Just Jumpin' Rope.......

“Mimi, think there might be some cartoons on t.v.?” Granddaughter # 1 asked. She, Grandson # 1 and Granddaughter # 2 were with us and had become bored and had begun to fuss at each other a bit.

“You can go and look I suppose,” I replied.

 

All three ran for the TV seeing who could capture the controls thus choosing the cartoons. The children’s cartoon shows on the t.v. now are quite different than when I was a child. We had no TV so the only cartoons I had were the cartoons in the funny papers. Occasionally, my Daddy would buy a Sunday newspaper after church and I loved to look at the cartoons. I would save each one and look at them over and over again. My Cousin was allowed to buy comic books but I wasn’t. Sometimes when she would come to visit, she would bring some of her old comic books to me. I loved the Donald Duck comic books and as I grew older, Archie comic books were my favorite. When my Cousin came bearing comic books, I wasn’t interested in playing with her that day; I wanted to look at the comic books. My Mother would put them away until after my Cousin left and then allow me to look at them but always one a day “so they would last longer” she would say.

 

“I wonder why my Grandchildren don’t like to jump rope,” I thought to myself. That was a favorite game for all the kids to play in my neighborhood. My Daddy bought a big jump rope for me that was very long and very heavy. 

 

“This will be a good one for the three of you to play with,”he would say. He knew that when three kids played together there was usually an argument that developed. With a long jumping rope, one could jump while the other two turned the rope while standing at each end. The sidewalk in front of our home was a great place to jump rope and we spent a lot of hours jumping rope while we built arm and leg muscles and strengthened our lungs. What a great way to exercise and to work off that excess energy all children have.

 

“Mimi, where are you going?“ Grandson # 1 inquired while sprawled out on the living room floor.

 

“Just going outside for a bit. “ I replied.

 

“Why for?” Granddaughter # 1 asked.

 

“Oh, I just thought I’d look in Granddad’s shop and see if I can find a long piece of rope”, I said, smiling as I proceeded out the door, “ I’ll be right back.”

 

My Daddy was a smart man. He knew he could prevent an argument between three children playing together if he provided them something they would enjoy; something that would occupy them so they didn’t think about fussing at each other. Jumping rope was also allowing them to learn how to take turns; how to share and how to get along with each other. We adults might be much better off if we occupied our minds with good things; with things of God, so that we didn’t have time to gossip or argue with one another.

 

“Watch your words and hold your tongue; you’ll save yourself a lot of grief”. Proverbs 21:23 The Message

55 Years Ago Today

 




“Daddy, who is that playing that steel guitar?”

“Oh, some fellow that works at the Ford garage I think, why?” inquired my daddy.

“Oh, just wondered”, I replied as I continued to watch the young man on our black and white television screen as he gracefully plucked that double neck steel. I wasn’t interested in Red Foley or whoever happened to be the star of the night. All I could see was that young man in the background with the black string tie and white jacket.

We didn’t have a television until I was 15.  And, then we only got two channels and the picture was black and white.  Daddy loved to watch Red Skelton and any wrestling matches that might be on.  And, he never missed “Ozark Jubilee” that was on every Saturday night on Channel 3 out of Springfield.  I didn’t care for it much so never really paid that much attention.  However, that Saturday night, I sat in the living room in our big chair, legs crossed and homework spread out on my lap and chair arms. But, my mind wasn’t on that; it was on that “double neck steel guitar playin’ guy” and I hardly took my eyes off him.

A few weeks later I was setting with my girlfriends at a basketball game. Right behind us sat a row of young men. One of my girlfriends seem to know them and as I turned around to see who was setting right behind me, low and behold, it was the “double necked steel guitar playin’ guy”.  I was embarrassed and my heart skipped a beat. During that evening, I found out his name and we talked quite a bit.  The friend setting next to him was his cousin. “Double neck steel guitar playin’ guy” didn’t play at bars. Instead he accompanied her on his steel guitar as she played the piano at church.  Somehow, we managed to find ourselves setting in that same location at later ballgames.  I had found out where he worked.  My Daddy was right; he was the parts man at the local Ford garage.  The route home that I walked every day after school changed; I found myself instead walking down the sidewalk toward the garage, then turning to walk up the hill toward my home. After a few days, the “double necked steel guitar playin’ guy” would just happen to be standing outside drinking pop and he would wave and occasionally holler at me.

