Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Happy Birthday Nick.

Post 141 - - - - - - Wednesday, 14 th February, 2007.

Hi Everyone ~~ I hope you are all enjoying Valentine's Day. Thank you so much for your greetings and cards, they are much appreciated. Today is the birthday of my friend, Nick so it would be nice pop over to wish him a Happy Birthday.

Well all is looking good on the home front here, all repairs done, so that is a relief.
I had blood tests this morning, and then went to get my diabetic machine fixed. All it
needed was a new battery, and the lady corrected the time on it. They are great little
machines, tell you the date and time, you take the test, from a drop of blood.
So while it is not too romantic, it has been a good day for me.

One of my friends asked if I had remarried after my divorce. Yes I did, and had six happy years with my second husband, before he died of a stroke in 1986. My first husband and I were good friends as we got older, before he died of a heart attack in 1994. So there have been quite a few ups and downs during my life.

My thoughts and sympathies to the people affected by the twister in New Orleans.

I have a lovely story tonight sent to me by my dear friend Margaret . It would
probably pay to have a tissue handy. Thank you Margaret.

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen
a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on
Christmas Eve.

They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rain storm hit the area and lasted two days.

On the 21 st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet t fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.

The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in.
One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was
the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back
to the church.

By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch a bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus, 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.

Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet.
"Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained.
The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG
were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and
she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria.

The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the
tablecloth. The woman explained that before the War she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her
husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured
, sent to prison
and she never saw her husband or her home again.

The Pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for
the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do.
She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day
for a house-keeping job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full.
The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his
wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.
One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to
sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving.

The man asked where he got the tablecloth on the front wall, because it was identical to one his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and
how could there be two tablecloths so much alike.

He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety
and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He
never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between.

The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove
to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three
days earlier.

He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment,
knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever
imagine.

True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid.

Who said God does not work in mysterious ways ? I asked the Lord to bless you as
I prayed for you today, to guide you and protect you as you go along your way. His love is always with you. His promises are true, and when we give Him all our
cares you know He will see us through.

So when the road you're traveling on seems difficult at best . . . just remember I'm
here praying and God will do the rest. When there is nothing left but God, that is
when you find out that God is all you need. Take 60 seconds and give this a shot !!
All you do is simply say the following small prayer . . . .

Father, God, bless all my friends and family in whatever it is that You know

they may be needing this day. May their lives be full of Your peace, prosperity

and power as he/she seeks to have a closer relationship with You. Amen.
A good story of love for St. Valentine's Day. Hope you enjoyed it.

Now for some jokes. . . .

Paddy and Mick are walking down a street in London. Paddy sees a sign in a shop window that catches his eye.

The sign says, "Suits $3 each, shirts $1 each, Trousers $1.50 a pair.
Paddy says to his pal, "Mick, look ! We could buy a whole lot of those, and when we get back to Ireland, we could make a fortune.

Now when we go into the shop, you be quiet, OK ? Just let me do all the talking because is they hear our accent, they might not be nice to us.
I'll speak in my best English accent."
"Right you are Paddy, I'll keep me mouth shut, so I will." says Mick.

They go into the shop and Paddy says, "I'll take 50 suits at $3 each, 100 shirts at
$1 each and 50 pairs of trousers at $1.50 each. I'll back up my truck . . . ."

The shop owner interrupts, "You're from Ireland aren't you ?"
"Well . . . yes," says Paddy. "How in the world did you know that ?"
The owner says, "This is a dry cleaners !!"
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A man came home, sat down in his favorite chair, turned on the TV and said to his
wife, "Quick, bring me a beer before it starts."

She looks a little puzzled, but brought him the beer.Wen he finished it, he said,
"Quick bring me another beer . It's gonna start."

This time, she looked a little angry, but brought him another beer.
When it was gone, he said, "Quick, bring me another beer."
"That's it !" She blows her top. "You devil. You waltz in here, flop down, don't even say hello and then expect me to run around like your slave.

The husband sighed and said, " Oh damn, it's started."
<><><>

Walking through a supermarket, a young man noticed an old lady following him
around. He ignored her for a while, but when he got to the check-out line, she got
in front of him.

"Pardon me," she said, "I'm sorry if I've been staring, but you look just like my son
who died recently.
"I'm sorry for your loss," the young man said. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Well, as I'm leaving, could you just say 'Goodbye Mother' ? It would make me feel
so much better." She gave him a sweet smile.

"Of course I can," the young man promised.

As she gathered her bags and left, he called out "Goodbye, mother !" just as she had
requested, feeling good about her smile.

Stepping up to the counter, he saw that his total was about $100 higher than it should be, "That amount is wrong," he said, "I only have a few items !"

"Oh, your mother said that you would pay for her," explained the clerk.
<><><>

A married couple was in a terrible accident where the woman's face was severely
burned. The doctor told the husband that they couldn't graft any skin from her body because she was too skinny. So the husband offered to donate some of his skin.

However the only skin on his body that the doctor felt was suitable would have to
come from his buttocks.
The husband and wife agreed that they would tell no one about where the skin
came from, and requested that the doctor also honor their secret. After all, this
was a very delicate matter.

After the surgery was completed, everyone was astounded at the woman's new
beauty. She looked more beautiful than she ever had before ! All her friends and relatives just went on and on about her youthful beauty !!

