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Sunday at the Beach by Patty Fitts

11/25/2017

Living Our Faith
Origin Unknown

Years ago,many years now, a 10-year-old boy approached the counter of a soda shop and climbed on to a stool.
"What does an ice cream sundae cost?" he asked the waitress.
"Fifty cents," she answered.
The youngster reached deep in his pockets and pulled out an assortment of change, counting it carefully as the waitress grew impatient. She had "bigger" customers to wait on.
"Well, how much would just plain ice cream be?" the boy asked.
The waitress responded with noticeable irritation in her voice. "Thirty-five cents."
Again, the boy slowly counted his money. "May I have some plain ice cream in a dish then, please?" He gave the waitress the correct amount, and she brought him the ice cream. Later, the waitress returned to clear the boy's dish and when she picked it up, she felt a lump in her throat. There on the counter the boy had left two nickels and five pennies. She realized that he had had enough money for the sundae, but sacrificed it so that he could leave her a tip.
We need this faith today, now more than ever.

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Blossoming in the Storm by Patty Fitts

11/19/2017

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Grace Amidst the Storm
By John C. Fitts

Monday morning, September 18, the storm had passed leaving behind the lingering effects of strong winds, scattered showers and power outages everywhere. We were fortunate to miss the brunt of the storm, but that did not mean there was not a lot of work to do all week. We would be out of power for five days, as were thousands of others. Everywhere you went there were tall trees blown over by the winds with roots showing. These weren’t just tall, they were also huge in girth. Others were simply snapped in half. Our rather small Dwarf Poinciana tree was bent over and almost level to the ground. Then, in the back, a couple of Birds of Paradise trees had snapped and fallen on the fence and pushed it outward. The back yard was knee high with limbs and debris.
It took all week to clean up the debris, working a few hours a day in what became a very hot sun. With some help from the family, we had taken most of the fragile garden pots and other decor inside where it filled two rooms. There were many large, expensive items that took more than one person. Anything that didn’t look fragile or in bloom we left outside. There was nothing blooming in the pots under the pergola.
A week after the storm, we were finishing up the cleaning the debris in the back yard. With backs aching and sweat pouring down, Patty took me over to some pots and plants that were left outside. None were damaged, but one she held up to me captured our attention. It was an orchid, in full bloom. It was left outside because it was not blooming. Not only had it survived the heavy winds and rain and darkness, but it was in full bloom with beautiful blossoms.
Patty and I looked at it in wonder and thought of the myriads of acts of kindness during the storm. We had seen a video or cars snd trucks all pulling boats on the way to Houston to help with flood victims. On a local internet site scores of people were offering all kinds of help. One man who owned a truck offered to come pick up trash for free. There were others who said if you are hungry come by and eat. Another who had power offered to be a charging station for any phones, iPads, or other devices.
It was amazing to see all the love and caring during this time of heartbreak and tragedy for so many. We found that people, like the orchid, also blossom during times of crisis.

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From Trash to Treasure Olivia's Flower Shop by Patty Fitts

11/13/2017

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From Trash to Treasure
John C. Fitts

Patty and I were surprised when the doorbell rang about three o’clock last Saturday afternoon and Danny McCain announced that he was here for our Fantasy Football draft. I laughed and said, “You are right on time, but a week early. So we invited him to sit down and chat.
We love Danny because he had worked on the house when we did some remodeling a few years ago and had over the years become a friend of the family. He had done such a good job on the fireplace that we often took pictures of it, truly a work of art.
As we talked and caught up, he showed us some pictures of a door that was being thrown away and how he had transformed it into a bench with a seat and hooks to hang keys, coats, etc. that would sit in an entry way. He showed more items saved from the trash piles along the road, at construction sites, and by dumpsters. He would take them home and make them into something with a new life and purpose.
Now and then someone finds themselves broken and feeling tossed aside of no use to anyone, with no hope or purpose in their lives. Then someone comes along and sees value in what some would call “human wreckage.” They are taken and given new hope and see new possibilities. They are “re-purposed.”
Some see it as a work of fate. Others call it “redemption.” Whatever you call it, Danny’s old things that others see as trash, he sees as treasure.

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Sunday at the Beach by Patty Fitts

Blossoming in the Storm by Patty Fitts

From Trash to Treasure Olivia's Flower Shop by Patty Fitts

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Any copying or reproducing in part or whole, without consent, is strictly prohibited.

Sunday at the Beach by Patty Fitts

Blossoming in the Storm by Patty Fitts

From Trash to Treasure Olivia's Flower Shop by Patty Fitts

Author

Archives

Categories

© This website, the images on the website, and all material found within this site are copyrighted.Any copying or reproducing in part or whole, without consent, is strictly prohibited.

© This website, the images on the website, and all material found within this site are copyrighted.
Any copying or reproducing in part or whole, without consent, is strictly prohibited.