Saturday, August 5, 2023
Then Along Came Patty!
Sunday, May 7, 2023
Who's Your [Spiritual] Mama?
Who's Your Spiritual Mama?
And speaking of mentoring and nurturing, recently I have sensed a strong prompting to introduce the generations of upcoming young women to Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) right here on this post. Then I remembered I wrote a blog post about her years ago and I found it! It was March 29, 2014! She has had and continues to have a profound impact on my life through her countless books, her radio show, her podcast, all can be found on the above link.
March 29, 2014
For some reason God has chosen to give me three--yes--three spiritual mothers...so far! All I can think is: "Wow, I must really need a lot of help if God sends me three when my own mother loved me unconditionally and was my greatest cheerleader and loving encourager!"
My experience with my spiritual mothers is they're women who have been faithful followers of Jesus for decades and have hearts filled with rich, life-giving wisdom and humility. They're fierce prayer warriors because they know God is a mountain-moving God and it glorifies Him when they pray. They walk closely with Jesus every day. And there's no fanfare with a true spiritual mother. She doesn't boast or brag about her wisdom and knowledge. She has a gentle and quiet spirit because the Lord has quieted her soul with His love over the years. She has a beautiful, deep relationship with her Savior. She has a sense of humor because she's learned not to take herself too seriously, she dearly loves her own family and the whole wide world of believers! She is full of life, not pride.
She is usually someone you would not expect to be so filled with a huge dose of Holy Spirit power. But when she walks into a room she's radiant with God's presence. See, she's not impressed with worldly things like designer clothes, people pleasing and her own fame. She's really cool because she has Christ confidence and filled with His love and His light. This describes my spiritual mothers.
I was inspired to write about spiritual mothering/mentoring when my hubby showed me a recent story on Elisabeth Elliot in WORLD magazine. Wow. It was very moving for me because it brought back sweet memories of my early years as a Christian.
Other than my mother who joyfully loved me and my four siblings unconditionally, my first spiritual mother was Mrs. Evelyn Green. When I moved from south Florida to Atlanta, GA, I sought her out as a newborn Christian and asked her if we could get together. We had a special bond for 30 years! Whenever Elisabeth Elliot came to Atlanta for a conference as the key speaker, we'd be sure to go hear her share her wisdom and wit! Evelyn called her "Betty." Mrs. Green went to her heavenly home at the age of 102.
and again... in Atlanta.
I learned in my 20's to seek out a godly woman and then ask her to spend time with me. But it's never too late to start, Sisters! At the time of this writing, my spiritual mother, Frances, is 90! She's a firecracker, a tiny package radiant with God's light and enthusiastically fueled by His Holy Spirit. Her prayers blow through the roof because they're motivated by a passionate faith.
We are the Body of Christ. We are the light of the world. If you don't have a spiritual mother, my sisters, pray for one. Invite one into your life. Pray for someone you can mentor! You won't believe the blessings. And God showed me I'm not the only one enriched for spending time with her. Over and over it was obvious she wanted me to come alongside her, too. I had no idea. How glorious is that?
For His Glory,
Polly
- Count your troubles, name them one by one--at the breakfast table, if anybody will listen, or as soon as possible thereafter.
- Worry every day about something. Don't let yourself get out of practice. It won't add a cubit to your stature, but it might burn a few calories.
- Pity yourself. If you do enough of this, nobody else will have to do it for you.
- Devise clever but decent ways to serve God and mammon. After all, a man's gotta live.
- Make it your business to find out what the Joneses are buying this year and where they're going. Try to do them at least one better even if you have to take out another loan to do it.
- Stay away from absolutes. It's what's right for you that matters. Be your own person and don't allow yourself to get hung up on what others expect of you.
- Make sure you get your rights. Never mind other people's. You have your life to live, they have theirs.
- Don't fall into any compassion traps--the sort of situation where people can walk all over you. If you get too involved in other people's troubles, you may neglect your own.
- Don't let Bible reading and prayer get in the way of what's really relevant--things like TV and newspapers. Invisible things are eternal. You want to stick with the visible ones."
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Sharon's Superpower is a Rock
It's no wonder why people ask Sharon Davidson how she's able to keep smiling, when they hear her husband has endured and survived eight heart attacks; his most recent was in 2003, and one of their sons died of a massive heart attack in 2020 at the age of 33.
