Tag Archives: Her storyline

Why My Grandma Liked Dolls

A neighbor interviewed my grandma and recorded it. The recording is super valuable to my family. You can hear little kids in the background, but the focus was on Grandma. She died before Toy Story, but she had her own storyline.

In the interview, Grandma explains how she and her family managed to get by through hard work, sacrifice, and faith. The family wasn’t able to go on a toy shopping spree. There were, however, miracles that provided treasure for her and her siblings.

Here’s a transcript of an insightful clip:

“My father used to move furniture, and a lot of times, the people say, ‘Oh, take this. I don’t want it. It just makes more stuff here.’ And he used to bring home toys. [“Aw” from interviewer.] And I always remember that big doll I had. You know, those big…the Germans used to make those nice, nice dolls. That’s why to this day, I like dolls.”

And boy, did we all know that! She had a glass cupboard with a collection of dolls. She mentioned it in the video, and how the “girls” (me and my sister) liked to open it. She planned to give us the collection after she passed away. There were moves and remodeling, but I managed to find one of the dolls. It’s the most adorable out of the “pretty dolls” (aka porcelain dolls). A little one that wears a yellow dress and cap. I’m looking at it right now. Some might look at it and feel nothing, but I feel really blessed. It has a story behind it. It’s a reminder of Grandma’s love. 

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Images:

Featured image: Girl With Doll by an unknown German artist. Found on Wikipedia commons.

Other painting found on pixabay.com

Anne Neville’s Wedding Vows to Richard

We are blessed to lots of information—true and false—about England’s most controversial monarch, Richard III. Way less is known about his queen, Anne Neville. I personally believe he would have never sat on the throne if they hadn’t married. I think she definitely provided encouragement. Anyway, since we don’t have tons of information about her, I like to wonder what she would have us know. Then I write some of those parodies. (Click here to read her inspirational pamphlet.)

Here’s a poem I wrote about her possible feelings when she got married to Richard, who was then the Duke of Gloucester.

Lady Anne’s Sweet Vows to Her Husband, Duke of Gloucester

From all that I’ve seen,
You’ve treated me like a queen.
Now as your wife,
I want you to have the best life.
I will be encouraging
I will do anything
To make you a king!

©Sarah Patten, 2019

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Arranged: Catherine of Braganza and Charles II

Catherine and Charles’ marriage didn’t end in divorce, but it wasn’t exactly a success. The man had many mistresses before and during their marriage, but the couple stayed on somewhat good terms.

Would Charles’ character had been different if he hadn’t had access to so many women? If he lived today, would he had signed up for an addiction recovery program?

Catherine had admirers herself. One man got fired from her service for getting too close with her. After Charles’ death, there were rumors she had a relationship with a Frenchman who had served her for years.

Maybe the mothers would still have played an important part in matchmaking; only this time it would be for everyday life, not making alliances between two countries. The mothers of this couple were both Catholics. Charles’ mother was happy when her decided to marry a good, Catholic girl.

Once again, religion is an important factor. Charles declared himself a Catholic at the end of his life, which is what Catherine had been her whole life.

I don’t know if they would have picked each at an ordinary party, but their marriage probably would have been better if they hadn’t been in high positions where they had opportunities to interact with questionable characters and temptations.

 

 

Featured Image: Charles II of England and Queen Catherine of Braganza (Dutch engraving, 3rd quarter of the 17th century)

Arranged: Michal and David

Michal and David were both at the royal court, and David was working his way to have power—for which Michal was used. But what if Israel hadn’t wanted kings—would they have gotten married? It’s hard to say since they were from different tribes, and usually tribes of Israel stuck with their own. However, marrying into other tribes still occurred.
When it came to martial rules, though, Israel’s number one was “marry in the covenant.” They had the same religion, and that’s huge. Say that somehow they got “arranged.” Would the marriage have worked?

If they weren’t royal there would have been more privacy. Michal and David would have spent more time together. There wouldn’t have been much competition—if any—with other wives. The two would have had a better chance of having a family together.