It didn’t take me long to determine this was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.  My daddy was very strict with me and I wasn’t sixteen yet and this guitar playin’ guy was almost five years older. So, I knew better than to even ask if I could go out with him should he ask. So, he and I continued to see each other at ballgames or occasionally, he would drive on campus during the lunch hour and we would talk.  During that time, our campus was open so we were allowed to leave campus during lunch hour. My girlfriends and I would walk to the Dairy Queen close to the school or occasionally cross the road to Martha’s Diner for a hamburger.  “Double necked steel guitar playin’ guy” soon began meeting me there for lunch.

When I turned sixteen and was allowed to date, Daddy was still very strict.  When he found out I was interested in a young man five years my senior, he was not happy. I was allowed to see him only in a group.  If he came to church, I was allowed to set with him as long as we sat with other teenagers but he wasn’t allowed to take me home after church for the longest time. And, occasionally, I was allowed to accompany him and his parents to the church they attended on Saturday nights, which was their youth night. 

Fast forward a couple of years and a heartbreaking “time out” from the relationship and again that “double neck steel guitar playin’ guy” and I were setting on the Berryville square on a Saturday night in his car.

“Would you reach over and flip open the glove compartment and hand me that sack that’s in there?” he asked.

Opening the compartment, I pulled out a small sack,

“This one?” I asked him.

“Yes, that one. Now open it and look inside.” He said, smiling at me.

I carefully opened the little sack and took out a little white box. I opened it and there was the most beautiful set of diamond rings I had ever seen in my life! He took one of the rings from the box and put it on my finger and, of course, I cried.

And few months later on September 28^th , 1958, on a beautiful fall Sunday afternoon, we repeated our vows to each other at the “big red brick church down the street from the post office” in front of our attendants, our friends and family.

I can still feel the excitement of that day. I had worked at a dress shop in town after I graduated.  I bought a white prom dress for $24.95. My Mother had a seamstress make a lace jacket to go with it.  My three attendants were all named Linda and they wore pretty pink chiffon dresses. My groom and his attendants were attired in white jackets and black pants. And, my cousin, who was only fifteen at the time but had the voice of an angel sang three songs we had chosen; "Oh Promise Me", "I Love You Truly" and "The Lord's Prayer.

Today, we celebrate our 55^th wedding anniversary. He is the best husband a woman could ever want. He is the best father and grandfather there ever was.   And, although he no longer has that guitar, he will always be that “double neck steel guitar playin’ guy” that I fell in love with back in the spring of 1955.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."  Genesis 2:24 ESV

 

 

Noah and the Cats

As I look at this big, black furry cat stretched out in our living room, I’m reminded of other cats from my past.

“Can we have them, Mom, they are SO cute?” The pleading continued and, of course, the two daughters won.

“Yes, I guess so if you promise to feed them and look after them. And, I don’t want them on your beds, understand? You know how badly cats shed.”

They were so excited to bring home those two little white furry kittens; one Persian and one shorthair.

“I’m naming mine Baby,” said Older Daughter.

“Well, I’m calling this one Bitsy,” replied Younger Daughter.

Of course, the “no cat on your bed” rule was soon broken and each morning I could expect to find both kittens in bed with their respective owners.

Baby and Bitsy ruled our household for eighteen years. Both girls were married and had homes of their own but those beautiful white cats were still in charge at our home. Of course, rather than sleeping in the bedrooms of their owners, they could be found in our big bed each morning either curled around my head or under the covers at the foot of the bed. They passed within six months of each other and our whole family was devastated.

