Tribute to Grandma Video
Archive for 2011
Our Beloved Mother and Grandma
Excerpts taken from Helen Price’s Facebook Wall Page
We will be leaving our mother’s Facebook page up for anyone to visit and leave remarks. Kind words are like a balm when grieving a lost one, especially one as special as Helen Price, a hero to MANY!
Mom, I miss you every day so badly. We did so much together over the years. I am feeling pretty lost without you right now. I find myself waiting for your call and emails. I miss reading the chapters of my novel to you and hearing you tell me with enthusiasm “excellent!” It is hard to think of my life ahead without you. I miss drinking wine with you out on my deck. Our website will really struggle without your brilliant writing. I learned so much from you, how to live…And now, how to die. Always a class act with dignity, like Dad and Mark. I will try to make you proud. Please watch over us from heaven, and if we start to do something stupid, give us a little heavenly nudge. Also, by the way, I wish you could tell me where you put the pink slip to your car. I love you!without your brilliant writing. I learned so much from you, how to live…And now, how to die. Always a class act with dignity, like Dad and Mark. I will try to make you proud. Please watch over us from heaven, and if we start to do something stupid, give us a little heavenly nudge. Also, by the way, I wish you could tell me where you put the pink slip to your car. I love you!
Sharon Robinson
Dear Sister Sharon (Scarlett) Believe me, you make her proud. I’m proud to be a part of this family. We are home when we are together. Let us always stay close. “ Let there be such oneness between you that when one cries the other will taste salt.”– Author unknown
Sheila Cisneros
Grandma, I have never wanted to be with you more than now. I love you with all my heart. You were every grandchild’s dream and more. You loved us all unconditionally and you were never afraid to make it known. You taught us all, took care of us all and blessed us all with the angel that you were. I will never forget your kisses on the cheek, your hugs, your stories, your smell, or your smile. And with all the amazing days we have lived with you, I know that you have never been happier until now. You will be with us always in love, in spirit, and in cherished memory.
To the best grandma in the whole world!
Carlene Cisneros
We will miss you so much grandma. I can’t believe you’re gone. But, I know you’re somewhere smiling down on us and I can only hope one day I deserve your love and faith that you gave me. I miss you so bad!
David Price
I love you so much grandma. I wish heaven had Facebook.
Heather Winzeler
Wouldn’t that be nice Heather? She could tell us how it was with your Papa and your Uncle Mark, and she could tell us what to expect.
Sharon Robinson
Or a phone, or skype!!!!
Renee Carter
I am so lucky to have met you when I did! Although I only knew you for several weeks, I’m forever changed. Your kindness, love, happiness, humor, wholeheartedness and faith will always be remembered. In the few times we met, you made it obvious where your family acquired the lovely traits for which they’re known. You will be greatly missed by all who met you, even those who met you only a few times…mes, such as myself. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait to finish our conversation about spirituality, until we meet again : ) I loved and cherish every moment I got to spend with you, I promise to be the best person I can be not just for myself and others but because you inspired me to be. Thank you so much for the time you spent with me. I can’t wait to see you again up in heaven. Love, Kent Fishwicksuch as myself. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait to finish our conversation about spirituality, until we meet again : ) I loved and cherish every moment I got to spend with you, I promise to be the best person I can be not just for myself and others but because you inspired me to be. Thank you so much for the time you spent with me. I can’t wait to see you again up in heaven.
