A Face of the Times

If you are reading this, I can reasonably assume that you are beyond Jr. High/Middle School age, and if that's the case I can also reasonably assume that you've been taught at least some modicum of history involving America's Great Depression of the 1930's. Besides reading or listening to how dire those times were, you would also have seen photos of those times - of the men, women, and children who suffered want and woes. Those were hard times.

These are hard times, too. It may not look as bad now as it did then, but we are not so much an agrarian society as we were then, and the false facade provided by credit cards have masked the dire difficulties that many people live in today. This morning on the radio, embedded in the newscast, was a foreclosure statistic for our area. Currently, as many as 1 home out of 125 are in foreclosure. That's a lot of homes. That's a lot of families.

It has been 17 months since John lost his job. In all that time we've not had income enough to cover our living expenses, but we did have sizable savings tucked away and things are beginning to look up in the employment department. So, we've been able to keep our home, have lived carefully, and have watched the hand of God help us again and again.

Yesterday, I was at the gas station filling my tank with my weekly allotment of gas when a man approached me. Now this gas station is very public and very popular since it has the lowest prices in our area, so I wasn't afraid of him since so many people were there. This man came up carefully and reluctantly, and said, "We're from Grassland. We lost our home in the flood. Things haven't worked out and we're trying to make it down to Shelbyville to live with my in-laws." He paused. Now I've seen a lot of pan-handlers in my lifetime, but there was a kind of pain in this man's voice and eyes that I'd not seen before - at least not in real life. But, then I remembered those Depression-era photos of broken men and women and realized that this was what was standing before me.

"I don't do this kind of thing, but I have to now. We have about 40 miles to go and our tank is empty. Do you have a couple of dollars to spare? I thought maybe I could borrow a little here and there." His voice was choked and tears were brimming in his eyes. If he was a fake, he deserved an Oscar. But the pain in that man's face was as obvious as the hard tan and worn clothes that he wore. His wife sat in their small car parked at the curb looking straight ahead.

I told him that I understood what it was like to be in the middle of a hard time, that we'd lost our income, that God had provided for us, and of course I had a couple of dollars to share with him. He dropped his head in humiliation and expressed his thanks with profuse apology. As I went to check my wallet, I discovered that all I had was a $10 and a $20 which had to last another 3 days. Remembering God's faithfulness to me, without hesitation I took the $10 and told him that I didn't have a couple of dollars but could give him $10. He almost looked frantic at that point and after stumbling for words said, "I'm not any sort of predator or anything, but if you'd like to give your address to my wife we will pay you back." He was pleading as he sought to distinguish himself from the average bum. Again I told him that God had provided, that I had enough to share, and someday he could help someone else out who was down on their luck. He took my hand and shook it, saying thanks only with tearful eyes. As I left, he and his wife were putting some gas in their tank.

I don't tell you this to brag on what I did. To the contrary, I look back and wish I'd given him the $20. My heart breaks for this family, and for all the families that find themselves in these kinds of straits. Time are hard. God is faithful.

Out of the Mouths of Funny Babes

I found four day-planner calendars recently while looking for some old yearbooks and photographs. They date from 1983-1986, years that my two eldest were very young and when my third-born arrived. Looking through these calendars with all my ordinary day-to-day notes was sure a trip down Memory Lane! It was poignant and surprising ... how did I manage to get all that stuff done with multiple little children?? It makes me tired just reading it! One thing, though, that tickled me greatly was reading my occasional comment about what one of the children said that day.

1983

Kristin: says "Bye-bye" while walking away.

Candy canes are "K-k's" or "Cuppy-cuppy"

Santa Clause is "Tanta Cause"

Jingle Bells is "DeeBoBo"

Gingerbread Men are "Dindo-mah-bey"

It's pretty clear that Kristin's lingual abilities really kicked in about Christmastime.

Eric, 4, wanted to "kill some Easter eggs" that year .... meaning that he wanted to dye them. 'Kill', 'dye'... you know.

1984

Eric: "I have two arm-skulls!" Skulls meaning bones - I laughed about that one for awhile.

About Peaches, our dog: "Peaches is broke-housen." Of course, I still talk like that to this day.

1986

Kristin comments about Eric who is hiding: "We don't have a little boy any more!"

Kristin: In April - "Can we have a Christmas Hunt?" meaning that she wanted to hide candy canes and hunt for them.

In December - "When do we get to gun the Easter Eggs?" She apparently hadn't gotten the holiday traditions

straightened out, and she got stuck on the dye word, too, just like her brother did.

Eric: (And this just cracked me up.) "O Lord, your kingdom is good and indigestible!"

1986

Upon learning they had a baby brother:

Eric: "Does he like jets?"

Kristin: "I knew it was a boy."

Some things just never change.

I wish I'd written more things down over the years, and sometime perhaps I'll find some other notes while I'm looking for something. A little while back I saw a small notebook that was devoted to writing down kids' sayings, so I bought one for Kristin since her boys are at the age of uttering those entertaining things. In 25 years or so, I know she'll get a good laugh when she reads that little notebook.

