“A Perfect Christmas Night”
Faces of Cheribs
Excitement, dis-belief
Surprise, laughter, joy
Fear of the Fat Man
Food for a crowd
Fish!, MaMa’s Lasagna!
Dipping pears in Grampa’s wine
More food than I ever thought existed
Fireplace warm
Hot chocolate, movies
Quiet Carols, Quiet night
O Holy Night
Family Fun
Grandpa’s farm
Games: everyone must play
Side splitting laughter
Following the Star….
Heavenly singers among us
Candlelight calls us
“Fall on your knees”
I wish this night would never end
The evening went way too fast
… A perfect Christmas night.
This poem is the compilation of holiday memories of the Life Choice Hospice River Edge, NJ team members composed of: Lori Vollkommer, Jennifer O’Hara, Karen Miles, Maureen Capista, Elaine Dudek, Colleen Swick, Jan Scoville, and written by Richard Harris
Christmas 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
HOPE IN PENNSYLVANIA
To my dear friends in PA....
Sermons are inadequate for the current crisis you are in. It is LOVE which will make the difference in your situation. You are loved... and being loved. You are surrounded by prayer and by caring brothers and sisters. You are blessed.
I was thinking that mature Christians find out how dependent they really are when cancer comes or some other crisis. We remember all those "stock answers" we used with other people to bring hope and encouragement to them in their time of pain. We remember shaking our heads in wonder at someone elses' situation, and just pray that they will be comforted in their time of trouble. We look for Bible verses that will somehow speak to the heart of the hurting one, and try our best to present ourselves to them as sympathetic and understanding. .... nothing prepares us for facing our own crisis times.
Where do we find relief in the storm of worry, concern, pain (sometimes), and the whirlwind of confusion that comes from conflicting advice and is sometimes exacerbated by well meaning fellow believers who say "dumb" things. Those "well meaning" words only add to the stress and turmoil that we face. BUT... thank God... we can cover over someone else's attempt at love knowing that the source of that action is the Love of Christ working in their hearts to bring Hope to you. So... our reaction... smile and say "thank you"... knowing that they are feeling as uncomfortable as we are in the exchange. And by saying "thanks"... it brings relief to both of you... the giver and the receiver of words.
Most importantly, in all this discussion about "love" from our fellow sufferers is the Love of God in Christ. If that "love" expressed in faulty humanness brings some measure of comfort (ignoring the "dumb" part)... think how much Love is poured out by our Savior... who is perfect and does not say "dumb" things! Somehow in the background noise of someones words... we hear our Master. HE is speaking through them. Oddly enough we find in Scripture God speaking His message using a donkey!
All this to say, that almost any expression of love and encouragement that we try to give you is tainted by our sinful humanity. But, if you listen close enough... you will find something to give you HOPE IN PENNSYLVANIA !
Sermons are inadequate for the current crisis you are in. It is LOVE which will make the difference in your situation. You are loved... and being loved. You are surrounded by prayer and by caring brothers and sisters. You are blessed.
I was thinking that mature Christians find out how dependent they really are when cancer comes or some other crisis. We remember all those "stock answers" we used with other people to bring hope and encouragement to them in their time of pain. We remember shaking our heads in wonder at someone elses' situation, and just pray that they will be comforted in their time of trouble. We look for Bible verses that will somehow speak to the heart of the hurting one, and try our best to present ourselves to them as sympathetic and understanding. .... nothing prepares us for facing our own crisis times.
Where do we find relief in the storm of worry, concern, pain (sometimes), and the whirlwind of confusion that comes from conflicting advice and is sometimes exacerbated by well meaning fellow believers who say "dumb" things. Those "well meaning" words only add to the stress and turmoil that we face. BUT... thank God... we can cover over someone else's attempt at love knowing that the source of that action is the Love of Christ working in their hearts to bring Hope to you. So... our reaction... smile and say "thank you"... knowing that they are feeling as uncomfortable as we are in the exchange. And by saying "thanks"... it brings relief to both of you... the giver and the receiver of words.
Most importantly, in all this discussion about "love" from our fellow sufferers is the Love of God in Christ. If that "love" expressed in faulty humanness brings some measure of comfort (ignoring the "dumb" part)... think how much Love is poured out by our Savior... who is perfect and does not say "dumb" things! Somehow in the background noise of someones words... we hear our Master. HE is speaking through them. Oddly enough we find in Scripture God speaking His message using a donkey!
All this to say, that almost any expression of love and encouragement that we try to give you is tainted by our sinful humanity. But, if you listen close enough... you will find something to give you HOPE IN PENNSYLVANIA !
Friday, December 10, 2010
1956
1956
23 Mayer Ave
Buffalo, New York
"Ricky", My Dad and Mom -Walter and Dorothy, and Grandma Jenny Harris
I have no idea what the occasion was, if any. I am guessing my brother Walt was behind the camera.
Notice the coverage of the flash - the old blue bulb with the strands of filaments inside that burst into flame when you pressed the shutter button. Judging from the size of the image, I am thinking it was a brownie camera with flash attachment.
The original photo is on deckle edge paper with high gloss finish that crinkles (upper left) when bent. I remember using a silver coated nickle plate. You put the wet finished print on the plate an rolled over the back with a rubber roller to get that shiny surface. We had a drug store on the corner that processed all our film. At that time we did not take a lot of pictures because of the cost.
I did doctor the photo with a scan on our all-in-one and then used Picassa edit tool to add contrast and take out photo blemishes. I deliberately did not take out all of the spots etc. It is, of course, 1956 !
23 Mayer Ave
Buffalo, New York
"Ricky", My Dad and Mom -Walter and Dorothy, and Grandma Jenny Harris
I have no idea what the occasion was, if any. I am guessing my brother Walt was behind the camera.
Notice the coverage of the flash - the old blue bulb with the strands of filaments inside that burst into flame when you pressed the shutter button. Judging from the size of the image, I am thinking it was a brownie camera with flash attachment.
The original photo is on deckle edge paper with high gloss finish that crinkles (upper left) when bent. I remember using a silver coated nickle plate. You put the wet finished print on the plate an rolled over the back with a rubber roller to get that shiny surface. We had a drug store on the corner that processed all our film. At that time we did not take a lot of pictures because of the cost.
I did doctor the photo with a scan on our all-in-one and then used Picassa edit tool to add contrast and take out photo blemishes. I deliberately did not take out all of the spots etc. It is, of course, 1956 !
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