The Old Abandoned House

Have you ever stopped and looked at an old abandoned house and wondered what it had lived through. Who had lived there years ago?

Did a young couple start their life here and had layed in bed at night dreaming about their future?

Did small children run across the veranda laughing and playing tag?

Did  a big family gather together for Christmas dinner and  enjoy a hot turkey supper with many  servings of dessert?

Did  the family get  word that a son would not be coming home again because he was killed in a battlefield on the other side of the world?

Did a mother fight with her daughter when she came in late one night after being told she was not allowed to be hanging around with Ben Harley's son?

Did a woman lay awake at night crying and wondering where her husband was again at 2:00 a.m.?

Did a man bury his wife because she died in childbirth, and was left with six small children to raise alone?

Did a small child fall into the well and die breaking her parents will to live, yet knowing they had to carry on  for they had other children to feed?

Did a middle aged woman cry quietly, knowing that she had no more love to give her husband after years of arguments and struggles?

Did a family move to the city looking for a better way of earning a living and leave the house to hold their memories within its walls, hoping that they would return one day?

Yes what would this house tell if it could speak ... so many stories through the years of time.  But it will keep their secrets for house are like that you know. Their walls kept a family safe from the storms of life and protected their belongings by asking little in return. At one time it received a fresh coat of paint every few years and had flower beds to make it feel loved and admired. How proud it had felt  when vistors had come over and said how beautiful it was and so well built. In return it would brace itself against the winds  and the rain and cry out in pain with its creaks and cracking, yet it never gave in for it had a family that loved it and needed its protection.

Oh yes, what do you think when you see an old abandoned house? An old eyesore that should be torn down?  Just remember that house was  very much alive  back in its day and all it would need is a little tender care for it to start over with another family and their story. A little paint, some repairs to the roof, maybe some new windows for it to see again and who knows what a place of comfort it could be once more for  these old house were built to last and there is not a modern home that can compare to the wise old ways of these magnificent structures.

Florence Nightengale A Life of Passion

 We have all heard the stories about Florence Nightingale. She was a young woman that  was born in Florence, Italy, on May 12, 1820.  She spent most of her childhood in England and although she didn't attend school, her father taught her well.

  At an early age she began to study  elementary nursing techniques and in 1852 she was given the position of superintendent of the Institution for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in London.  

 During the Crimean war in 1854 she  volunteered as a nurse with a group of other women. The conditions of the nurising facilities were inadequate an she brought about changes that  would improve the sanitary conditions of the patients care. Florence would check on and comfort the patients at night, walking the halls with a lamp. It was because of this that the soldiers gave her the nickname, "The Lady with the Lamp."

In 1856, she became widely known as superintendent of the Female Nursing Establishment of the Military Hospitals.  After meeting with Queen Victoria

she was promised a royal commission and the Royal Commission on the Health of the Army, was created in 1857, and this commission also formed an Army Medical School in 1857 as well. Another royal commission was created as well in 1859, and this commission established a Sanitary Department in 1868.

In 1860, Florence created the Nightingale School for Nurses at St. Thomas' Hospital. This was the first of its kind, and Florence reformed the workhouses and trained the midwives and nurses herself. However, her health began to fail her and in 1901, she became completely blind. Florence died in London, England, on August 13, 1910.

  Although this gives one a brief  overview of her life, I cannot help but wonder about her personal life. After all she was  a real woman and I am sure felt the fear, fatigue and emotions that we all do as we move through the different stages of life.  There must have been times when she was angry and frustrated and longed for some peace and quiet. Or maybe she found her true calling and it remained her passion throughout her life.  How many of us live our lives waiting  and dreaming about what we really want to do but push it aside to deal with the real issues of  our busy lives. How many of us fear our dreams because reaching towards them just feels painful and impossible. Sound familiar? What a shame to limit our own possibilities with a smaller life.

How very little can be done under the spirit of fear.

                                             Florence Nightengale

Mary Magdalene's Reputation

 Who was Mary Magdalene?   Well I think she is one of the best examples of how a woman can be misjudged.   I do not know of any other person in history who has been as controverial or as mysterious as this woman.  What exactly was her relationship with Jesus and why was she made out to be a prostitute in the history of the church.   We know that she was a  devout follower of Jesus and followed him to the very end, and was the first to witness his resurrection.

 Throughout history she has been labeled such things as a prostitute, Jesus’ wife, apostle and writer of the Gnostic Gospel of Mary. Although her name has been cleared of the prostitution label, the mysterious life of Mary Magdalene is still heavily studied and strongly debated, especially in recent times.

After Jesus’ death,  she was believed to have been his favorite  apostle. She was asked to reveal secret teachings given to her by Jesus. After her revelations, which are found in the Gnostic Gospel of Mary, she had a disagreement with Peter about the teachings. I am sure that this did not go over well with the boys and they  had to discredit her for she may have  known more than she should and had become a threat. Therefore they had to destroy her reputation and they did a good job for it is only in recent history that the truth about her is slowly being pieced together.

