Anticipation

‘Twas a fortnight to Christmas, when all through this house
Not a creature was stirring, except, of course, this mouse.

The cobwebs were hung from the mantle with care
By spiders so tiny, yet wanting so share
In the greeting of Eli, who was coming to visit
His grandma and grandpa; he’ll think “Who is it?”

With hair clippers stored on an out-of-reach shelf
Eli will wonder, “Could this be THE Elf ?
The one of such literary fame?”
You know the one…Papa John is his name.

And me in my sweats just wanting to know
My grandson, Elijah, who’s rarin’ to go
Meet grandfolks and cousins and uncles and aunts
Our time will be joyous; we’ll all want to dance.

With only hours to go ‘til his arrival,
There’s much to consider for this boy’s survival.
A child of today must not be lacking
In anything…Let’s start with snacking.

A high chair, a crib, and a diaper pail
Can be found with no trouble at many a sale.
However, budget is an important gist.
Thank God for computers and, of course, Craigslist!

Bathtub for baby and found toys galore
We’re set for Eli without entering a store.
His visit will be such a precious time
Getting to know our grandson sublime.

With five girl cousins excited to greet him
Many more folks are wanting to meet him.
Pictures are grand, and we love each one
But hugs in person are the most fun.

My spelling is wobbly, my rhythm not careful.
In case you’re wondering , we are all prayerful
Your family and friends have a safe, merry '08
And remember who gave it to you. Our God is great!

TOMORROW IS THANKSGVING

Some reflections on this day....

Shopping in crowded grocery store
John and I braved this yesterday afternoon. We were just past the produce, heading for the bulk section, “conferring who gets what” when the young family with four little children pulled up next to us, and the father yelled, “WYATT.” We both jumped and turned to see who was so upset with us. What we saw was a 4-year-old boy jumping higher and harder than we. As the father instructed, “Watch where you are going!”
By then, both parents were staring at us, wondering why we had entered their private moment of instruction. “That’s our last name,” I explained as I looked over my shoulder maneuvering past the aisle cleanup ahead.

One lady was shopping for black cherry Jello. She was riding on her own, private, motorized chair, pushing a grocery cart beside her. Whatever aisle she was shopping was almost completely blocked. People were parking their carts at the end of the aisle, saying “excuse me,” and grabbing their item from the shelves around her. The blocker decided to help me look for lemon Jello for making Thelma Cameron’s cranberry relish. I think I convinced her that the picture of cherries on the box of cherry-flavored gelatin looked really dark to me.

Child/children to help make the cranberry relish
We used to have one child turn the handle on Mother’s grinder. However, whoever volunteers for this labor of love is eager to get back to their book or movie or music so we now feed everything through the Kitchen Aid grinder. I don’t think I even have the hand grinder anymore. This year’s relish will be made with orange Jello.

Two more days
Day after tomorrow, we are allowed to listen to Christmas music. We can sing along at the top of our lungs or even make up our own tunes. Memaw can search for where she stored those tapes of silly songs and spiritual music. And we can try, once again, to sing some of them in a round. BEGIN… “Little toy train; little toy track…” JUMP IN… “Little toy trains; little toy track…” NEXT… “Little toy trains; little Santa’s Sack…” Already, we are holding our sides with laughter.

Oh, yes…the meal
The table is heaping with bounty. Patty now provides the homemade jelly. At last, we will all come to the table. The person to Papa John’s right tells what they are most thankful for at this moment. After everyone has shared, he gives thanks to the Provider of Life.

It is a time to GIVE THANKS for food, family, and friends, and probably shed a tear or two for joyous and painful memories, realizing the year 2008 is nearing its end. We pray for our country and the year ahead.

Teach God's commandments to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 11:19, New International Version

STONE SOUP

There is among our friends a group of (mostly) ladies who get together occasionally to play Mexican Train. The routine is to meet at noon and begin playing immediately. Nuts, candies, and snacks are set out for munching. However, the focus is not on the food; it is on the game. After the game is played, and only then, a meal is served.
This week, I decided to host this group. The problem is that these ladies do not drive at night, and darkness comes rather quickly around 5 p.m. Some have expressed concern that cooking a meal is too much of a burden to put on the person who voluntarily opens her home. Anyone who knows me well knows I prefer to take an easy way to accomplish any task. And today’s Mexican Train gathering is no exception.
· The first lady I invited said, “Let me bring something to contribute to the meal.”
· The next lady said, “Don’t go to all the work of preparing a meal.”
· And the third person said, “What can I contribute?”
By the time I called the fourth person, I had decided to keep the food very simple. Stew is easy to prepare, perfect for cold weather, and can be packaged in quart jars to transport leftovers. But still the ladies did not want to impose. So, I declared the recipe for the meal is Stone Soup. I have made Nail Soup in the past, but it is far inferior to a soup base prepared with my special, aged rock.
The stone I use came from the Mendenhall Glacier many years ago. It is dark gray in color…almost black. Its shape and size are that of an egg. It used to be smooth, but now it contains small chips and pocks caused from years of use. Long ago, it was used to strike matches for lighting kindling in our fireplace, but it is no longer useful for that.
I boiled the stone (and a few seasonings) for a little while. Lady #1 brought carrots; #2 onions, #3 celery, and #4 potatoes. Removing the stone from the pot, I add all the contributed ingredients and allow the stew to steep. The aroma of a stew stirred with God’s “Love one another” verses permeates the air.

Now, back to the game.

Trying to fool the Master....

There was something about the scriptures we were discussing in Bible class yesterday morning that made me think of one of my favorite illustrations from my father’s sermons. In case you did not know, he was a preacher.