Love, Kent Fishwick
Grandma, you were, and are the best grandma….I couldn’t have asked for a more caring, sweet, loving woman like you in my life! my last memory with you is of me, Joey and dad taking you home after a great evening up at Sharon’s. You showed me around your apartment, you were so excited for me to see the treasures that you have and I was so grateful for you to share them with me! I’m so happy i got to have this last memory with you because you were so excited and happy as you always were. I will never forget you, you will always remain in my heart and my thoughts! I love you soo much and will see you again one day in heaven! Love Always , Nicole Paul
My Mom was the most sweetest, loving, unselfish person I have ever had the privilege to know in my life. I miss her every day. I want to pick up the phone and just tell her how my day went and to spoil her whenever I spent time with her. I know she wants us all to be happy and share her legacy.. to be kind, giving, thoughtful, and seeking God’s word. I see her in everything I do these days, because she was a part of my daily life. I look for her in everything. The comfort is… she is in heaven and happy with my dad and brother and her family. But, that does not make it any easier for me now in my daily life. My life now will never be the same without her here.. love you mom… Heidi Brito
Mom, these have been the most difficult days. I’m trying to be strong because I can feel your spirit telling me to be, but then another wave hits me and I’m down again! The world became a different place. It was your Heart that had so much love for all that finally got too big for this world to hold .Heaven is bigger and better we know . I will try to make you proud and be all you believed in me to be and to do all that God still has for me to do here, You are Home! I love you! –Sheila Cisneros
My Granny Goose, I miss you so much every day. I miss the smell of you and your soft cheeks. I miss how no matter what I was doing you had complete utter faith in me. Every time that I saw you or talked on the phone with you, you always informed me how great of a mother I am and how proud you were of me. You have always been my Jiminy Cricket and you make me want to be a better person. I love you so much and cannot imagine what the rest of my life is going to be like without you. I feel so blessed that I got to spend so much quality time with you, but I also feel a little bit robbed because my children won’t have a close relationship with you. The one thought that has given me peace of mind is that you are with the love of your life, grandpa, and Uncle Mark, and I know you couldn’t be happier than you are right now. I love you with all my heart Grandma! Love, your favorite Granddaughter, Aimee Phillips.
Grandma~ you were, are, and always will be an amazing woman. I will never forget the endless hours of card games, tutoring sessions with me, David, and Jonny, your little Swedish accent, the fun nursery rhymes, wonderful political conversations, your love and compassion for everyone, and so much more. Your devotion to each and every one of your family members was amazing. I miss you so much. The way your face lit up a room or your silly little sense of humor. I am so blessed to have had you in my life and I miss you so much. I know you are happy up there in heaven with Papa. Give him a hug for me okay. I love you and can’t wait for the day when we are all reunited in heaven.
Hugs and Kisses,
Danielle
Grandma. I miss you so much. You were there when I was born. You helped raise me. You took care of me when I was sick, and taught me right when I was wrong. You were there for all of my celebrations. You will always be my hero. When I was sad and felt hopeless, you gave me hope. I miss hugging you and telling you how much I love you so much. You have inspired me to strive to become the man that I am supposed to be and the child of God that I need to be. I thank God for letting you guide me in life and cannot wait to rejoice with you in Heaven. I love you so much Grandma. You will always be my hero.
Love your grandson,
Joseph Eadus
To Helen/ Madre, An angel on earth and always helping anybody and telling/talking about Jesus. Always happy, always smiling, and finding the good in all. So positive. Helen, you were always in my corner. Love you, nos benos en el cielo. Brigido Cisneros
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Lost my other mom last week. Hard times, what a lady of the Lord! To see so many people come out to see her off. Blows me away. Like my mom, so many people were so moved by her love of everyone. I am missing you both, and I wonder, are you together, and wondering, “When is he going to grow up?” I love you sweet moms of mine, miss you, but, I know you are right where you should be. See you in spring! But, not this one coming up, okay? Later on! Love you so much.
Steve Paul
Dear Mom,
You left so suddenly my heart is still in shock and my head spins with so many things. Memories, feelings, grief, and hope: hope that I will be as good a mother as you have been to me, hope that I will see the good in other people as you have always done, hope that I will have faith in God as strong as the faith that I have seen in your life, hope that I will love as unconditionally as you have loved me. I will miss your smile, your laugh, your hands on my face, your warm and comforting hugs, and your praise and encouragement. Thank you for all you have given to me and my sisters and your grandchildren. We will rise up and call you blessed. See you later in heaven, Mom.
