A Clown Ministry

Seal the Clown (see photo) was one of Jeff's favorite people, and he met him often at picnics and parties and places where people with special needs were gathered. "Seal!" he'd shout with a grin. "Seal, Mom! Seal!" Even when Jeff had gone to be with the Lord, I would meet Seal quietly continuing his ministry around the villages. He was so loved that there is a framed portrait of him on our Brockport hospital wall. I can imagine Jeff welcoming him with the same joyous shout when the Lord called Seal Home last year!! ~~~ There's a second kind of Clown Ministry alive in the churches. It's mostly a mime presentation, which stresses loving others, especially someone who hurts you, forgiving, remembering what Christ has gone through for us. Often a story Jesus told to make a point is acted out. The ones I have seen have made me laugh hard, and brought me to tears. On Saturday our Lutheran Women will enjoy such a presentation at our Spring Assembly. The pastor (whose wife was a student at Fredonia SUNY when we lived in Dunkirk, and babysat for us - small world! -) will bless us with his Clown Ministry. I think maybe Jeff will be watching.

Couldn't Put It Down!

 
Received a wonderful phone call this morning before I was even dressed. One of the women in our congregation had read the copy of "Journey With Jeff" she picked up at the Kendall Town Hall Library. "I couldn't put it down!" she said. "I had no idea all that you went through! Just wanted you to know that I thoroughly enjoyed your book!" She surely made MY day! ~~~ Every month or so I check with the two bookstores here in Brockport, and find they have sold another couple of copies of "Journey With Jeff". The above photo is of "Journey" on the Local Author shelf at Liftbridge Book Store. Time to reorder!! Yea!! There's a Lutheran Women's Spring Assembly this weekend, and one of our Nursing Homes has asked me to share some stories during their month-long Mother's Day celebration! ~~~ If you'd like to order a copy, go to Amazon.com or Borders.com, and type in "Journey With Jeff." If you've read it, and like it, please consider adding YOUR Review of it! This peeks the interest of others who come to the website. Thank you so much!

Spring Has Sprung!!

It's a real joy to step out of the door these days! The sun is shining, and the daffodils are laughing! People are buying "Journey With Jeff" at our local Liftbridge Book Store (the owner told me, "You're our Best Seller!," Yahoo!) and asked me to bring in five more copies!!! YES! I have yet to hear from the Alpha & Omega store half an hour away in Greece (nearer to Jen, Jim, Theo, and Roxy)which may or may not be taking books on consignment right now. But, Salvation Station, our newest book store in Brockport has sold four of the five I first brought in, and asked me to bring in a couple more. Soooooo!!!!! I praise God that Jeff's story is in nine states (PA, CT, NC, FL, AL, TX, CO, IL) including a women's prison in OH, in six libraries in the Rochester area, and in 3 libraries around NY state!! The Lord has blessed more than we could ask or even think! HAPPY SPRINGTIME!!

Getting To Know You ~~ Better

At our Brockport Library yeserday, I could not find the copy of "Journey With Jeff" that I knew was there. Earlier I'd had a conversation with the young librarian, Jennifer, who had awarded me a prize for Summer Reading last year, and shared the new, exciting plans for this summer's readers. So, I went to her desk and asked her to help me locate "Journey." She found it and was amazed to learn that I was the author. "You did all this work?" she said. "How long did it take you to write it?" I told her it took 30 years the first time. I sent it on to publishers who said, "This is lovely, but we can't use it." So, I read it onto 5 CDs, and there was a copy of this also in the library. Then, when I decided to self-publish "Journey" in book form with BookSurge, an Amazon.com company, it took me about a year to complete. She paged through the book, glowing with amazement. I felt well-rewarded. ~~~ "I've been reading your book, a little at a time," said my family physician when I went to check out a cough, a gravely voice, and some other annoyances. I had sent "Journey" to the Health Clinic with a friend from church who worked there. She told me it had been scooped up and taken to a staff meeting, but she didn't know who had it now. The doctors had been asked, "Who knows Sybil Reisch? Who knows her best?" and my most-visited physician claimed it for his book shelf. "I'm glad to get to know you better," he said, "the most we ever see of our patients is like one snapshot of their lives." He is reading it slowly, one or two stories at a time. Glad I wrote it so he could!

