by Ann Hyde

I remember when my first son, Chris, was a baby. My husband dragged him out in all kinds of weather (and we live in Alaska!!!) to go to AA meetings. Chris was passed around from person to person.

One of the biggest, most handsome guys in the room always would say, "C'mon, man, give me the baby." One day, Chris tossed his cookies all over this guy. I mean, it was a mess. And this impeccably well-dressed man (from one of the wealthier families in the community) was wearing what was an obviously expensive leather jacket. I just gasped, and he smiled, and cleaned himself up. I apologized profusely, and tried (without success) to get him to let me pay to have his jacket cleaned.

About a year later, this very same man led the meeting on his AA birthday. I had been invited to attend as the mother of the baby. The man sat in the front of the room with my toddler on his lap, and told his story. The whole group had watery eyes as he related how much it meant for him to hold Christopher.

He said, "I can't believe these two people let a worthless drunk like me hold their brand-new infant. It kept me coming back every day just so I could hold the baby." Then he showed the crowd the stain on the jacket, and said, "This here is my badge of honor. You all think it's a stain that can't be removed. To be honest, I won't let them try. This is visible proof that somebody thinks I'm worthwhile."

I never said another word about George hauling either of the kids to the meetings. God needed them to work his miracles.

Ann Hyde

Something about Ann:

Ann is a transplanted Pennsylvanian now freezing her fingers and toes off in Anchorage, Alaska. Never one to ignore a challenge, she decided to attend grad school for a Special Education endorsement while being an at-home mother of an infant and a three-year-old. Her children are now almost 5 and almost 7, and Ann is facing challenges in the classroom with teenagers (shriek!) who have learning disabilities and behavior disorders. Despite living in Alaska in the winter, teaching high school kids, and living with 4 small children (2 belong to a roommate), 4 cats (also the roommate's) Mollie, the Wonder Dog, and her husband George, Ann retains her sanity by quilting, reading, and remembering that the challenges she faces are also blessings.

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by Becky Baiz

I work for a private school that has an auction every year as its main fundraiser. It is a very successful fundraiser for our small school of 130 students. We usually bring in $35,000 - $40,000 on this one night.

The first year that my son went to preschool at this school, his preschool class made a beautiful quilt to auction off. It had all the children's hand prints on it. While at the auction, I started bidding on the quilt. The bidding kept getting higher and higher until it was at $500.00, which was my limit for the whole evening, much less this one item. But I had saved all year to participate in the auction and I really wanted the quilt.

After the last bid, I peeked across the room to see who was bidding against me. It was the grandmother of one of the children in my son's class. Her husband owned a huge multi-million dollar construction company and I knew I could never out bid her so I stopped.

I mentioned to several people that I had stopped bidding because I knew I could not out bid her and that a grandmother was entitled to her grandson's class quilt just as much as I was. I wasn't mad or bitter or anything, it was just the way it was and I was glad it went to someone who would cherish it.

The following year, my son's class again made an item for the auction. This time it was two quilted pillows with the children's hand prints on the back. Again the bidding starts. After a few rounds, I can tell that I and another person are bidding against each other. Again I peek to see who it is and it is this same woman. And again I stop bidding.

Two weeks after the auction, this woman comes into my office. Now I know this woman fairly well. We go to the same church, have served on a few committees together and like each other very much. She has a bag in her hand and hands it to me saying "Happy Mother's Day," which was just a few days away.

I look in the bag and there are the pillows. She tells me that she wants me to have them. Of course I immediately start to cry, as does she, and we hug as I thank her over and over again. I was totally overcome with emotion at the very generous offer of these pillows to me.

I must assume my story of the two auctions had some how made it to her ears and she just decided to do this wonderful thing. She paid several hundred dollars for these two pillows, but I could clearly see her delight in being able to give them to me.

I will never forget her kind act, and have tried to live up to her generosity by giving of the things I can to others as well.

Becky Baiz

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I believe I met Athena when she responded to a call for prayer for me shortly after my surgery. There she was a 22-year-old woman sending out a prayer for a stranger! This truthfully describes Athena. She recognizes the privilege of helping all God's children. She is working in a ministry for street children and we can see by her story that Athena got involved in that ministry at a very young age.

by Athena

Many things have made me feel good. But the one that made me feel the best was serving the Lord by ministering to the children. You see this started out when I was around 5 years old.

The parents of the children in our neighborhood would lock them out of the house. I live in Arizona so you can imagine how hot it was most of the time. Over the years I would allow the children to come to my house to use the rest room. The children soon learned that the door was always open. These kids ranged in age from 3 to the age of 12.

