1935 – 2024
Julie (Colleen’s niece) and I have created a Memorial Page to honor Colleen’s life. Not only does it include a moving eulogy and fun family reflections but also a link to a Photo Gallery of Memories, which gives everyone a delightful snapshot of Colleen’s rich and blessed life. If you feel led, help us honor Colleen by sharing your memories, etc. in the comments on the Memorial Page (not on this blog post).
Click the link or the image to visit the Memorial Page.
#1. The Appleby Family Adventures.
Unlike Mother Goose’s old woman who “lived in a shoe and had so many children she didn’t know what to do,” every day is new and exciting for Mom, Dad, and their five children. So many places to go. So many things to learn and see! Join this happy family as they discover a world filled with the wonder of God’s creation.
#2. Christmas Carol Classics.
Nine-year-old Dennis and seven-year-old Sarah love singing Christmas carols, but they wonder, “Where did the songs come from, and why are they called ‘classics?'”
Imagine their surprise when they discover a popular preacher wrote over 700 hymns and psalms. Another man wrote over 1000. And a naughty mouse was responsible for the best loved carol of all times.
#3. God’s Answer Book.
Andrew, 5, his sister, Lacey, 7, and their friends Ali and Umeko, 6 and 7, are happy and thankful for all the good things in their lives.
But when sad things happen to them and their neighbors, the children learn they can find help and comfort, by searching in “God’s Answer Book” (the Bible.)
#4. Good Neighbors. Hunter and Alice don’t want to move. What if they don’t like their new neighbors? Or remember their names? They come up with a bright idea. Give those they meet nicknames that describe them. Mom and Dad say that is fine, but only in their own home and never anything unkind.
Before long, “Grandma Flower-Grower,” “Mr. Doggie-Go-Home,” “Mr. Doesn’t Answer Me,” “The Lady Who Smiles” and many more become new friends.
#5. Mudpuppies to Mountains.
Becky–the author’s mother–and her family move from Michigan, where the children play with salamanders, to Washington State in the early 1900s. The tiny logging town in the Cascades has a grocery store, a two-room school, seven saloons, and a forest filled with dangerous animals.
Becky’s tall grandfather builds and pastors the first church. His five-foot wife, “The Little Grandma” helps care for Becky and her sisters and brothers. Life is not easy. Times are hard. Winters bring heavy snow. Cougars [mountain lions] scream in the night and stalk alongside the trails outside of town. But God never fails. He protects the family from danger and makes ways of escape by providing for them.
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“Timeless Tales” offers stories of inspiration, entertainment, and lessons for life for the young and young at heart.
NOTE: Riptide is not the kind of book I usually read. This validates my 5-star review.
Although Sara Mitchell is on her way to winning another championship jumping title with her flashy Appaloosa, Star, she’s plagued by feelings of inadequacy. Her self-doubt increases when, instead of making her popular as she hoped, becoming a cheerleader ends in disaster.
Sara is diagnosed with a chronic illness. Side effects from medications are horrendous.
Life continues to worsen. She can no longer ride Star. Or cheer lead. The popular football hero she has been dating dumps her. She suffers from mean girl treatment. Her depression increases until she considers, and acts upon, a drastic and permanent solution.
Yet when Sara’s despair runs smack into a boy who says he loves her, and a God who vows the same, the troubled girl must reexamine the life she has decided is no longer worth living.
I am a long-term school secretary and camp counselor whose heart aches for young people like Sara, who struggle with the question asked in Book One of the DO I MATTER series. I believe this novel should be required reading for every family with teens and young adult.
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As a former high school English teacher Author Susan Thode has been a licensed mental health counselor and certified trauma/crisis counselor for twenty years. She courageously tackles issues facing young people in today’s often frightening world: peer pressure, mean girl syndrome, suicide, minor drug use, attempted sexual assault.
Buy Amazon>>
I stand in my living room in Auburn, Washington, watching the flag outside my window ripple in the morning breeze. I am wearing a bright red tee shirt with the perfect motto for today: Look back and thank God. Look forward and trust God. I say a prayer of gratitude for those who have gone before me. The brave men and women who gave their lives that I might live free. My courageous pioneer ancestors who came to western Washington in the early 1900s and helped carve the town of Darrington from virgin forests–the town where I was born 88 years ago and lived for almost 35 years.
The present gives way to the past. Once more I am a child preparing to celebrate what was then called “Decoration Day.” A hundred miles northeast of Auburn, a lifetime ago. My anxious voice echoes down through the years. “Mom, how are we going to decorate the graves? It’s been so rainy, flowers haven’t bloomed.”
