Walk Between the Raindrops
By Pat Decker
()
About this ebook
Pat Decker
The author grew up in Belfield, North Dakota where she lived from 1945 to 1962. She enjoys writing about small town experiences and memories of her childhood in rural America at that time. Her writing often includes a spiritual perspective. Her love of writing began as a young child and she still has many of the poems and stories she wrote in elementary school. She moved to Oregon in 1969 where she has lived ever since. She is residing in rural Washington County near Hillsboro, Oregon in her home of 42 years. Writing is a part of her daily routine. If not creating a story or poem, it often takes the form of notes or handwritten letters to friends and family. She often says she should have been born in the 1800’s because she’s more at home with the old-fashioned than the new technology.
Related to Walk Between the Raindrops
Related ebooks
Grits and Roses: A Memoir of 60 Years of Southern Love and Devotion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Baking Powder Pause: An Appalachian Perspective on Stories of Hope: Choosing to Rise Above Hardship and Challenge Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Christmas House: How One Man's Dream Changed the Way We Celebrate Christmas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blessed Assurance: Our Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStories from the Hart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAudacious Destiny: A journey of resilience, faith, and discovery of a purposeful future amidst tragedy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerican Cozy: Hygge-Inspired Ways to Create Comfort & Happiness Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Old Oak Table Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSmokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread & Scuppernong Wine: The Folklore and Art of Southern Appalachian Cooking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frantic Fan Dancer: Losing My Feathers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFun Times in Rhyme Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHousing Our Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Gift Of Miracles: Magical True Stories To Touch Your Family's Heart Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Where Will I Sleep Tonight? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarness the Darkness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWildwood Days Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPolitically Correct Holiday Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Come Sit a Spell: An Invitation to Reflect on Faith, Food, and Family Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMuslim, Christian, Jew – “I Do”: A Memoir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbout Time: Poems and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrawdads, Persimmons, and Wildplums: Things I Want My Grandchildren to Know Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family: 101 Incredible Stories about Our Funny, Quirky, Lovable & "Dysfunctional" Families Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Book of Remembrance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRaising Your Kids to Love the Lord Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Valley to the Mountain: The Valley to the Mountain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBehold the King: Jesus in Every Book of the Bible Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe White Boat Rescue Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Key Place: An Ordinary Place to Meet an Extraordinary God Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeaven Has Blue Carpet: A Sheep Story by a Suburban Housewife Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Biography & Memoir For You
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Stolen Life: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mommie Dearest Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taste: My Life Through Food Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jack Reacher Reading Order: The Complete Lee Child’s Reading List Of Jack Reacher Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing the Mob: The Fight Against Organized Crime in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ivy League Counterfeiter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Crack In Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Leonardo da Vinci Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5People, Places, Things: My Human Landmarks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Walk Between the Raindrops
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Walk Between the Raindrops - Pat Decker
Walk Between the
Raindrops
Pat Decker
34590.pngCopyright © 2018 Pat Decker.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from the New American Bible – Revised Edition. copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
LifeRich Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.liferichpublishing.com
1 (888) 238-8637
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
ISBN: 978-1-4897-1966-9 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-1965-2 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-1967-6 (e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018911574
LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 11/27/2018
Cover Graphics/Art Credit:
Cover image by Jeff Matto
Contents
Raindrops
Dedication
The Writer
REMEMBERING
God’s Canvas
Those Wonderful Sundays
Red Shoes
The Neighbors
Incident Two – Same Family
Memories Of Mom
Butchering Chickens
Tony & Edith
Memories Of Dad
Sheffield 1950’s
Easter Season
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
Easter
Easter Monday
After School
The Rosary Story
Uncle Pete
The Red Coat
The Sun
For Ever And Ever
To My Daughter On Her 11th Birthday
Red Sweater Day
Rainbow
Diary Entry
The Last Time
Today
To My Daughter On Her 40th Birthday
Camino Diary
Bulgaria
Fatima Water
Communication
Puppies And Pigtails
POETRY
Dawn
The Tree
Baby
The Little Boy Prayed
Unnamed
Her
Him
Ending
You Are Gone
God’s Blessing
Maybe
Small Things
Dear One
Maggie
Mystery Of James
Life Or Death
Growing Old
Ode To Oregon
Double Rainbow
FICTION
Dark Mink
The Blessing
The Lost Soul
The Tale Of Two Travelers
Old Friend
HAIKU
Food & Drink
Spring
Corner Of The World
Hope
Problems
Politics
War
Knowledge
Change
Flowers
Celestial
Grandparents
Winter
Friendship
Love
Discord
Gratitude
Spiritual
Angel Wings
Raindrops
When visiting New Orleans several years ago, I was walking in the French Quarter and doing some shopping. While I was in one of the shops, it began to rain. After paying for my purchases and heading for the door, the saleslady thanked me, and as I left she said, walk between the raindrops
. I loved that and have thought of it often. It reminds me not to be disturbed by small setbacks or unexpected events, but to stay happy and walk between the raindrops
, thus the title for this book.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my family and friends who have inspired me through the years. A special note to Joanne Gray and Winnie Charley, both educators, who continually encouraged me to publish things I have written.
Gratitude to my daughter, Patty Schmitz Thursam, who has given me her constant support. God blessed me when I became her mother.
Thanks to Karen Danson, my friend, right-hand helper and typist.
Cover Graphics/Art Credit: Cover image by Jeff Matto
The Writer
While quiet family slumbers
Warm sleep scented bodies murmur
Sounds of sleep-held dreams
I, in fleecy robe and slippers
Sit at dim-lit desk
Putting thoughts to paper
Oh strength of dawning thought
Night’s slumbering seed has planted
Waiting for the morning’s harvest
Remembering
When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
I summon up remembrance of things past …
Shakespeare—Sonnet 30
God’s Canvas
Today God painted the sky again for me, another masterpiece to see and enjoy. A wonder so perfect, it’s difficult to describe with words. A snow covered mountain with a fuchsia colored sky as the sun rises. A miles wide panorama of color and beauty to savor each morning.
We travel thousands of miles to see the Mona Lisa or a fresco by Michelangelo, but may miss the beauty in our own surroundings. I live in a rural area of farmland with a view of three major mountains and the tops of two others. Each morning there is a unique, new painted canvas before me. Each evening as the sun sets, we see the colors of gold and pink alpenglow on the mountains. Then the star filled sky at night, with its moon and constellations.
Forty plus years of living here has only increased my appreciation of God’s magnificent work, in the clouds, the trees and the furrowed fields. Even on days of fog and rain, the valley provides something for me to admire. Then when it clears, I appreciate even more the beauty and wonder that God has created for us.
Each day I am filled with great joy!
You are robed in power,
you set up the mountains
by your might.
Distant peoples stand in awe
of your marvels; the places
of morning and evening
you make resound with joy.
The pastures are clothed with
flocks, the valleys blanketed
with grain; they cheer and
sing for joy.
Psalm 65:7, 9, 14
Those Wonderful Sundays
On major holidays, names days and many Sundays, my mother’s extended family would gather at one another’s homes for a day of feasting, visiting and game playing.
Tables would be placed together, covered with tablecloths, and then set with plates and utensils. Being there were so many of us, we couldn’t all be seated to eat at the same time. In their European Bohemian culture, the