In closing, let me share with you some recent cute quotes from my young grandsons.

Gilbert, age 4: "The moon isn't plugged in. It doesn't have batteries, either."

Patrick, age 3: "C'mere, Bobert!" (translation: Come here, Gilbert!)

I know we're going to have many more years of entertainment out of the mouths of babes! Now, what are some favorite sayings of your children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews? Please, entertain us!

Serving Stars

Military service is no rarity in my family. My Grandfather served in the Civil Air Patrol, some of my great-uncles served in the Army and Marines during WWII in the European and Pacific theaters respectively; other uncles have served in the Navy, Army, and Coast Guard; cousins have served in the Navy, Army, and National Guard; my father and father-in-law both served in the Navy during the Korean War; and last but not least, my husband served in the Navy as a pilot just as the Vietnam War came to a close.

We have photos and stories and relics from all those men's service - it was just a given part of the life of our family. So, why were John and I so surprised that 3 out of 4 of our children have chosen life in the military? John especially was always careful to impress upon the kids that they shouldn't do something just because he had done it. That kind of pressure on a child never ends up well! But, we finally concluded that, really, it was just natural that they made the decisions they did. So I'm celebrating their decisions by sporting a 3-star Service Flag on the back of my car, and it just amazes me each time I look at it!

The most recent addition to this military tradition is son, Justin, who graduated from Army Boot Camp at Ft. Benning, Georgia just this past Thursday. Justin had spent his last few years reveling in the academic areas of language and Biblical studies and spent the bulk of his college studies in these areas. We had fully expected him to combine these affections and go into education. But, he didn't - he enlisted in the Army! After the shock subsided, it began to slowly dawn on me just what he did during his entire childhood and high school years - playing soldier! He read about military actions and heros of all eras. He had collected gear from WWII, made his own chain mail, shields, and other knightly wear, and became a Civil War re-enactor. He loved it! And now he's a real soldier, and we are proud of him!

Daughter Kristin has loved history since she knew history existed! In particular she has had great affection for the Civil War era and became not only a re-enactor, but a docent, National Battleground Park tour guide, and researcher of one of the great Southern generals, Hiram Grandbury. Now she is married to her own soldier/soon-to-be-chaplain and will be serving her country along with her sons as a military family. We are proud of her and her soldiers!

Eldest son, Eric, serves in the USMC as a Harrier pilot, recently completing a tour in Afghanistan where he was an integral part of the Marjah Offensive. He spent his teenage years competing with his horses, but ultimately decided to take the path of an earlier interest - his love of aircraft and flying. He, along with wife Kelly and son Omari serve their country as the best of Marine families. We are proud of them.

And finally, daughter Katie. Will she, too, join this little group of 3 service stars? Nah..... but we wouldn't be surprised is she's the kind of star who entertains those service stars! And we're just as proud of her, too!

Things Above and Things of Earth

The morning's text at Sunday worship today was Colossians 3:1-4, "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

This is the central theme of Colossians - Christ, the center of all things. Pastor Nate spoke of seeking and setting as found in this passage -active, focused words depicting 'movement towards' and 'founding on' a whole new life. When we seek those things that are above, we must set our minds upon them and if we don't, we fall back into anxiousness and worry, supposing ourselves to be our own savior. Thus, we find life to be a series of pendulum swings between pride and despair.

So what are those heavenly things that we're supposed to seek? And how do we find them? Those things are where Christ is, and we find them by looking to him and not to ourselves. Our salvation is assured by the strength of the position of the One who saved me.

Pastor Nate concluded his message with two statements that really caused me to think back over the last 20 months or so: "As we look at those heavenly things, all of the rest of our life falls into line, into it's own priority beneath Christ." And "We will seek the risk of the Kingdom if we know that we are rooted in, founded upon, set in Christ."

Even though I have loved Christ as my savior from an early age, I have had a great propensity to try to be my own savior. It's that classic old original sin, thinking that I actually knew better than God. It got Adam and all of mankind into a lot of trouble and it's been no different for me! Coming to the end of my rope got my attention, and the knowledge in my head of the sufficiency and efficacy of Christ finally moved into my heart. Seeking and setting were key.

So how do you seek Christ and set your mind on him when the tempest of life is howling around you? God's word, first and foremost, is solid and sure. But, when your mind is raging it can be kind of difficult to read the Bible, if not downright impossible sometimes. That's where seeking and setting came into play, and for me that meant going, week after week, to Sunday worship. Even in the midst of confusion or pain, darkness or despair, there I could say the Word in the Call to Worship, the Corporate Confession, and the Profession of Faith as found in the Apostle's Creed. I could pray the Word in the Lord's Prayer itself. I could sing the word in various songs and hymns, the Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei, and even in the singing of the Benediction. I could hear the Word in the Old and New Testament readings, the Scriptural Text, the Assurance of Pardon. And finally, I could taste the Word in the Eucharist. Week after week, the work of the Word did its steady and sure work upon my heart and brought me to firmer ground.

