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Three Yellow Roses

5/31/2015

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
I walked into the grocery store not particularly interested in buying groceries. I wasn't hungry. The pain of losing my husband of 57 years was still too raw. And this

grocery store held so many sweet memories.

He often came with me and almost every time he'd pretend to go off and look for something special. I knew what he was up to. I'd always spot him walking down the aisle with the three yellow roses in his hands. He knew I loved yellow roses. With a heart filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items and leave, but even grocery shopping was different since he had passed on.

Shopping for one took time, a little more thought than it had for two. Standing by the meat, I searched for the perfect small steak and remembered how he had loved his steak.

Suddenly a woman came beside me. She was blonde, slim and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large package of T-bones, dropped them into her basket, hesitated, and then put them back. She turned to go and once again reached for the pack of steaks.

She saw me watching her and she smiled. "My husband loves T-bones, but honestly, at these prices, I don't know."

I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her pale blue eyes.

"My husband passed away eight days ago," I told her. Glancing at the package in her hands, I fought to control the tremble in my voice. "Buy him the steaks. And cherish every moment you have together."

She shook her head and I saw the emotion in her eyes as she placed the package in her basket and wheeled away.

I turned and pushed my cart across the length of the store to the dairy products. There I stood, trying to decide which size milk I should buy. A quart, I finally decided and moved on to the ice cream. If nothing else, I could always fix myself an ice cream cone. I placed the ice cream in my cart and looked down the aisle toward the front. I saw first the green suit, then recognized the pretty lady coming towards me. In her arms she carried a package. On her face was the brightest smile! I had ever seen. I would swear a soft halo encircled her blonde hair as she kept walking toward me, her eyes holding mine.

As she came closer, I saw what she held and tears began misting in my eyes.

"These are for you," she said and placed three beautiful long stemmed yellow roses in my arms. "When you go through the line, they will know these are paid for." She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek, then smiled again. I wanted to tell her what she'd done, what the roses meant, but still unable to speak, I watched as she walked away as tears clouded my vision. I looked down at the beautiful roses nestled in the green tissue wrapping and found it almost unreal. How did she know? Suddenly the answer seemed so clear. I wasn't alone. Oh, you haven't forgotten me, have you? I whispered, with tears in my eyes. He was still with me, and she was his angel.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 8 (2010).


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Child's View of Thunderstorms

5/28/2015

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
A little girl walked to and from school daily. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with lightning.

The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school.  She also feared the electrical storm might harm her child.

Full of concern, the mother got into her car and quickly drove along the route to her child's school. As she did, she saw her little girl walking along. At each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up, and smile. More lighting followed quickly and with each, the little girl would look at the streak of light and smile.

When the mother drove up beside the child, she lowered the window and called, "What are you doing?" The child answered, "I am trying to look pretty because God keeps taking my picture."

May God bless you today and every day as you face the storms that come your way! 

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 8 (2010). 


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Taters

5/27/2015

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
Taters are a colloquial pronunciation of potatoes and thus these are the local varieties of taters.

Some people never seem motivated to participate, but are just content to watch while others do the work.
~They are called "Spec Taters".

Some people never do anything to help, but are gifted at finding fault with the way others do the work.
~They are called "Comment Taters".

Some people are very bossy and like to tell others what to do, but don't want to soil their own hands.
~They are called "Dick Taters".

Some people are always looking to cause problems by asking others to agree with them. It is too hot or too cold, too sour or too sweet.
~They are called "Agie Taters".

There are those who say they will help, but somehow just never get around to actually doing the promised help.
~They are called "Hezzie Taters".

Some people can put up a front and pretend to be someone they are not.
~They are called "Emma Taters".

Then there are those who love others and do what they say they will. They are always prepared to stop whatever they are doing and lend a helping hand. They bring real sunshine into the lives of others.
~They are called "Sweet Taters".

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 7 (2009).


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Winners

5/26/2015

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.





















Winners take chances like everyone else,
They fear failing, but they refuse to let fear control them.


Winners don’t give up,
When life gets tough, they hang in until the going gets better


Winners are flexible.
They realise there is more than one way and they are willing to try others.