Love,
Marsha
Grandma Helen was one of the most good hearted, humble and loving people i have had the privilege to know. She would greet anyone with an open heart, mind, and a beautiful smile. She touched each and every person who she encountered throughout her life. You are missed, cherished and loved by so many people. And your words of wisdom, and warmth of heart, will go on in those which you have instilled it. I love you grandma, and look forward to the day i see you again.
Jeremy Paul
Dear Mom
I know you’re in a good place, and we all miss you, but i especially will miss you because my time with you was limited, I have talked to you before about your family, and now I cannot in a physical way. You amazed me how you saw good in everything and everyone, sometimes I did not agree and you would change my views. You are a true Christian, mom, and your daughters reflect that. I am so blessed to be married to one of your daughters that God found for me, and i think God found you for me also. We talked when you were over, and I loved that. I would take you out because you deserved it, and I enjoyed and looked forward when you came over so we could talk about religion and politics. We were on the same page. Wow! Helen, you will be missed, and I loved you very much and always will. Oh, please say hi to my dad and my grandmother up there.
Luis Brito
Grandma~
Every day I come on my Facebook and see your smiling face it floods me with a rush of emotions. Happiness for all the times that we got to spend together, all the meals we got to break bread at, and all of the warm, loving, kind words you would speak. Sadness in knowing that you will not be with us on Thanksgiving, or Christmas or any of the other family holidays that you pulled together for us. Also, I feel a strong pull on my heart every time anyone mentions babies. I don’t know how many times we talked about you wanting to be able to see and hold Joey and my baby before you passed away and went up to join Mark and papa. And, I have this horrible sense of guilt in my heart because I would always laugh it off and say “Oh Grandma, you’re crazy!
Nicki Eadus
Dear Grandama,
I know that eventually when Joey and I do decide to have children, it will once again be a bittersweet moment. Although, I know that you will be their own personal guardian angel protecting them and embracing them with your spirit. I want to assure you that although we all miss you and are crying, we are happy to know that you aren’t in pain anymore and are dancing around Heaven with papa finally in his arms again. I love you so much and thank you for taking me in like I was your own granddaughter with open arms and much praise! Enjoy your time with papa and Mark. ♥
Until we meet again in Heaven,
Nicki
Filling An Empty Space!
I still can’t believe it is true. How we go on day after day just taking for granted that nothing we care about will ever change. Then out of the blue, the real life events happen to you. This is how I have lived my life through most of it. I, like most people just go through patterns of comfort and conditioning, until a reality check knocks me off my feet.
Very recent a dear companion and bosom friend passed away suddenly of a massive heart attack. She was one of my most valued confidant and a crutch I needed to help me face this world and its problems. How can the loss of our friendship of sixteen years of laughter and comfort and strong corrections, when needed, be treated as just another day? Helen Price was PRICELESS!
I was, and am still in deep shock and pain at her passing. I will, like her family, have to let go in time, of expecting to hear from her. Also, have to remember, she is no longer earthily bound, where she won’t be waiting with a friendly smile and hot cup of tea and an ever-attentive ear. She and I shared a deep love of God, while fighting to uphold His principles in a world so forgetful of whom they owe their everything to.
She was a leader to more than her family and neighbors when they needed help. She worked to help strangers in need and to set example for those who were afraid to stand up for what they believed in. She started educational awareness groups on; Y2K, was President of Concerned Citizens of Rogue Valley. She donated many years and hours in service to the Good News Club. (A faith based outreach organization)
She taught class at a Christian School she helped start at her church, and she was a substitute teacher at local schools. She was mother of five and grandmother and great grandmother. I never could keep count of how many grandchildren and great grandchildren she loved and cared for every day. We shared our motherly woes, worries, hopes, and dreams for our children and theirs.
She was so much a part of my comfort zone that there just isn’t anyone out there to replace her spiritual guidance and comforting council. I will feel her loss, and then I will remember that she is not alone anymore, but with her soul mate. He was taken many years earlier on Valentine’s Day, her beloved husband, Dick Price.
