Worth Repeating - A Few Words to "The Mother Club" on Behalf of the Hurting Ones Outside

 

Here is a new article I wrote on the Home Maker’s Corner. I hope that you will make the time to read this if you are a Christian woman. It is something that has been heavy on my heart and the Lord brought about a situation that forced me to get this said. (First published in 2014.)

A Few Words to "The Mother Club"
on Behalf of the Hurting Ones Outside

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own...

Recently I read a blog post by a well-meaning lady who was addressing an important subject.  She was debunking the "perfect family" ideal that has developed, thanks largely to Quiverfull, Hyper "Biblical Patriarchy" and Family Inclusive Churches.  This is the ideology that large families are more special, more blessed, have better "quivers" and are generally more to be admired by Christians than small families.  (And, let me say here that I have no problem with large families if that's what the parents want.)  The attitudes of some become almost idolatrous, if not fully so.  I was very glad to see her dealing with this subject as it is a serious issue.  No mother should be made to feel like a failure or inferior because she "only" has one or two or three kids!

However - my heart was also very deeply hurt by this lady's article (which is one reason I'm not sharing the link or quotes).  As I read her article I was so glad she was saying many of the things she said and yet so torn because of all the things she missed and even the things she was making worse and more hurtful for others.  You see, for all her good intentions she totally missed the fact that mothers of small families are not the only ones that are hurt by the "motherhood IS our identity" ideal.  She pointed out that women who are mothers to one or two or even adopted children are still "in the club" of motherhood.  I sat there and grieved in my heart for all of us who are mother to none.

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Worth Repeating - Bless the Hands and Hearts

Proverbs 31:25-28 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. 

Bless the Hands and Hearts

"Lord, bless the hands that made this meal;

these young, unseasoned hands of the new wife.

Bless the hands that reach for her mother's recipe book,

and that wipe tears of homesickness from her cheeks.

Bless her hands, Lord.

"Bless the efficient, work-worn hands of the mother of eight;

the hands that wipe runny noses, hang out laundry

and knead big batches of bread.

"Bless these hands, Lord, these wrinkled, shaky hands of Grandma;

the hands that cook for only one but could tell stories of meals for twelve...

these tender hands that have guided other hands in learning to cook.

"And Lord, especially bless their hearts.

"Bless the heart of the young wife, Lord--

The one who tries so hard to cook attractive and

nourishing meals for her new husband;

the one who pours so much love and care into each dish.

"Bless the heart of the busy mother,

she who so often is weary but still rejoices in her family.

The heart of she who always prays for those for whom she is cooking,

the heart that weeps with the struggling teen,

that encourages the budding cook,

that worries over the little one whose appetite is poor.

"Bless the heart of the aged cook,

the heart who has spent and been spent in the service of others,

the heart that beats strong with love for God,

yet grows weaker each passing day.

"Thank You, Lord, for each meal prepared by these dear hands,

tempered by these loving hearts. Amen."

- Faith Sommers

     copied

source of photos unknown

Worth Repeating - The Rich Family In Our Church

 

2 Corinthians 8:9  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

I don't remember where I first found this story, but it is worth repeating. It was first posted here in Jan. 2014.

The Rich Family In Our Church

By Eddie Ogan

I'll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy, 12, and my older sister Darlene, 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died 5 years before, leaving Mom with seven school kids to raise and no money. By 1946 my older sisters were married, and my brothers had left home.

A month before Easter, the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and give sacrificially. When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for the offering. Then we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible and didn't listen to the radio, we'd save money on that month's electric bill. Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible, and both of us baby sat for everyone we could. For 15 cents, we could buy enough cotton loops to make three potholders to sell for $1. We made $20 on potholders.

That month was one of the best of our lives. Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night we'd sit in the dark and talk about how the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. We had about 80 people in church, so we figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would surely be 20 times that much. After all, every Sunday the Pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering.

The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and got the manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change. We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never had so much money before. That night we were so excited we could hardly sleep. We didn't care that we wouldn't have new clothes for Easter; we had $70 for the sacrificial offering. We could hardly wait to get to church!

On Sunday morning, rain was pouring. We didn't own an umbrella, and the church was over a mile from our home, but it didn't seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill the holes. The cardboard came apart, and her feet got wet. But we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about the Smith girls having on their old dresses. I looked at them in their new clothes, and I felt so rich.

When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting on the second row from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill, and each of us girls put in a $20. As we walked home after church, we sang all the way. At lunch Mom had a surprise for us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs with our fried potatoes!