Whenever those same children would get thirsty I would walk in the house and ask my mom. "Mom, may I have 23 glasses of water?" My mom would smile and get me the glasses two by two. Then I would pass them out.

Over the years I had an amazing opportunity to teach these same children. For some reason they listened to me and I was able to get them to talk out their differences and not fight.

Now I am 22 and when I went to Church on the Street and helped out with the children. I once again felt like I was in the will of God. I have been blessed beyond belief.

Athena

Athena is a 22 year old in Arizona. She currently teaches and fixes computers. In her free time she develops web pages and studies for her classes. She also has a children's ministry that she does every week.

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In August of 1999 my youngest daughter Laurelei went in for day surgery on her elbow. The operation was to remove an entangled growth but included drilling a hole in a bone and making small cuts in the tendons. I was told my daughter would be home by 2:00 that afternoon. The wait for her return went on and on. Meanwhile in the hospital the staff were trying to get the pain under control.

by Laurie

On the day I went in for day surgery I had expected to be home by the afternoon but there was such difficulty in getting my pain under control that I was still there at 8:00 pm. trying a different narcotic.

Two nurses, Virginia and Rosalie at the Rocky View Hospital in Calgary, cared for me during this time and do emphasize the word CARE. These loving ladies empathized with my pain, were compassionate and gentle. Virginia stroked my cheek to wipe my tears a number of times when the pain broke through. I felt as though I had two friends caring for me who just happened to be nurses.

Their caring went above and beyond the call of duty even after my discharge. On two different days, the nurses called to check on my pain.

Within three days my arm swelled so badly there was no more space between my fingers. The specialist's office was closed and the doctor on call said go to the Emergency department at the hospital. When I arrived there I discovered a waiting room of at least thirty people. I understood I would be bumped in order of priority and that meant I was likely going to be there the entire day. I knew that I was not going to be able to handle this long tiring wait and I was quite concerned with the lack of circulation in my hand. I asked my sister to wheel me to the day surgery unit to find Virginia and Rosalie.

Showing them my arm, I asked them, "Can you help me?"

The two began brainstorming. Soon they paged a doctor and reached him on his cell phone in his car. Following his instructions, they removed all my protection to cut open the bandages and relieve some of the pressure. I could see that as they worked on me, they were being watched by a woman who appeared to be their superior. I got the impression that she did not approve of what was going on, yet my two angels of mercy just continued as they once again went above and beyond the call of duty.

Today, Virginia and Rosalie may not remember me, but I will always remember them.

Laurelei

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In this day and age we go into the hospital and out so quickly that much of our recuperation is done at home. Who then become our caregivers?

by Ruth

Last year in July, 1999, I had to have major surgery, and wasn't going to be able to drive for at least 6 weeks. At that time I sold Avon. I had a lot of customers and a route spread all over the place. I was in such a quandary; how would I get customers their orders? How was I going to get their books to them?

All of my customers were great. They were understanding and very patient with me. The first week I was home from the hospital, they all came to my house to pick orders up. My customers didn't stay any longer than it took to get orders and make sure I was ok.

Then when it came time to distribute new books for orders, I was again at a loss as to what I was going to do. Two earth angels came to my rescue. Tina Hicks and Krys Ayer are two of my closest friends. These two ladies have families, jobs and very hectic schedules of their own. They came to my house, sorted, divided, and loaded boxes of books and orders, and took care of things. The only thing I did was have the books in bags with customers names and address on them, since I couldn't do any lifting or anything strenuous at all.

During all this my husband was off for two weeks, but then he had to return to work which left me with no transportation (even if I had been able to drive). These same two earth angels took it upon themselves to see that I got out for drives. They took me to our favorite hang out, checked on me by phone and just made sure I was okay.

I've only known Tina and Krys for just over a year, but we hit it off right away, and have become very close, I just don't know what I would have done without their help during those weeks. I know they'll be friends for life. I knew it before I had surgery, but now I'm positive.

Ruth

I am a housewife (married for 25 years), mother of two, and grandmother of one adorable little boy, who turned 1 on the 18th of Feb. My son is 24, my daughter is almost 21. I have lived in California since I was 6 years old. I love to read, crochet, camp, fish, going to the beach and being with friends and family, travel, go for Sunday rides, and be on the computer as much as I can. I spend a lot of time on it, and I'm sure that sometimes my husband (patient person that he is) thinks he's been deserted. He never complains about the time I spend in front of it.

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Generally, all the stories that we publish here are true stories. This next one is a tale with a moral and the author uses a dog to get a point across. I felt you would enjoy reading it.