Let’s fast-forward to today. There’s still much controversy around royal marriages. I will tie in Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew. The couple divorced, but Sarah still gives flowing reviews of her ex in public. In one interview, she said their marriage would have worked out if they had been “in normal life.”

Let’s say Michal and David had lived in a “normal life”—would their marriage have worked? I strongly believe it would have.

 

Featured image: David and Michal by Virginio Grana, 1865

Peters, Pattens, and Preparing by Caring for Family

In my last post, I compared my parents to Aquila and Priscilla, and now I wish to compare my parents to Simon Peter and his wife. I believe that Mrs. Peter went with her husband on his missions—just like my mom and dad have gone together. Long before their missions, though, both couples took care of the wives’ mothers. This act is brave and selfless as well as good preparation to share the loving teachings of Jesus Christ. Perhaps it’s one of the best preparations. One memory that left a lasting impression on me was my dad driving Grandma to early morning appointments.

Because of such memories, I feel a connection to the story of Jesus healing Simon Peter’s mother-in-law.

And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever.

And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them” (Matthew 8:14-15).

I’m in awe when I read this passage. I feel a warmth and inspiration that I can’t really explain.

Further reading:
Alice
Matthew 8; Mark 1; Luke 4

Featured Image from painting Christ Healing the Mother of Simon Peter’s Wife by John Bridges.

 

Anne Neville’s Guide to Success

Here’s a little tongue and cheek about how King Richard III’s wife, Anne Neville, got to the top.

Get Your Dream Career

By Anne Neville Queen Anne, Beloved Consort of King Richard III

I grew up an heiress and was temporarily Princess of Wales. After my first husband and father died in battle,  I lost everything. I know I should be grateful that the king let me live with my sister and brother-in-law, (who’s the king’s little brother). So, see I was trapped by powerful men and family. It was impossible to break away. But I knew I had to in order to fulfill my dreams as an heiress who would have it all.

  1. Know Your Goals
    Even after I became a complete nobody, I still had the mindset as a queen. That mindset led me to fight for dreams. I wasn’t about to let my brother-in-law send me to a convent so he could take my inheritance. I had to accomplish my goals and went about doing research. I discovered my best ally would be the little brother of my brother-in-law, Richard Gloucester. His status was high. Plus, his relationship status was single.
  2. Network
    However you want to do it, get the word out. Be on the lookout! Whenever I was with my sister in public, I looked presentable. Yet, she and my brother-in-law kept a close watch on me.
    My prayers were answered during the holiday celebrations of 1471-72. I had made official contact with Richard. After shortly recounting celebrations we shared as children, I stopped small talk so we could just talk business. I told him I knew he needed money and would be happy to help if he signed a marital contact. He said he was relieved because he had been too shy to ask about the monetary/matrimony contact. On his part he said he would have the King invite my sister and brother-in-law to a mandatory banquet and he would personally deliver me out of the house where I had been a well-dressed prisoner.
  3. Follow- Through
    You’ll know you’ve picked the right business partner if he is as motivated as you are. Richard picked me up, and there was family drama that followed within the next couple months. I got some of my wealth back, and as a bonus, got a baby.
  4. Repeat Steps 1-3
    I still had the queen mindset after I married Richard. When the king died, Richard and I researched through many channels, and found the king’s children were not allowed to rule. After the tedious paperwork, Richard and I finally had our joint coronation.

Sincerely,
Your Majesty Queen Anne

©Sarah Patten, 2019

 

Featured Image: Richard III and Anne Neville stained glass image in Cardiff Castle, UK.

Who’s Queen Marie-Antoinette?

Some cousins recently asked me this after we all wrote down our heroes in a get-to-know-you game. Though I’ve studied about Marie-Antoinette the last five years, I stumbled. There’s so much to say! I said first what she wasn’t, which I sort of regretted. One cousin asked if it was the “let the eat cake” lady. I explained that Marie-Antoinette never said “Let them eat cake. ” We talked about where the myth came from and the French Revolution.

But I’ve been thinking of what a simple answer is to “Who’s Queen Marie-Antoinette?”

How about this–

“Queen Marie-Antoinette was queen of France during the French Revolution. She stood by her husband through it all and was very protective of her children.”

I think that’s a good place to start.