“We’re not getting another cat, “my husband said when I would mention how I missed Baby and Bitsy. “It’s too hard to give them up” was what he might as well have said. So, we didn’t have another cat for over twenty years. Then Ms. Kitty, as black as Baby and Bitsy were white, adopted us in spite of all we could do.

“I don’t want that cat in the bedroom and certainly not sleeping on our bed”, were my famous last words.

Today, Ms. Kitty owns us. She follows my husband around just like a dog would follow him. She meows her commands and he follows them. And, where does she sleep? On the foot of our bed or more likely lying beside me making her funny little dreaming noises.

When Noah built the ark at God’s command and sent all the animals in two by two, I feel sure there were two cats leading them all; one black and one white.

“You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them. Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” Genesis 6: 19-22 NIV

A Pet Brings Special Memories

Pugie would never be the cat that Blondie was but I would love Pugie just the same. Pugie came to our house when I was about ten years old. He camped out at our back door in all of his black and white splendor, meowing loudly until I would go to the screen door. Then he would rub up against the door and begin to purr. Mother was an old softy when it came to cats so she gave in and allowed Pugie to become a member of our family, although I’m not altogether sure my Daddy approved.

Pugie wasn’t as good as Blondie to allow me to dress him up. I think it was a guy thing with him. He didn’t want to wear any silly doll dress and certainly not a bonnet.

Pugie was my blanket at night. He loved to sneak up under my covers after I was in bed. He would find a loose edge at the bottom of the bed and using his nose to pull the cover back, he would crawl under the covers and work his way up to the top and lie down beside me, purring and falling fast asleep. If it was a particularly hot night, Pugie would drape himself up around the top of my head and sleep very comfortably on my pillow until morning.

As a teenager, I once again acquired a cat. This one from one of my girlfriends, who lived on a farm, and always had cats in the barn. I spent the weekend with her and one little black kitten, the runt of the liter, caught my eye.

“We’ve never been able to touch him,” my friend said,” I don’t know whether you can or not.”

By the time the weekend was over, Blackie and I had become very good friends and I happily took him home with me. Blackie and I got along very, very well. He, too, liked to sleep on my bed. He loved all of my friends who would come to our home except for John, that is. When John and I began dating, Blackie’s wonderful disposition changed. He was fine as long as John wasn’t setting beside me on the couch. But, the minute John sat down, Blackie was up behind him biting his ears. Needless to say, when we married, Blackie wasn’t part of the marriage agreement and he continued to live at home with my Mother and Daddy.

Living on the highway was a disadvantage for animals. Many of my pets met their demise on that highway and the corner of our backyard became their resting place. For years, when my Mother was living I would visit her and, we would walk among her flowers. Before I would leave, I would always walk to the southwest corner of her yard; the place where my beloved pets lay.

What a special memories a pet brings to childhood. I don’t begin to know where our pets are. I don’t believe they have souls but I don’t know if there is a special place in Heaven for them or not. Only God knows and I trust God to prepare for us in Heaven the things that will make it paradise. If this includes our beloved pets, then it will be all the more wonderful.

“That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.” Romans 8:18-21 The Message
 

The Bicycle Wreck

Little John and his friend didn’t get in trouble with their teacher for skipping school and blowing their bugles at recess, exciting the cattle and the students. She wasn’t as dumb as Little John’s friend thought she was though. She figured out very quickly who the culprits were. If they had been at school and then skipped out; gone to the hill behind the school and blown their bugles, then they would have been in trouble with her. But, the teacher decided to allow the parents to handle the situation with the little fellas this time.

Teacher did get the last laugh though a few days later. It seems Little John was going home to spend the night with his friend. He didn’t have his bicycle with him that day so he jumped on the carrier on the back of his friend’s bicycle and hung on to the bicycle seat. Those two boys were forever working on their bicycles trying to make them as speedy as they could. They had oiled the differential on the back wheel making the brakes very sensitive. The road they were on was the main road in the community but it was newly graveled and not paved as it is today. And as they went flying down the hill, Little John’s friend applied the brakes a bit too hard. The rear end of the bicycle slid first one way and then the other. Little John was so frightened, he hung on for dear life while his friend went flying over the handlebars plowing into the gravel, sliding several feet on his tummy and knees. The bicycle fell over in front of their teacher’s house and sent Little John sliding along on his knees skinning them also.