We had an ongoing joke that she could not leave this world without my permission. (I still didn’t give it! I know, that it was my Father in Heaven who really made that choice.) My tears flow steadily when I try to do justice to the life of someone I admired as much as I did her. I don’t think there could ever be enough words to express someone’s well-lived and meaningful life.
We would like to share and show how importance our loved ones are to our world, and us! I use these words I put to paper in the hopes that I can let everyone know that I loved her greatly! Now all we will need is time and God’s love and most of all, His strength to live in this world without her.
I sometimes think we have not yet learned to place the correct value on life, because it isn’t until it is gone that we mourn the loss of this life we never thought would be taken. I know I took her for granted and this has made me take another look at those I hold dear with new eyes. In her passing, she is still teaching me something more.
I also feel sorry that I can never make you see her passing as your loss as well. For all who have read her contributing articles on this website you will now be without her voice of experience and wisdom. (and future readers also). Many good people die every day, and I am not making Helen a martyr. I am just placing her name in with the rest of God’s good servants.
I am having cataract surgery and was hoping to visit her with my new vision and to see her clearly again. Her family and friends will be saying their goodbyes while my surgery happens. I know that I will be seeing more clearly than ever before. With the new knowledge that I always saw her clearly with the eyes of my heart! I still can hear her say for the thousandth time” Barb, you’re so funny!”
May God allow us to know at least one good person in our lives, and may we cherish every moment we have with them!
Our beloved Helen Linnea Price
Barbara L Gonzalez
Rain
Rain
By
David Price
Rain
Splashing puddles beneath my feet,
Shattering like mirrors.
Breath
Breathing deep, vapors in the air
Wisping away like smoke.
Soaked
Clothes wet and heavy on my skin,
Weighing me down.
Focused
Eyes straight ahead,
Blinking out raindrops and
Running
Running from nothing and everything
Losing the pain
Rain
Always the rain
The New Populists
In the last few weeks, protests aimed at shaming Wall Street near New York’s financial center have been growing. They call themselves the 99 Percenters, and have encamped by the hundreds in a nearby park in Lower Manhattan’s financial district. There are other satellite groups at L.A.’s City Hall, in San Francisco, in Chicago, Boston, St. Louis, and even in our local cities Ashland and Medford.
They are vowing to “restore democracy in America.” They are young, many of them college students, and most of them are jobless and feel like they’ve been robbed of a future. They have been sleeping in tents, sharing food, and trying to be nonviolent. They are tired of the greed and corruption of the ‘l” percent, and are determined to make a statement. They carry signs that say, “People not profit: and “Populism not corporate fascism.”
“We want to start a new way of living,” said a 25 year old ex-Marine named Brian Phillips. “We want to start a new society. We want to destroy a system that benefits only the 1 Percenters. It’s not working for us. It’s putting us in poverty. No more making laws that benefit corporations and banks.”
Out of the largest cities in the United States, New York is the most unequal when it comes to income distribution. In New York, the top 1 percent of households claimed 44 percent of all income during 2007 (the last year for which data are available). That’s almost twice the record-high levels among the 1 Percenters nationwide, who claimed 23.5 percent of all national income in 2007. During the housing bubble that ended in our current calamity, the average income for the l Percenters in New York went up 119 percent.
Meanwhile, the number of homeless in the city rose to an all-time high last year, with 113,000 men, women and children retreating night after night to municipal shelters.
The hourly median wage in New York between 1990 and 2007 fell by almost 9 percent. Young men and women ages 25 to 34 with a bachelor’s degree and a year-round job in New York saw their earnings drop 6 percent. Middle-income New Yorkers earning between $29,000 and $167,000 – saw a 19 percent decrease in earnings. Almost 11 percent of the population in New York, about 900,000 people, lives in what the federal government describes as “deep poverty,” which for a four person family means an income of $10,500; the average 1 Percenter household in New York makes about the same amount every day.