I just wanted to write about her because I was drawn to her cheerfulness, sense of humor and patience, in the midst of running a very busy six-register self-checkout in our local grocery store. We all know events in 2020 created a culture of unrest that seemed to be magnified especially for shoppers in lines waiting to check out. I discovered there is so much more to her story.
Sharon and her husband are parents of two sons and two daughters and have 10 grandchildren.
She was surprised when I asked her if I could share her story here. "No one has ever asked me that before, but it's ok, I'm willing!" We sat at a table in the popular coffee shop built inside the major grocery store where she works. She shared her heart. If she's not helping a customer at one of the six registers, I'd talk to her when I'm using the self-checkout. I never knew her last name, so I asked her. She said, "Davidson, like the motorcycle!"
When I laughed, she said, "My husband wanted to name our daughter, Harley, and I said, 'NO!'' My husband has a weird sense of humor-- to be an only child--I guess he'd have to be to be married to me 40 years. He's been a gospel singer and played guitar. He has been a jack-of-all-trades. He's retired now."
Sharon is the seventh born of 10 children. Their father worked outside the home and their mother worked as a homemaker. She describes her 90-year-old mother as a "go-getter." When Sharon and her siblings send their mother a card, letter, or gift, they sign their name and their number in the birth line, such as "Sharon #7."
"My mom taught us to help others. I've worked since I was 9 years old, by cutting grass, baby sitting, and doing laundry. I even made cigarette runs and grocery store runs for neighbors. We kids had to come up doing things for ourselves, as you could imagine with 10 of us!" she said.
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Nora's Legacy
Nora Joiner wouldn't let herself be compared to the women on social media who were flashing their perfect bodies and wealthy lifestyles. She had her eyes on the blessings of life that money could not buy: an abundant life overflowing with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. She had such great wealth because she was rich toward God.
Nora was on staff at Woodmont Golf & Country Club as the housekeeper. But she was really so much more than her official title there. Nora was a humble, absolutely selfless woman who consistently went the extra mile to meet someone's need. She didn't just dust and vacuum, she voluntarily would climb to the top of a (too tall) ladder to replace light bulbs, and she would take it upon herself to go and find a ladder. She cleaned up litter, blowing along the sidewalks surrounding the clubhouse, mop and scrub walls, floors, and toilets. I've even seen Nora touch up nicks and spots on walls with a small can of paint she purchased herself at the nearby hardware store.
Without drawing any attention to herself, she quietly "kept house" all over the entire country club area, which included the Woodmont Racquet Club, plus the additional areas of tennis courts, and the two swimming pool areas. I've seen her drive a golf cart across the busy intersection of Gaddis Road and East Cherokee Drive to clean bathrooms and pick up trash around the pool area. Shall I go on? Her work ethic was stellar and consistent -- and way beyond her job description.
Nora Joiner in her "office" where she served people through her work as a housekeeper, an encouraging friend to many, and a prayer warrior.
Anyone
who knew her in our expansive neighborhood will recall her kind and
gentle spirit, servant's heart, and passion for God and prayer. She transformed the storage closet where her cleaning supplies were kept into her personal prayer closet. She had Bible verses posted on the closet walls to remind herself where her strength came from and to know God will keep helping her. She daily prayed for fellow employees who had requested prayer, as well as tennis and golf members who would show up in the dining room for
a quick bite of lunch.
Nora always took time with club members whether they were asking her to pray for them or whether she was inquiring about their families. She was genuinely interested. I'm sure she was unaware of how many people appreciated her and the bright light that shown through her.
And then Nora got a doctor's report from a colonoscopy that she had cancer, so a portion of her colon and appendix had to be removed. When she shared that news with me, I asked her if I could let the "troops" know so they could be praying. She said in her humble manner, "Yes. That would be all right. Thank you."
The troops I'm referring to were the countless number of women who attended one of the year-round sessions of the Woodmont Ladies Bible Study from 2000-2009. There were a bunch of us who have gathered over the years at the studies, whether we met in the clubhouse, the ladies' locker room, private homes, or Cherokee Hall. Nora stopped by as often as she could and often was cleaning where we were meeting. She rarely could stay the whole time because she was just on a short break.