Meanwhile, the teacher, who was inside her home when she heard the commotion outside, raced to the door, jerked it open and saw the two boys lying on the gravel. She started toward them,

“Oh my goodness, boys, are you hurt?” she yelled.

By this time, both boys had scrambled up, not wanting to let their teacher think they weren’t tough.

“Oh, no, we’re fine ain’t we, Little John?”

“Yep, just got a little skinned knees is all,“ Said Little John as he wiped the gravel from his britches legs.

As the teacher came closer, Little John’s friend happened to glance down and realized he was standing there facing his teacher with the whole front of his jeans literally hanging in shreds. He was so embarrassed he could have just died right there. He quickly turned to Little John,

“Uh, don’t think we’ll be able to ride at bicycle home so you push it on ta my house. I’m just agonna go through the field here ‘stead of down at road and I’ll meet ‘cha there,” Little John’s friend said, “Oh, and, Little John, tell Mom to dig me out an old pair of britches and we’ll work on my bicycle when I get home, okay?”

Little John glanced at his teacher and was sure he saw a smile on her face. He hoped it was just a happy smile because they weren’t hurt and not a snicker because of his friend’s shredded britches. The boys had laughed and laughed when they thought they were outsmarting their teacher. They were disrupting classes, scaring the cattle and just generally upsetting the kids who had gone to school that day. Now the tables were turned. After realizing nothing but their pride was hurt, teacher had the last laugh at their expense.

Have you ever done something and had the tables turned on you?

“You have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out” Numbers 32:23. The actual meaning is “you will suffer for your sin.” I’m not saying that Little John and his friend suffered skinned knees and torn britches because they blew their bugles during school time. But, I know both boys knew they were being disrespectful of their teacher and that skipping school was not the right thing to do. And, just perhaps while both boys were walking home from their accident, the thought crossed their minds that maybe, just maybe, aside from oiling their bicycles a bit too much, skipping school wasn’t the best idea they ever had either.

(credited pic above to M. Cunningham)

Blow 'dem Bugles, Boys !

It was such a beautiful fall day . So, why would two little boys want to spend it in that one room school house? The only fun they had there was at recess and it never lasted long enough. Oh, it was kinda fun to pass notes to the cute girl that sat behind you. Or to throw spit and/or paper wads when the teacher wasn’t looking. But, most little boys could do without the other stuff that went on at school.

Hopping on their bicycles and heading down the road, lunch buckets in hand, and the bugles they had acquired recently, their minds began to conjure up ideas.

“Hey, I got an idea. It’s just to purty to go to school so let’s skip. What’cha say? “

“Reckon we won’t get caught?” said Little John.

“Shoot no, that dumb teacher’ll just think we’re sick. ‘sides, she won’t see our mothers probally.”

“Well, okay, what ‘cha wanna do?”

“Let’s ride over there behind the school to that hill, climb to the top and we can watch what’s a goin’ on at recess. We might even get close ‘nuff to throw rocks at them girls.” Said Little John’s friend.

So, off they rode faster than a streak of lightening. Arriving at the foot of the hill, they left their bikes and their lunch boxes and headed up the hill bugles in hand.

“Think this is ‘bout high enough, don’t you?” said Little John.

“Nah, let’s get up there by that big, ole, rock and we can sit on it and watch and see what’s a goin’ on.”

So, up to the rock they climbed; seated themselves behind a tree that was growing up in front of the rock; leaned back against a couple of other trees and began their watch.

Down in the fenced in pasture behind the school was a herd of cattle grazing in the warm morning sun. Little John picked up his bugle and let out  a loud blast. The cattle stopped and looked around wondering what the noise was.