One day, she was alone with her husband, and she was overcome with emotion a
his sacrifice. She said, "Dear, I just want to thank you for everything you did for me.
How can I possibly repay you ?"

"My darling," he replied, "I get all the thanks I need every time I see your mother
kiss you on the cheek !!"
<><><>

Failure doesn't hurt you. It's the fear of failure that's the killer. - -Jack Lemmon.

Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason so few engage
in it. - - - - Henry Ford.


Just as there are no little people or unimportant lives, there is no insignificant work.
- - - - Elena Bonner

Retirement should be based on the tread, not the mileage. - - - Allen Ludden.


Bye for now folks, I hope you are all enjoying life and the good things we get
from it. Take care of yourselves and each other. Cheers, Merle.

Post 141 - - - - - - Wednesday, 14 th
February, 2007.
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18 comments:

Cazz said...

Merle,

Glad everything around the home has been fixed and all up and operating again. My hubby is also a diabetic, and those machines are just marvelous, his keeps a record of every reading, so when he visits the doctors, they are able to read and adjust his medication accordingly, he went to insulin shots 18mths ago, and all has been great since.

The craft market is on this w/e, will look out for you.

Take care
Cazz

Vickie said...

I don't know what we would do without the many new advances we enjoy in our medical care today that was not around years ago--they do make things easier and help us improve our health.

As always you have such a great little selection here for your readers. I had read the special story but it has been sometime and it does bring the tears.

Have a special day.

Hootin Anni said...

Just wanted to pop over and send you my wish that you are having a wonderful Valentine's Day!!!

TJ said...

Cold and snowy Valentine's day here...but warm hearts!!
Happy Valentine's Day dearest Merle!!
:-D

Leann said...

you made my day again girl.I cryed and LOL and was tickled to the bone.the story of the paster and the tableclothe was awesome.and the fact it was true makes it even more so.thank you for the time you put into this blog.you are a blessing.God bless you .check out my posts today.one about my grandpa and the rest.have a great day.Happy Valentines day.

Jim said...

Hi Merle, Happy Valentines Day!
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Like everything else, I checked on your tablecloth story. I Googled "Pastor Rob Reid" and it went to www.Snopes.com.
Snopes said it was first printed in the Reader's Digest in 1954 but nothing more is known that we know today. They said, "True or not, this one fabulous story, . . ."
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Lee said...

Just poking my nose through the door, Merle...I'd stop for a 'cuppa' but I've got lots to do and so far I've been very slack! Have a good day. :)

Susie said...

Beautiful sunshine here for Valentine's Day dear Merle.
Glad you got your blood machine fixed. My Mom was diabetic and I know how important those are..
xoxo

mreddie said...

Glad your machine only required a battery for repairs. The story of the tablecloth is a beautiful and touching one, even though I had seen it before. ec

Carole Burant said...

Happy Valentine's Day dear Merle! My day was fairly quiet, just like any other day:-) That tablecloth story was so very touching. Wonderful to know that it's a true story!! Enjoyed the jokes and quotes too....especially the one at the supermarket and having to call the elderly woman "mom"! hehe Take care my friend! Hugs xoxo

JunieRose2005 said...

Dear Merle,

I loved that story of the table cloth- very touching.

Hope you've had a good day ...

Late night here so I'm off to try for some sleep.

Take care,

June

audrey` said...

Dearest Merle

Thank you so much for your regular checking on me via our blogs. I'm very touched by your love, care, concern and prayers.

Things are returning to normal slowly. My Dad is going on his daily routine step-by-step.

Please take care, Merle. I'm very happy that all the equipments are working along perfectly once again.

"The Greatest Christmas Reunion" is very touching.

(((HUGS)))
Much <3 too =)

Jeanette said...

Dear Merle So please you have everything back in good working order. The Pastor and the tablecloth. A real lovely story with "a beautiful Reunion".Then to follow with some good jokes. take care stay cool more HOT weather on the way. ((((HUGS))) Janxxx
P.S.
No birthdays: Carols was January mines August21

Lucy Stern said...

Merle, I liked the story about the tablecloth. It shows that God does work in mysterious ways...

Raggedy said...

G'day Merle,
I am thrilled everything is going well and all the broken things are fixed. It must be quite a relief.
You knocked out a couple of fantastic posts! This one and #140. I really enjoy my time here and I appreciate you so much!
Cheers sweetie, take care my dear friend, hugs and love,
Raggedy

Joy Des Jardins said...

Merle,

Thank you for giving us a little more insight into your past. I had no idea you had been married again. And, it's nice to know your relationship with your ex was on good terms...so much nicer.

Glad everything's up and running...including your little machine. I enjoyed your goodies today....take care...

Pamela said...

Merle, loved the true story of the crocheted tablecloth...just amazing! I also got a kick out of the mother kissing his cheek. lol "It's a dry cleaners", was cute too!

Hope your Valentine's Day was pleasant. So glad everything is up and running again. :)

Puss-in-Boots said...

Hi Merle. Just catching up from the last few days. That reunion story was beautiful and I certainly needed the tissues.

I thought the story of the "Middle Wife" was priceless! Out of the mouths of babes...

Hope all is well in your world, Merle.

Keep well, my friend.

Hugs