Grandmother Flower

R. Kenny Bickford
February 13, 2013

(Most of my life its complete strangers God's put in my path as "proof for God". Their faith and love is "proof" enough).

Happiness keeps us sweet, trials make us strong, sorrows make us humble, as we tearfully walk along, success keeps us glowing and God keeps us going. May we have a wishful year, holding dear our Parents' Tears. I love you brothers and sisters. Aju

An old Black woman had a grocery cart of heavy items. Bent over like the Grandmother Flower, Joy and I became tearful as we passed her, because she looked so pitiful and frail. We both looked at one another and thought the same thought, she... was the first to break the silence," Let's go help her", Joy said. When we went back and asked to help her, she became tearful, wondering what we wanted in return. And we said just to help you that's all. We not only touched her heart, we touched God's heart, loving the Grandmother Flower.

There's nothing in this world we do, see, touch, taste, hear, or speak, that doesn't somehow affect us, each other, or God. Once touched by the truth of the Divine Principle, there's no stopping the change everyone us goes through. The complete wholeness of body and spirit, is what we wish to share with every human on the planet. When prices started going up on everything, I found it increasingly difficult to pay bills.

Some things are mandatory like, shelter, food, electricity, clothing, etc. Being alone was even more difficult, one income. I found myself working 3 jobs with little time for sleep. From 3-ll PM, I worked in a waffle house restaurant(mostly in the southern states), 11-7 am, I worked in a foam company, making insulation, and during the day, I worked at my own pace, no pressure, slow and steady, putting up a chain linked fence, 5 miles around a power plant, in the woods of Georgia.

One day about a half mile or so into the woods, it was time to make 90 degree turn to the left. In order to do that, the poles I was cementing into the ground, had to be very secure and stable, because I was pulling the rolls of chain link fence tight with a come a long, and the cement had to be hard to withstand the pressure of the taught ness of the fence. I was taking a break, waiting for the cement to cure, when I looked to my right and noticed something through the trees. It looked like some sort of a shack, no roads or paths leading to it. Squinting my eyes to focus through the brush and foliage, I saw movement and walked closer, curious at what I was seeing.

As I came through the brush, a couple hundred yards from where I had been working, I entered a clearing with a one room shack, 10-15 feet square with an attached porch. On the porch, sat a 95 or 97 year young black woman in a rocking chair, rocking like there was no tomorrow, with a corncob pipe in her mouth and not a single tooth left to call her own. I can see this right now like it was happening right now. I walked up to her to say good morning, which she responded in like kindness.

Being in my 20's I had a hard time with her calling me "sir". I called her "Ma'am", out of respect for her age and requested she not call me sir, that my name was Kenny. I don't think she liked the idea to much. I spoke with her for a short while because I had to get back to work, but In that short time, she touched my heart so deeply, I remember crying as I turned to return to work. Even now that sweet, sweet, Grandmother Flower, will always for all eternity, be carved upon my heart. I asked her why she was alone? That gentle spirit responded by telling me she wasn't alone and that the Lord had always been with her. When she said that, I burst into tears, because I had never heard anything so beautiful in all my life.

Her faith was so deep and I was so honored to have met her. I felt like Heavenly Father had been alone His whole existence within her. She told me she had a daughter that brought her staples (bare necessities, sugar, flour, etc...), once a month. I asked you're all alone? She then showed me her bible that looked as if it had been opened so many times, it was as frail and pitiful as she was. I thank God to this day for that experience. I never saw her again, something happened and I never went back to finish that job.

Heavenly Father is with us. Inside your mind you are talking to God and God is talking to you. Get used to it, It is why we were created, our True Parents have given us the blue print to reclaim our birthright, God and Grandmother Flower will never again be alone. People live with God's heart, not knowing the preciousness of it. I've always talked to God in my mind and heart, sometimes sharing needs a foundation for receiving. Father could always speak to us in depth when we came in from the field on MFT. Our spirits soared to be with Father, just like He said, there would come a time when we wouldn't be able to get near Him. Aju