Real Life Enrichment
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otch...@yahoo.com
Feb 8, 2005, 11:39:58 PM2/8/05
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Valentine's Day Is Around the Corner
THE TEST
John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't--the girl with the rose. His interest in her began thirteen months before in a Florida library.
Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.
During the next year and one month, the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting--7 pm at the Grand Central Station in New York.
"You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel."
So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen. I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:
A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit, she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips.
"Going my way, sailor?" she murmured.
Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.
I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment.
"I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?" The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile.
"I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"
Think about it!
Warmly,
Kevin Rayner
Oak Tree Church
Rochester, MN
http://oaktree.faithsite.com
THE TEST
John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't--the girl with the rose. His interest in her began thirteen months before in a Florida library.
Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.
During the next year and one month, the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting--7 pm at the Grand Central Station in New York.
"You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel."
So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen. I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:
A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit, she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips.
"Going my way, sailor?" she murmured.
Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.
I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment.
"I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?" The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile.
"I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"
Think about it!
Warmly,
Kevin Rayner
Oak Tree Church
Rochester, MN
http://oaktree.faithsite.com
otch...@yahoo.com
Feb 12, 2005, 11:50:14 AM2/12/05
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Why Do I Need A Dream?
Dreaming need not be daydreaming. It is healthy, challenging, and exciting to wrap your life around a noble dream and to move toward its accomplishment.
Some holy visions are given directly by God. Paul, for example, had a dream about a man of Macedonia begging for the gospel to be preached to him. It was to be the spark for the great missionary to preach the gospel in Europe.
Other dreams come from the heartbreak of seeing a situation that is evil and knowing it must be challenged. Martin Luther King Jr. had such a dream and verbalized it for a whole generation of Americans. It changed the world.
All dreams are future-oriented. Helpful ones are clear and vivid in their description of some desirable state of affairs. They channel energy and inspire commitment. They rally others to you and to your vision of the future.
What about it? Are you pursuing a great dream? Or are you just drifting?
As you look to the new year, think about these things . . .
Your dream needs to stretch you. When you put it into words, it should produce an audible gulp. Dreams should be big enough and noble enough that they challenge the best in you and the people around you.
You must reduce your dream to specific goals. Until you do, it has no handles to grab. Without specific goals, you have no idea whether you are getting closer to realizing it. "Do a better job at work" and "Lose some weight" aren't helpful; "Increase sales 20% by July 1" and "Lose 15 pounds by April 15," on the other hand, mean something.
Dreamers must be flexible. People who do worthwhile things never abandon their ultimate vision but often have to change their strategies along the way. Stubbornness in method usually means trouble.
We are getting into the new year. If you can't tell yourself where you want to be at the end of this year, watch out! You may get there!
You Think About It! ;)
Warmly
Until next time,
Kevin Rayner
Rochester, MN
Don't forget to check out our daily cartoon at
http://oaktree.faithsite.com
Dreaming need not be daydreaming. It is healthy, challenging, and exciting to wrap your life around a noble dream and to move toward its accomplishment.
Some holy visions are given directly by God. Paul, for example, had a dream about a man of Macedonia begging for the gospel to be preached to him. It was to be the spark for the great missionary to preach the gospel in Europe.
Other dreams come from the heartbreak of seeing a situation that is evil and knowing it must be challenged. Martin Luther King Jr. had such a dream and verbalized it for a whole generation of Americans. It changed the world.
All dreams are future-oriented. Helpful ones are clear and vivid in their description of some desirable state of affairs. They channel energy and inspire commitment. They rally others to you and to your vision of the future.
What about it? Are you pursuing a great dream? Or are you just drifting?
As you look to the new year, think about these things . . .
Your dream needs to stretch you. When you put it into words, it should produce an audible gulp. Dreams should be big enough and noble enough that they challenge the best in you and the people around you.
You must reduce your dream to specific goals. Until you do, it has no handles to grab. Without specific goals, you have no idea whether you are getting closer to realizing it. "Do a better job at work" and "Lose some weight" aren't helpful; "Increase sales 20% by July 1" and "Lose 15 pounds by April 15," on the other hand, mean something.
Dreamers must be flexible. People who do worthwhile things never abandon their ultimate vision but often have to change their strategies along the way. Stubbornness in method usually means trouble.
We are getting into the new year. If you can't tell yourself where you want to be at the end of this year, watch out! You may get there!
You Think About It! ;)
Warmly
Until next time,
Kevin Rayner
Rochester, MN
Don't forget to check out our daily cartoon at
http://oaktree.faithsite.com
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