The Jar: A Short Story (Part 3)

If you'd like to read the first and second parts of the story, click HERE and then HERE. And please join me after the conclusion to learn more about the facts behind the fiction!

The Jar
By Amber Stokes

Continued...

Alice brought her jar of pennies to church that wondrous Sunday when Randy came back. She stayed after church much longer than she usually did, because everyone else wanted to thank Randy for his service and ask him about his experiences. If you and I were there, we would have been able to tell them that Randy really didn’t want to talk about his time in Vietnam. At least not yet.

Finally, Alice was able to approach Randy, tug on his sleeve, and hand him the penny jar. I wish I could tell you that he looked at that jar of pennies and other coins and simply knew how much they were really worth. As it was, he did give Alice a hug and a pained smile. He said, “Thank you,” and, “I missed you.” And then he turned to talk with another person.

Dear Alice, though, wasn’t offended. She had done her part to tell him as best she could that he was remembered and valued. And with all of her life experience, she knew that he would get her message in time. She was right. (I’ve heard Alice usually was.)

For many years that jar sat on Randy’s desk. Alice passed away; Randy got married and started his own family. While he didn’t think of the penny jar very often, he smiled when it caught his eye. He thought of Alice’s hugs and her pockets full of candy.

Randy would never know all the heart that went into that jar of pennies. And as much as I like to pretend I know such things, I really can’t fully comprehend it either. But forty years after he was drafted (I’ll wait if you’d like to do the math)…Randy’s oldest son surprised his father with a trip to Washington D.C. Randy brought the penny jar with him. The whole family went, and as they visited the war memorials, Randy was finally ready to share some of his stories.

I walked with him that sunny, humid summer day to the Vietnam War memorial. It looked like the wall of a trench, covered with names. Grandpa Randy found the names of some of his Army buddies. I cried when I saw silent tears fall down his stoic face. And then he asked me to hand him the penny jar, the one I had been holding ever since we left the hotel. The yellow ribbon was a bit tattered, but it was still there. The pennies were gone, though. Grandpa said that he was saving them in another jar, to share with someone else someday. His knee gave a satisfying pop as he knelt down to place the jar on the ground beneath that multitude of names.

I wouldn’t say the jar was empty, though, despite the missing pennies. If you had seen the light in Grandpa’s eyes and the way the sunlight filled the jar, I think you would have seen what I saw - hope.

The End

Fact vs. Fiction

As I've previously mentioned, this short story is fictional, but inspired by some real elements. As a young girl, I used to attend First Covenant Church, where an older man named Jim Worthen and his wife Evelyn sat in the pew behind my grandparents. Mr. Worthen would bring me candy, and he and his wife always had a smile and a kind word for me. They were so very sweet, and their presence in my life brightened my Sundays.

And then one day Mr. Worthen passed away. And eventually Mrs. Worthen asked me to come and visit her. She gave me a jar filled with pennies and a few other coins, telling me that Mr. Worthen had been filling it and saving it for me.

It was a gesture that touched my heart - to think that he had been saving up those pennies especially for me! And that jar of pennies still sits in my room back at home, a beautiful reminder of the power of kindness and thoughtfulness. I certainly couldn't comprehend when I was younger, and I still can't today, just how much heart went into that simple gift.

As for the other parts of this story, my own grandpa served in the Korean War, and my daddy served in the Vietnam War. I had the opportunity to see both of those war memorials a couple of summers ago, and it was certainly a moving experience. Below are some pictures I took of the Vietnam War memorial:

While "The Jar" is definitely a work of fiction, and I claim sole responsibility for any mathematical or historical errors, I hope it's foundation in real life will inspire you.

Writing this story for Thanksgiving, I'm reminded of how much I have to be thankful for...

The brave military men and women who sacrifice so much for our freedom.

Family and friends who surround me with love.

The simple but profound gift of a jar of pennies.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? And is there a gift that has blessed you, with a story behind it that will bless others?

The Jar: A Short Story (Part 2)

If you missed Part 1 of "The Jar," click HERE. The conclusion will be posted tomorrow!

The Jar
By Amber Stokes

Continued...

What is a medium-sized jar that once held rutabagas good for after said vegetables have been removed? Alice was just as unsure as you and I for a time, but a few days after Randy had left on his way to Vietnam, Alice was given some change from the grocers. Just some pennies and a couple of dimes. Instead of putting them back in her purse, she put them in her pocket. And when she got back to her trailer, she approached the jar glistening on the windowsill, twisted the lid off of it with a satisfying pop, and dropped the coins into it. Clang, clang, clang. Why, it was almost like music!

A new note, a new drop of copper or silver, was added to the jar each week. Sometimes it was change from the grocers. Sometimes it was a penny she had found on the sidewalk in front of Gottschalks. Once it was a quarter she found in her couch.

By 1975, the jar was as full as it could be and Alice was 87 years old. And then one Sunday, she heard Randy’s parents tell the congregation that he would be home soon. He might even be in church the following Sunday!

So Alice went home and searched all about her trailer for what she was certain must still be there somewhere. Back too many years ago to count, she wore a yellow ribbon. I never did learn the details, but I’ve heard that she might have used it in her hair on her first date with the man she married. Whatever its original use, that yellow ribbon now had a new purpose, just like the jar, if only she could… Aha! She found it in the top drawer of her nightstand, tucked inside a book of Robert Frost poetry.