Many Americans are in agreement with them, as we have a monumental number of people who are not only out of work, but have lost their homes to foreclosures, and have had to seek charity. The Teamsters announced their support as did the postal workers union, teachers, nurses and transit workers. Thousands marched Wednesday, swelling the protesters’ ranks. But will their numbers increase, or finally decrease when winter comes.
Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, an anti-corporate advocacy group, said it was “quite possible” that Occupy Wall Street could evolve into a political movement along the lines of the tea party.
Whatever happens, it’s obvious that the American People have had enough of government’s procrastinating. They want jobs, homes, and food on the table for their families again. They don’t want talk; they want action.
Helen L. Price
(Excerpts from Christopher Ketcham of the Los Angeles Times, and Paul West of McClatchey News Service)
(Anyone interested in writing an opinion, please do so.)
Where Can Blind Faith Lead Us?
This is one of those questions that some may never give a thought to, but for others, this is a repeating quandary. I have been going blind in my left eye for over two years. It was cataracts that were forming on both my eyes. The cataract on my left eye is almost completed its covering and has left me close to legal blindness.
I have been living in the land of denial for these last three years not wanting to deal with the solution to my problems. I had learned to compensate for this loss in sight and was content not to really worry until the doctor said the word “ BLIND.” This was the wake up call to a fact I could no longer ignore.
How could I be so blind not to see that I could not see as well as I should? We all have forms or comfort zones we go to in order to not face what might overwhelm us at the time. I had given up on hunting for a job after looking for more than two years in this depressed community. I am in my sixties and well educated. I am either too qualified or too old or both when it comes to working in my small town.
I have had hardships in my life in the past as most of us do. I have with God’s help overcome a lot of them. This time with no money and no way to pay for surgery, I have become what some would call a displaced citizen. I have found it hard to face the loss of my world the way I had expected it to last for the rest of my life.
Who knew how bad things would get in our country today? I won’t dwell on what we have lost as the last free refuge in this world, but I will say it saddens my heart and spirit daily. Back to my living in the land of Denial for three years without any real desire to exchange it for reality.
This is now a hard struggle for me because of my financial dependence upon my daughter who is working two jobs to keep myself, my two granddaughters, and her sister from having no home to live in. She has sacrificed a great deal for all of us. She is my jeweled treasure that I value more than words can express.
For me, I am left to the charity of organized groups to acquire funding for my cataract surgeries. The Lyon’s Club here in Grants Pass has now said I qualify for their sponsorship paying for my cataract surgery. I applied in July and have had to wait until now to find out whether or not they would sponsor me. It was the waiting for their decision the last four months that caused me to reflect upon my situation and how I got so far removed from reality.
It is hard to say why it is so comfortable living in a state of mind that might cause you serious harm or even blindness. I now can see that I resented the knowledge of the information that I had cataracts, which at the time I did not want to deal with it. When I resented my situation, I went into the old habits of my early years of just forgetting about my problems.
Ignoring them for long enough time periods will make any memory that there is a problem, cause pain which leads to more need to seek comfort or distractions to escape this pain. We now have a cycle that will if let go will start to repeat itself automatically as the way our brain deals with things is it baffled or conflicted about.
The biggest problem that faced me when I got the news that I was only a few months from being totally blind in my left eye was how long would I wait for them to give me an answer? I was really worried that they would not sponsor me in time, or what if they did not sponsor me at all? How can I know what to do, and even then how would I know if it was the right thing to do?
Here is where I had to find my faith again, and fortify it with the whole belief that God would answer my fears and prayers. I had fallen into this land of denial or comfortable existence for so long getting back to basics with God was not easy. I had to look at how easy it was for me to be complacent and indifferent to my condition.
It was a big eye opener to me and a humbling experience that was long over- do. I have found it so easy to judge others for not doing what they obviously could see was wrong, and here I had become a big hypocrite myself. It is sad how many excuses we can come up with when it is our self that is doing the wrong thing.