“Don’t worry,” she said. “We always have lilacs.”
“What will we put them in?” I asked. “We can’t afford vases.”
She smiled. “Fruit jars. [Mason canning jars].”
Year after year, always lilacs and fruit jars, the staples of our family’s annual trips to decorate the graves in our local cemetery.
In addition to being a time to honor those no longer with us, Decoration Day was an opportunity to visit neighbors, share joys, sorrows, and memories. Due to its rather isolated location, folks depended on one another. Community spirit ran high, from bleacher-packed attendance at the hometown basketball games, to caring for our own. When families lost their homes to fire, neighbors often gave what they really couldn’t afford. The way of life left an indelible mark on Darrington inhabitants. Years later, a long-term resident described it, “No one ever really leaves Darrington. Some just go away.”
I agree whole-heartedly. Life took me from my hometown decades ago. Yet time cannot dim my memories, especially of those late May mornings when folks laid aside duties and gathered to pay tribute. So many friends, so many relatives, some of whom still live in the town guarded by White Horse and other mountains. The cemetery, bright with flags and flowers; the joy of remembering.
May you pause today and give thanks for living in America, home of the free, because of the brave.
Colleen
Grounded after a long illness, I needed new ways to make a difference in the lives of others, my dream since childhood.
Snatches of old hymns came to mind.
“Brighten the Corner where You are.”
“If you cannot cross the oceans and far distant lands explore,
“You can find the needy nearer. You can help them at your door.”
I know from experience that when doors close, God truly does open windows. I started my new “at-home” ministry by smiling and waving at passers-by from my large front room window (adorned with large wooden blocks reading BLESSINGS ever since COVID began.)
E-mail offers unlimited opportunities to encourage those going through heartache. People often just need someone who will listen and care
I awakened on a snowy January morning aware that I needed to write a special book, one sharing God’s love, protection, and provision, throughout my eighty-eight-year lifespan. The title would be SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS. The cover, double rainbows against a stormy sky. Winged Publications gave me an immediate go-ahead. I added a sub-title: 31 Unforgettable Stories of God’s Continuous Care.
Designed to offer hope and encouragement, every print copy I mail, every Kindle copy I order, carries a prayer for the recipient. If only one person is strengthened by reading the book, (whether I ever know) it will more than repay my efforts.
“BLESSINGS’ is fulfilling its intended purpose. A former writing student/dear friend who writes family-oriented books plans posted this comment on my Amazon Author Page.
“I have always reached for Colleen Reece books when life leaves me feeling weary. Somehow I can always find a story that saves me from feeling alone or hopeless in whatever situation I am struggling with. Showers of Blessings came at just the right time and kept me up until 1 am as I could not stop reading until I finished every story. The Hope kept pouring in story by story. Most inspiring of all is knowing that the author is 88 and is living proof of God’s faithfulness no matter how long He sometimes takes to answer our prayers. But He does answer often beyond our biggest hopes and expectations. We are never forgotten and dearly loved. I love how pure and simple these beautiful memories are that soothe such complicated times.
The message came after a roller coaster week. I thanked God for Renee, and for the perfect timing.
May y
ou look for the blessings in your own life. They are there, although they must be searched for, as a prospector searches for gold.
Dig deep. It will be worth it.
Colleen
SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS: 31 Unforgettable Stories of God’s Continuous Care
“The Story Behind the Story”
Some of my favorite times for reflection, planning, and prayer lies between waking up and getting up. On January 15th, I woke with an old hymn singing in my mind.
“When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed. When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost. Count your many blessings, name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” Johnson Otman, Jr., ©1897.now public domain.
I smiled and started to count. Faith. Family. Friends. Financial help when resources dwindled. Memories. Returning health. Shelter in time of storm. Ways of escape in times of trouble and danger.
“I need to put my articles showing how God has worked in my life in a book,” I exclaimed. My latest magazine sale, evidence of God’s most recent example of meeting a specific need, was receiving praise from my former writing students. When I told them I felt led to begin this new project, one said (in part), “Ever since I read the article, I’ve felt you needed to write such a book.”
I began the same day.
SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS is divided into sections that match the different eras of my life. Darrington Days, from birth to age 35. Vancouver Interlude, age 35-43. At Home in Auburn, age 43-present and future. Re-living more than eight decades of relying on God for direction, companionship, and continuous care, brought smiles, tears, and overwhelming gratitude.
Please join me on my journey, with its mountain highs and valley lows.
