review of Courting the Doctor's Daughter

Janet Dean has written the historical fiction book of my heart. I love a hero who must fight past his inner wounds to win the girl. In fact, in Courting the Doctor’s Daughter, Dean writes of two people, wounded by life’s harshness and the failure of those they had depended upon, who come together over the fate of a young orphan boy.

Mary Graves, the heroine, raises three sons as a widow, one of which she took in after an orphan-train placement fell through. She assists her aging father’s medical practice, praying and plotting for an assistant to relieve some of her father’s burden.

Enter Luke Jacobs, a peddler of tonics—the bane of Mary’s existence. How dare he bilk her beloved townspeople out of their money for his snake oil? What she learns about him, through the layers of his self-defense, and about his medicine, will not only affect her, but set a chain of redemption in motion for all she cares about: her father, her sons, and the people she loves and serves.

I loved the way this romance covered topics ranging from disability, to alcoholism, lying, forgiveness, trust, and even anxiety. Dean accomplishes this in a realistic and deeply satisfying way through well-fleshed-out characters who journey through their conflicts to find faith in God, faith in themselves, and faith in one another. This story resonated with me, and I know it will stay with me for a long time to come.

Elmira: Cradle of Women's Rights

Elmira: Cradle of Women's rights

In 1855, Elmira opened the first regularly chartered school in the country for women. "The Elmira Collegiate Seminary" had its beginnings in Auburn, NY, (home of William Seward and Harriet Tubmann). Rev. and Mrs. Harry A. Sackett obtained the charter for the school, but moved the plans to Elmira where the idea was welcomed warmly.

Situated in the heart of Elmira's north side amidst newly renovated and beautified grounds, Elmira College campus hearkens to its 19th Century roots with lovely old stone and brick buildings named after influential people in its founding, such as Simeon Hall, honoring its founder Simeon Benjamin, Esquire, and Cowle's Hall, after its first president A.W. Cowles.

Mark Twain's study is a popular attraction, cresting the slope overlooking a fountained pond. The octagon-shaped bricks that compose the walkway meandering about the pond and campus echo the shape of the famous study used by Twain to write portions of Huckleberry Finn.

Also credited with developing the idea for the college is a married couple of physicians who lived on Elmira's East Hill, along Watercure Hill Road. Dr. Gleason and his wife ran "the Elmira Water Cure", a sulphur spring infirmary and resort believed to contain healing properties when it was built in 1852. Because of Mrs. Gleason's remarkable accomplishements for her time as a trained physician, the couple was instrumental in developing and championing the idea of an all-women's college.

The Elmira Water Cure was one of hundreds of facilities at the time espousing hydrotherapy, but was "one of the first and longest lived" of the facilities of its kind, according to K. Patrick Ober's book "Any Mummery Will Cure". Hydrotherapy was espoused by the influential Langdons, whose property Quarry Farms bordered the Water Cure to the North. According to Ober, "Hydrotherapy's doctrines went beyond a focus on the role of water as a therapeutic agent, and its committment to temperance and women's reform made it attractive to socially liberal families such as the Langdons. The prominent clientele of the Elmira Water Cure included the likes of Susan B. Anthony, Vice-President Schuyler Colfax, and the mother of Emily Dickinson."

for further research:
http://www.joycetice.com/director/1863p037.htm
http://books.google.com/books?id=Sn5WsKOT2T4C&lpg=PA104&ots=Oyv6A0Y90J&dq=Elmira's%20water%20cure&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q=&f=false

A New Direction

I have been trying to decide which direction to take my blog--it's been a bit rambly so far. I have decided to focus on true historic events, people, places, and times, and try to connect them to my locale of the Elmira/Corning/Ithaca/Binghamton, New York area.

For starters, a quick review of Elmira's history. Elmira is the county seat of Chemung County, and was officially recognized a city in 1865. It first became settled prior to the American Revolution, and hosted historic camp sights of General Sullivan in his campaign against the American Indians allied with the British. The Iroquois people, more specifically the Seneca, once called this valley home.

During the Civil War, Elmira hosted one of three recruitment rendezvous in New York state, since two major railways ran through it. It was considered a transprtation hub, and it facilitated the trasport of trained soldiers to the southern front. Three barracks made up the training grounds, the third which became the infamous death camp of the north, "Helmira". The Elmira prison camp housed Confederate POW's from July 1864 through the end of the war.

Many notable historic figures hailed from Elmira, including Jervis Langdon, an abolitionist and reputed patron of the underground railroad, also known as being Mark Twain's father-in-law. John W. Jones resided in Elmira. An escaped slave, he became a conductor on teh underground Railroad to rival Harriett Tubman's involvement, leading over 200 slaves to freedom. Mark Twain himself called Elmira home fro short stretches of time at Quarry Farm on historic East Hill. He penned the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in an octogon-shaped pavilion at the farm. Thomas K. Beecher, a relative of Harriett Beecher Stowe and Henry Ward Beecher, a remarkable minister and humanitarian in his own right, took up residence in Elmira. Each of these noted citizens will be featured in articles and interviews with local historians to come.

Clergy/ Laity Unscriptural

Certain accepted prejudices have made a comfortable presence in modern life. Our enlightened culture has come a long way thanks to the dirt pioneers have had to swallow. Our country prides itself in electing a man of African lineage, with a Muslim-sounding name, no less. Yet, in our so-called evolution, distinctions exist both in the culture at large, and among microcosms of society. One in particular sticks in my generously proportioned craw, and that is the distinction between clergy and so-called laity.