I know that my life isn't fixed. It can't be until I step into eternity, but in the meantime when life begins its inevitable ups and downs, I know that the sure and certain Word will be my refuge and my rock.

Happy Birthday, America!

Today we celebrate the 234th birthday of our country and the signing of the document that declared our national independence from the tyranny of a king. While the war that followed is frequently called "The American Revolution", it was actually the rule of the English king, King George, that departed from justice and from the covenants established between the Crown and the Colonies, thus forcing the colonies to declare their independence in order to retain those principles upon which they were founded.

I saw a poll on TV this morning that noted that only 65% of American citizens knew from which nation we declared our independence. The remaining 35% had no idea and guessed it was from nations such as China or Brazil. China or Brazil? Crazy.

In order to know where we are and how we are to proceed ahead, we MUST know from whence we've come. As you celebrate the 4th of July, or on any day for that matter, take a few minutes to refresh your memory on the principles upon which we based and declared our independence. If you've NEVER read the Declaration, you may wonder how it is that we have drifted so far, and hopefully will understand that if we are to maintain our freedoms we must return to these principles.

Garden Gems

Don't you just love summer fruits? I do, especially berries; they're like little candy jewels from the garden. Mine are just baby berry plants yet, but they yielded a sweet handful. It'll be wonderful when they mature! The Blackberry, though the same age as the Raspberry, has just taken off and is loaded with green fruit. They do very well around here, and I'd better get some bird-netting over it!

Lately on the Farm

Beauty or beast? Or both? I found this fungus growing near a fence line nestled in a bed of Poison Ivy and Virginia Creeper. It measures about 8 inches across and was really quite beautiful. My good camera (with it's good lens) is out of commission right now, so I couldn't get a good close up of this pretty growth.

Another angle showing it's spiral-like structure.Cooper is taking his evening water cooler break and asks if you'd like to see our fancy new hose-holder.This is the redneck version of one of those fancy hose holders. It cost a lot less than the ones advertised in "Front Gate" and works just as well. This is Tennessee, you know. But .... as the song says, "A country boy can survive."Cooper poses with our entire back field watering system. The horses seem to appreciate it, but you won't find it in "Dressage Today" or any such respectable magazine. Probably not even on Craigslist.

Turning now from the watering system, let's go and see how the garden grows. I'm trying mulching this year, and have chosen two different kinds to see what I like best. (Gardening is one big experiment, you know.) The tomato bed is mulched with black, water-permeable fabric, and everything else with straw. When I put down the straw I thought that I will end up either patting myself on the back, or kicking my own backside. As it turns out, I'm doing both - kicking myself for the abundant crop of straw grass that began growing, and congratulating myself because it was incredibly easy getting that grass up and the straw is really keeping the weeds down. Of course, the fabric mat is really the cat's meow.... once you get those holes for the plants cut just right. The drawback to mats is that you can only use it with transplants and not seeds. Of course.

This is a view of the cucumbers (Don't you love the little bird's nest on the cage? I do.), tomato/pea/bean bed, and the pumpkin vines. I took these photos just over 24 hours ago. Since then we've had 2 big rains, and - I kid you not - those pumpkin vines have grown a full foot!!

Another view pulled back a bit from the previous one. Here you can also see the zucchini plants, carrots, peppers, and radishes. In the background on the fence line is the pole bean bed.Max taking the Veggie Garden Promenade.This year I've decided to grow some cooking tomatoes in hopes of putting up my own spaghetti sauce. Goodness knows I get enough oregano and basil, so I might as well throw in tomatoes and go for it. These Romas should do the trick.This is the Cherokee Purple tomato. It was developed and cultivated by the Cherokee Indians in this area, so I figure this one ought to be pretty hardy since it's in its own native environment. It's an heirloom naturally, and is supposed to be quite sweet. A huge storm this evening knocked it over,though, so I hope its root system is okay.Here we have cucumber blossoms and tendril. I just thought it was a pretty picture. There are baby cucumbers, but I couldn't get a good shot of them. The squash also have babies, and the bush and pole beans have begun to produce. I only got two good dinners out of the peas, which was terribly disappointing. Peas love cool weather and we had very, very little spring this year. We literally went from cooold winter to hot, sticky summer - very unusual for us.Banana peppers! This is my first try at growing them. I got the tomatoes, peppers, and some herbs at The Tasteful Garden and have been so pleased. Everything else - beans, spinach, lettuce, cukes, squash, pumpkin, peas - came from seed and have done just fine; but starting tomatoes and peppers from seed indoors is just not working for me. I don't have the right lighting system, and it's just easier buying these vigorous, organically-grown transplants.I think that by Saturday, those peppers will be in a salad, and by Monday we'll be having squash! Gardening is a heck of a lot of work, but the rewards are delicious