FReeper Canteen ~ Sunday Chapel ~ THE WOMAN WITH THE ROSE ~ 17 November 2024

Serving the Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | The Canteen Crew

[Kathy in Alaska]

 

 

 

THE WOMAN WITH THE ROSE

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City.

He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II. During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding.

Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting...7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. "You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel."

So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen. I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:

A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. "Going my way, sailor?" she murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl.

A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat.. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful. I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. "I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?"

The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"

It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. "Tell me whom you love," Houssaye wrote, "and I will tell you who you are."

[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

(((HUGS)))

[Kathy in Alaska]

Please join us for Sunday Chapel ~ THE WOMAN WITH THE ROSE, and Liberty

Lt. Charles F. Suver, CHC, USN, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division
"Mass at Iwo Jima"

Please stop in and say a prayer of protection for the military.
Prayers from all denominations are needed.



Sunday Liberty starts after the Guest Military Chaplain's Service!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Dear God:
I ask that no Airman, Coast Guardsman,
Marine, Sailor, Soldier, Reservist, National Guardsman, or Merchant Marine
feel alone or forgotten.

O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is loving kindness,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
And He will redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.

Psalm 130:7 & 8

[Kathy in Alaska]

Shavua Tov.
Wishing all our Jewish troops, veterans, families, allies, friends, and Canteeners
a peaceful and prosperous week.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, ML...((HUGS))...and a Blessed Lord’s Day and Shavua Tov to you and yours.

Hope you are still having mild weather and without snow and ice.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Prayers for our troops, veterans, families, allies, friends, and Canteeners
for a safe and peaceful week ahead.

[SkyDancer]

~ Evening All ~ Saturday Night Football!

~

~ Welcome To My World ~

I’m Down There Somewhere

[left that other site]

Today was in the high fifties and bright and sunny. The full moon was so bright you could see it in the daylight.

GORGEOUS Day.

I raked leaves. LOL.

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

THANK YOU
for your service!

[Kathy in Alaska]

He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - may He bless the fighters of the Israel Defense Force, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our G-d from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea.

May HASHEM cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighting men from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor.

May He lead our enemies under their sway and may He grant them salvation and crown them with victory. And may there be fulfilled for them the verse: For it is Hashem, your G-d, Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you.

G-d bless and keep your children safe, Alouette.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Janey...((HUGS))...Shavua Tov and a Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

Enjoy your game.

[Kathy in Alaska]

God Bless our military men and women who have given their all.

Thanks, unique.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Raking leaves is always fun. Did Tippy help you?

[ExTexasRedhead]

MR. RED WHITE AND BLUE - TRUMP MILITARY MUSIC VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8plLXbgskm0

Below the video:

“It’s so great to know that we’ll get some American pride back!”

“I am old enough to know how the patriotism was in the 80s. It was incredible. I’m starting to get that vibe back and it feels so good thank God for President Trump.”

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu, and a Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

Are you and Champ finished yet?

I am going back to my sick bed. I’ll try to come back later.

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

Get in that bed and get LOTS of sleep! We want you feeling better asap!

Champ and I got out this afternoon to scalp the front yard and will do the same to the back yard tomorrow. I hope this is the last of it. We’ll get rain next week but it’ll be cold afterwards, and that’ll stunt the grass.

[ExTexasRedhead]

God Bless The USA (ROCK VERSION) - ‪@TheLeeGreenwood‬ & Drew Jacobs (Music Video) ​⁠TRUMP 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLV9bUDhOPk

Below the video:

“A Muslim American here and a MAGA, came in legally years ago and got sworn in 2022 for my citizenship after a long wait.

The feeling of me voting for the first time as a US citizen and days before Nov the 5th 2024, was incredibly goosebumping especially casting it for my president, Donald John Trump.

On November the 5th, I was on edge and extremely nervous he whole time about the upcoming outcome in the evening and possibly the early hours of the next morning, I prayed and prayed again over and over the whole time as many Americans did I am sure.
Thank you God for not letting us down!!
I love you all MAGA’s from my heart!!”

[SkyDancer]

Good Evening Kathy! (((Hugs))) Yep, dad’s flipping channels following several games ... fun night.

[ExTexasRedhead]

VIETNAM - Through Their Eyes, Official Film Trailer, Coming 2025, A Film By Larry R. Cappetto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQC3M9dcIhI