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The "Grand" Mother

6/23/2014

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
In the past I have been called upon to conduct funeral services for total strangers. Once I was asked to fill in for another chaplain at the last minute, who provided me with the necessary details and a thumbnail sketch of her life.

Arriving early at the funeral home the next day, I began speaking with various members of the family. As a rule, the time before a service is helpful for listening to stories, gathering details that help make the service more personal. Fortunately, three members of the family volunteered to speak and share their memories about Bette, a beloved mother, grandmother, and aunt. I learned that Bette had been a military wife, the U.S. Air Force, with all the rigors of constant relocation and travel. She held a family together during those years and still found time to volunteer with several organizations. She was very prim and proper, maintaining an immaculate house, but always made visitors feel welcome, and, as her nieces stated, “we knew that when visiting Aunt Bette, we could “eat, drink, and be merry.” She loved reading and was especially proud of her collection of Hummels. I began to relax and concentrate on the message of comfort from the Scriptures.

Standing near a table of pictures of Bette, and mementos provided by the family, was her son, Lee. Pointing to a very beautiful and intricate figurine, he told me the story of this Hummel, called the “Ark.”

Lee had also been a member of the Air Force, and being separated from his parents, had made a habit of calling each Sunday afternoon to check on them. One Sunday he called and noticed that his mother was not her usual self, but curt and abrupt. He didn’t think much about it, but the next Sunday she acted the same. When his father got on the phone he asked his dad if there was a problem, that his mother seemed angry with him.

“Son,” his dad said, “you forgot your mother’s birthday.”

“Oh no,” Lee had said. “Do you know of anything I can do to get back in her good graces?” His dad had said one word.

“Hummel.”

And so Lee asked his mother to pick out a Hummel she wanted and let him know. The next week he received in the mail a page torn from a catalog with a picture of a Hummel circled. He got out the order form and began filling it in. When he looked at the price his eyes dilated. It was $999.00. Here on the table sat that very figurine.

I looked at him and said, “No wonder they called her “grand-mother!”

© 2008, John C. Fitts, III.  All Rights Reserved.  Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 6 (2008).


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Love Your Neighbor

6/20/2014

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
Fred Rogers, the former star of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, used to carry a simple line around in his wallet. It was a line from a Benedictine nun, Sister Mary Lou Kownacki. It said: “There isn’t anyone you couldn’t love once you’ve heard their story.” It was something Rogers clung to until the day he died, according to his wife, who helped put together the book, The World According to Fred Rogers: Important Things to Remember.”

Another piece of wisdom that Mr. Rogers always followed was that of Western star Gabby Hayes. One day, Mr. Rogers asked Hayes what he was thinking about when he looked into the camera?

Hayes’ response: He was thinking about . . . “That little buckaroo who’s out there, watching the show, and I speak directly to him.” Mr. Rogers followed in Hayes’ footsteps and never looked back.

© 2008, John C. Fitts, III.  All Rights Reserved.  Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 6 (2008).


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Glass of Milk

6/18/2014

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water.

She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you? “

“You don't owe me anything,” she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."

He said..... "Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many years later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled! They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.

He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case. After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words..... "Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands." There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the waters comes back to you.

The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place − And, after all, isn't that what life is all about?

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 6 (2008).


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The Power of Example

6/16/2014

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
When Benjamin Franklin wished to interest the people of Philadelphia in street lighting, he didn’t try to persuade them by talking about it—instead, he hung a beautiful lantern on a long bracket before his own door. Then he kept the glass brightly polished, and carefully and religiously lit the wick every evening at the approach of dusk. People wandering about on the dark street saw Franklin’s light a long way off and came under the influence of its friendly glow with grateful hearts. It wasn’t long before Franklin’s neighbors began placing lights in brackets before their homes and soon the entire city awoke to the value of street lighting and took up the matter with interest and enthusiasm.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 6 (2008).


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A Special Grocery List

6/13/2014

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and

asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store at once. Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can."

John told her he could not give her credit, since she did not have a charge account at his store. Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family.

The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?"

Louise replied, "Yes sir."

"O.K" he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries."

Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it."

The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.

The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.

It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said: "Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands." The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store.

The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said: "It was worth every penny of it. Only God knows how much a prayer weighs."

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 6 (2008).


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The Oyster

6/6/2014

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
There once was an oyster whose story I tell,
Who found that some sand had got into his shell.
It was only a grain but it gave him great pain,
For oysters have feelings although they're so plain.

Now, did he berate the harsh workings of fate
That had brought him to such a deplorable state?
Did he curse at the government, cry for election,
And claim that the sea should have given him protection?

No − He said to himself as he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it, I shall try to improve it. 
Now the years have rolled around, 
as the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate destiny − stew.

And the small grain of sand that had bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl all richly aglow.
Now the tale has a moral;
For isn't it grand what an oyster can do
With a morsel of sand.
 
What couldn't we do 
If we'd only begin
With some of the things
That get under our skin.

Author: David Cohen 


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The Donkey

6/5/2014

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town.  The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked. As they went along they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding. The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.

Then, later, they passed some people who remarked, "What a shame, he makes that little boy walk." So they then decided they'd both walk! 

Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So, they both rode the donkey. Now they passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey.

The boy and man figured they were probably right, so they decided to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and he fell into the river and drowned.

The moral of the story?

If you try to please everyone, you might as well... Kiss your donkey goodbye! And even this ending won’t please everyone.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 6 (2008).


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The Warmth of Fellowship

6/4/2014

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.

It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself at home but said nothing.

In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The Pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

We live in a world today, which tries to say too much with too little.  Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 6 (2008).


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    Author

    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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