returning to the park – while we are at the park. That’s because we usually can coordinate everyone’s schedule then. People hang around talking and ask when we will be back.
We had decided that we would be returning again on Wednesday. I called out to John to let him know that we would be back on Wednesday. He said, “Thanks for telling me”, gave me a hug and then said “I’ll miss you guys till then.” I told him “Why thanks John, we’ll miss seeing you too.” He came up and hugged me again and said “I love you”. I told him, “John, I love you too.”
It continues to be humbling how a simple act of kindness, whether it is a bite of food, a kind word, listening ear or just plain genuine interest means so much to some. Being there, just seeing, being present in the moment, can make a difference.
I read this line recently in a book:
To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world. – Brandi Snyder
If I can be the one person who shows Christ’s love in a life, then let me be that one person.
The more that I see and read you can tell that God is working in big ways in the homeless community all over the States, and in other countries. Please continue to keep all in your prayers!
First, let me give my apologies for not reporting on last Wednesday’s trip to Finlay park before now. It was just one of those weeks.
Wednesday was a really dreary, rainy, damp day. (I know, what a lot of adjectives) Rainy days have a way of dampening the spirits, and it certainly doesn’t help when you are also operating on a serious lack of sleep due to a bout of insomnia. I know that while we were driving to the park, I was praying to myself, “please God, let me be an encouragement to those in need today, even while I feel so spent inside”.
We arrived and unloaded the cars under the pavilion to protect everything from the rain. There certainly weren’t as many as the Friday before, but still we served around 50 or more. Some had arrived as early as 8:30 a.m. to get there before the downpour to keep their things as dry as possible. We had lasagna, chili, vegetable beef soup, cookies and brownies available. With the rain and a slightly smaller group than the Friday before, there was the opportunity for seconds and thirds if needed. We don’t ever seem to have any leftovers. We thought there was going to be some chili left over, but when we loaded up the cars, a man came over to get a few bowls for himself and his two children, two more stopped, next thing….Marlo’s chili…..gone.
Our “regular” friends were there. They laugh when we call them by their nicknames now. There’s Chuck “Too Tall”, Jerry “Green Hornet” and Robert ”Big Bird”. Their spirits were pretty good considering the weather, and the need to make new living arrangements since the shelter was closing.
We got to visit with Dawn and Ernie before they prepare to leave for Ohio. Robert “Big Bird” is going with them, and we may see him one more time before they leave. Dawn and Ernie we will not see until they return in six months. They will be working with a carnival. This is something that they do every year, and then they return as Dawn’s children and mother live here in the area. Dawn has been able to eat, however, they have been anxious because someone has been threatening Dawn’s life. They received money from their employer in Ohio to stay in a hotel prior to leaving, so this past Wednesday was the last day we would see them for a while. Dawn was emotional, and they stayed at the park as long as we were there. When we were packed up, Ernie shook hands and thanked Rebecca and Marlo for “starting this thing”. It was a bittersweet goodbye, as Rebecca and her family will be moving and Ernie and Dawn know that they will not be seeing them when they return.
It was one of those days where I really just had such mixed feelings. I didn’t know if I was making a difference or not. I sensed sadness in those leaving, yet I had also shared some laughs with some others. I knew Ernie and Dawn were in a situation that I couldn’t really help with. Sometimes you just feel helpless. And I was thinking, if I feel helpless, what do they feel? You know how when you are tired, you just question yourself and how you’re doing? That’s where I was.
That’s also when God speaks….if I’m willing to listen, if I’m willing to see and hear. If the heart is open.
Jason, had been talking with me awhile about how much our ministry meant to him. He said that he might not see us next week, because he had a pretty good job interview. Before he left, he had shook my hand, and then I gave him a hug. He started walking away, and looked back at me sideways and said “Keep doing God’s work, I love you.”
I have to tell you at first it surprised me. And, then I was reminded again of a lesson: why do I keep thinking that we are the only one’s that are “doing God’s work here?” Here are some men and women walking with God, in their own ways showing Jesus’ love, they just happen to be homeless. I was forgetting Jason’s walk with Christ, and how we can all help and encourage each other.
I went there to encourage and became someone who was ministered too.
Open the eyes of my heart Lord……….and keep them open.
Just As I Am 