Jeanne Breden, My Friend, Prayer Warrior, and Encourager
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
Jeanne Breden was one of the first writers I met at the Maine Christian Writers Fellowship in August 2000. She enjoyed poetry and started a poetry round robin. Each person in the group would submit a poem and the next person would critique the first poem and submit one also. I signed up for the poetry round robin and later looked forward to the monthly envelope of poetry submissions from several writers in Maine. Jeanne won awards for her Tanka poetry and her devotions.
Jeanne was the first person to tell me God had called me to write and speak. I don’t know how she knew, but she did. She and Vicki Schad prayed over me for God’s blessings on my future ministry.
Beautiful e-greeting cards arrived in my inbox once or twice a week from Jeanne. No matter what the occasion, I could count on a musical e-card from her. She seemed to sense my needs and sent me appropriate e-cards when I needed them.
I attended the Maine conference three summers in a row. Jeanne invited me to teach a workshop for the conference in 2001. Initially, I refused. She e-mailed me back and listed all the reasons why I should. I presented the workshop and enjoyed a reunion with Jeanne and the others.
In 2002, Jeanne invited me to present another workshop. I accepted without hesitation and enjoyed a second reunion with Jeanne and the other writers in Maine.
Jeanne was my friend, a prayer warrior who faithfully interceded for me and my family, an encourager who brought out the best in me and others, and a creative person who sent me surprise packages. My book, Hope for the Journey through Cancer, has cosmos flowers on the cover. Jeanne sent me refrigerator magnets with pictures of the cosmos flowers in her backyard and the word, “hope,” on them. The magnets reflected Jeanne’s creativity, her love and her friendship. The cards and surprises continued until Jeanne’s diagnosis of a brain tumor in 2009.
Jeanne went home to be with the Lord on January 23, 2010. I miss her, her prayers, and her encouragement. I can still hear her gentle laughter. I treasure the cosmos magnet on my refrigerator and look forward to seeing her again one day in heaven.
Copyright © March 2010 by Yvonne Ortega