As you might have already guessed, she replaced the lid on the penny jar and tied the yellow ribbon beneath the lid. When she saw him next Sunday, she wanted him to know that she had been thinking of him all those days and weeks and months and years – those moments – when he had been in Vietnam.

To Be Continued...

The Jar: A Short Story (Part 1)

Have you ever been given a gift that you were grateful for in the moment, but you more fully appreciated as time went by?

That's what the following short story is about. As my parents would say (quoting the movie Christmas Vacation), "It's the gift that keeps on giving all year long." And while that quote is taken from a humorous context, I think some seemingly simple gifts really do keep on giving and giving and giving. It is my hope that this story is another way for a gift given to me once upon a time to be poured out to you, dear readers.

While this short story I wrote is fictional, it's inspired by some elements of my own life. I'll let you know what's fact and fiction after I conclude this three-part short story on Wednesday. For now, I'll just share my brief dedication:

In memory of Jim Worthen. Only the Lord knows how much of your heart went into that jar of pennies, but I'll be forever grateful for the kindness you showed me.

The Jar
By Amber Stokes

If you and I were there to see the jar when it sat on the shelf in the cellar, neither of us would come to the conclusion that it would one day be a symbol of hope. After all, one does not normally equate canned rutabaga with anything beautiful – or anything much at all. But once the rutabagas were removed, and the jar was washed inside and out, you might have seen a glimmer of its destiny in the way the sunlight poured through it as it dried on the kitchen windowsill.

The jar was left there to dry after the announcement that Randy was drafted. As soon as Alice came back from church that Sunday, she knew she needed the jar for something more important than rutabagas. (Mind you, some people might consider rutabagas important. But Alice was not one of those people.) If we looked closely, we would have seen a few tears reflecting the sunlight as they traversed her weathered and wrinkled face that Sunday afternoon. Randy reminded her so much of the grandson she had lost during the Korean War. That was almost twenty years earlier, back in 1952.

After her only grandson’s passing, Alice had started bringing candy to church in the pockets of her large purple coat with the lacy trim. Randy and his family sat in the pew in front of her. Sometimes the only smile she could find in those weeks and months after losing Mark was when she saw Randy’s smile as she held out the candy in her small palm.

Of course, Randy was a young man by this time in 1971. He didn’t need candy anymore. And as much as he appreciated Alice’s kindness through his growing-up years, he had been a bit preoccupied at church that day. He forgot to give Alice a hug like he always did after the service.

But don’t worry – Alice was not the kind of woman to hold such a thing against a young man consumed with thoughts of war and leaving home and horrors he couldn’t even imagine yet. Instead, she had returned to her little trailer and prepared the jar for its new purpose.

To Be Continued...

Sunday by the Sea

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof."
~ Psalm 46:1-3

When I was glancing through the Psalms for a possible verse for today's post, I came across the ones above, and I just knew they would fit well with what I saw and learned yesterday. I spent my last full day in Texas visiting the island of Galveston with my cousin Virginia and my uncle Wes. I had such a delightful time with them! (The picture above is one I took of the Gulf of Mexico.)

Virginia knows so much about the history of the area, and she was telling me about the hurricanes that have hit Galveston. Hurricane Ike caused a lot of damage to the island when it came through, and the sea wall doesn't offer much of a barrier anymore should another hurricane hit directly.

While the island sees a lot of tourism, and I found it to be quite lovely, some buildings show obvious signs of hurricane damage. I couldn't imagine living in Galveston, knowing how close that beautiful, dangerous water would be to wiping everything away.

But no matter where I am, waters will "roar and be troubled," whether those waters are actual waters or the "waters" of different life issues. But God will always be a shelter, a refuge that will not be wiped away by those waters. The waters will not hurt Him--in fact, He is in control of them. So when they hit, may we cling to Him, trust in His steadfastness, and know that He can use those waters for our ultimate good.

To end this post, I'd like to share a video/photo slide-show I put together from my last full day in Texas. This video doesn't show all of the family that I spent time with this Thanksgiving break, but it gives you a small glimpse of my adventures. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving in Texas!

By the time you read this post, I'll be winging my way (hopefully!) to Texas to spend Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family! I was blessed with the opportunity to see some of them in Washington D.C. this past summer, and I'm looking forward to seeing them again! I just know we're going to have a wonderful time together!

As a side note, I was surprised (and thrilled!) to have a visit from one of my friends from California and her parents this past Sunday!!! They were traveling through Salem on their way home from Washington, so I was able to give them a tour of Corban's campus. It was so good to see her again! (That's us in the picture above outside of my dorm!)

Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving, filled with family, friends, and food! I'll be back Sunday night to stick my nose in the books for 3 more weeks until Christmas break. ;)

May the Lord bless you all, and may we give Him thanks for all that He has done for us!

Thankful for a Sunday by the Sea

"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"
~ Psalm 8:3-4

Oh, we have so much to be thankful for!

I am thankful that the Lord who created the beautiful, mysterious, and vast sea also created me and loves me!

I am thankful that the Lord, through Jesus Christ, took away my sins and offered me a hope far wider and deeper than any ocean!

I am thankful that the Lord gave me family and friends (including all of you!) with whom I can play in the waves, walk on the shore, or simply talk about the loveliness of God's creation.

I am thankful that the Lord blessed me with opportunities to write (including devotional posts like "Sundays by the Sea") and I pray He might use them to bless others and bring Him glory.

And there's so much more I am thankful for! What are you thankful for as we enter this week of Thanksgiving?

"Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of him, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness."
~ Psalm 30:4

(The beach picture is from PDPhoto.org.)