A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....10-28-02

dansangel and Billie

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest.....
......Every Day

FR is a Treasure Trove of talented, compassionate, patriotic, wonderful people who gather every day to discuss the latest news and issues;  salute
and support our military and our leaders;  tell a few jokes;  learn a new
word;  write poetry;  pray for those in need;  and congratulate those who
are deserving. Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us the vehicle in which
we can express ourselves.

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.  I
can remember lurking when there were only a few regulars who posted, and now there are over 60,000 who have registered for posting privileges. The forum is read daily by tens of thousands
of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest November 11, 2001

So many people have written me since my original Veteran's Day Tribute, asking how they, or a loved one, could be included in that tribute. Since I can no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I've been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that doesn't seem to be enough. I think there's never been a better nor more appropriate time to keep the faces of our own Veterans and Active Military in front of FReepers--every day! That's why I wanted to do yet another Daily Thread .....ABOUT FReepers .....and FOR FReepers. But not only about our Military FReepers; for all FReepers! Wouldn't it be nice to get to know a few of the other FReepers as well? That's why, in addition to seeing FR's Finest Military Personnel every day, I thought it might be fun to feature a different FReeper (or FReepers) each day. If you would like to be pictured, or know someone who would, please FReepmail me and we'll turn the spotlight - on YOU - for the day!

And do let me know if you'd like your picture added to the groups of Veterans/Active Military below. I will keep this page updated, and continue to add them to the comment section of the original Veteran's Day thread as well.

TOP: Logos, SwedeGirl's hubby, Neil E Wright, FallGuy, 1John, Sneakypete
MIDDLE:  T'wit, COB1, LadyX, Dick Bachert, 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub
BOTTOM:  YankeeinSC, Delta21, JoeSixPack1

TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet

MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga

BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette

MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid

BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP

MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian

BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, TheMayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68

MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797
BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack

                     

Salvation Freeper since December 19, 2000

Salvation was born and raised in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. She attended elementary, high school and two years of college there. After earning her Associate's Degree in Education, she taught second and third grades in Dix, NE. A few years later, she wound up moving to California, near Anaheim, and it was there that she met her husband-to-be on a blind date. They were married a year and a half later and moved to the Bay area.

During the next few years, Salvation's husband Dave worked first as an auditor for the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and then as Controller for what was then called Central California Federal Savings and Loan in the main office in Auburn, CA. Also during this time, Salvation had given birth to three girls and a boy. While Controller for Central California Federal, Dave had the pleasure of meeting Ronald Reagan during a trail ride on horseback sponsored by his employer.

Ronald Reagan, lovingly rendered by our own Billie (c)2001.

Desiring a change, Salvation and her husband flew to Salem, OR to look at a child care center that was for sale. They decided to purchase the child care center, licensed for 50 children with a staff of five adults and two teacher aides, usually high schoolers. Two years after moving there, their youngest son was born. Salvation's husband Dave worked for the State of Oregon as a fiscal analyst for the Child and Protective Services. He also handled all the bookkeeping for their daycare center.

What appeared on the surface as a life of bliss as parents and business-owners, in reality caused stress leading to the request for a divorce by Dave. Salvation signed them both up for a Marriage Encounter weekend without Dave's knowledge. He consented to go, however, when the weekend was finally scheduled. It turned their marriage around. Subsequently, they went for training to be a presenting team couple for Marriage Encounter weekends - as if they didn't already have enough on their plates! They did that for about five years, and also presented several Family Weekend Experiences for families in the Salem area.

Their children were active in Little League; Dave served as League president and umpired games for the region. In high school, their daughters were involved in Spanish Club, dance team and soccer. The boys went out for football and wrestling. During this time Dave was also the campaign treasurer for several Republican candidates in local elections. Salvation says she was "still too busy to get into the politics of it all, however."

Then, in 1985, as Salvation puts it, "the big bomb hit. It may as well have been a bomb, because I was devastated. We found out that my husband had lung cancer in April and he died the last week of August of that year. I am thankful that the Lord gave me those four months, don't get me wrong."

It was a year later that Salvation attended her first Beginning Experience weekend. She returned a year after that for another weekend and relates that her life has never been the same. It was as though God was preparing her for her next painful experiences. Over the next 6 years she experienced four more deaths in her immediate family. Drawing on her strength and her deep faith in God, she became an active member in her Catholic parish (Disciples in Mission) and during Lent she is on the Pastoral Council.

This all leads up to Salvation joining Free Republic. She credits her late husband with her Republican "conversion." She was brought up in a Democratic family who believed in government subsidies for farmers. Dave helped her to see that the subsidies, by and large, did not really help the farmers at all, while taxing all of the other citizens of the nation.

Salvation's actual Free Republic membership began by lurking during the hearings after the presidential election and the subsequent Democratic election fraud fiasco in Florida. She ended up tiring of being a lurker and signed up. She is pro-life and anti-government-takeover of privately-owned land. As a former business-owner (she no longer owns the daycare center, having sold it in 1991), Salvation feels that when a person's income depends on the land they own (such as in the farmlands surround the Klamath Basin in Southern Oregon), "it is vital that we all stand up and speak out."