I have had to take another long hard self-examination and face the fact that I don’t like what I found. I am once again working on my repentance and finding ways to get on my knees, if not literally, but spiritually. I have had to face the fears that I was not going to get my surgery in time. I have people asking me over and over what will I do if they don’t sponsor me? I have come to the conclusion that I must have blind faith in God for whatever the outcome will be. This was very hard for them to hear. They started questioning my thinking.
I have suffered it out for more than three months waiting for God to show me what His Will was to be. He answered me today, and my surgery is scheduled for October 28, 2011. I am relieved and am glad that God still is my strength and my light in the dark times of my life. I know that it is not a relationship of perfection between me and my Lord, but is a strong one that I am willing to work on the rest of my life.
I see that I could not see clearly spiritually, and that my physical sight was growing dark because I had lost sight of my God. I once again have remembered a phrase from the Bible and it fortifies my soul when I remember it, “If God so loved the birds that fly and He cares for them, could he love us any less?” This is paraphrased, but still I hope you understand the message. May God continue to be your light and life through dark times!
Barbara L. Gonzalez
Friends Through Life
When I look back over the years of my life, I realize I have been very blessed to have had very good friends. These are memories that make me smile, and also laugh to think of all the crazy times too. It is funny that my first two best friends were imaginary. I was four years old, and Amy and Charlie were twins and the greatest companions. We did everything together, and they never argued with me, of course. My mother was very understanding and accommodating with my imagination. She would set plates for them at the table with me and let them sleep beside me in bed. What a good sport she was in going along with my fantasy.
At eight years old, I had two best friends named Jeanne and Binky. They were so easy going and also went along with my imagination. I was the idea girl. We played “Honey West” who was a blonde female spy on TV who knew karate and had an Ocelot for a pet. We would dress up in black turtle neck shirts and black pants and would slink along the neighborhood looking for mystery and wrong doing to make right. It was a kids’ paradise when we discovered a hidden casino from the past under the Club Arrowhead in Arrowhead Villas.
We would reenact movies with me always playing the heroine. Sometimes they would insist that I take less than the starring role, and I would, but before you knew it, my supporting role would somehow become the star again. I would talk them into doing some dangerous things as well. One day, I talked Binky into climbing with me to the top of a very large building that had a turret to see if there were bats in the belfry. The shingles were loose, and if we had fallen, we would have been seriously hurt or killed. Her uncle who was the caretaker of the property was very angry with us. Another time, we blew up little air mattresses and floated out into the middle of the lake where we could have been run over by speed boats or the rafts deflating leaving us a long distance from the shore. God truly protects children.
As a teenager, my friends and I had a lot of fun and took many chances. We waterskied, ditched school, and went to parties where my brother’s band was playing, experimented with drinking and smoking pot, and on a few occasions ran away from home. I never ran away because I was angry; I just wanted to go on adventures. Life was simple, we were strong, healthy, no adult worries, and we laughed a lot. We were the heroes of our stories, and we were invincible.
As an adult now, and looking at my friends of twenty years, I realize I am so blessed to have these strong, courageous, and funny women in my life. Debi, my friend of many years since high school is a teacher like myself, is raising her grandchildren and has a strong stamina and sense of humor that have seen her through the rough spots in life. She carries herself with a quiet wisdom. With Debi, no matter how much times passes between us, we pick up where we left off. My friend Tena is very spiritual and loves animals. She lives in the woods, and deer will come up to her and eat out of her hand. She is such a hard worker and works up to seventy hours per week. I love her sense of humor and how I can share anything with her. Many times, we have laughed, cried, and prayed on the phone together. She is a sister to me. And then, there is my friend Meredith who is always upbeat and smiling, works hard, and is a courageous survivor of cancer. I was amazed at the bravery she exhibited when going through such a frightening experience. My friend Steve who is also my roommate, keeps me laughing, and helps me so much with yard work. He is the pond guru. He is the kind of friend that will drop anything and help when disasters occur. My mom and three sisters, Marsha, Heidi, and Sheila, and my beautiful daughter Aimee are all my best friends as well. We have gone through a lot together in our family, and I know I can always count on them for encouragement, honesty, and accepting me for who I am.
