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Not alone
Off the Wall
Dec. 29, 2011
End of the year
messages are always thought provoking because, at least for me.
It's a time to think back of the many blessings I received, in
addition to the stories that got the most attention, as opposed
to the ones I thought would be a hit but didn't cut it.
Right off the top of my head was last week's story. Even though
I tell people I use fictitious names in making reference to someone,
right away they think I am talking about them and that I'm opening
the door to the hen house of confidentiality.
I can understand their feelings, however, a lot of prayer requests
I received from people throughout the United States, Canada and
beyond, do expose similarities. That is the one thing about having
a prayer chain. Tens of thousands of people throughout the world
have common complaints. Very rarely do families display unique
difficulties that could be tagged as only their problems. Thus,
when I state that the Dorks, Suettters and Marlenos are having
trouble with their daughters who are drug dependent, they are
not alone. A matter of fact, I image there are way more families
than the ones I mention. I think it would be good if we pray
for these families stating that others having the same difficulties
be included as well.
I have to laugh. Another story that I thought would fill the
space, but never get so much attention was titled, "Not
for me." In it, I told people that I had switched from putting
a powder in my coffee to now consuming "the dark brown drink"
straight. Wow, did I get the emails - all positive may I add.
I can't but smile when I think of a correspondent who remarked,
"Welcome aboard!" Since I started with a well-known
brand, I have decided to try others. A couple of weeks ago, I
had to kill about 15 minutes, so I strolled into the Latrobe
Art Center knowing it serves coffee there. I had not had my daily
cup, so this was my chance to try another brew. To make a long
story shorter, I fell in love with the brand I was savoring and
had to buy a bag of it and drink it at home instead of the other.
A number of things I took pleasure in were receiving emails that
stated, "Thanks for giving me a laugh," or, "Hey
Pee Vee, you made me think," or "Wow, that was a perfect
message for this Christmas season." I have to make this
perfectly clear. When I get such great comments as these, that's
not me writing the stories, but the Holy Spirit through me.
I'm sure there were columns with which you could identify. I
know incidents that deeply touched me that I recalled. It was
called, "Hey lady" and it was about a young child approaching
a woman in the library and asking if she lived above or below
the tracks. When the woman answered, "Above the tracks,"
the little girl was very disheartened and walked away with a
hung chin. This association of division between the classes has
been around for a long time, I know because I studied all about
it when I was in college back in the mid-60's. In as much as
we no longer have the tracks running parallel to Lincoln Ave.
will that association change, at least here in Latrobe? Of course,
there will be parents who will teach prejudices to their children,
and that grates me.
Another touching story appeared in last week's column as well
- the wonderful faith of Betty Bestolli. I became acquainted
with Anthony just previous to writing this story. Here again,
I feel it was the workings of the Holy Spirit. He told me his
wife's story. Not only did he tell me how much he misses his
wife, but how his faith has continued to grow.
And even though what I have to tell you has not reached an Off
the Wall tidbit, I have to say how blessed I was as a result
of talking to one middle-aged woman in a doctor's office two
weeks ago. Nancy had told me how severely pain stricken she was
as a result of fibromyalgia, not only in one part of her body,
but throughout her whole person.
The Indiana County resident told me her mother kept insisting
that she pray to God for help. In the midst of her agony, she
did just that and said, with a smile on her face, "He did
help me relieve some of my pain. I know so without a doubt."
But when all is said and done, there were so many people from
whom I received blessings that they are too numerous to mention.
I do want to thank Gary Siegel and the editorial staff of
The Latrobe Bulletin for giving me this opportunity to share
my thoughts in both my Off the Wall and Inside the
Outdoors columns. I never would have been able to write my
book, Off the Wall Favorites, had it not been for having
these privileges.
Second, I want to thank the people at Veteran's Cab Company for
their fine transportation, something maybe too many people take
for granted, and third, and most important, God, who through
the Holy Spirit, has given me life's direction all 68 years.
Paul J. Volkmann
Written: December 17, 2011
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