2013 JOURNEY TO CHRISTMAS : THE SECRET OF THE BIRCH ANGEL

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

2013 JOURNEY TO CHRISTMAS

THE SECRET OF THE BIRCH ANGEL

Rebecca  Thesman is an author and certified life coach.  She leads an online facebook group:  "Sometimes They Forget:  Alzheimer's/Dementia Support Group." 

It's been my great pleasure to share meals with Rebecca at  HACWN (Heart of America Christian Writers' Network) conferences and seminars.    

Our conversation is always great.  We share something even more than meals, and our love of writing:  both of us have had loved ones with Alzheimer's. 

Uncle Keith & Nannie;Mother (Natalie) and Father (Jewell) Copyright 1947 Marcia Norwood

My precious, Aunt Ann (Nannie) had Alzheimer's.  Uncle Keith lovingly cared for Nannie at home until it threatened his own health.  Nannie then lived at a wonderful place designed after Dr. Thomas' Eden Alternative.  Still, Uncle Keith spent everyday - all day with Nannie.  He brought her clothes home to wash and iron - even though the service was provided with her care.  Nannie and Keith's love story is an inspiration.

The Eden Alternative

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://www.edenalt.org/

Do you have a loved one with Alzheimers?

Are you a caregiver for someone with dementia?

Let me introduce you to Rebecca.  Her contact information is below. 

Here's her Christmas story, "The Secret of the Birch Angel."

   

Copyright 2013  RJ Thesman

The Secret of the Birch Angel

By Rebecca Thesman

      Just like Reverend G, I collect angels. Each of my angels has a story connected to it. This time of year, I am especially attached to my angels and their stories.

      One of my favorites is the New Mexico angel made from birch bark. I love the texture and serene pose of this angel, and she fits perfectly on my mantel over the stone fireplace. During December, she is surrounded by evergreens and tiny pearl lights.

      In fact, this angel stays on the mantel all year.   

     Why? 

     Because she represents more than just an object of the season. Her back story involves my mother.

      Ten years ago, I started a new job, so I missed the family vacation in New Mexico. Mom felt sorry for me but she wanted me to  hold a special memory of the mountains that year. So she bought the birch angel and gingerly carried it home in her lap. 

     That Christmas, when she gave me the angel, she talked about how much the family missed me on the annual vacation.

      Her gift reminded me that a mother loves her children and thinks about them when they are present or far away. 

     Especially now, when Mom no longer buys Christmas gifts and no longer goes on the family vacation - now that Alzheimer's determines what Mom can and cannot do - that birch angel reminds me that mother love thrives especially at Christmas - when the gifts of the past become the treasures of the present.

Blessings!

RJ Thesman

 Website: http://www.rjthesman.net
Facebook Author Page: http:www.facebook.com/RJThesman?fref=ts
Twitter: http://@rjthesman
LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/12rvi7s
Facebook Group: http://on.fb.me/15XgKN4

  
RJ Thesman has been a writer since she flipped open her Red Chief  tablet and scribbled her first story. Eventually, she had to stop writing and go to school where she earned an education degree and taught at various levels. Thesman is a Biblical counselor and a Stephen Minister. She has worked in a variety of nonprofits and has served as campus minister to international students. With a variety of communications skills, Thesman is always writing and building more publishing credits. She teaches writing workshops and enjoys helping beginning writers birth their words. Thesman is the mother of an adult son and enjoys reading, gardening and cooking – especially anything with blueberries.

"The question may be Why but the answer is Who." - The Unraveling of Reverend G

When Reverend G hears the devastating diagnosis - dementia with the possibility of early-onset Alzheimer's - she struggles with the pain of forgetting those she loves and the fear of losing her connection with God. With the help of her friends at the assisted living facility: Bert, a farmer from Oklahoma, Roxie, the stressed-out activities director and Gabriel, a cat with the gift of forecasting death, she soon discovers there's humor to be found in forgetting part of the Lord's Prayer, finding her iron in the freezer and losing a half-gallon of ice cream. And she discovers that while the question she wants to ask is, 'Why,' the answer really is, 'Who.'

http://www.crossrivermedia.com/Reverend-G.html
 

HACWN's  goal is to equip and encourage writers,  no matter where they are on their  writing journey.

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

 http://hacwn.org/HACWN/Welcome.html

Thanks 

for stopping by!

Come back often, 

and invite a friend!

Marcia Norwood

America's STORYTELLER

Telling Untold Stories in Photographs,      Prose and Public Speaking

Blogs at:  http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/