Great-grandma and Lucy, the model
We’ve been having a great time with my parents who came to visit a few days ago. They are quite taken with their new great-granddaughter. Lucy has already had her first paying job, at one month of age. She happened to be in a local baby store when TV crews showed up to film the owner, Mr. Heller, who is a Holocaust survivor. Lucy was given several outfits to model Heller’s clothing for the show. For those of you in the Bay Area, she’ll be on View of the Bay in a few weeks.
Dear Taryn ~
When I read in the back of your book that I could communicate with you via your blog, I had no idea that I would open it up and find a picture of my dear "Forever Friend" and her great-granddaughter! What a delightful surprise for me! I feel so connected to all that is happening in her life as well as yours.
Thank you so much for the autographed gift of your first publication, We Wait You…..and I had to wait for exactly the right time to curl up on my loveseat and start reading it! Once I began, I could hardly put it down as your style of writiing and the material within the book kept me glued to the pages. You are indeed a "chip off the old block" as you display the Patton talents of your dear mother. As young girls we would spend our summer aftenoons on the lawn between our homes and she would read me the stories she had written while I enjoyed her artful illustrations.
You came to mind while I was listening to the sermon given by our Pastor Dawn at Christ By The Sea United Methodist Church recently. Pastor Dawn was talking to us about being ambassadors, not for the United States of America, but for The Kingdom of God. Well, there is no doubt that you were Ambassador Taryn for His kingdom during those 10 years that you spent in Eastern Europe. I read with amazement your harrowing experiences and reveled at your ability to learn the languages necessary for communication. What a talented, devoted young woman you are and I am so very proud of what you have accomplished thus far in your young life! You have lived through an experience that few of us could ever imagine being a part of and while serving your Lord and Saviour, have enriched your own life immensely. I strongly feel that when we put our heart and soul into serving or giving that we always receive much more in return. How wonderfull that Steve could make the trip back to your home in October of 2005. I know it must have been very important to share those years of your life with him, bonding you even closer to each other. How wonderful that God brought the two of you together!
I loved the way you started out each chapter with a verse from the Bible, setting the tone for its contents. You took your real life experiences and wrote them in a style that one would think was fiction, a real page turner! I also liked the questions for reflection or discussion at the end of each chapter. Your communication with God and the "small grain of mustard seed" faith truly led you through some excruciating situations. As Pastor Dawn said on Sunday, we should come to the altar for communion leaving all of our fear and doubts there and walking away to live our life to the fullest. I think you did that during your 10 years in Eastern Europe and are living that life now with Steve. I applaude you, Taryn, and I am very proud of the lovely young woman that my dear friends, Wes and Patti, have raised. They must have been doing something right for you to turn out this way! I know that wherever your path leads you, you will continue to serve God and that He will bless you and make you a blessing to others.
Thanks again for sharing your experiences with me. I plan to pass this book on to Pastor Dawn as well as several of my close friends, so it won’t end here in my home even though it will stay in my heart for a long time. Your Mother’s Forever Friend and Your Friend In Christ ~ Love & Hugs ~ Elaine