Where Mary went and what she did after she left the apostles is still  debatable.  Some studies show that  Mary was pregnant with Jesus’ child and went to France, where her descendants eventually founded the Merovingian line of kings, made famous recently by the Da Vinci.

I am not sure we will ever know the real truth but she is definitely an interesting woman and I believe that we can learn a lot from her life. History does repeat itself just look around  and I am sure that you will find your own example of  such a woman.....

We Have Come a Long Way Girls

During the early history of the United States, a man owned his wife

and children. She couldn’t keep her name or possess any assets.

 

Even an inherited family home became the property of her husband.

If a man chose to send his children to an orphanage, the mother had

no defense. She also had no rights over her own body, although he

had full rights over his wife’s body. Crimes against women weren’t

considered serious. A woman’s “purity” was expected, but rape was

almost impossible to prove, and unless it was a black man faced

charges against raping a white woman, the punishment was negligible.

Women simply weren’t deemed valuable—at least not in the eyes of

the law. You can imagine the rage women must have felt.

                                                                       Chrystal Andrus Life Coach

Angela's Wedding

Angela

Angela had planned her special day for July 23. It was supposed to be a dream wedding with 175 people invited.  It was going to be a beautiful day and she looked forward to seeing it all unfold.  She had splurged on her wedding dress and on all the details. He had let her make all the arrangements and he seemed to be as anxious as she was for their new life to begin. She had met Steve more than a year  ago and had fallen in love with him within weeks of  his arrival in town. He was good looking, kind,  and seemed to adore her.

As she waited for the train to arrive, she went over the series of events that destroyed her dreams. The morning of her wedding,  an arrangement of  beautiful white roses were delivered to her mother's house. She carried them up to her room and  knew without a doubt that they were from Steve. Her heart swelled with more love and happiness than she had ever felt in her life. Opening the card she read the words.....

My dearest Angela,

You know I love you and always will for you have brought me more happiness than I have ever known.    Therefore it is with much regret and a heavy heart, that I am writing this letter to you, knowing that you will read it on the morning of what you think is your wedding day.

I  will not be waiting for you in the church today. I am sorry to have to hurt you so deeply for I know that you love me. Do not worry, you will meet someone else some day. A woman like you  will have no trouble capturing another man's heart. It is my loss. 

Do not search for me for I left last night. I have my reasons for doing this. Do not waste your time questioning my decision. Do not waste your time searching for me, for you will never see me again.  

Move on with your life Angela, from this moment on, I must only be a faded memory.

Always,

Steve

She heard the train stopping, picked up her luggage and walked away from the only life she knew.  Despite the protests of her family and friends, she knew she had to leave and start again. All she asked for was the strength to start again and to find a simple life. She was on her own and would always be..................

Maggie's Raggedy Inn: Every Life has a Story

Maggie's Raggedy Inn: Every Life has a Story: Have you ever sat down for a quick lunch in a busy public restaurant or food court and seen a woman possibly in her early sixties, sitting...

Every Life has a Story

Have you ever sat down for a quick lunch in a busy public restaurant or food court and seen a woman possibly in her early sixties, sitting by herself drinking a cup of tea. You notice that she is well dressed and that she must have put effort into her appearance before she left home. You can see that she carries a certain pride in the way that she is seated and how she is politely making eye contact with the waitress for a refill.

Who is this lady and what brings her here you might ask yourself for she is really out of place in this burger joint environment. Why is she alone and why does she look so sad? Where in her husband? Is he at work? Is she divorced? Does she have any children? Maybe they are married and living in another part of the world?

Is she lonely sitting there all by herself? Where are her friends?

Maybe she just moved here and does not know anyone. Maybe she is looking after a sick husband and this is her only escape to spend time on her own while another caregiver takes over for a few hours to let her get out of the house?

Maybe she is waiting to meet a long lost friend or maybe she is going to meet a man and is involved in an affair. Maybe she just found out that she has some life threatening disease and she has come here to sort things out in her head before going home to her family.

Maybe she has just retired and does not know what to do with her time and so she dresses up in the clothes she used to wear to the office so that she feels she still has a reason to get out of the house. Maybe she lost her job and she has not told her family yet and so she comes here to pass her days trying to find a way to tell them that she feels like a failure.

What was she like as a young woman? What were her dreams and did she live a full life? Is she happy? Did she achieve all that she wanted to do. What are her dreams now for the future?

There could be a thousand reasons as to why she is here sitting quietly at her table, looking out the window with a far away emptiness.

Yes everyone has a story and in our busy lives we often forget that each person comes with a past and an uncertain future. You will never know who she really is because you have to get back to work but you tell yourself that you will be back tomorrow and will see another person with another story.
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"It's been said , ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens.
But it is never gone." ― Rose Kennedy