These terms are religious in nature. They have their roots in the Christian tradition. The origin has nothing to do with the standard by which Christians judge truth--nowhere in the Bible do these terms appear. Not in Greek, Hebrew, Modern English, or any subsequent translation, even among the click languages of the sub-Sahara. Clergy is a man-made title for the elite, plain and simple. The Cleric evolved from clerk, or one who had the advantage over the commoner with the ability to read. The term Laity is likewise a dismissive gesture at those assigned a following or supportive role for the clergy, very much like serfs and peasants supported fiefdoms for lords, earls and kings.

Biblical power structure looks more like the knights of the round table, where five offices are mutually respected and all contribute. The book of Romans and the two books of Corinthians spell out these as Pastors, Teachers, Prophets, Evangelists and Apostles. Modern interpretation of the office of Pastor has exaggerated its power and role to usurp the other four into relative nonexistence, or else annexed them into one goggle-eyed monster of all-consuming church authority. Literally, pastor means 'to lead to pasture', or to where the food is. The modern church chief executive officer not only leads to the buffet, but provides all five courses single-handedly.

Often, the common believer's contribution is given no more importance in the body than manning the nursery, or wearing a red jacket and greeting new people as they come through the door, or sticking one's arm up a puppet's backside for the entertainment of children. None of these assignments have changed the world, but they have changed the average believer into a hamster-like being, spinning his wheel with feverish devotion and getting nowhere. This systematic neutering of God's people has led to disenfranchisement, irrelevance and the death of vitality in many churches which once thrived with the power of God. No wonder the modern church sees fewer miracles than in the book of Acts. The masses have been reduced to spectatorship for the central dictator.

Jesus may have predicted his own displacement as the central authority of his church when he said, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." (Luke 9:58) How can Jesus squeeze a word in edgewise while the talking heads hold the microphone? In Revelation 3:20, we see Jesus locked outside his own church in Laodicea, saying, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.' Have we locked Jesus outside His church by role distinctions that He never intended? His word expresses a desire to see 'every joint supply,' not just the select few who hold the right degree.

Did Jesus hand out his business card to the Pharisees and boast of his SOG degree? Did he earn his title of Son Of God by a man-made accolade? Obviously not. And neither should his children. Romans 8 speaks of adoption by the Spirit for believers in verses 15-17: ". . . you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father! The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." When the church puts away class distinctions like the clergy/laity abomination, then God's power will once again return to his people, and the world will see a different image of our great God.

400 students defy ACLU and pray at graduation

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jun/09060510.html

Go, young people! Way to stand up for what's important.

Mother's Day

My mother is my hero. She raised me and my two brothers and two sisters after my father left her in a strange town ( after a five state move pursuing his dream job) to fend for herself. She never received a penny in child support, but went to work in a maximum-security prison to put a roof over our heads and feed us.
She never missed a concert, a play, a recital, an art exhibit, or an open house. She never left us to go out partying or drinking, but stayed home to make sure we were safe in bed at a decent hour. She never brought men home, because she felt it was our safe haven, not a hotel for clandestine thrills. In short, she is the most selfless, altruistic, self-sacrificing person I have ever met.
She brought us to church every Sunday, even sent us to private school a few years. She took us to the public library every Saturday in preschool and elementary school, and cultivated our love for reading and the arts every opportunity she could. She modeled patience, integrity, and ingenuity. She managed to give us piano lessons, singing lessons, bought my art supplies, took me to living history events, and supported every interest and talent I fancied.
She gave me the best Christmas present have ever received. During our worst financial struggles, we lived in government housing, which discouraged dog ownership, and charged extra security for pets. Knowing my gnawing desire for a dog, she risked the trouble and paid the extra to give me my German Shepherd/Pembroke Welsh Corgi mix, Lady. That was 26 years ago, but it still stands out in my memory as one of the happiest times of my life. If we were poor, we never knew it, because she made us feel rich in the important things.
She showed me that good parenting has nothing to do with money, or compromise, or even personal success. She laid her life down to see her children succeed. She gave me the best example of a life well-lived. and still does. I am blessed to have a mother as wealthy in love and true goodness as I have been given.
Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Thank you for giving me life, even though I was your fifth child, conceived to a marriage that was falling apart. You could have chosen to terminate my pregnancy, but you chose to hope for a purpose and a plan for my life. You had faith.
And to all of you moms out there, keep giving. A proverb says men will praise you when you do well for yourself. But Proverbs 31 says the children of a woman of noble character will rise up and call her blessed. Whose praise do you prefer?

The Rich and Needy

My very dear friend, Payton Belknap wrote a poem I'd like to share with you.

Lettter To The Rich and Needy ( alias, unsolicited food stamp police)

To all the interested people,

who peek in my cart,

to check out my meat,

and stab at my heart.

You may never have been poor,

but you're certainly needy.

If greed were nutritious,

I'd beg you to feed me!

Your pockets are full,

cupboards overflowing,

and if the market keeps crashing,

you'll soon be knowing,

just how we feel,

let's keep this real....

Your babies will cry,

their tummies will ache,

you'll search your accounts,

and pray for mistakes,

but it will all be gone....

and you'll need the help.

And someone like you once were, will police your cart,

and break your heart.

You'll hang your head and silently cry,

and wish that you never had pride in your eyes,

but it will be too late,

for you the rich and needy!!