My Mother, Rita Fleming, passed away on July 17, 2001 and now with our Lord, my Dad, and other family and loved ones. She was 84 years old and lived a very special and Christian life in Oklahoma. She will be sorely missed! The photo above was taken on Mother's Day, May 12, 1996.

Her first love of her life was Jesus Christ and His church, second was her family and third was her music and singing. She also wrote poetry for over forty years. So many children do not have a record of their parent except for a few pictures and a couple of letters.
My sister, Patricia, and I are very fortunate! We have Mom on tape singing her gospel songs and we have many poems that we love that came from her heart. I felt that she deserved a page dedicated to her own works. Periodically, I will try to change out a poem or two.
 

TOGETHER IN HEAVEN

You have gone to Heaven, sweetheart
Never here I'll see your face,
Until I meet you up in Glory
In our happy dwelling place.

There we'll spend our life forever
Living by our Savior's side,
There we'll never know a sorrow
And our tears will all be dried.

Some day through gates of pearl I'll enter
To that blessed home above,
And we'll sing through all the ages
Of our Savior's precious love.

Some times yet I get so lonely
And days like that, is hard to stand,
Yet in the Bible I have read
God holds my future in his hands.

So until our Father calls me
To join you in Heaven above,
I will always love you, Byron
And some day soon, I'll see you "Love".

Written By: Rita Fleming
Copyright © 1996 Rita Fleming
Web Entry: July 24, 2006
 

IN MEMORY OF BYRON
(A Story in Rhyme)

We were married in December,
The year was nineteen thirty-three,
We didn't have much money
But we were in love, you see.

So we both just decided
We didn't want to live apart,
We'd just live our lives together
No matter what the future brought.

Life for us was not all easy
Yet we never did complain,
For we knew we had each other
That was all that mattered then.

Three years went by quickly
And we had trusted God above,
So we decided to have children
And share with them our love.

So we had our two children;
First a boy and then a girl,
And there were no prouder parents
In all this whole wide world.

We loved them as babies
And as they were growing up;
We thought no one on the earth
Had kids as sweet as us.

Soon both had grown to be adults
And had families of their own,
And we were thankful to the Lord
For the years that they were home.


Then One day this precious man
That I married so long ago,
Went to live with his Redeemer
Where the streets are paved with gold.
And, Oh, How I do miss him
For I truly loved him so,
And no one here could understand
How hard it was to see him go.

But I thank God for our children
Who still live in this earthly land,
And I really love them both,
For they are a part of him.

As I see our handsome son
And our beautiful daughter, too;
I want you both to know
That I'm very proud of you.

Some day I'll join your Dad,
And it will make me, Oh, so glad;
But I want to say to you both,
I love you, Bill and Pat!

Written By: Rita Fleming "Mom"
Copyright ©1996 Rita Fleming
Web Entry: July 24, 2006
 

DARWIN CHURCH - MY CHURCH

There's something special about the people
In the church where I belong,
You get a special blessing
In each prayer and every song.

They are always ready
To lend a helping hand,
To any one, any time
Any way they can.

They seem to work together
In all the things they do,
You feel a friendly atmosphere
That is shown to you.

You feel while they are walking
Upon this earthly sod,
That they are Christian soldiers
And walk hand in hand with God.

Yes, there is something special
In this church where I belong,
You feel their love and friendliness
In every prayer and song.

And some day we will all meet
In that fair land above,
And live with our Father there
In joy and peace and love.

Written By: Rita Fleming
Copyright © 1968 Rita Fleming
Web Entry: July 24, 2006

 

A CHRISTIAN LIFE

This is peace and calmness
About a Christian's life,
They seem so unafraid to meet
Life's problems, needs, and strife.

They have assurance in their heart
That God is always there,
They know that they can reach him
Any time in prayer.

When times get hard and ways get rough
And all is lost around,
A Christian stands firm in faith
That God won't let him down.

They know that God will see them
Through this world below,
And that He's with them every day
Where ever they may go.

Yes, there's peace and calmness
About a Christian's life,
One who's really trying
To live his life upright.

