Pillar Of Her Community by patcelaw |
-Patricia Lawrence Ethel had lived in her community for 45 years of her life. She raised 5 children all who had gone on to college, a goal that Ethel had never realized. She worked with group after group of parents, who were wanting better for their children than they themselves had known. The groups would sell items to raise funds to help needy children go to college. They sold candles , books, magazines and even luggage that they would purchase at wholesale prices. The groups of parents brought lots of happiness to all the children they touched. Spending many hours sewing clothing for less fortunate children, Ethel and her group of parents took pleasure in the things they were able to accomplish. After 25 years, they saw about 45 children they had helped go on to college. Ten of these children went on to become doctors, 5 became nurses, 15 became teachers and the rest got their degrees and went on to become owners of their own businesses. The whole community was chirping about the success the groups, headed by Ethel, were having on the lives of the children. Ethel and her groups never considered it necessary to be recognized for their labors of love, they just knew that they all had to do what would make the area in which they lived a better place for the next generation. Many of the parents felt like they were spending a fortune on the projects. When asked about Ethel, the young people she and her groups had helped, only had sweet words to say about what they had done and how they themselves hoped to do the same in the communities where they would live. Then came the day when Ethel was to turn 75 that the ones she and her groups had helped, decided it was time for them to hold a surprise banquet for Ethel. They commissioned a great hall. They had long tables decorated with candles, books and a copies of each of the college degrees they had helped to fund. The day before the banquet, Ethel was told she would be picked up the next evening to go to a special place and it was to be a somewhat formal affair. Ethel wanted to know what it was, but was told it was a surprise. The evening of the banquet, a long white limo stopped at Ethel's place. The limo drove to the great hall and Ethel was shocked to see hundreds of cars in the parking lot. Ethel was escorted into the hall, and as she came through the door over 500 people were standing to welcome her. The applause was long and Ethel could not believe her eyes or her ears. As the evening wore on, many of the young people who had received their educations, stood and told of the many things they had received in life because of Ethel and her efforts . Ethel was presented with a plaque as a witness to the goodness of Ethel. The young people had put together a bundle of love for Ethel, brand new luggage, a certificate worth $1000 at her favorite clothing store and some books to read on the trip they were giving her. She was going on a trip around the world. Ethel was speechless. You see Ethel had never be away from her home community more than 200 miles. When the evening was over and all the rewards had been handed out, the sweet words had been said and the hugs were over Ethel was then driven back to her home in the limo to get ready for her trip around the world. Ethel found it hard to sleep that night, but she knew she was loved. On her trip around the world she saw places she had only read about in books, seen in the movies or told about by others. God was indeed great and Ethel was a servant who had done a job and done it well.
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patcelaw
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