Winners know they are not perfect.
They respect their weaknesses while making the most of their strengths.


Winners fall, but they don’t stay down.
They stubbornly refuse to let a fall keep them from climbing.


Winners don’t blame fate for their failures,
Nor luck for their successes.


Winners accept responsibility for their lives.

Winners are positive thinkers who see good in all things.
From the ordinary, they make the extraordinary.


Winners believe in the path they have chosen even when it’s hard,
Even when others can’t see where they are going.


Winners are patient.
They know a goal is only as worthy as the effort that’s required to achieve it.


Winners are people like you.
They make this world a better place to be.


Author: Nancye Sims. 


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Freedom Flyby

5/25/2015

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
On this Memorial Dad let us not forget those who have served our country so well and continue to do so. God bless America.

Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall. When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit.

The complaint:

Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:
Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 a.m., a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyn’s early bird special? Any response would be appreciated.

The response:

Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' on June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship flybyof F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.

At 9 a. m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured..

A four-ship flybyis a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.

The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show?’ The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr. USAF

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 7 (2009).


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Shirley and Marcy

5/24/2015

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
A mom was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school. He didn't want his mother to walk with him. She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence but yet know that he was safe.

So she had an idea of how to handle it. She asked a neighbor if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he probably wouldn't notice her.

The neighbor said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed.

The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor girl he knew. She did this for the whole week.

As the two walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy's little friend noticed the same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week. Finally she said to Timmy, “Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her?”

Timmy nonchalantly replied, 'Yeah, I know who she is.”

The little girl said, “Well, who is she?”

“That's just Shirley Goodnest,” Timmy replied, “and her daughter Marcy.”

“Shirley Goodnest? Who the heck is she and why is she following us?”

“Well,” Timmy explained, “every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, 'cuz she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, 'Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life', so I guess I'll just have to get used to it!”

We all should get used to it!!!

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 7 (2009).


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Spared by Grace

5/23/2015

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Picture
© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
I watched the elderly gentleman, well into his eighties, quietly sitting at his wife’s bedside in the Intensive Care Unit. She could not respond to his frequent affirmations of his love and devotion. She was on a ventilator under sedation to make her comfortable. Yet there he faithfully sat, holding her hand.

As the chaplain, I had been approached by their doctor to help him see that his wife was not going to improve and the end of her life was near. The most merciful thing now would be to remove the life support and make her as comfortable as possible while she quietly passed. Medicine and logic had done all they could do. This was now a matter of the heart. This was the most difficult decision that he likely has ever had to make.

I knocked gently and asked if I could come in and sit with him. I explained that I was the chaplain at the hospital and just wanted to offer support. We sat there in silence looking at his wife breathing steadily, aided by the machine. We would glance at one another from time to time, but I waited with him.

After some time, I said to him, “Tell me about your wife. What is she like? How did you meet?”

Perhaps relieved to find something to break the monotony of watching the mesmerizing rise and fall of her chest, he began to talk. He took me on a journey back through time. I could tell that he enjoyed telling me about her. I listened for almost 45 minutes. Then he grew quiet again.

With moist eyes he looked up at me and said, “I guess her journey has finally come to the end here. I probably should let her go. What do you think?”

I responded by nodding my head and affirming that the decision was difficult but necessary for her best interest. She was not going to get any better than this. With that he told me to let them know he was ready.

I stepped out of the room and spoke to the nurse, alerting her to his decision and that she should begin to get the paperwork in order and get the order from the doctor. A few minutes later she told me that the respiratory therapist would be here in about ten minutes to remove her from the ventilator and she would be ready with necessary pain medication.

I sat back down with the husband and gave him that news. He nodded and looked again at his wife. Then, before our eyes, her heart stopped beating. Still on the ventilator, she passed into eternity.

The husband and I looked at each other and hugged. God was so gracious. He came to the place where he was willing to let her go, but she died before she came off the breathing machine. So he was spared the possibility of feeling any responsibility. We shared in the grace of the moment.

© 2009, John C. Fitts, III.  All Rights Reserved.  Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 7 (2009).

