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| Anita Scaler (seated) and Della Wilson (standing) Washington Park Mall, August 4, 2012
Blue Star Mothers Bartlesville, Oklahoma
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I like to use something visual with my writing and my original plan for this page was to be photographs of the new edition of the Holman Military Branch Bibles. I bought three just for photographs, but I have not yet made the photographs. These three Bibles will be given away to a Soldier, an Airman and a Marine as soon as I have completed photographs of them for this blog.
I have purchased Bibles from Living Word Store in Washington Park Mall, in Bartlesville, owned by Melvin Nichols, for about four or five years now. Melvin has retired and closed the store in February but he continued to fill my needs from his home until the recent opening of Ruth's Christian Store, also in the mall but at a different location. On Saturday, August 4, we purchased five Soldier's Bibles and gave them to the women of the Blue Star Mothers seen in this photograph to give to any soldier, wife of a soldier, mom of a soldier, who came by and asked about the Bible since one was displayed prominently in the center of the exhibit. By the end of the day, four of the Bibles had found homes. The Blue Star Mothers have home made items which they sell at the monthly exhibit for fund raising. I asked them to just say that the Bibles were paid for and to take it to Ruth's for imprinting of the soldier's name on the Bible. I also arranged for five military Bibles to be paid for and kept in the store. It was just a blanket payment for any military Bible on the shelf so that a dependent could pick it up, take it over to the cashier, and then be told that her or his Bible had been paid for. I was pleased to learn today that four Bibles were taken. I don't know the branch or who took them; I only know that it was a blessing to several of them. In fact, the lady who waited on me today, when I bought an Airman's Bible for my young cousin serving in Japan, whom I have not yet met, told me that a young wife had told her that she wanted to get a Bible for her army husband but could not afford it. Ellie told the young wife, "Your Bible has been paid for so all you have to do is pick one out, bring it over and we'll print his name on it."
My Aunt, Julia Hardy Griffin, was a Gold Star Mother of World War II. This is not good for to be a Gold Star Mother, you must lose a son or daughter in war. My older cousin, Bennett Griffin, her son, was lost in battle in 1944, possibly in the Battle of the Bulge. I only knew him through photographs, his ribbons and medals and the grave I visit in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.
The Blue Star Mothers is an organization of the mothers of servicemen but it's not restricted just to mothers. In a official capacity, yes, but there are auxiliary volunteers and young women who help by volunteering time and energy for fund raising efforts. I help here in the smallest of ways. I attend their fund raising efforts, breakfast once each month, the exhibit and sales they have at the mall once a month and other small ways. I photograph events when I can and I share the photographs on Facebook and Flickr. I also photograph the service men and women and give them or the families portraits when I have made a good one.
But my main contribution is what I do in giving the military Bibles. Most of the expense has been borne by me, and my wife has helped in contributions as well. Then we have had a few contributors. We have not solicited funds with the exception of when I told the Pawhuska Methodist Men's Group that we would accept a donation and they generously provided us with $200.00. We have one consistent contributor and I do not have permission to publish his name yet. And, a former marine who is from my home town of Pawhuska contributed $500.00. With $100.00 we can furnish five Bibles to service men and women.
I had said that our total was about 275 Bibles and I thought that to be correct. But, alas, my Excel program tells me that we have provided 257 Bibles and our expense for Bibles has been $6,057.24 for Bibles. Any mailing costs are separate and I absorb those without keeping a record; I just buy a box and pay for mailing and consider it a minor expense. The Bibles are the main thing.
Along with the Blue Star Mothers, I am the Red Shirt Fridays for our area. I tell people about Red Shirt Fridays and I have shirts I have purchased from the Red Shirt group but, so far, I seem to be the only person here who is involved in Red Shirt Fridays.
Our efforts are small and we what we do with our Bible project is small, but it's still something and I'll do it as long as I can.
Stephen Joe "Red Boots" Payne
