As a teenager Mary Ellen thought she had the world by the tail. Then came the Great Depression, World War II, two handicapped children, a move that challenged all her resources--and a faith journey that inspired others.
From the gentle wisdom of her Quaker father Mary Ellen Townsend Harris garnered a spiritual sensitivity that produced an all-encompassing fruitfulness of contagious, compassionate love. Written from the perspective of her oldest son, and drawing on her memoirs. "When Love Prevails" traces Mary Ellen's life from her early years on a dairy farm outside Cincinnati, Ohio, to the founding of a residential school for severely physically handicapped adults in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. A story of faith, hope and persistence that is sure to inspire.
Excerpt
Remembering the Quaker meetings of her childhood, Mary knew she had to be still, and listen with an inner ear for God's voice. She pulled herself apart from everyone and plunged into a deep process of inner cleansing. She cried and released a flood of long-concealed emotions. She prayed from the depth of her soul.
"Oh God, I have been so self-focused all my life. "I've let pride rule me. I've tried to make things go the way I wanted. I hid you in a Bible and only talked to you when I felt desperate. I've questioned why Paul has all these difficulties--why you let him be born this way. I've been selfish, and I want to repent. I want to change from the inside out. Lord, I no longer want to blame you or anyone else for Paul's condition and his needs. You've given me a great challenge, so I guess you know I can handle it. Please show me how. I don't know anything about raising a child with physical disabilities, but I know you will guide me if I trust you. Lord, I want to trust you!"
As she prayed a warm sensation soared in the air around her, entering her body and surging through her whole being. She soaked up God's overwhelming love. "I don't have to do anything except let go, do I? Oh, Lord, fill me with love and trust in you. Take away all bitterness and doubt. Help me to let go so you can fill me afresh." Even as she prayed, Mary felt God's calm, reassuring touch. "You already love me...and Paul, and Hugh--all of us. I want to let go so your love can take over in my life. I want to be saturated with it."
Over several days Mary listened, and God spoke to her spirit. Finally her prayer ordeal ended, and she felt wonderfully alive and capable of taking on whatever lay before her. She didn't have to do anything except let go in order to be filled with the love God already had for her. Now she wanted to be saturated with that love so she could walk in strength born of faith. She felt clean from the inside-out.
....As Mary realigned her spiritual life in submission to God, the world that had been war-ravaged for years began to exhibit flashes of hope for peace. The D-Day landings and ensuing hard-fought battles in Europe brought victory there. Virtual destruction of the Japanese navy in the Philippines at Leyte Gulf, and the victories symbolized by raising the American flag on Iwo Jima, indicated that World War II was reaching its climax. The end came with the horrific bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It was time to realign the world toward peace.
Soldiers came home, may of them wounded and broken. Families who had lost loved ones were riddled with grief. The war had been a watershed in the history of American life. Nothing would ever be quite the same again. This was the context in which Mary took on her challenging tasks with Paul.
This book has been eight years in the making. It is mostly a jumble of thoughts written down in old spiral notebooks and hidden in the bottom drawer underneath various manuals for software packages and hardware long since turned obsolete.
Jack Kelly was a child performer, son of New York model, Nan Kelly, brother of actress, Nancy Kelly, brother-in-law of actor Edmond O'Brien and cinematographer Fred Jackman, Jr. On TV, from 1957 until 1962, he was James Garner's brother on the show,
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