Blessings,
Colleen
TWO FOR THE MONEY—TWO FOR THE SHOW
Thanks to former writing student and long-time friend, Susan K. Marlow, for creating my first book trailer video. Using her knowledge of American history, Susan’s CIRCLE C ADVENTURES and five other family-oriented “Horses, Adventures and the Old West” series have won a multitude of loyal fans of all ages.
CHERISHED ROMANCES DUET, a Kindle collection, is the inspirational story of two young women who refuse to let others control their destiny.
(Titles are also available as individual Kindle and print editions.)
From prayer journal Valentine’s Day, 2023:
Three inches of snow fell in the night. Lovely. Visiting nurse Ann came. Ron W. fixed my q.com so it would Send. The daily scripture in my journal read, “The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made” (Psalm 143:13.)
It feels like a lifetime ago. I’d only been home since January 26th, after almost three months in hospitals and a rehabilitation center– dependent on others for care. Since then, God has been restoring me, one day, one obstacle at a time. I am anticipating even more blessings.
Vacuuming, mopping, etc. are not compatible with a walker. Last summer I was approved for home help. Natalya is everything I could wish for. Was it coincidence that this new friend, the perfect match for me, was appointed? I. Don’t. Think. So. Our story is a series of incredible, events, and will be the final entry in my upcoming SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS. More on this title closer to publication. It is now about 2/3 written.
“Count Your Blessings,” The Story Behind the Stories. Introduction to SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS: 31 Unforgettable Stories of God’s Continuing Care. (condensed)
I planned to start 2024 by editing Cherished Romances #17 for my Winged Publications series. But I wondered, “What if God wanted me to write a different book first?” Nothing came to mind., until January 15th, an icy cold morning in Auburn, Washington.
I awoke with the words of an old hymn singing in my mind.
“When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed. When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost. Count your many blessings, name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” Johnson Otman, Jr., ©1897
Faith. Family, Friends. Memories. Slowly returning health. Shelter in time of storm. My heart pounded. I needed to write a book and include a recently sold article that had earned praise from former writing students. One of them replied, “Ever since I read the article, I’ve felt you needed to write such a book.”
Showers of Blessings is divided into three sections.
Darrington Days recalls treasured memories from growing-up in a small western Washington logging town.
Vancouver Interlude. From small-town girl to “big city” life proved hard, but it led to being called into full-time writing.
At Home in Auburn. Fulfilment of my childhood vow to someday write a book.
Life has not always flowed smoothly. Yet I cling to the promise in “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. It never fails.
Look for the blessings. They are waiting to be discovered. Happy Valentine’s Day
Flowers from Natalya, 2-13-24
Snow falls outside the window. Temperatures plummet. Too much rain or too many gray days bring cabin fever. Defeat the doldrums. Good books provide a reprieve from the winter blahs. Add a cup of hot cider, a mug of candy cane or mini-marshmallow cocoa, a good reading light, and a fleece throw.
Decades ago, I felt led to leave my government job and pursue a long-held dream of becoming a full-time author. My eighty-two-year-old mother and I moved to Auburn, Washington, a fifteen-minute drive from my younger brother, his wife, three kids, a soot-black cat, and a black Labrador.
The cat and dog were a strange, incredible pair. His Majesty Mandrake had strange ways; Sweet Sugar was incredibly lovable. Mom and I enjoyed them for many years.
I am delighted that my oldest niece, Julie Reece-DeMarco, (who has co-authored more than a dozen books with me and has over a million copies in print) tells the story of the beloved family pets. “Mandrake,” is included in the new Chicken Soup book (February 6, 2024).
The 101 true stories in this delightful book have it all: Laughter. Love. Inspiration. Incredible events. Humorous and heart-warming, it is perfect for dreary days. Each entry is short enough to be enjoyed when there is no time for reading a book, or even a chapter.
If a special pet ever left paw prints on your life, Me and My Dog is the perfect antidote for gloomy weather.
Happy reading, and God bless,
Back Home and Happy
Note. T-shirt expresses my gratitude. “Look back and thank God. Look forward and trust God.”
{Article Reprinted courtesy of City of Auburn}
You can read the article below or by clicking the PDF magazine with the article here: Auburn Magazine Winter Issue
“How Auburn’s Housing Repair Program kept a woman from losing her most prized possession: her independence.” By Jonathan Glover, City of Auburn Communications Manager.
At nearly nine decades old, Colleen Reece has something at her age most people don’t: complete autonomy.
Because for most, independence is a fleeting privilege – you’re born without it but quickly grow into it. You covet it, at times making it a part of your personality and perhaps a defining characteristic. You can be fierce about it or mutually reliant. But eventually, time wins. People grow old, and their homes that once stood as a testament to productivity become monuments to stillness.