Looking forward to the years ahead, I know that there are many more adventures ahead waiting for me to get into with my family and circle of friends.
Sharon Robinson
Advice – October 2011
Dear Sal,
I have gotten myself into a messy situation which I know is entirely my fault. I have been having an affair which has been ongoing for about a year. Well, my husband found out, and of course he is furious. I have ended the affair which was not easy for me to do. My husband has been so jealous and angry that he went to a bar, picked up a lady, and went home and slept with her to pay me back for my infidelity. He told me about it, and I was shocked. I am so hurt now and confused. I don’t know if I can continue on in this marriage. I don’t trust him anymore, and I don’t know what to do. Am I being unfair or stupid?
Tit-For-Tat
Dear Tit-For-Tat,
You are being unfair AND stupid! Are you kidding me? Stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about the damage that you have done to your marriage. You caused this to happen, and you should be the first to try and fix it. Make the call and get into marriage counseling with your husband as soon as you can, or you may lose him. Good luck, you’re going to need it.
Sal
Heroes – October 2011
I realized listening to the news this past week that we have had our men and women in the Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan for ten years now. That’s a long time to be fighting wars in the Middle East, and these men and women are risking their lives every day for us. And, I can’t help wonder if the people in these countries even appreciate what we have been trying to do for them.
Imagine having your husband, brother, or father fighting in a foreign country, and not knowing if they will even come home. And, also think of all of the children having to grow up without their fathers. How horrible! It’s hard to keep from crying just thinking about it.
My grandson who had been serving in Iraq in the National Guard recently came home, and by some miracle was never injured. He said road bombs would explode right in front of his armored vehicle, and yet he came home without injuries. But, you can imagine all of the destruction he saw, and he isn’t talking about it. We are all so thankful to God that he is home and safe. I’m sure he thinks about it from time to time, but he expresses his thankfulness to be home among his loving family.
To me, all of these men and women who are serving our country are heroes, and deserve our sincere thankfulness. So, don’t forget our troops this Christmas, and send them cards, letters, gifts, and money when you can to help them get through the holidays knowing they have those who love and care for them.
I just hope and pray they will all be home soon, and the wars will end for good. It’s time for our country to now concentrate on our own country and work just to keep us safe.
Helen L. Price
Intimate Strangers
October 20
Even though I know hardly any Arabic, the girls were incredibly excited to see visitors and greeted us all with hundreds of kisses on our cheeks. Immediately, I was amazed with the living conditions that the girls were in. One girl in her mid-teens seemed to be trying to wash her clothes in a ground toilet. She stayed in the dark bathroom the whole time, sometimes peeking through the door to smile at us or to see what was going on. The floor was concrete, and most of the girls were shoeless, I cannot imagine what it will be like for them, come winter.
We are entering a new era that displays a propensity for financial detriment, insecurity and change. The prospects of this combination can create fear, insecurity, and a profound sense of lack. We as a world community can stand together in the face of turbulence in order to emerge victorious and brighter then when it all began. Start with your community wherever you are; look at what your two hands can do to ease a problem. When people take the time to give of themselves and step out of their comfort zone, that is when a light shines and the effort rendered is aid for all evolved. Look back in history, in remarkable times it was not remarkable people who carved our destiny, rather ordinary people who took on a remarkable task.
Lying in the darkness, heart pounding, I pull away and face the wall. That accusing wall which bears the wedding picture of a smiling couple, and I sigh… The proof of a happier era frozen in time. Rhythmic breathing beside me. I am alone. Holding back tears, I realize I have sold out. Again. We are intimate strangers.How did we get here? Miles of emotional distance lie between me and this sleeping man. This stranger. Who is he now? We don’t know each other any more, and it doesn’t matter. Years of marriage have gradually eroded the level of concern. Seasons of memories made with the children—without him. Always alone. Impassive cold man, possessing the sympathy of a rock. Loneliness weighs on my soul like a dark cloud filled with rain. Ready to burst.