They know that God's preparing
A home in Heaven above,
Where all is joy and gladness
And all is joined in love.

If you want joy and peace
Give God your heart today,
And you'll have him within your soul
As you go on your way.

Written By: Rita Fleming, Year 1953
Copyright ©1953 Rita Fleming
Web Entry: July 26, 2006
 

IT'S BETTER TO PRAY

It's better to pray when ill winds blow
It's better to pray than to cry,
Though the wheels of fortune turns in reverse
And the cares of life pile high.

It's better to say "Thy will be done"
Though it crushes you like a leaf,
It's better to look to the only one
Who is able to send relief.

It's better to work and silently pray
Than to wish and flounder about,
To ask for strength and courage each day
It's better to believe than doubt.

It's better to greet the world with a smile
Though some times it rumples your pride,
To laugh and sing and pray all the while
Just makes you feel better inside.

It's better, far better, when cares and strife
Seems to be all around,
Just be calm and wait on the Lord
Until the turmoil has settled down.

It's better to give of your time and strength
Than to idle the hours away,
At sunset, you'll have his witness within
It's better, much better, to pray.

Written By: Rita Fleming
Copyright © 1995 Rita Fleming
Web Entry: July 26, 2006
 

THAT WONDERFUL MOTHER OF MINE

Today again is Mothers Day
To honor her is right,
You're very lucky if the rose
You're wearing isn't white.

Yet I have precious memories
Down through all the years,
Of my own dear mother
That I loved so dear.

She always was a comfort
To me in every way,
And times I was depressed or blue
She knew just what to say.

She'd always point the upward way
Her brown eyes they would shine,
I wish you could have met
That wonderful mother of mine.

She's been my inspiration
And she was so very dear,
And though she is in Heaven
Sometimes I feel her near.

So many times, I've felt her love
Through music and in songs,
It keeps us close in spirit
The years that she's been gone.


I can not wish her back today
Though I love and miss her so,
She's happy with the Lord above
This I truly know.

Some day above in that land
When the golden streets do shine,
I'll proudly introduce to you
That wonderful mother of mine.

Written By: Rita Fleming May 9, 1964

Written In Honor Of:

Jessie Loughridge Williams
Born: July 7, 1879
Died: July 16, 1944

Copyright © 1964 Rita Fleming
Web Entry: July 26, 2006
 

A FISHING STORY

For those who like to fish
I think you'll understand,
What a thrill it is to go
With bait and pole in hand,
And find your self some water
A river, lake, or pond,
And soon your troubles and your cares
Will be completely gone.

Now you get your hooks together
And you put one on your line,
You throw it in the water
Boy, you're feeling mighty fine;
But as you sit relaxing
Wow! your cork's already gone,
Deep down to the bottom
And you wonder "what is on"?

The fish is swimming fast by now
Oh, Yes! it is a Bass!
You see it jumping very high
But it only is a flash;
He's fighting hard to get away
But you try to still hang on,
You think you might be gaining
But then he's out and gone.

You know he's still on your line
For he's moving way too fast,
And you began to wonder
How long he's gonna last;
But finally he gets very tired
He can hardly move a fin,
The Bass is caught, the Bass is yours
But what a thrill, my friend.
Written By: Rita Fleming, June 1962
Copyright © 1962 Rita Fleming
Web Entry: July 26, 2006
 

AUTUMN AS I SEE IT

Autumn is here, its beauty to see
This year it's different, especially to me,
It's like my Father has taken his hand
And painted the trees all over the land.

The colors are browns, reds, and greens
The loveliest colors I've ever seen,
The soft wind blowing with a gentle sigh
Birds are singing as they fly by.

The cows they stand knee deep in ponds
And over the fields there's a great calm,
The woodlands are busy with squirrels and such
Gathering food, gathering nuts.

The sky above is clear and bright
With floating clouds of blue and white,
As I look out at all of this,
The woodland beauty and its bliss
I say "Thank You Father" for all of this.

Written By: Rita Fleming October 2, 1960
Copyright © 1960 Rita Fleming
Web Entry: July 26, 2006

TO KATHY