“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” -Douglas MacArthur The Forgotten War involved 5.7 million veterans who dubbed themselves, The Frozen Chosen. Even today, Korean War vets suffer from disabilities related to exposure to the cold, such […]
Category Archives: Cleo Thoughts
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“I have often thought of the American Soldiers from the 326th Communication Reconnaissance Company who took care of us at the Manassas Manor Orphanage. I wanted to express my gratefulness.” -Eddie Cho, Korean orphan Photo courtesy of The Washington Times Difficulties in childhood prepared the men sent to Korea in 1950 for hardships. Born […]
In the history book from which I taught, January 1, 1863 was acknowledged as the day of the Emancipation Proclamation which finally freed the slaves. President Abraham Lincoln signed it into the law of the land and the church bells pealed out the news. From my perspective, it was a done deal, and the freedom […]
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Aug
Jodie handed me the hard cover book with the original faded paper jacket still on it. “You need to read this.” Then the eighty-year old, a former school teacher from Utah, proceeded to tag clothes at the thrift shop where we both volunteered on Mondays. I took the book home and placed it on the […]
Jianna walked into our church, then into our hearts and consciousness one Sunday morning in September, 2013. She heard the singing and decided to slip into the back pew. Our pastor, Phil Leo, seldom prays for countries or political issues, but that day, he prayed for Syria. Jianna’s country from which she escaped and received […]
“When life gives you scraps, Make quilts” -anonymous My mother’s diary is filled with entries describing the latest finished quilt square that she hand-stitched in cabin camps, tents and a tiny wooden trailer while moving from job to job with my father during the 1930’s Dust Bowl. As a young child, I lived with my […]
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The gift shop shelves heaved with books covered by grainy photos of children huddled around coal driven steam engines. Dressed in turn of the century clothes, some ragamuffins carried grief like luggage, but others appeared wide-eyed with adventure. “Orphan trains,” my brother explained. “Those children were adopted here in the St. Cloud, Minnesota area. They […]
“When a child of the streets stands before you in rags, with a tear-stained face, you cannot easily forget him. And yet, you are perplexed what to do. The human soul is difficult to interfere with. You hesitate how far you should go.” -Charles Loring Brace Ever felt invisible? The waifs on the streets […]
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“Being a quilter in the business of giving away quilts means that you give away some quilts that you really, really love and would like to keep yourself.” -Lori M, Quilts of Compassion Long arm quilter Lori M and Quilts of Compassion A nation watched as North Carolina braced for massive Hurricane Florence to swell […]
Who grows up wanting to be a soil surveyor? What is a soil surveyor, anyway? Hugh Bennett, that’s who. A man who classifies soil types and decides the vegetation and land use patterns for certain areas of land. The exact person needed during the 1930’s in the Great Plains as topsoil blew away by the […]