“Let’s blow our bugles at the same time”, said Little John’s friend. “On the count of three, let’s blow ‘em.”

One, two , three and what a sound they did make. The cattle started running wildly around the pasture and the boys fell over laughing. That was such fun, they blew together again and again, continuing to laugh at the wild racing about of the cattle.

Hearing the commotion outside, the teacher went to the door. Seeing the cattle running about, she couldn’t imagine what was going on. She closed the door, went back inside and continued classes.

Recess time and out came the students running wildly about the school yard like the cattle.

“Let’s blow our bugles again. “ said Little John’s friend. So, on the count of three, blow they did. The kids all stopped and looked around.

“ ‘Ets do that again”, said Little John, “did you see how everbody was a lookin’ all around? They can’t figure out what's a goin’ on!” So, the two boys continued to blow their bugles; the cattle continued to run wildly about and the kids stood , looking around trying to figure out what was going on.

One day very soon, all of us will be going about our daily tasks. Some will be asleep, others will be working in a field and yet others, like Little John and his friend were , will just be out having a good time, enjoying life, unaware of what is about to happen. Then we will hear , not a bugle, but the trumpet of the Lord and, the end of this life on earth as we know it will be but a memory. What will your reaction be to that sound and the sight of our Savior descending from Heaven with a shout?

1Thessalonians 4:16-17, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDWZbDALuI8

When the roll is called up yonder

www.youtube.com

 

The Scars of Sin

When we were nine or ten years old, my cousin and I had a very special place we loved to play. Her parents had a hardware store just off the town square. Beneath the hardware store was a basement with access of very steep steps that went down from the inside at the back of the store. There was always a lot of hardware junk down there but enough room for us to play. We spent hours after school playing there. One of our favorite things also was making up plays to perform, although we were never allowed to have anyone else come and watch them. We really loved singing and dancing to a particular song called “Abba Dabba Honeymoon”. It was about two monkeys who went on a honeymoon. It was a catchy little song and was played very frequently on the radio and we knew every word and would sing it at the top of our lungs while dancing around like a couple of monkeys. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJHJAkhacGU

Cousin and I also played a lot in my backyard. Her mother worked in their hardware store so she would come and spend the afternoons at my house. I remember that we didn’t get along some of the time and would eventually get into a big argument and maybe a pushing and shoving match. One particular afternoon, just after my parents had some linoleum tile put down in our kitchen, my cousin and I got into a very heated argument. She picked up a piece of the leftover tile that was lying in the yard. With one wild swing she caught my head just above my eye with that piece of tile and cut a big, bleeding gash. I have the scar to this day. Needless to say, our playing for that afternoon was over very quickly.

Years later, after my Cousin and I both had married, our family went to Texas to visit her family. By then, we both had daughters who were very near the same age. Those two little girls were very much like my cousin and me. On this particular visit, the two little girls decided it would be great fun to jump up and down on the bed. So, jump and squeal they did! During the rowdy play, her daughter pushed my daughter into the head of the bed and, yep, you guessed it, that incident left a big gash just above the eye of my daughter; a scar that she still wears today.

The scars of sin are much like the gashes on our heads. The consequences are felt and sometimes visible for the rest of our lives. But, even though we may wear the scars of our sins, our Savior can come into our hearts and cleanse our heart of all the sins of our past, present and our future.

We are all born with sin in our lives. Our hearts are not turned toward Jesus when we come from our Mother’s womb. Until we have “open heart surgery” though the blood of Jesus Christ, our hearts will remain deceitful.

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9 NIV

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 NIV

"Mimi, wood you weed me dis book?"

I have always loved books. My Mother loved books and my daughters loved books. Our grandchildren loved to be read to when they were small.

As Granddaughter # 2 started to climb out of the bathtub , she looked up at me and said,

“Mimi, I needs a towel to stand my feets on and a towel to dry wif. Din, I needs you to hold my Barbie doll while I gets out of here.”