Salvation is proud to be a Roman Catholic and contributes to threads in the religion forum on a regular basis. She also posts the "Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings" on FR each day and the "Sunday Mass Readings" on Sunday. She also tries to post the "Radio Address by the President to the Nation" each Saturday morning but is not always so successful in getting it posted. She says that is due to her "laziness," but with all of her accomplishments and raising 5 children to boot, it is very difficult to believe the word "lazy" even exists in her vocabulary.

Salvation's five children are all grown and live in Chicago, Phoenix, Cornelius, OR, Salem, OR and her youngest son is a student at Portland State. Salvation also has "three and almost four" grandchildren. Two grandsons are in Phoenix and a granddaughter is in Cornelius. Salvation feels it is important that "I also try to enjoy the each day as the Lord gives it to me. Smell the flowers, gaze at the sunset."

Finally, Salvation cites the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi as her favorite:

~Prayer of St. Francis~

Lord, make me and instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are both to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi.

Please join me in giving another deserving FReeper a warm welcome to FR's Finest...

Today that Finest is
Salvation!

THIS WEEK'S THREADS

10-26, 27-02 "A Few Of FR's Finest" Weekend Thread

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

     1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
     2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
     3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
     4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
     5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[Okies love Dubya 2]

Salvation, I don't think this is bragging at all! You bring a lot of joy and spiritual guidance to the Catholic Caucus and you sound like one fine soldier for Christ! I am very fond of the Prayer of St. Francis...it was sung at my grandmother's funeral almost 10 years ago and I hum and sing it to my baby son as I rock him (I did the same with my daughter 4 years ago). It sums up perfectly how we should all strive to live while we are here on Earth.

Catholic Caucus, pro-life, NFP bump!

Christie
Mommy to two little darlings, ages 4 and 7.5 weeks

[Salvation]

Thanks, Okies. Yes I stand and fight for those issues. Consider getting voting guides from Right to Life or Family Life and sticking them on all the cars at your church next week.

[Aquamarine]

I tried to post this inspirational this morning, had typed it all up then when I hit post the whole screen froze and I had to reboot and lost it...but anyway the trials in your life made me thimk of this poem that I saved during a difficult time in my life that helped me cope at the time.

Our Father tests us often
With suffering and sorrow-
He tests us not to punish us,
But to help us meet tomorrow-
For growing trees are strengthened
When they withstand the storm,
And the sharp cut of the chisel
Gives the marble grace and form-
God never hurts us needlessly
And He never wastes our pain,
For every loss He sends to us
Is followed by rich gain.

Helen Steiner Rice

[Gophack]

What a wonderful life story! You are an inspiration to the next generation, and I feel blessed to "know" you through FR!

BTW, I was born and raised in San Carlos in the BayArea ... small world!

[nickcarraway]

Congratualtions! You deserve it. Thanks for the Daily Mass Readings and all the other contributions.

[Irisshlass]

Congratulations Salvation :) Not only a special day for you...but me too...one my wedding anniversary hehe and second...feast day of Saint Jude and Simon :)

[madfly]

Congratulations Salvation! I always appreciate you posts. Glad to know you better thanks to this FR feature. God Bless You.

madfly

[Askel5]

Give my thanks to the bird ... congratulations, Salvation.

Thanks again for your diligence and good spirit.

[catherine of alexandria]

Salut!

Absolutely one of the finest :) Always keeping the Catholic Caucus up to speed :)

[Billie]

Thanks, Lori - after seeing angel's thread, I sent it to her to post first - the colors seemed to go so well with her thread. :)

Feel free to use it - I've used some of yours, you know!

Am sorry I didn't get to participate in the weekend thread. It's so hard to be patient with the way FR has been crawling the last week.

[Aquamarine]

Click on the pic

Painting by Jim Gray

[Billie]

Thank you for telling us about RayBob's wife, Salvation. I have not seen him on a thread in a while (know we probably frequent different sites). Prayers for you and yours, RayBob.

Tea, I'm glad you're home; thank you for the update on your mom's Memorial Service. It sounds like it was everything you all wanted it to be. Rest, now!

[fatima]

You are an inspiration to all of us Salvation,I always look foward to your pings,with love,fatima

[lodwick]

Very nice to see ya here tonight. Thank you for dropping in - and don't be a stranger. God Bless you and your family.

G*d make the internet move faster. Thank you. Amen

[lodwick]

Great to see lots of Salvation's freeper friends dropping by to say Hi to her today. God bless and keep you all.

[lodwick]

A very great evening is wished for you both. ;-)

[Pippin]

Just like the southern parts of Germany were most of my ancestors are from, mostly Bavaria and Rhineland Palitinate.

[Pippin]

Thanks for the link, Salvation!

[ST.LOUIE1]

Hey! I'm a full-fledged freeper now!
I was at the patriot's rally in DC Saturday. I met Kristin, Angelwood, Fred Mertz;KLT among others!

Wonderful!!!!! I'm proud of you, Pipster!

ATTAGIRL!! : )

[Pippin]

Hi, Louie! :^)

I was writing my report on Saturday. It looks like it will be tomorrow before I get to post it. It's kinda long. But there's so much to tell!