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    A King-Size Bed, A Silk Tree & a Fry Pan
    A King-Size Bed, A Silk Tree & a Fry Pan
    A King-Size Bed, A Silk Tree & a Fry Pan
    Ebook157 pages2 hours

    A King-Size Bed, A Silk Tree & a Fry Pan

    By Phyllis Porter Dolislager

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    About this ebook

    Love, faith, humor, and drama of a family. Stories of trusting God, helping others, as well as struggles faced, make this book meaningful to all who read it. Touching, real, and brutally honest. This book is not for people looking only for the “sunny-side” of life, but for those searching for meaning regardless of the emotional challenges that present themselves.

    Believing that the wisdom acquired in a lifetime is as much a part of a family’s legacy as are all of its material possessions, Phyllis Dolislager uses this focus as the theme for her book. Following the Judeo-Christian tradition of an Ethical Will or a Last Will and Testament, she put together this spiritual document, her Testament, for her family.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPhyllis Porter Dolislager
    Release dateMar 8, 2011
    ISBN9781458064653
    A King-Size Bed, A Silk Tree & a Fry Pan
    Author

    Phyllis Porter Dolislager

    Phyllis Porter Dolislager is the author of ten books. She is a writing consultant and gives writing workshops encouraging others to write about significant birthdays, anniversaries, and family memories. Lessons Learned on the Farm, a family memoir, is her best-selling book. She and her husband split their time between Tennessee and Florida.

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      Book preview

      A King-Size Bed, A Silk Tree & a Fry Pan - Phyllis Porter Dolislager

      A King-Size Bed, A Silk Tree and a Fry Pan

      And Other Stories of Faith, Family and Friendship

      By Phyllis Porter Dolislager

      Smashwords Edition Copyright © 2011 by Phyllis Porter Dolislager

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

      Dedication

      To those for whom I compiled these accounts:

      My son Fredrick, his wife Sue, and their children Gerrit and Carolina

      My son Thomas, his wife Katrina, and their children Calvin and Kent

      To those who have had the greatest influence on my life:

      My husband, Ronald Dolislager

      My mother, Eleanor Porter Grifhorst

      My deceased father, Darcy Porter

      Contents

      Preface

      Chapter One: God Is The Blessed Controller

      A King-Size Bed, a Silk Tree, and a Fry Pan

      Avon Calling

      Grandparent Prayer Power

      Dressing Up the Nativity

      49 and Riding a Roller Coaster

      Pauline’s Hug

      Chapter Two: Anywhere But Africa

      From Michigan to Monrovia

      A Cup of Cold Water

      Whose Children Will Become Missionaries?

      Does Your C Show?

      Ferris Wheels and Merry-Go-Rounds

      Give Two Years to Missions? Me?

      Chapter Three: Riches Beyond Imagination

      Rich in Tomorrows

      Harmonicas, Pineapple Pie & Rook

      Looking Backward

      Praying and Serving

      A Father Ahead of His Times

      Treasures of Their Faith

      Chapter Four: Do You Think God Still Loves Us?

      Hands Reaching Across the Atlantic Ocean

      Chapter Five: What’s Next, God?

      What’s the Next Step?

      Lessons Learned at the Cenacle

      Life and Walking the Labyrinth

      What Is Waiting to Happen in My Life Now?

      Upon Returning Home I Will…

      Chapter Six: The Men In My Life

      A Voice From The 60’s

      My Children? Two Boys!

      Real Beginnings

      Crabs & Jesus

      Chapter Seven: It All Started With A Foot-Long Cigar

      Polio to Palm Trees

      Epilogue/Ron’s Response

      Preface

      How can we have faith for the future

      if we don’t look back and thank God

      for all He has given us in the past?

      Ron and I updated our wills the first part of 2000. Our lawyer, Marilyn Otto, suggested that as people of faith, we should write not only our will, but also our testament. I don’t think she had in mind a book, but we had experienced God’s direction in our lives over and over again. There was a lot to share. So as a part of my Last Will and Testament, this book became the testament part.

      My plan was to share this with our immediate family only. I told our sons that they were receiving it now rather than at my death. It was presented with this premise in mind, "May you see the importance of seeking and knowing God’s will for your life. May you also see the profound influence made by the Word of God and other people of faith. Some of these stories aren’t easy to share, but my prayer echoes the song: Lord, I offer my life to You, everything I’ve been through, use it for Your glory."

      Almost immediately others wanted to read this testament. We ended up doing three printings. As I began giving my writing workshops, more interest was generated. Finally getting this book published became necessary. May it serve as an incentive/example to all who read it. May you, too, leave behind your own testament for your loved ones.

      Five friends gave me significant time and help with this project. Thanks to Janet Ratty and Evie Opitz for editing and proof reading. Thanks to Jean Holmes for preparing the photos. Thanks to Betty Combs for reading through a lot of material to help me decide what to include. And to my best friend, Ron, my husband, thanks for walking beside me through this awesome journey.

