Welcome, glad you are here,

Today, I chose to go back to the beginning of my writing and the introduction in my first book, Inspire Me.  For those of you who have read the introduction, I will explain why I began my search for a poem for my sister’s birthday with Helen Steiner Rice’s work. For those of you who haven’t read it, I hope this will inspire you to. It is significant in this part of my journey. I  still believe you will benefit from this story if you don’t read it.

Before my husband retired from the US Navy, the Lord allowed me the opportunity to train as a Physical Therapy Technician. Through that training, I was exposed to the benefits of massage therapy. Eventually, I submitted to God’s will for my life and became a Master Massage Therapist. I should write about this part of resisting God’s will in my walk at another time. But for now, I will get back on my inspiration from Helen Steiner Rice and the gift that keeps on giving.

While working as a PT technician and massage therapist, my massage services were growing rapidly.  Our clinic consisted of Physical and Occupational therapists, and an Exercise Physiologist. I was the only one serving Physician and self-referred clients, and the other therapist referred clients to me as well.

Our Occupational therapist had a patient with a severe injury to his hand during cancer treatment. The patient’s name was Bill, and his wife was Gertrude. One day, while treating Bill, Gertrude explained that she needed help with a torn rotator cuff she had incurred during a fall. Her doctor recommended surgery, which was not an option for her due to her husband’s declining health. Our OT recommended that she schedule a massage appointment with me.

At first, she was a bit skeptical. Afterall, how could massage help a torn rotator cuff, right? With his encouragement and it being the best option she had, she made her massage appointment with me.

There was a much greater purpose in our meeting than therapist and client. Therapists are trained to disallow clients from becoming friends. Although I understand the reasoning behind this rule, I also know that God has better plans than our many rules.

Gertrude was in her mid-eighties and I in early-forties. She stood tall and stout of German decent. She was a well-dressed, educated woman who had overcome many difficult times throughout her life.

Her first husband was abusive, and she, with her two young sons, had fled for their lives after she raised a hog and traded it for an old beat-up truck that ran. She said with strong resolution, “My boys and I threw one suitcase each in the back of that ole truck, and I drove away and never looked back”! Her family members assisted with the boys while she worked hard to make a new life for herself and them.

She had stayed single all those years and had only been married to Bill about a year when they found his cancer. Thus, the trips to our clinic.

Gertrude and Bill were a storybook couple. “He treats me like a queen,” she stated with a soft, tenderhearted look.

As the story unfolded, Bill had been married to one woman previously. Her name was Virginia. They had a daughter named Carol. Carol met and married Gertrude’s youngest son, Jerry. I know this sounds complicated, but please bear with me. Hopefully, you will eventually see the importance of these relationships.

Fortunately when Jerry and Carol married, Gertrude and Virginia became best friends. After many years of this close relationship growing closer, Virginia got cancer. On her deathbed, she explained to Carol and Jerry that Bill would need to marry again. And then she said it…”Wouldn’t it be wonderful if he married someone like Gertrude”? Wonderful happened, and Bill married Virginia’s best friend, and Jerry’s mother, Gertrude. Therefore, Carol’s mother-in-law also became her stepmother. How’s that for a close family?

Our massage sessions were successful in Gertrude’s full healing. After about six to eight sessions, she had no more pain with a full range of motion. This time together was long enough for us to develop closeness, including activities outside of the therapist/client environment, her stories unfolding just in time for Bill’s passing. Gertrude said that although it seemed cut short, her year as Bill’s wife was the best year of her life. Gertrude continued to come for massages every week like clockwork.

Meanwhile, Gertrude bought a gift certificate for Carol to receive a massage. Wow! Our meeting was like an extension of friend/family-like relationships. Jerry and my husband became good friends, and we included Jerry and Carol in all of our family events. I cherish those God given years with them.

I can imagine by now you are wondering how this could have anything to do with the gift that keeps on giving. This is where it gets clearer.

After Bill’s passing, Gertrude got homesick for Iowa. She still had a home, farming acreage, two granddaughters from her oldest son, and some lifelong friends (most widows) still living there in Grundy Center. She made the very difficult decision to return for her last years. I missed her terribly but was so thankful that she was able to live out her wishes.

Gertrude left some cherished items with Carol and Jerry. One was a gift that Bill and Virginia had given her many years prior. Yes, this cherished gift was a book of Helen Steiner Rice’s poetry. The title was “Somebody Loves You”. The inscription inside in Virginia’s handwriting read, “Dear Gertrude, The somebody that loves you is us! You really are a beautiful person. We’re so happy you’re a part of our family. God bless and keep you. Much love, Bill and Virginia.”

Knowing the love between Gertrude and me, Carol chose to gift that book to me. Gertrude was well pleased with that decision and I was deeply honored. Although I had not had a fondness for most poetry, and Helen was a little older than my parents, I fell in love with her “giftedness”. She wrote some of the most inspirational poetry of her time. I discovered she was acclaimed as America’s poet laureate of inspirational verse. Coupled with her deep Christian faith and her giftedness, she published numerous books of poetry, of which I proceeded to seek and collect. As I read about Helen’s life, I discovered she, too, had a storybook marriage that ended in tragedy. Her love for the Lord and the gift He gave her was her saving grace.

Now for the Gift That Keeps on Giving. Virginia gave the book to Gertrude. Gertrude gave the book to Carol and Carol gave the book to me. Through Helen’s inspiring words, I had the desire to find one of her poems for my sister, Karen. I had read that Helen had a sister, but after a long, determined search, I could not find a poem that she had written for her sister. God used these relationships, my giftedness as a massage therapist, the gift certificate, and the gift of a book to inspire me to write a custom poem for my sister. As I explained in my introduction, “inspiration was turned on, thus this collection of poems”. It isn’t hard to see why I titled my book “Inspire Me”.

Now, I am here writing about these gifts and the subsequent two books of poetry that I have published, with the first poem being a gift that was inspired by a gift. These books led to my blogging, and my blogging has thus far reached people in my country, Ireland, South Africa, Portugal, Canada, China, Pakistan, Sweden, Netherlands, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Mexico, and Turkiye.

Could I have ever coordinated all of this? Of course not! Only the Lord God Himself can do such as this. I will be grateful to Him forever, and I am grateful for each of you. I do love hearing from you through your comments or my connect page. And meanwhile, I do hope you feel led to give one of my books as a gift that will keep on giving. You never know where the Lord will take it and how He will use it. You can find them on my books page. They are available on Amazon and from online booksellers worldwide.

I hope this helps you see more clearly how much God values our friends, family, and loving, gift-giving relationships. He is our provider in all things good, and His timing and purpose are always perfect.

To Him be the glory and honor forever,

Reba

P.S. My mother-in-law passed on Christmas Eve 2010. Carol sang beautifully at her funeral. The following year July 2011, Jerry passed, and the day before Christmas Eve, Carol passed also. Gertrude outlived them all. Ten years after Gertrude had moved to Iowa, I made my plans and set the date for me to travel to Iowa to see her. She passed in the night a few days before my trip. What a shock and disappointment! I could not understand! But what a glorious day when we are all gathered together with Jesus, our Lord and Savior, for all eternity. And as for those of you that have made Jesus your Lord and Savior, we will meet each other and together praise Him for the Gift That Keeps On Giving. His Son, the “Gift” that I love writing about the most. He’s the reason I am living. I pray you will choose Him also.