An Inspirational Story
As a loving tribute to the memory of her beloved mother, Edna
Belle Poole, became a clown.
The thin old woman smiled as the
clown popped into her nursing home room. Reaching out her knobby, frail hand,
she said, “I’ve been waiting for you.” The
clown, with a huge grin, put her white gloved hands on the woman’s shoulders
and gave her a hug. The elderly woman is one of thousands living without
love or laughter. The clown is one-of-a-kind who brings love and laughter to
them.
-an
excerpt from the publication “The First Lady of Clowning.”
Making people laugh has
always come naturally and easily to Edna Belle Poole, but in late 1980 she
heard only the distant echo of that laughter as she sat alone grieving. The loss of her mother, Anna, seemed
more than she could bear. Edna had devoted her life to caring for and being
best friend to Anna. On the brink of a nervous breakdown, Edna was grasping at
ideas to help her through this difficult time. She began to see that by taking
all the time, love and care she had dedicated to Anna and giving it to the
elderly and infirm, she could begin to live again.
After much thought, and several visits to nursing homes for
the elderly, she developed a unique and exciting volunteer ministry. Edna became a clown. She
volunteered her time and talent to making people laugh. She soon discovered
there is more to being a clown than dabbing a bit of paint on your face and
climbing into a baggy suit. First, she developed a clown’s face and a costume.
Then she chose a clown name and came up with the name “Antique.” Edna never charged for her appearances.
She maintained she had a good time doing her clowning and said, “I should pay
them.”
Edna concentrated her visits to the elderly and children who were
ill. Her reputation grew and she was asked to appear at such diverse affairs as
parties for special needs children and at a home for wayward boys, and to a
women’s prison. Edna turned no one down
and still managed to hold down a full-time demanding position. Edna often spent Christmas Eve sharing her
special brand of love with elderly shut-ins.
I knew Edna Belle
personally and in 1984, with her permission, wrote several articles about
“Antique.” The
articles were published in both the Lady’s Circle Magazine and Guideposts
Magazine. Consequently, Edna received hundreds
of letters from people all over the world and from many church ministers who
used her story in their sermons. Most
famous among them was Robert Schuller, pastor of the Chrystal Cathedral in
California.
By Lois Jamieson
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