Why do I stay? His touch is ice, and there is no warmth in his shifting glance. A hidden man with many secrets. My diamond shines coldly in the moonlight, and I reflect. Children are fed and clothed. Bills are paid. Our routine is our steady work and measure of success. But without love, is this not a house of cards? It is all a lie. In the quiet of the night, warm tears roll silently.
What next? Do I step out on my own? Can I lead my children with wisdom and strength in a broken home? Will it crush the melody of their childhood? Do I keep this façade until they are grown? Should I continue this bitter dance with this intimate stranger, this prelude to divorce?
In the early light, I stand at the kitchen window and look at the sleeping houses below me. Slowly one by one, a light is turned on, twinkling warmly in the distance. Sleepy people are waking, rubbing their eyes, and planning a new day. It is my turn to do the same. With new resolve growing in the morning light, I realize my solitary path with my children will be difficult, but I can do it. My love will keep me strong and true. Swiftly moving forward, I close the door forever on the darkness of the room where the intimate stranger lies sleeping– impervious. I tiptoe quietly up the stairs toward radiant beams, kiss my children awake, and tell them it is time to rise and shine.
Sharon Robinson
Hunger is Growing in the United States
If you listen to the TV news, radio, or read the newspapers, I’m sure you have recently seen articles about the growing problem of hunger in the United States. Countless families have lost their homes, jobs, health insurance, and credit, and now are facing the lack of money to even feed, house, or clothe their families.
We are even suffering from this dilemma right here in our area where we live. So many children are going to bed hungry every night, and refrigerators now have nothing to feed them. It has been growing worse every day. Organizations like Access, town community centers, and churches like the Salvation Army and St. Vincent De Paul have been working overtime to help these families.
But, many people are homeless too, and are seeking missions and other places for help. I can’t help but cry when I hear of these stories on the news and newspapers. We have become like a third world country. How did this happen? How could our government have let this happen?
Something must be done soon, or we will have riots like they experience in other countries. Our country needs to put our people back to work, and stop allowing our companies to outsource and have our workers lose their jobs because of it. We need to start making all our products with the label Made in the USA again.
The mayors in our community have joined nine other mayors from across Jackson County to launch the third annual Mayors United. This month-long campaign is an effort to raise $50,000-enough to provide 250,000 meals to residents in Jackson County. The campaign is a joint effort with ACCESS Inc., Wells Fargo and other sponsors. The campaign will start on September 17th with a family-friendly party. Mayors will together serve appetizers from local restaurants and caterers. Beverages and refreshments will also be available, and the event will also include a silent auction.
In 2010 ACCESS provided nutritional food to more than 8,500 families in Jackson County. Perhaps you could check with the county in which you live and see if there is some way that needy people can be helped. We all need to be able to give something, no matter how small to help someone in need. Just think if you or your child was hungry, and you needed help. Let’s speak out and see if we can do something about this horrible problem. Thank You.
Helen L. Price
Excerpts from The Rogue River Press
Sound of a Broken Heart
The cry in the dark, alone—
Tears at the brim tip over and spill like tortured climbers seeking release
Holding in fears for so long, now leer and are faced
Lies, a broken past, are now traced…
Thousands of whys scream
In the next room, children smiling in a dream
Memories surface from deep swirling recesses,
Wishes fading, dishes breaking, forgotten dresses…
Anger rises, thankless days,
Effort and accomplishment to do not faze,
Conditions for love coldly stated
Slap to the heart, end is fated
Cry tonight, not tomorrow
Rising grief expose the night
Later, bury sorrow out of sight,
Release the pain, scream, dawn will follow…
Sharon Robinson