      Chapter One:

      God Is The Blessed Controller

      A King-Size Bed, a Silk Tree, and a Fry Pan

      Our bed was a perfect fit for my husband and me, until the added pillows became a necessity, and the dog moved in for the night.

      The pains in my hip and legs as a result of post-polio syndrome were relieved with the addition of a pillow under my knees and/or between them as I slept. Once this solace had been found, I wasn't about to abandon it.

      We had already been sharing our bed with our cat, Leah. She would stay put at the bottom of the bed for the entire night. But when the cat died, there was the dog, waiting in the wings to take over the bed-sleeping rights.

      Now the dog was another story. Hildegard Gardenia Dolislager is an eight-pound, longhair, miniature dachshund. Add to that the fact that my husband Ron hadn’t been allowed to have his dog sleep with him as he was growing up. (One night when I was out of town he actually spent the night on the couch in the family room to see what it would be like to slumber next to Hildy!)

      So there we were, fulfilling a childhood wish of a 50-year old man. But how much room can an eight-pound dog take? More than you'd ever guess. Wherever she chose to deposit her weight, the sheet would not budge. If I rolled over, the sheet stayed with the mutt. If I wanted to pull up the blanket, the dog had to be lifted up and once again deposited in her place. We even tried putting the dog under the sheet! Rolling over and having a tail in my face in the middle of the night was my final clue that something had to give.

      I was unwilling to part with my pillows. By then, Ron was also unwilling to part with his dog. It was at this point in time that the idea of a king-size bed started to make its presence known.

      A silk tree. More than once I had spotted a decorator's black hole in my home, and I just knew in my heart that a silk tree would be the perfect solution. In fact, there were at least two available niches. The living room had a bare corner behind the lamp table, and I thought a silk tree would cozy up that corner lending its silk elegance to the entire ambiance!

      Also, the family room had at least a 5-foot span of bare wall to the left of the sliding-glass door. A silk tree would warm up the spot and serve as a backdrop to the reclining lounge. To be perfectly honest, I had shopped for a silk tree. However, I never found one within my budget that I liked well enough to bring home.

      And a fry pan. There's a rule in my house that when there's enough Teflon scraped off the bottom, I'm allowed to get a new fry pan. This is a big event, because it signals that I've been doing some cooking. The microwave is actually my tool of choice. (I've asked for a second one, but thinking that the embarrassment factor might outweigh the usefulness factor, I've quit asking.)

      Now, I would have had this fry pan thing over and done with, but I hadn't been able to find the right size. You see, when it's your main pan, not only does it have to be at least 10 inches in diameter, but two or three inches deep. And it has to have a cover. Why they sell fry pans without covers, I haven't a clue.

      * * *

      A king-sized bed, a silk tree, and a fry pan: an interesting list. And then I heard Larry Burkett on the radio. The catechism for the day was to trust God for all your needs. Don't run out and buy what you want, he said, but wait and see if God has another way of providing it for you.

      I knew I couldn't afford a king-sized bed. I had to trust God for that. I possibly could afford a silk tree, but it would be a stretch. For sure I could afford a fry pan, but I hadn't been able to turn up the precise one.

      O.K. God, O.K. Larry Burkett, You're on.

      I prayed. I didn't pace. I didn't become anxious. I didn't window shop. I didn't even tell my husband. I did, however, remind God once a week.

      One night, about three months later, I received a phone call from a friend who had been trying to sell her mother's condo in our area of Florida. Carol happily reported that the sale had been completed.

      She then went on to ask if South America Mission, where Ron is the Finance Director, would be interested in the contents of the condo. What timing! I was thrilled to be able to tell her that the mission was in the process of redoing their three guest cottages, and this would be an answer to prayer for them.

      But wait, there was more! Carol then said that Ron and I could personally have first choice of the contents. If there was anything we could use, we were to take it.

      Oh, no. Oh, yes! Excitement. Hesitation.

      Quietly I asked, Is there a king-size bed?

      Yes, came the reply.

      With a little more energy I asked, Is there a silk tree.

      Yes, again.

      Now this last one was going to sound a little crazy, I thought to myself. Is there a fry pan?

      Yes, in fact, a whole set of Club aluminum pots and pans that were new the Christmas before Carol's mother passed away.

      * * *

      Friends have told me I should have gone for something bigger. But then the king-size bed is a perfect fit for my husband, his dog, my pillows, and me. The silk tree, with a family of ceramic cats napping under its branches, is lending its classy touch to my family room. And the fry pan is happy to announce that it hasn't seen too much duty, but the meals it has been involved with have all turned out, would you believe, adequately?

      —Written in 1995

      Avon Calling

      God knew the only way to break my routine and get me to see Jeanie that Monday was to stop my watch.

      What time is it by your watch? I asked.

      Four o’clock, replied Jeanie.

      Oh, no! Are you sure? I was supposed to pick up my kids and leave for Pioneer Girls at least forty-five minutes ago.

      As I hurriedly packed my Avon paraphernalia and said my hasty good-byes and thank you’s, my mind was racing. How could I be so late? Why in the world did my watch stop, of all days, when I had an obligation at church? What must my friend think who was watching my kids?

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