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Teacher ... or Educator?

5/22/2015

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
According to a news report, a certain private school in Brisbane was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.

Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back.

Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses). To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.

He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers.... and then there are educators!!!



Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 7 (2009).

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A Light and a Lamp

5/21/2015

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
There is a store where I live called “Restoration Hardware.” I’m sure if you live in a town of any size you are probably familiar with it. It is not an ordinary hardware store. It definitely has a Pottery Barn flavor to it. Patty and I used to go there before the novelty wore off, and just browse. She would tend to look at “decorator” type items while I would look at the gadgets that you don’t see much anymore – old games and tools and all kinds of neat things from the past that had been resurrected.

A new item caught my eye one day. It was a flashlight with two beams. One beam pointed straight out so that you could see what lay ahead in the darkness. The other beam pointed down at about a forty-five degree angle so that you could see what lay just in front of you. The idea was that you didn’t have to keep moving the beam down to see if you were about to step in, or on, something and lose track of the path in front of you. You could do both at the same time. I know, it was not a life saving device, but it was pretty neat.

Looking at it made me think of a Scripture verse. In Psalm 119:105 David is extolling the Law of God and he says, “Thy Word is a light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet.” Just as that flashlight had a two-fold purpose, so does God’s Word. David said that the Scriptures helped him to see the direction he should be moving in and it also revealed the very steps he should take. So he could stay focused on the path that God had laid out for him.

How does this work? Let take the book of Proverbs, located in the Hebrew Scriptures just after the Psalms. The thirty-one chapters of this book contain wisdom for nearly all areas of life, including personal growth in character, finances, family values, interpersonal relationships, and general perspective on life. Following the wisdom of Proverbs can help you avoid many pitfalls in life as well as instruct you in gaining strength in faith. In other words, Proverbs helps you in the direction your life should take as well as specific advice about daily issues. It is a light for your path ahead and a lamp to show you where you are stepping.

Regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs, the book of Proverbs is a practical guide to daily living. Try reading the “Proverb of the day.” Since there are thirty-one chapters, and around thirty or thirty-one days in most months, read the proverb that corresponds to the day of the month. That way you read the entire book every month. The life principles can’t help but become familiar and possibly be life changing.

© 2009, John C. Fitts, III.  All Rights Reserved.  Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 7 (2009).


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Kindness Brings Comfort

5/20/2015

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
It was the perfect bed for her little grandchild. The small, wooden ensemble included a mattress and box springs, and it was on sale at the Holy Trinity Thrift shop.

“How much?” the woman asked manager Diane Densmore last week.

“It’s $60,” Densmore replied, recalling the conversation, “but today it’s on sale for $30.”

Densmore doesn’t know the woman, beyond hearing occasionally about her daughters and grandchildren. She is a regular customer at the thrift shop, which offers housewares, baubles, jewelry, hardware and furniture. And clothes. Baby clothes, in fact, for as little as 50 cents an item. That’s usually what she buys.

Today, that bed looked like heaven.

“How much, again?” she asked Densmore, perhaps hopeful the price would drop. The woman slowly shook her head, then walked dejectedly to another part of the store.

“She was crestfallen” Densmore said. “It was very sad.”

Until another woman, in her 50’s, walked up and handed Densmore $30 in cash. “This is for the bed for that lady,” she said.

“You’re buying the bed for her?” Densmore responded.

“Yes, make sure the lady gets the bed,” she said, then walked out.

Densmore quickly tracked down the new owner. “I got the biggest kick out of telling her . . .I said, ‘You know that bed you wanted for your little girl?”

The woman’s eyes widened and her mouth opened as Densmore explained. Realizing she had but a moment, the woman ran to thank the good Samaritan, but she was already gone.

“Why did she do that? The woman asked Densmore.

Both in tears, the two women embraced.

Author: Pat Farnan, Tampa Bay Times. Reprinted with permission in Grace Drops, Volume 7 (2009).


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    John Fitts is a retired hospital chaplain and a contributor & publisher of Grace Drops. John lives in Palm Harbor, Florida with his artist wife, Patty. 
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