Late that afternoon the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, and then came back with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was, but she didn't say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 and seventeen $1 bills. Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn't talk, just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling like poor white trash.

We kids had had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn't have our mom and dad for parents and a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and see whether we got the fork or the spoon that night. We had two knives which we passed around to whoever needed them. I knew we didn't have a lot of things that other people had, but I'd never thought we were poor. That Easter Day I found out we were.

The minister had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn't like being poor. I looked at my dress and worn-out shoes and felt so ashamed that I didn't want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were poor! I thought about school. I was in the ninth grade and at the top of my class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew we were poor. I decided I could quit school since I had finished the eighth grade. That was all the law required at that time.

We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark, and we went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally on Saturday, Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor people do with money? We didn't know.

We'd never known we were poor. We didn't want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to. Although it was a sunny day, we didn't talk on the way.

Mom started to sing, but no one joined in and she only sang one verse. At church we had a missionary speaker. He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun-dried bricks, but they need money to buy roofs. He said $100 would put a roof on a church. The minister said, "Can't we all sacrifice to help these poor people?"

We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week. Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene. Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy. Ocy put it in the offering.

When the offering was counted, the minister announced that it was a little over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn't expected such a large offering from our small church. He said, "You must have some rich people in this church."

Suddenly it struck us! We had given $87 of that "little over $100."
We were the rich family in the church!

Hadn't the missionary said so?

From that day on I've never been poor again.

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Mark 12:41-44  And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.  And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.  And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Letters to My Friend - What Heritage Are You Leaving Them?

Dear Friend,

Psalm 16:5-6 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

In honor of Mother's Day I was thinking that I would post something From Mom's Collection since I haven't posted anything there for awhile. As I was poking through my file folder with loose pages and bits I began to appreciate again how much my mom loved poetry. A majority of what I have in her collection is poetry.

Both of my parents taught me to love poetry as I was growing up. My dad quoted poetry to us from the time we were kids - still does sometimes. :-)  He also would read poems in church services occasionally. He loves old hymns so much he once traded The Treasury of David by Spurgeon for an antique Methodist hymnal.

My mom collected poems more than she quoted them or read them out loud to us. She also loved hymns and songs. She, in turn, had inherited her interest in poetry from her mother who always enjoyed a well-written poem with something worthwhile to say. Gramma had a number of poems she could quote from memory.

Continue Reading Here.

Letters to My Friend - Anti-Abortion Laws that Can Kill

In this Letter to My Friend I address a subject that has been a concern to me due to the recent anti-abortion laws. It may not be the most popular thing to to say in some quarters, because according to some we must never question the working of the pro-life movement in way or we'll be accused of not loving baby's lives. (Been there, done that.) This is not about disregarding the lives of babies, but it is about valuing the lives of mothers equally.

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Lately I've been reading in Genesis, and I came across a couple verses that I've thought on before. This time they struck me on a different topic, one that I've been concerned about since the Roe vs. Wade ruling was overturned. At that time I was unimpressed by the Christians who were saying that there had been a great victory for life, as if the overturning of that case automatically meant that abortion was illegal in this country. Of course, it didn't mean that at all. It only meant that the states now had the right to make their own laws based on the whims and beliefs of the "majority" in each state. As time has shown, some states will likely go farther and do more evil than even the national laws on the issue previously did.

But, that isn't the specific thing that I was thinking about in regards to these verses.

In Genesis 18, Abraham has been told by the Lord that He is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham took it upon himself to plead for the cities because he knew his nephew, Lot, was living there and he didn't want him and his family killed. At the beginning of his pleading he starts out with this observation on the nature of God: Genesis 18:24-25 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Let me tell a few personal stories:

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Fruit photo by an anonymous friend.

Texas Memories - Texas Sage

Texas sage tends to bloom after a rain. The flowers are fuzzy, so it can be a little difficult to get them looking in focus. :-)

This beautiful bush as in front of my parents' house. Sadly it died to the ground in the February 2021 deep freeze we had here in Texas. It is slowly trying to make a comeback now. My mom loved this bush, as you can tell from the picture. :-) I'm glad it didn't die off while she was still living.

From Mom's Collection - Love and Home

 

Another item from my Mom's Collection. This one seemed appropriate for this day.

Love and Home

It is not the size of your house that counts,

Or whether it's granite or fir,

Or whether 'twas planned by an architect,

Or built by a carpenter.

A house is a house, and only a house,

Be it covered with roof or a dome;

If it is a place where true love lives,

'Tis then we call it a home.