Nora seated 2nd row, 4th from left. Woodmont Ladies Bible Study 2003 Nora seated second from left-- Woodmont Ladies Bible Study 2004
She unknowingly showed me how to be a more Christ-like friend. She was an encouraging cheerleader and a powerful prayer partner over the years. She was a tenderhearted woman who did not seek to impress others, just loved them. She was too humble to worry about what people thought of her.
"A cheerful heart has a continual feast." Proverbs 15:15
💖 Polly
Monday, February 27, 2023
Chasing World Changers Makes Her One
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
She Smiles When She Talks
When I told Diane Oberkrom I wanted to write a story about her and title it, "She Smiles When She Talks," she laughed. I told her, "You really do!"
She smiled broadly and told me, "I think I was just born with a happy disposition. I've always been a smiler," she said. Believe me, no one has to tell her to smile for a photo, she's already there!
Her life has not been an easy journey, but she is trusting God as the power who is higher than her circumstances. Diane is a widow and a single mom. Her son, Augie, who's a 2019 Reinhardt University graduate, attends culinary school while working as a chef at a local restaurant in Canton.
Here's Diane, owner and baker of The Soul Food Market, giddy over the recipe she calls, "Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Cushion." Actually, those are gourmet sandwich cookies.
Diane is so well-grounded that she freely lives a delightfully, whimsical lifestyle. She was raised in the church. Her parents and grandparents are Christians and have lived lives of faithfulness to God. It's all she's known growing up she said. "I have always been easy going and I try to do what is right--but not perfectly of course! But I didn't get mad when my husband died--I certainly didn't expect it to happen. He died in his sleep. Augie was 8 years old at the time and he asked me what actually happened to his dad. I didn't plan to answer him the way I did, it just came out of my mouth. I said to him, 'Jesus came to our house and took Dad with him.' I've just always trusted Jesus."
Diane was a successful corporate banker working in downtown Atlanta, and she kept having dreams night after night of starting her own bakery. She'd awaken in the night and write down recipes for cookies, cakes, and cupcakes. She dreamed of putting Bible verses on business card-size tags and attaching them to each individually wrapped treat. It would be in the same way fortune cookies have a message.
She followed that dream of establishing The Soul Food Market in 2005. It began as an online bakery. Her heart has been not only to delight the palate of her customers, but she's also passionate about nourishing their souls with the Good News of Scripture.
I've seen her smile when she answered the phone for takeout orders and catering gigs. She named her culinary creations like a loving mother gives pet names to her beloved children. When an Elvis impersonator came to the Canton Theater, she provided refreshments in honor of the actor and Elvis, serving grilled peanut butter sandwiches, and banana and bacon sandwiches. Her "Love Me Tender" dessert was a banana cupcake with peanut butter, buttercream frosting and bacon crumbles, and the "Blue Suede Shoes" cupcake had blue butter cream frosting. She also named cupcakes in honor of local city officials. Her chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream icing and a chocolate malted milk ball in the center was named, "Tall, Dark, & Handsome" after the local firemen.
The most famous cupcake was the mini-chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream and a malt ball on top. She named it "Short Dark & Handsome" after then attorney, Tony Baker, now Cherokee County Superior Court Judge. She catered his swearing-in ceremony and baked those as part of the buffet!
Diane's menu grew along with her business in Historic Downtown Canton. Soups, salads and sandwiches with wild, humorous names filled her menus. Over the years she opened and closed two storefronts where she daily served many local business owners, county and city officials, jurors and attorneys from the County Courthouse.
She's shipped boxes of her goodies to all 50 states, and to three countries. "I wanted to be a disciple to all the nations and the salt of the earth, but instead I'm the flour, sugar, and butter, too! She has closed her online bakery, too, and now just whips up clever culinary delicacies for family, close friends, and longtime customers.
Meanwhile this joy-filled lady studied to become a paralegal and works for Bray & Johnson Law Firm in the Historic Downtown Loop. Her smiles radiate there, too!
In January, Diane turned 65 years old. She and a couple of her family members headed to Nevada to begin her birthday celebrations at a Chuck Wagon Cooking School! Yes! The frosty temperature outside was below-zero! That's Diane, living life to the fullest! I begged for photos.
Then off to Minnesota for a family reunion at West Wind Resort, a place her cousin built lakeside to provide a full-service fishing vacation spot, including cabin and fish house rentals. And that's where Diane and her two traveling companions landed next, ice-fishing in a tiny house on an oh-so-frozen lake in Minnesota!