There was a wise old man who sat on his porch and entertained questions from people of all walks of life. All day long, he would expound wise sayings that could come only after many years of observing life.

One day, a young man caught a bird and thought to himself "I will fool the old man. Then I will be considered wiser than he; and people will then come to me for advice."

So he placed the bird in the palm of his hand and held it with his thumb pressing on its neck. He pondered how he would approach the old man and ask him whether he thought the bird in his hand was alive or dead.

If the old man answered that the bird was alive, the lad would use thumb pressure to break its neck so that he could prove the man of wisdom wrong.

However, if the old man declared that “Alas. The bird is dead.” He would release the bird to fly away. Either way, people would think him wiser by far.

So…the young man approached the porch with his hands behind his back and told the old man he had a riddle for him. He brought his hands around in front of him and said, “Can you tell me if this bird is alive or dead?”

The old man squinted his eyes and thought for a minute. Then he stated his answer, “Son. It all depends on you.”

How good are you at guessing?

Saturday was "grape harvest" day...YUM! I always juice the concords and try to keep the mess to a minimum. In the dead of winter, it is such a treat to taste the "fruits of our labor." But, I especially love to save at least one container for communion as we travel or share a special time of worship.

This year, I goofed -- BIG TIME – in the cleanup, and knew John was not going to be happy with the result. So-o-o, when he came in, exhausted from his yard-work duties and plopped into his easy chair, I had prepared a quiz for him. See how you do, Dear Reader.

“Honey, I have a quiz for you to test the endurance of our marriage. See if you can guess which of these three I really did today:

1) I had some dish towels I used to strain the grape juice; I knew they’d wash up fine with bleach, but forgot I had put your blue shirt in the washer the day before.
2) Because it was midnight when I finished canning, I left the kitchen in such a mess. When I got up this morning, I had to face the cleanup and prepare for a potluck. Thanks to our wonderful, full-capacity dishwasher, I can fit about anything in it. So, besides the huge juicer, I also was able to fit in your favorite cutting board. Did you know you can delaminate wood in a dishwasher?
OR
3) I had a stack of things in the car to donate to a local charity, and after I got home, I realized I had left one of your tools in the car seat and must have donated it.
Which of these three do you think is true?”

Because John had trouble guessing, I made it easy for him. I asked him to place them in order of importance to him and to our marriage. I will tell you this much – our marriage is safe for the moment… he placed the real answer third in importance, stating “No one would be that dumb.”

Now…one more quick question – can you guess which of our three children never says to me: “So that’s where I get that gene!”?

SEPTEMBER'S SONG.....

"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--" Ecclesiastes 3

"A time to give birth and a time to die...

9/1 -- We are traveling home after saying "Goodbye" to Sam, my only sibling.
This day marks the 18th anniversary of Daddy's death.
9/7 -- Sam would have celebrated his 69th birthday.
9/13 - Reports are that 2-month-old Elijah Hugh has doubled his birth weight.
9/16 -- Mother would have been 98 this day; she would not have wanted to live this long.
9/18 -- Mother died 19 years ago this day. I still miss her.


"A time to kill and a time to heal...

We are having an exceptionally warm Fall. We do not necessarily see every spider, but they have left their webs everywhere...in trees, on the grass, in every corner of the house, light fixtures, between cars parked beside each other for more than 10 minutes. We find ourselves at least tearing down cobwebs.

Mosquitoes are still hatching (and biting). Benedril helps the healing process some.

"A time to keep and a time to throw away...

The letter Sam wrote me for my 60th birthday has suddenly become more precious to me.

When I came across my stash of 2004 Christmas cards, I closed my eyes and tossed them; something I hate to do.

"A time to weep and a time to laugh...

When my wonderful friend and prayer partner called last night, the tears came...just thinking about her ordeal with cancer and treatment.

When she shared with me that her hair is starting to come back in. I thought it would be curly; she thought it would be blond. We were both wrong, and laughed together...she is Asian.

"A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted....

Harvest time is really crazy this year. Neighbors are still picking corn and cucumbers and squash and tomatoes. The squirrels have been very busy burying walnuts gathered from our neighbor's tree and hiding them in little holes they have dug all over our yard.

The grapes need a frost before being ready to harvest. Now to get that bit of information to the birds.

Constant Reminder

God’s timing never ceases to amaze me. For instance, what are the odds of my husband and all three of my children as well as two out of three in-law children all being in the same room with me at a crucial moment? One of the three we see maybe two or three times a week; maybe more; maybe less. She lives about 10 minutes away from us. One of them we see maybe three or four times a year for one or two days maximum. His branch of the Wyatts live about 200 miles east of us. And number three we see perhaps twice a year; he and his family live in Juneau, Alaska. The purpose for this gathering was to see and hold the newest addition to the family.

The point of all this is directed at any statisticians who might figure the odds of us all standing in my kitchen when our phone rang on August 21. The news was not unexpected, and it was brief. First my nephew called to say, “The time has come.” Moments later, my niece’s husband called to confirm what he had been preparing me for – they had removed my brother Sam’s life support systems, and his body could not function on its own.

“Alone.” I cried in John’s ear as he held me in his arms. “I feel so alone. All of my family is gone.” That pity party lasted less than 30 seconds because I was surrounded and touched by each and every person in the room. They joined me in tears and a group hug for the length of John’s prayer. Then my two youngest grandchildren approached (one in arms) to assure me I am not alone by any stretch of the imagination. There is always a constant reminder that we are never really alone in Christ.

Hebrews 13:5b-6a “He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you.’ so we confidently say,‘The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid.’”

P.S. This very day, Sam would have celebrated his 69th birthday.