FReeper Canteen ~ Sunday Chapel ~ THE WOMAN WITH THE ROSE ~ 05 February 2012

Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | The Canteen Crew

[Kathy in Alaska]

 

 

 

 

THE WOMAN WITH THE ROSE

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City.

He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II. During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding.

Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting - 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. "You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel."

So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen. I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:

A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. "Going my way, sailor?" she murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl.

A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat.. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful. I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. "I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?"

The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"

It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. "Tell me whom you love," Houssaye wrote, "And I will tell you who you are.

 

[HopeandGlory]

Good morning Troops, Veterans and Canteeners.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Our Flag Flying Proudly One Nation Under God

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lord, Please Bless Our Troops, They're fighting for our Freedom.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

God Bless Our Republic

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation UNDER GOD,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

Prayers going up

[Kathy in Alaska]

Please join us for Sunday Chapel ~ THE WOMAN WITH THE ROSE, and Liberty

Please stop in and say a prayer of protection for the military.
Prayers from all denominations are needed.

           


Sunday Liberty starts after the Guest Military Chaplain's Service!

[ConorMacNessa]

Good evening, Kathy!

*HUGS*

Thanks very much for tonight's Sunday Chapel thread, and a Blessed Lord's Day to you!



Etiam non princeps sed usque ad genua, Principis Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[left that other site]

Hi Kathy! Great Story Tonight.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

Good Lord's Day and Shavua Tov to you!

[HiJinx]

Boy, does that story watm the heart...!
That kind of romance is hard to imagine nowadays, what with social media and instant world-wide communication...

[Kathy in Alaska]

A Blessed Lord's Day to you and yours, Nana Hope, and thanks for today's Pledge. Thanks, AfghanMan and Penguin Girl, for your service to America.

How are your grapes doing?

[HopeandGlory]

Hello Kathy . . . I’m waiting for them to bud out, no signs of green yet . . . SMILE!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mac...*HUGS*

How are you feeling after your latest poking and prodding and testing? Are you able to sing in the choir?

A Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Shavua Tov.
Wishing all our Jewish troops, veterans, families, allies, friends, and Canteeners
a peaceful and prosperous week.

[oldteen]

Good evening, Kathy! *hugs*

A most wonderful Lord's Day to you and the folks!

Such a beautiful, heartwarming story that is!

[Kathy in Alaska]

A Blessed Lord’s Day and Shavua Tov to you and Linda. ((HUGS))

Did you have good lessons today?

[oldteen]

Good evening, Hope. *hugs*

Great graphic...have a Blessed Sunday!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Prayers for our troops, veterans, families, allies, friends, and Canteeners
for a safe and peaceful week ahead.

[left that other site]

Yes...getting ready for spring recitals!

[oldteen]

Good evening, Sir Conor! *hugs*

A Blessed Lord's Day to you and yours!

[oldteen]

Evenin' ML! *hugs*

A Sunday of Blessings to you, my friend!

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Making Music
February 5, 2012

On a lovely summer evening, a capacity crowd gathered in a beautiful outdoor venue for a concert by one of my college friends. It happened to be his birthday, so the emcee hinted that we might want to sing “Happy Birthday” to him. One by one, people started singing, each in a different key, each at a different tempo. As the jumble of notes and words joined together, the result was, well, less than harmonic. It wasn’t even melodious. It was in fact downright pitiful. When my friend took the stage, he gave us another chance. He didn’t give us the pitch, but he did give us a downbeat, so at least we were singing together. By the end of the song most people were somewhat close to the same key.

The noise that was supposed to be a song reminded me of a problem in a first-century church. They couldn’t agree on their leader. Some followed Paul; others Apollos (1 Cor. 3:4). The result was conflict and division (v.3). Instead of music, they were making noise. When people don’t agree on a leader, they all “sing” (I’m speaking metaphorically here) at the pace and pitch most comfortable for them.

To make beautiful music that will attract unbelievers to Jesus, all believers must follow the same leader, and that leader must be Christ.

Lord, give us wisdom. We know it’s good to follow
the example of our godly leaders, but help us not to
think so highly of them that we worship them
instead of You. Amen.

Keeping in tune with Christ keeps harmony in the church.

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:1-17

Be filled with the Spirit, . . . singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. —Ephesians 5:18-19

Bible in a year:
Numbers 1-3

[left that other site]

(((HUGS)))