She Slept on My Couch!

Back in the mid-eighties, we ran into a "rough patch" by being part of the Sandwich Generation. Bob's dad died in 1984, and my mom died in June, 1985. She had been taking care of my dad who had a hip replacement about a dozen years earlier ~~ which hadn't healed well. I think she was just plain tired! Dad's sister moved in with him and often asked me if I would come home (to Middleburgh, NY, near Schenectady) to help. A close friend I had known when we were at Oneonta SUNY lived on Route #20, right on the way to Middleburgh. Usually on my way home from Caregiving with my dad and aunt, I would stop at her house ~~ exhausted, often frustrated, and more than ready to hug my husband and kids again. Before continuing on the rest of the five hour trip, I'd sometimes sleep a while on her couch. After reading the above blog about 300 books, plus royalties, she wrote: "Congratulations! An author! I knew her when. She slept on my couch. Seriously, I am so happy for you. Your's is the kind of a book that if it helps one person, it's worth it. And with three hundred and who knows how many more out there, I am sure it will help many." Thanks, Tut! I love my cheering section!!

Three More Sales to Go Equals 300!

Today two friends and I joined several other Lutheran women at a Communion Brunch at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Rochester. After Pastor Keith Campbell's sermon about us being the clay and the Lord being the Potter ~~ "Be Ye Flexible!" was the title ~~ he served us Communion. Then we enjoyed our delicious Brunch. Meanwhile, seven long-time friends, and a new friend shared their encounters with people with special needs, as they purchased a copy of "Journey With Jeff." One or two may find their way into their church's library. Recording these sales in my "JWJ" Spreadsheet (What a challenge with my avoidance of numbers!) I discovered that with the 200 books that LAI gave their leaders in the organization, I have sold and given away almost 300 books! Amazon.com sent a form to be filled out for tax purposes before they can send me my royalties. ROYALTIES! Now THAT'S a magic word! I am an author! YES!! Praise God!

"Journey" is getting out there!!

 
On the way home from sharing laughs and challenges from "Journey" with the LAI Family Care Providers, I stopped at one of the community libraries southwest of Rochester, which we frequent, to give them a copy of "Journey With Jeff," by a local author! The librarian said she was very happy to have it, especially when I told her it also was in the huge Rochester City library. I thought all libraries shelved their books with the same Dewey Decimal numbers, but "Journey" is a 618 number ~ in the social services section at Brockport; and it's a 300 number ~ in the medical section of the City library. One of my long-time friends wanted one for her library near Utica, and said the librarian was pondering how it should be catalogued. As long as it's out there for people to read, any number's fine! Right?!?! There are still three libraries where I need to leave a copy. This Marketing keeps me moving!

LAI Family Care Providers

I like the LAI logo ~~ a hearty helping hand! Today I had the joy of sharing "Journey With Jeff" with a dozen Family Care Providers at LAI. Maria Rugg asked me to talk to the providers for about half an hour or so. I picked out a number of stories to illustrate how the Lord had given us help and encouragement as we needed it. The providers sighed, and smiled, and laughed as I read. I appreciated my responsive audience, and discovered three people in the room that had been with Jeff in Camp Joy, and at SEEDs at Reformation Lutheran Church, and who worked nights when Jeff was at South Avenue in Brockport! Most of the people in the room had been working at LAI for many years -- which I believe is essential for people with special needs who need consistency in their lives. After my presentation I was invited to stay for a pizza lunch! Delicious! I am so enjoying this "Journey With Jeff" Party!!