So, I held the Barbie doll while Granddaughter # 2 climbed out of the bathtub.

“Burrrrr, Mimi, I’s cold. Tood you dis hold me tight ‘till I warms up?”

So, I hugged her tightly until she quit shaking then I towel dried her hair and helped her put on her little night gown. She was spending the night with us and I knew what was coming next.

“Mimi, ‘fore I goes to sleep, tood, you read me dat story dat you know I yike?” She asked, looking up at me with those pleading brown eyes.

“Sure I will. You go jump in bed while I pick up the wet towels and I’ll be right there.”

So, we snuggled down in bed with her favorite book. I don’t remember the name of the book now but I know I read it to her until I almost had it memorized. We have read that book over and over but it was always her favorite and always the one we had to read first. Then there were the Dr. Suess books; several of them.

I remember when I was her age. I loved to snuggle with my Mother in my bed. I had a favorite book, too, and it was called "Poppy". It was about a fairy who had all kinds of adventures. I looked at that book so many times that I almost wore it out. I believe it’s in my cedar chest even today minus the cover. I still love to read in bed. I love to snuggle down under the covers and get lost in some adventure taking place between the covers of the book I am currently reading.

Sometimes I am ashamed that I don’t spend as much time reading God’s Word as I do other books. Why am I not more anxious to read the stories in the bible? After all, how are we to know what God would have us do unless we read what the biblical writers, who were inspired by Him to write for all generations?

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 AKJV

Playing Dress Up

~ Elizabeth Lawrence
Artist Tricia Reilly-Matthews

Playing dress up was one of my very favorite things to do as a child. I loved to pretend I was a movie star or sometimes I would be a bride or the mother to my dolls. The dress up clothes didn’t have to be fancy because in my imagination, they were fancy no matter what they looked like. An old lace curtain with holes from years of wear made a perfect veil for my bridal attire. My mother loved hats and she had a few that she allowed me to play with on occasion.

My friends and I had a bit of Hollywood in us and we loved to give plays for the neighborhood. Under our maple tree in the back yard was a perfect place for this. The Mothers and Daddies and anyone else in the neighborhood who wanted to come and sit on our screened in back porch and watch a performance were welcomed to do so. The cost of tickets was usually a marble, a pretty rock or flower. Our profit came from the lemonade that was sold for two cents a glass. Our mothers footed the bill for the lemonade for the first couple of performances. We took turn keeping the pennies at night. I can remember setting and counting those pennies thinking how rich we were going to be in the future.

I guess the need for attention can be passed down from generation to generation because Daughter # 2 was famous for dressing up as were her three daughters. I only recently dismantled the box of dress up attire that was kept in a closet for such an event.

Every little girl likes to pretend. It’s a way of escaping into a place where they can be anything they want. They can play house or bride or be a princess. Most women are probably just grown up little girls who enjoy dressing up for special occasions.

Did you ever stop to think that even as girls get older they like to get together with friends and try new clothes or have make up parties? And, when a prospective bride goes to try on her wedding dress, she doesn’t go alone. No, she wants her mother and her bridesmaids to go along to validate how beautiful she will be on that most important day when she walks down the aisle.

Dressing up as a little girl usually brought attention from a parent who was close by,

“Oh, how cute you look. Are you going out today?” Mother says to Little Daughter as daughter parades around for Mother to see.

“Yes, I’m going to a tea party with my friend,” Little Daughter replies, “Don’t I look beautiful?”

We all want attention……….no, we all crave attention; especially from the ones we love.

Have you ever wanted God’s attention and felt He wasn’t hearing you? Have you ever prayed and felt God didn’t hear? We all want God to hear our prayers; to pay attention to us. We don’t have to play dress up or pretend we are someone else for God to hear us. Our God is big enough to hear the prayers of His people whenever and wherever they are. If we are committed to Him, we can rest assured we have His attention.

2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

 

 

 

It Was A Very Hot Summer Day!