The story I am submitting is a vignette, a fable dealing with self-esteem and overcoming a handicap. Because this tale is about a dog, a proud one I might add, it can help children (and adults) relate to problems generated by various handicaps. There's a lot of good news in this yarn. See if you agree. But right now, get your popcorn ready. The feature is about to start.

© 1999 Peter A. Letendre

"His name will be Hambone," said Grandpa Fisher, pointing to an energetic yelper among a new batch of shivering, whelping pups. Grandpa, who had been raising Great Danes for years, had an uncanny knack for selecting a puppy from a litter and telling you what kind of personality it had and what sort of dog it would become.

When Hambone got older he grew to an enormous size. According to Grandpa, "he was the biggest Great Dane in Red Deer, possibly Alberta, perhaps even Canada, maybe even the world." Besides being huge, Grandpa noted that Hambone was loud. "Reckon his bay could scatter birds as far away as Nevada."

"That mutt loved barking," the old man said, "and would have done it all day had I not turned him into a razor-sharp guard dog. It took time and patience but eventually he saw things my way." Hambone had indeed become a magnificent sentry.

One weekend Grandpa went to Edmonton and left the Great Dane behind. That night it stormed and tree branches crashed against the wire fences but, in the dark, an overly keen Hambone thought strangers were jumping into the yard. He ran along the length of the fence barking wildly. Lightning ripped open an oak tree, shooting woody debris everywhere. A chunk of hot, charred wood hammered Hambone in the neck, right under the throat, knocking him out cold.

When he came to, Hambone trotted unsteadily across the yard. His throat was on fire and he was thirsty. He lapped rainwater from a barrel and tried to swallow but it was too painful. He could drink only a little at a time. Also, he was very tired and his whole body felt like it was burning up. He struggled to bark but nothing happened. Exhausted and sick, he laid down and began shivering.

Driving his muddy blue Ford half ton into the yard, Grandpa slammed on the brakes as soon as he saw Hambone's agitated state.

"That creature's throat was the size of a melon," the old man said. He wrapped the dog in warm towels and rushed him to the office of Doc Greasel, the local veterinarian.

"What's wrong with him, Doc?" ask Grandpa. "Will he be all right?"

"There's been major trauma to his larynx and maybe his vocal chords won't recover."

"You mean he won't howl anymore?"

"Not like he used to, Grandpa. If ever."

Within a few weeks the swelling and pain went away but Hambone still could not bark. The only sounds he managed to make were whispery croaks This once proud Great Dane no longer walked around with his chest puffed out but rather hid away from the world, unable to face his loss of prestige. Meanwhile, Grandpa Fisher thought he might have to sell him. He didn't want to but he needed a dog to protect his livestock from nasty intruders. Later that week Hambone was given a chance to demonstrate his training and instincts as a guard dog and recover his self-respect.

On Friday, around midnight, three masked men hopped over the wire fence and headed over to the corral where Grandpa's prize horses were picketed. Hambone tried to bark but his whoofs resembled the noise made by a weak frog. The rustlers did not even hear him. The Great Dane knew he needed a bolder plan of attack. He decided to present a menacing facade and make his demeanor as vicious as his once legendary bark. Within seconds Hambone transformed himself into a powerful sight.

"What in blazes is that?" yelled one of the intruders. The other two froze in horror as Hambone strutted out, a seething beast ready to rip off their heads. In the dark this Great Dane looked fifteen feet tall and wide as a tank. His silence made him seem even larger than that. "Lou, why don't he make a noise? It ain't natural for a dog that size to be so quiet!"

"Shut up, Matt. You want to wake up the old man."

"Maybe it ain't a dog. Maybe it ain't even of this world," said the third man, a fellow named Luke. "Maybe we ought to clear out." Hambone circled slowly around the men, forcing them to bunch together. Soon they were stumbling into one another and yelling as Hambone lunged at them, shredding the knees from their jeans. The ruckus brought a shotgun-toting Grandpa onto the scene.

"Get your hands up. All of you! I've called the police and they're on their way," said the peppery old rancher, aiming his shotgun at the crooks. "In the meantime, you boys had better sit down and be quiet unless you want my dog to eat you alive. Ain't that right, Hambone?"

Soon the Great Dane was prancing about with all his former majesty, his eyes bright and shiny and his ears alert to the slightest sound. He was back in business, even if he couldn't bark. In fact, Hambone had learned that confidence comes from within and not from the outward noises that you make.

Peter A. Letendre

My URL is http://plaza.v-wave.com/pal/

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