There are one-room shacks that are palaces,

There are granite piles that are sties;

For only love can glorify

The house, whatever its size.

So if you dwell in a little cot,

In city or country fair,

The best of all things good is yours,

If only love is there.

Some envy those who choose to live

In a splendor they cannot match,

But love is rich in a humble place,

Though the roof above be thatch.

So here's to the folks who live secure

Away from envy and strife,

Who know that, apart from earthly goods,

Love is the soul of life.

- Unknown -
[altered]

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Psalm 133:1-3 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Dear Struggling Mother, We See You...

Dear Struggling Mother,

We see you. We see you and we are not judging you the way you may be feeling judged. No, I'm not speaking for everyone. Obviously I can't. But there are more of us than you may think.

We see you struggling with that baby that is giving you sleepless nights or is constantly sick. We see your tired eyes and that you don't believe that it will ever end. Sometimes we wish we could do more to help. We also know that this time is limited and won't last forever. We can't make it go away. We watch and feel your pain as you stand quietly and try to politely listen to that lady who has lost touch with reality offer more "helpful" advice than you need. We know she is thinking that somehow that will make it better. You know it won't and we know it won't, and we appreciate your frustration and your patience with people hard to bear. We see you. We're on your team. Even, when we forget ourselves and are that "helpful" lady.

Continue Reading.

A Selection of Things for Mother's Day

I started to write something for today, but it isn't finished. I know, we've been down this street before. Anyway, here's a selection of things that might encourage of bless you today. :-)

Tender Strength - A photo and some thoughts from my own family history.

From Mom's Collection - A selection of items that my mom saved over the years. A variety of topics.

Mother's Question - A poem with a thought provoking question.

A Christian Mother's Life - A poem.

In Honor of Mothers - Scripture and pictures.

Bless the Hands and Hearts - A prayer.

Thorns - An encouragement for mothers whose babies died before birth.

I Love Homemaking... - Rejoicing in the the lovely work that God has given.

FREE Bookmarks To Print - Springtime Photos

Here is another small gift for you, dear readers. :-)

This is a collection of printable bookmarks for you to print and cut apart. These could be used as small gifts in greeting cards or letters, an addition to a gift book, or in a gift basket. Or you can use them for your own enjoyment. They might make a nice addition to a Mother's Day card or something to give someone who is discouraged or sick at present. Please make free use of them, but do not charge for them. These are my own photography and graphic work. 

To get a full sized graphic please go download the image at my storage location. The download icon is on the left. Then print it in full size for an 8.5"x11" sheet of paper. For best results you should use white cardstock of a weight you prefer for bookmarks. Ordinary printer paper would not hold up well, unless you laminate it.

If you do not have a color printer, most of these looked pretty good in black and white in the test I printed. You can also order a print of the image from SmugMug which you could then cut apart after you receive it. (I do not receive any money or credit for orders as I do not have a professional account.)

These could also be used as a permanent or removable part of a handmade card. :-)

Enjoy!

Flowers left to right:
Texas paintbrush

Peach blossoms

Red bud blossoms

Our woods in springtime.

Random Acts of Blogging - Photos and Stuff

I haven't been feeling very well this week, but I wanted to schedule a post for today, so I'm just giving you some random pictures to enjoy and a few verses that my sister-in-law in Australia posted this week.. :-)

I think this is stork's bill. These grow on our property.

These are blackfoot daisies, so called for the little "foot" that sticks out at the center of each petal. They have bloomed nicely this year around my dad's driveway.

Part of the vegetable garden in 2017. These are sweet potato starts. My dad's strength is much reduced this year so I don't know how much garden we'll have since he is our chief vegetable gardener on the property. The slats of wood and the PVC pipe frame in the background were to help hold up plastic or old tablecloths and blankets to protect the plants from late frosts. We can get them as late April here.

I think this may be spider wort. This photo was probably taken by my husband when we were on a visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

And here I am in the apron my mom gave to me for my birthday in April of 2017. It was the last thing that she sewed for me. I have it in my kitchen still. I have used it some, but I knew even then that it was probably the last, so I haven't worn it as much as I would have under different circumstances. It has musical notes and bluebirds on it. My sister-in-law helped her with the project and also made the quilt behind me (which belongs to my dad.) :-) Every piece in that quilt represents something from my dad's life in some way.

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1 Chronicles 29:10-13 ...Blessed be Thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in Thine hand is power and might; and in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name.

From Mom’s Collection: Thoughts On Being Kind

Another item "Worth Repeating" from my Mom's Collection. This one was first published here in May of 2015. I was working on a series on the Attributes of God that year and it is mentioned in this post. 