But not for Colleen. She’s home, today, at the same one she’s had for years with no plans to vacate anytime soon. And all she needed was a little help from family and neighborly assistance down the road. And unexpectedly – a visit from the City of Auburn’s Housing Repair Program. “There’s no way in the world I could be here in my house,” Colleen says. “Not without this.”
To the program’s administrators – coordinator Joel Asbjornsen and boots-on-the-ground technician Harold Showers – swooping in just as things are getting dour is par for the course. Fact is, Colleen isn’t alone – annually, the program helps about 60-70 households across Auburn, and not a penny is exchanged.
The decades-old program provides eligible homeowners grants up to $9,999 for emergency minor home repairs. Leaky roofs, unsafe stairs, floor repair, access for individuals with disabilities, and heating system
repairs – all in a day’s work. Should a resident meet the program’s qualifying standards, Joel or Harold will conduct a thorough assessment of the home and tailor the improvements from there.
“We’re able to help people who are really in need,” says Harold. “A lot of people struggle.”
To be eligible, residents must own a single-family home in Auburn city limits, have lived there for at least a year, meet the income requirements of the program which for one person must be below $47,950 a year, and provide proof of ownership. After that, there’s no saying where things might head.
For Colleen, meeting Joel and Harold was complete happenstance – a random chance on
a forgetful day that instead sticks in memory because of what happens next. Two years ago, during a particularly intense heatwave, Puget Sound Energy was out to check on potential problems with Colleen’s power. And when they came out to investigate alongside city workers, they noticed a particularly large step down from her dining room to her garage.
“I asked if she wanted another step and a grab bar,” says Joel. “She said, ‘Oh yes, I never even thought of that.’” A small step for a man, but a giant leap for a woman in her late 80s who now had safe and easier access again to her garage – a privilege she’d learned to live without for several years.
“All of a sudden I could go in and out without fear of falling,” Colleen says.
Then last year around November, Colleen was out raking leaves, an activity she loved dearly. She came in feeling under the weather and by morning, she had chills and a fever. She tested for COVID, and while negative, knew something wasn’t right. It wasn’t like any sickness she’d had before.
But she did what she always did – she powered through and persevered. Even as the little voice in her head cautioned her otherwise. “I kept thinking every day that I’d get better,” Colleen says. “But I just didn’t.”
Try as she might, a hospital bed was calling, and by the time she’d checked in, she learned it was an infection. Weeks of IV bags full of antibiotics and nurses and doctors and calls with her insurance companies and calendars in Wesley Rehabilitation Center and lunch tray meals followed, capped off by the inevitability: it’s time to return home.
But illness had other plans. Shortly after arriving, Colleen says she hit her head and back while in the bathroom, so it was back to the emergency room. And after round 2, and home again, she was barely able to walk across her short bedroom to the bathroom.
“Looking back, I don’t think anybody, including me, knew how sick I was,” says Colleen. “It was bad.”
Colleen’s niece remembered, though: those nice men who installed that step. Could they do something similar in her bathroom? A tub conversion into a shower for easy access, and perhaps a rail as well? Absolutely.
“They put a lot of urgency on getting some handrails installed,” says Joel. “So that’s what we did.”
If you visit her home today – and really, she’d be delighted – what you’ll find is nothing out of the ordinary. And that’s exactly the way it’s meant to be. The newly-installed walk-in shower has sturdy handrails, blending with the wall as if they’ve always been there.
The toilet is surrounded by a solid cage, meant to pull out when needed and be pushed back when not. Even the bathroom attached to Colleen’s mother’s room – which hasn’t been occupied since 1992 – has a rail just in case.
What sounds minor to you or me is anything but to someone like Colleen. It’s the literal difference between independence and reliance, the former being remarkably important for a woman who’s had just that since first stepping into adulthood.
A writer by trade and a good one at that, Colleen is used to dealing with editors and publishers and readers and the kind of block that only goes away when a good idea is cooking.
She knows what it’s like to teach a group of adults how to put pen to paper in community education classes at Green River College, where she taught for many years starting in 1978, and for the Auburn Senior Center. She knows what it’s like to have boyfriends and suitors, not one of them ever making the cut for a husband. She knows what it means to say confidently – and mean it – that nobody is responsible for me but me.
The clock is ticking, of course, and she’d be the first to tell you her days living at home, alone, are limited. As a woman of faith, she smiles and takes one day at a time. And for now, a little bit longer is just enough to make the biggest difference.
“It’s all thanks to you,” Colleen says. “To the City of Auburn.”
COLLEEN L. REECE 