The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Photo by Mary Vee Community on an international scale has proven it doesn't matter which side of politics one stands. When people need help, the community steps up. TSA workers currently are in the forefront when it comes to those needing help during the government shutdown. Their salary is not very high, but the workers make a living doing their job.  In one family, both parents are TSA employees. They work opposite shifts so one parent can be home with their young children throughout the day and night. The community in their city are helping by providing an important staple for them: diapers. According to recent articles in USA and other wires, locals drive to the airport and drop off trunkloads of food for needy TSA workers. Vendors in the airport provide free lunches and transportation assistance to the airport. Canadian air traffic controllers buy pizzas for their American counterparts. Banks offer discounted or no interest loans to tide the workers o...

Photo by Mary Vee Bakery in Germany Amazing, but true.  John Chhan opened his shop in California at 4:30 a.m. then had to close the doors at 8:30 a.m. because of the community. What had the community done? The story started when a woman brought her daughter into Chhan's bakery. His wife had been there all the years the woman stopped in the shop in the past, but she wasn't that day. The woman discovered John's wife had an aneurysm and was home recovering from surgery. After the woman returned home, she thought about Mrs. Chhan. The couple came to the U.S. as refugees from Cambodia many years before and set up this bakery. Every day the couple arrived at the shop at 2 a.m. to make the donuts then opened the doors at 4:30 a.m. to sell the treats. When all the donuts were sold, the workday ended. They closed the doors and went home. The woman told neighbors and wrote a blog post about the Chhan's saying, if everyone went to the bakery early and bought in the...

Photo Courtesy: Pixabay.com A bookstore in Southhampton, England, called October Books, could no longer afford to pay the rent for it's building. No big deal, you might say. Most people buy online anyway. But this is a different and unique, and basically a Never Give Up Story because the community formed a human chain to save this bookstore. October Books is an independent bookstore that also offers organic foods and hosts events for the community. Their interest in the locals impacted the people, stirring men and women, boys and girls to come to their aid.   After having been in their original location for 25 years and facing rising rent, the owners knew they had to leave. They searched for another building and found an abandoned bank.  Several problems rose for a timely move down the street. A stockroom filled with books had to be transported. Painting. Setting up the new store. Creative genus struck when the owner called for help from the community.  So,...

We stumbled upon these unique fireworks. In my book, yah couldn't get closer to the intent of this holiday than this show. To the south of us is a lake. It's a long lake with cottages and houses on nearly every inch of shore. Behind postage stamp-sized properties, are more houses. Roads leading to each residence are twined like a mouse trap. Be careful or you may not find the way out! Anyway, my family heard the boom booms from our house. We hopped in the car in search for what we hoped was a fantastic show. AND IT WAS!! In route to a little park, big enough for four cars, fireworks burst overhead. Boom. Boom. One after another exploding brilliant blues, reds, yellows, and more. Popping as fast as pop corn. Then the sound stopped. The air filled with smoke. Car horns blared. People cheered. Toy horns honked.  We looked for a place to turn around, thinking the show was over. But it wasn't. A series of new fireworks burst overhead then cheers, horns, and spa...

By Mary Vee Heather M is the winner of the book giveaway from last Friday! Stop by this Friday for another book give away. God works through many community settings to help us through our situations. Seems like the one we grow up in tends to be our favorite. Paul and his wife from Jackson, Mississippi celebrated an anniversary. They traveled to the farming community in Ohio where he grew up and had a special celebration with their family.  He told me how he loved the secure and free lifestyle he had while growing up in the small Ohio community. "We never locked our doors, never had to worry about doing it. Folk who live there today do the same. It's a close knit community where people can trust each other." I asked him about Jackson. "Oh, Jackson is a different kind of town. It has all the big city features, shopping and all. The problem is, parents have to watch their children all the time. Crime can get out of hand. We live there because my wife lik...