Ephesians 4:31-32  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

It is really easy in this life to get preoccupied with the troubles and trials, the hurts, the ugliness, the disappointments that we experience from other people. It is easy to resent other people’s faults and accuse them, especially when those faults affect us. I think we all feel it at times if we are honest.

This little poem from my mom’s collection struck me when I read it.

Why Not Be Kind?

So brief a time we have to stay
Along this dear familiar way;
It seems to me we should be kind
To those whose lives touch yours and mine.

The hands that serve us every day
Should we not help them while we may?
They are so kind that none can guess
How soon they’ll cease our lives to bless.

So many faults in life there are
We need not go to seek them far;
But time is short and you and I,
Might let the little faults go by.

-- Author Unknown

This reminds me of Proverbs 19:11, The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

Yes, there are surely things in this life that need to be dealt with. There are offences that need to be addressed. But, in all honesty, there are so many things we think we need to straighten out that either don’t need to be touched by us at all, or that need to be approached with more kindness than accusation or judgment. Some may error on the side of letting things pass that should be taken care of, but I suspect that many of us tend toward dissecting other people’s faults that we could let go by.

From my own experience, I know there have been times when I wanted very much to say something to someone about a specific problem – as I saw it. For one reason or another – perhaps a caution from my husband or family member, lack of opportunity, or just deciding to wait – I have sometimes not done so when I thought I “should”, only to find out later that either that person was not ready at that time, was hurting or overwhelmed by life, or that the Lord took care of it without my meddling! Oh, how humbling to realize that my concerns and intentions to “correct” were totally unneeded by my Lord or were thwarted by His sovereign will.

We’re told that it is glory to pass over a transgression. 

I know.  Someone may be thinking that some things shouldn’t be passed over. This is true. But we need to examine scripture to be sure that what we think worth addressing is something God would want us to deal with.  Sometimes, even things that seem very important to us really are not in the economy of God.

But, it is to our glory to pass over some things, to let them go without comment, to cover them in love. 

Proverbs 10:12  Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

Proverbs 17:9  He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

How quick we are sometimes to speak and expose! This is something I need to work on myself.

Think how many things Jesus must have passed over while He was living with his disciples those three years of His ministry.  Surely He did not spend all His time with them picking apart everything they said, or they would more than likely have given up and left Him along with all the others who did. He did correct them at times, but there is a great deal we can learn from His kindness, both to those He lived among and to ourselves. We don’t get the correction that we justly deserve. Why can’t we pass some of that kindness forward in the name of Jesus Christ?

Psalms 130:3-4  If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

This, of course, brings us back to our attribute of God for this month – Forgiveness.  And, after all, aren’t kindness and forgiveness unbreakably connected?

Colossians 3:12-13  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

A Friend's First Birthday in Heaven - by Annie Johnson Flint

 

Those who read here or at The Home Maker's Corner regularly will know that my mother went to be with the Lord in 2020. She is not the only one. Among our family, friends, and church we have had or heard of a lot of deaths this year. Many have been Christians, so we have the hope and comfort of looking forward to seeing them again. But the "firsts" after the death of a close loved one are always hard. Today, January 1st, was my mother's first birthday in heaven. It has been a day of sun mixed with rain emotionally for me. I know others are experiencing this as well. I remembered this poem and thought it might be a blessing and help to someone else who has seen a loved one go on to heaven ahead of them. We don't know much about what is going on in heaven for these people, so Miss Annie has taken some poetic license here, but in a blessed way.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

A Friend's First Birthday in Heaven

We gave thee gifts when thou wert here--
Bright flowers that faded with the day,
And dainty fineries to wear,
And books to read, and games to play;
But now--what shall we bring to thee now?
What can we give thee where thou art?
Gone from us to that larger life,
What dost thou lack, dear heart, sweet heart?

The joy of God is in thy soul,
His peace upon they forehead lies,
And 'round thy feet forever bloom
The fadeless flowers of paradise.
What can we bring but love that grieves
And memories that sadly cling
'Round the dear spot where thou didst dwell,
And sorrowing hope with broken wing?

Nay, couldst thou speak, wouldst thou not say:
"Are these the gifts that honor me?
Bring love that triumphs over death...

Continue Reading.

Refreshing Cucumber Salad

My mom made this salad often during the summer months when the garden produced a lot of fresh vegetables. It is a light, cold, and refreshing salad for summer. These will keep for a good while in the fridge, gradually becoming more pickles than salad. I am guessing that good probiotics will develop, especially if you use raw apple cider vinegar. You may reduce the water to taste.

