Thursday, April 25, 2013

Not A Rembrandt

Good morning, Cameron here to share something nice with you. This was supposed to publish yesterday but our church changed our Wednesday Bible study to Tuesday this week and we got a bit confused when Jan came home and, thinking it was then Wednesday, we scheduled the post for Thursday.  Are you confused?  You've got nothing on us!  And Jan is always confused so if we had asked her what day it was, she would have told us it was already Thursday. 

Things have been kind of ... well, discouraging around here for some time, so when Jan got an opportunity to design a photo canvas for our wall, she decided to uplift us (translate that as uplift herself) with a special design, one to remind her we are blessed despite the trials.

She chose some light, cheery colors.  We helped her pick out some photos with a positive theme, so of course we Funny Farmers got a place of honor.  We insisted our Georgia "angel" furries - Jenny, Grayce, Crystal and Cotton - be included since we loved having each as part of our family and each is greatly missed.  Jan tried to take a photo of the finished product but none did it justice, so we're just going to post a copy of the original graphic.  (The canvas is 16 x 20".)


All we have to do now is decide where to hang it.  It will probably end up on the wall facing us as we take turns working at the computer.  It isn't a Rembrandt, but hopefully it will be a positive reminder to Miss I-Can't-Remember-Anything of some positives in her life.

We hope all of you have many positives in your life too.  (There is a second part to this post but it won't arrive until next week.)

As long as this is publishing on Thankful Thursday, we'd like to express our gratitude to a couple of very dedicated and generous neighbors who traveled to Atlanta every week for the past nine years to pick up a truckload of bread and rolls and, occasionally, sweets to distribute to local residents.

"The bread truck" was an old panel truck purchased specifically for the purpose.  One had to step waaaay high to get into it, so they built a ramp with a rail so even the old and disabled could climb inside to "shop" for bread. 

One morning a week, folks would gather in a local church parking lot.  Some drove a nice vehicle but were perhaps out of work or with a large family, some from a nearby assisted living home, folks from any walk of life.  Sometimes Jan would see a trash truck stop and the driver get in line.  It didn't matter who you were, if you needed bread, you could help yourself to whatever the limit was that day.  One day all you needed, some days only two loaves of bread and some bagels or English muffins.

When they first started, the bread truck would be crammed chock full of break and goodies, but over time, more groups vied for the same amount of bread and then sometimes the pickings would be mighty, mighty slim.She always came home upbeat when she'd found some rye bread among the loaves and even happier when she could get an extra rye for her brother, Mr. Doug.  They both love it.  Rye is too expensive for our budget, so she's going to miss it. 

There was no charge, but Jan always tried to remember to drop a dollar or two into the jar to help with the price of gas. It's sad to think of those who depended on the bread truck to help stretch their budget, but we were so fortunate to have had the help for all these years.

Lamar and Charles, you provided a needed service, and we know if it were possible, you'd continue to make the long drive each week, then stand in the rain, or the cold, or the heat and humidity for hours to distribute it.  We don't eat bread, except when Jan tosses us an occasional crust, but we'd like to thank these men for helping Jan and so many others.  We hope God has a special blessing for them.


14 comments:

  1. cameron...we LOVES yur graphic.....N did ya ever see a rembrandt with kittehs...ore pups...ore trout for that matter....NOE.....

    hhhhmmmmpppphhhh

    N guarantee God haza specail blessing for Lamar N Charles

    and itz CATurday !!!

    XOOX

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  2. Beins pay too much attention to which day it IS and not enough attention to the day they are IN...

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  3. What a wonderful post. I love the canvas and think the detail is so special. The wonderful man with the bread will I am sure be recognised.. Hugs GJ x

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  4. I love the graphic too! And mommy's human blog had things she is grateful for yesterday. I love thankful ANY days, don't you guys?

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  5. I was pretty confused before I read your blog!

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  6. Lovely lovely thankful posting!

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  7. That sure is something to be thankful for.

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  8. Your photo canvas design is filled with cheerful colors and images. We really like it!

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  9. You like it! And that haughty stare :-)

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  10. This is just what I needed to read today. It can be so hard to remember God's blessings in our lives when we are struggling so hard to make ends meet each month, but they are always there, and it's important to recognize our blessings.

    Thank you for sharing the wonderful story with us. It really is great that there are kind people out there willing to help each other in times of need.

    Hugs and purrs,
    Carmine, Milita, and Jewel

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  11. That sure is a nice graphic! What a great way to remember God's blessings (and we love that you are all right above the words "God's Blessings").

    We know for sure that Lamar and Charles will be blessed for their service of others. They actually already are, we're sure!

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  12. That is a lovely graphic and one can never be reminded too much to be grateful for what we have, especially the love of our animals. Have a wonderful weekend. (Is it the weekend? After reading this post, I can't remember what day it is either!) Purrs from the Zee/Zoey gang

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  13. That is pretty cool! You have much to be grateful for! I guess it really is just a matter of perspective.

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  14. We are fortunate to have a food shelf in our little "compound". Mommy says they deliver bread twice a week, and the line up has a beautiful view of the courtyard, summer or winter. Mommy doesn't normally get bread much, but she sees a lot of older residents get their bread and it makes her smile. One of the residents picks up the bread from a local grocery store that has it's own bakery. The Salvation Army a few blocks away gets bread, too. Mommy is sorry the food place she used to volunteer at closed, but the other places are trying!

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