Scarlet Robe Creations

She watched the snow coming down from the window before her.   The blanket over her lap kept her legs warm.   With both hands she gripped the wheels of her chair and spun away from the wintery scene on the lawn. With a skill gained in the past two years she quickly rolled across the room and into the hall.   She heard her mother’s voice in the dining room, talking with the new pastor at her church.   She listened, confined to her chair, for her mother to indulge the reverend with her daughter’s pitiful plight. She lifted the blanket and looked at her lap.   Her legs had lost much of their muscle tone.   Even through the heavy fabric of her jeans it was noticeable. “My daughter, Karen, skied competitively in college.” She heard her mother say.   Always centered on the glory years.   Now, two years later, she was a paraplegic. “She was amazing on the slopes.” Her mother continued bragging in the dining room. “Her coaches said she should cons...

This collection of works was published, through the Office of Ministry to the Handicapped, as a handout for the Christmas season of 1981. The letters document the growth of 'The Spirit of the Handicapped' during the early days of the ministry, from 1977 - 1981 During the spring and summer of 1977, the Office of the Ministry of the Handicapped, renovated the interior of the old building at 323 Main Street in Norwich, CT. The funding to purchase the building was complete and summer was spent amid the chatter of volunteers who had listened to and embraced a dream. During that time, Donald P James Sr. (my father) sat and wrote the first of many letters to Brother Patrick Martin, the ministry’s director. Initially the letters were authored by ‘The Spirit of God’s Gift House’, the name given to the building, and later by ‘The Spirit of the Handicapped’. This collection of his works was published as a handout for the Christmas season of 1981. Any letters written after this point ha...