Cucumber Salad

2 Cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
2 Tbs. sugar

Mix all and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Serve cold.

Letters to My Friend - Thoughts on Unexpected Grief and Being Childless

Mother's Day was really hard this year. I knew it would be because of my mother going to heaven in March. It is so raw and fresh still in some ways. What I didn't expect was the grief I had that I don't have a mother here any more and that I am also not a mother.

After years of dealing with pain of not being a mother, I didn't expect that one to crop back up again. It isn't that I don't know how to deal with it, or that I don't know where to go for help with it. It's more like the feeling of, "Hey, wait. I thought I got off of this train at an earlier station. How did I get back on it?" Somehow losing my mom from this earth brought that old hurt back again.

Life surprises us sometimes...

Continue Reading.

A Mother Prays - by Martha Snell Nicholson - A poem for mothers who have lost a little one

When something we have held dear is taken away from us, it is important to ask the Lord to show us things we can do for Him to fill our hands and hearts for His glory. We are not meant to be empty-handed or empty-hearted.

A Mother Prays

There is a new lamb cradled on Thy breast tonight;
A sweet small lamb, so lately mine
I scarce can keep my arms from reaching out
As though to snatch her back from Thine.

Read More.

FREE Printable Graphics - Mother's Day and scripture

Here are some free graphics for your card making or other crafting projects. :-)

This graphic is my own photography and design work. Please click here to download a larger sized image. The download button is on the upper left of the page.

This is a vintage graphic. I do not know where it originally came from. Please click here to download a larger sized image. The download button is on the upper left of the page.

Letters to My Friend - Strength In Trials

I have written another letter, this one again about my mother. I hope it is a help to you. I apologize that I didn't get this up on Sunday. This past weekend was a difficult one for a couple of reasons.

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Dear Friend,

Well, here we are in the midst of the COVID 19 crisis. Regardless of your opinion on the subject, it's impossible to deny that there is a crisis in many countries because of it. I've seen so many things - good, bad, and indifferent - written and posted about it. People encouraging others in many ways. Churches stepping up and doing things new and strange to them, but which obviously needed to be done because...well, here we are, and God is forcing us to do them. People lamenting the loneliness, the stress, the cabin fever (as we call it in some parts). People trying hard to follow guidelines, people half-heartedly obeying the rules, and people cavalierly doing as they jolly well please. People sick and some dying. Questions, questions, questions. Very few answers that seem to be absolutely unquestionable truth. So much to say. So much to complain about. Some with much to do. Some with nothing to do. All can pray, if we will. And we can read God's word.

So many things I could write about. But something is pressing upon my mind that at first might seem unrelated.

Continue Reading.

Letters to My Friend - Of Grief and Earthly Treasures

I have started a new section at The Home Maker's Corner called "Letters to My Friend". I hope that writing in a letter format will prove to be useful. The first one went up today. It deals with the grief and struggle of dealing with dementia in my mother - in this case, the matter of getting rid of some of her things.

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Dear Friend,

My mother has dementia. It is a difficult thing to deal with as it progresses. Due to my dad being in the hospital two nights in January it was necessary for me to help her with dressing and taking care of her personal needs twice a day. I realized that her clothing situation was in disarray. Things were rather jumbled and she was not seeing things that she would wear and she was being confused by many things that she either couldn't wear or that were difficult for her to put on herself.

Continue Reading.

Mothers, Teach Your Children

Over at The Home Maker's Corner I wrote a message encouraging Christian mothers to teach their children. I hope it will encourage someone today. :-)
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Proverbs 6:20-22 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

One of the greatest things a Christian mother can do for her children is to teach them things they need to know about life and how to live it. This can be done in a lot of different ways, but I was thinking recently about a couple of specific ways my mother did this for my sister and me.

When I was in my teens my dad was pastoring a small church in western Michigan. Often while we were working in the kitchen we listened to a radio station called Blue Lake Public Radio. Sometimes we were listening to music. Often in the evenings when we were cooking dinner we heard one or two programs from NPR (National Public Radio). It covered a wide variety of topics. Some were more interesting than others. Sometimes we learned interesting things. Sometimes we were so disgusted with what they were talking about we just turned it off. But, the thing that influenced me the most without me even knowing it was that we often made comments to each other about what we heard and sometimes we even had discussions. My mom taught me a lot through that. Many things I'm sure have influenced me over the course of my life and instructed or altered my thinking even though I can't remember a lot of specific details now.

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Art work by I. Lovering?