Interested in my other posts about my heroine? Then I invite you about to read about how I view Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI as couple, a book review, and how I formed a positive view about her.

 

Image:

Arrest of Louis XVI and his Family, Varennes, 1791 by Thomas Falcon Marshall

 

 

Eleanor Talbot

Eleanor Talbot became a star shortly before the infamous Richard III became king. She wasn’t even alive. However, when she was alive, she had met Edward IV (eldest brother of Richard), and supposedly married him in secret.

Soon enough Edward went his way and married Elizabeth Woodville three year later. When Edward died in 1483, the crown naturally went to his twelve-year-old  son, who became Edward V—but only for a short time while it was discovered that the late king had been married to Eleanor while also married to Elizabeth. Supporters of Richard concluded that the marriage between Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville had been bigamous thus making their children illegitimate and out of the succession.  Richard soon became king with much controversy that hasn’t gone away.

I’m in the process of rereading John Ashtown-Hill’s Eleanor The Secret Queen: The Woman Who Put Richard III on the Throne while reading Chris Skidmore’s Richard III: Brother, Protector, King, and it is quite the experience reading opposing views! These books are making me think very hard about Eleanor’s character. I have many ideas about Richard III but haven’t formed any clear picture of Eleanor yet. century-2026562_960_720

There are those who believe that Eleanor gave birth to a child that Edward IV had fathered. If this shaky claim is true, the baby either died young or was quickly taken out  of sight. If she had had a child, then that child and his or her posterity would have kept Eleanor’s memory alive and stood up for her.  When women don’t have living and direct descendants they tend to disappear more than the men who don’t have any heirs. It’s sad but true.

I believe that there are many people who, like Eleanor, want to be found. They want to show up in our history books with their stories truthfully told.

 

OTMA’S LAST POETRY: TRUTH

From her diaries and letters concerning her, Olga was thought to have the best idea out of her family of their eventual fate. Toward the end of her life, she was aloof and very depressed. She spent a lot of time with her ill brother, Alexei,  and in her own thoughts. This last photograph of her with her brother on their last train ride speaks thousands of words:

Little brother, Alexei, and Olga on the train to what would end up being their final destination in 1918. This picture shows an aging and wise princess.

It brings up many questions. And Olga often asked many questions. I believe she naturally searched for truth.

Truth by O
What is truth?

Pilate’s timeless questions
Is well-worth to mention.

Often, truth is in front of us
Which we try to ignore,
Wash , and spill our guilt to the floor.

We can all spout off a list
Of who’s the one to blame
And then read our owns names with shame.

Every person in this house
Must ask themselves what is true
And decide what they’re going to do.

We are accountable
To search for the facts
And then our following acts.

Wherefore, we must all answer to—

What is truth?

Around 1914

Around 1914

 

Poem © Sarah Patten

OTMA’S LAST POETRY: TO ALEXANDER

Tatiana played the diplomat family at the Ipatiev House. She would make requests on her family’s behalf.

She had exchanged letters with Siberian Prince Alexander. Though Tatiana probably wasn’t in contact with him the last couple months of her life.  I wrote  a poem about how letters from him might have made her feel in the mist of war and chaos.

To Alexander by T

Every single letter–
Every glorious letter–
From you is like a psalm
Its music heals and makes me feel better
Yet, it’s hard to stay calm
When the heavenly envelope
Is placed in my palm.
How hard it is to cope!
When I read your note
My smile grows
At what you wrote.
That is how my love for you goes.

Tatiana in 1914, the same year when possible marriages negotiations started between her and Alexander. Her father  quickly stopped it though because he wanted his daughters to marry someone of their own choice.

Tatiana in 1914, the same year when possible marriages negotiations started between her and Alexander. Her father quickly stopped it though because he wanted his daughters to marry someone of their own choice.

 

King Alexander. As a prince he couldn't stop staring at Tatiana at a dinner. Though the two never became bethrothed, she was a great loss to him when he heard about her death.

King Alexander. As a prince, he couldn’t stop staring at Tatiana at a dinner. Though the two never were  betrothed, he was devastated of her death.

 

Poem © Sarah Patten