For years and years I have heard about Round Table.  Women of First Baptist Church Richardson gather for prayer, lunch, and a program.  Friends mentioned to me that a lady that grew up at Buckner Orphan’s Home was going to speak, and I might like to hear her since Buckner is dear to my heart.  I called in my reservation, and am I glad I did.

The tables were decorated with Easter bunnies.  The cute bunnies and playful decoration put us in a festive spring mood.  (We are all so tired of winter!)

The meal was delicious – chicken salad, chips, and lime salad.  It had been such a long time since I have had this salad.  Be still my heart!  It was so refreshing.  I liked it.  I loved it.  (Note to self – Make this salad sometime soon.)  Cupcakes with jelly bean “egg” decorations completed the meal.

From the age of 5 months of age to when she was 18 years old, Frances Jones lived at Buckner’s Home for Orphans.  An eye that needed surgery was the reason she was considered “unadoptable”.  At that time, Buckner’s did not provide adoption services for their children.  Buckner provided a home for orphaned children.  Throughout Frances’ talk, it was evident that she had great affection and appreciation for Buckner.

Her first dorm was called the Sunbeam Home (such a cute name).  I loved the pictures she brought to share.  Look at the small sinks and toilets.

Frances mentioned all the opportunities she had while growing up – piano lessons, horseback riding, swimming lessons, not one but three camps in the summers, attending the Ice Capades each year, attending the State Fair each year, movies every Saturday night, and 600 brothers and sisters.  She attended school on campus, and there were also plenty of opportunities to play sports.

Most important to her was the spiritual guidance she received at Buckner.  They attended worship services three times a week, and had active G.A. and R.A. programs.

Each child had chores to do, and Frances appreciated the training she received.  At the time, maybe she did not always appreciate the tasks, but now she can appreciate what she learned.  Working in the laundry was her least favorite.  They had to wash and iron all of the clothes the children wore.  Frances enjoyed working in the dining hall where they served the meals and washed and dried the dishes.  Their rooms and closets were expected to be orderly.  They literally mopped themselves out of the dorm each morning.  The girls worked on the Buckner campus while the boys worked on the farms and in the bakery.  I wish my children had been that well trained.

Frances admitted that not everyone had such fond memories of their days at Buckner.  She thinks that when children were older when they came, they had so much more emotional baggage to confront, and that made their adjustment harder.  The Buckner life was the only life she ever knew.  I do think she had a point.  When she was fourteen, a couple (who had known her since she was in the Sumbeam Home) wanted to adopt her, but she turned them down because she feared leaving the security of Buckner.  This family had been a support to her throughout her youth, and when she was eighteen, they did adopt her.  How sweet!

The day was wonderful.  The table decorations made us feel like spring was here.  The food was delicious, and I throughly enjoyed hearing Frances speak.  I think Round Table is something I would like to try again.

Blessings to you and yours,

Frances has written a book called Orphan Journey that can be found in the FBCR library.