It was hot summer and Little John’s mother had been cutting cabbage anticipating she would make kraut with it later. She was outside working in the hot sun most of the afternoon and hadn’t realized a split in the upper back of her dress was going to result in a bad sunburn.

The little family lived in a two room shanty with no screens on the doors. When it was hot, they left the doors wide open in order to get any breeze that might be available. Night time came and little John and his Mother settled down for the night. Little John’s dad had gone to Oklahoma to buy some prairie hay to sell to the farmers in the area. Being a little frightened because his Daddy wasn’t there, Little John crawled in bed with his mother for the night.

Little John’s family had three dogs. Occasionally, they would have worms, which caused, what people called “running fits”. It so happened, this was one of those nights when one of the dogs had a running fit. In through the house, he came; under the bed he went, jumping around, knocking against the mattress and making a terrible noise. The commotion woke Little John from a sound sleep and he was scared to death! He flung himself over on his mother, who was laying on her stomach. When he did, he just centered the huge water blister that had formed on her back, busting it and bringing his mom to her feet. It was so painful, his mother began to cry. Poor Little John didn’t know what to do; His daddy was gone, something terrible was going on under the bed and now his mother was crying. He certainly hadn’t intended to hurt his Mother and he really felt badly doing so.

How many times do we unintentionally hurt someone? Have you ever been talking to a friend about another friend and realize the person you were talking about overheard you? How many times do we hurt someone else and we never realize it? Some of us just have big mouths and we don’t control them very well. It would be good if we all would take inventory of the things we have said or done lately that might have hurt another. I’m sure Little John was very, very sorry that he had hurt his Mother. I imagine he told her he was sorry. If you know you have hurt someone, what do you do? What would God have us do?

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12 NLT
 

Fun on a Snowy School Day

There was always something fun going on at that little one room school house Little John attended. He especially loved the wintertime. The big boys would carry in sticks of wood for the big potbellied stove that stood in the middle of the room. The teacher would, very carefully, start the fire with coal oil and when a nice warm blaze was going, all would settle down for their “book learnin’“ for the day.

There were no snow days back when Little John went to that one room school house. If you could get there, you went. Snow days now are determined a lot by whether the school buses can get there. Back in Little John’s time, there were no school buses; you walked. So, no matter how much snow accumulated, school was in session.

Recess was such fun on snow days. The teacher didn’t keep the kids in and allow them to watch videos or play games inside. Everyone, including the teacher, bundled up and out they went. Of course, the first thing the kids did was start a snow ball fight. Gathering up piles of snow and seeing who could accumulate the biggest pile before the fight started, each one worked feverishly stacking and occasionally throwing a snow ball at someone. Little John could hardly wait until he had enough to begin. So, the fight was on! Screaming and chasing each other everyone was having a great time; snowballs flying; splatting occasionally against the side of the school house but most usually against someone else.

Little John decided it would be great fun to hit his teacher with a snow ball. So, he picked up the biggest one he could find; packed it as hard as his little hands could pack, crept up behind his teacher very quietly and let fly with as much power as he could! SPPLLLAAATTTT! His snowball hit the back of the head hard and he knew he was in trouble. Little John’s teacher was at least 45 years older than Little John but she could run and the chase was on! Little John’s mistake was instead of running behind the school house or off into the woods to hide behind a tree, he ran into the school house and found himself blocked in the corner as his teacher headed toward him with the biggest snowball Little John had ever seen. There was no place to run; he was trapped. Closer and closer she came until she reached Little John.

“Okay, you’re in for it now, Little John! You are caught and nowhere to run!” She grabbed him by his coat collar and washed his face thoroughly and completely! Little John later said if you have never had your face washed with a snowball by your old teacher, you don’t know what you have missed!

What Little John did was all in fun and it wasn’t a sin to have a good time at recess. But, many times the things we do that we consider fun, are sinful things in God’s eyes. And, no matter how little or how big our sins may be, we all need God’s forgiveness for them.

The prophet Isaiah uses the picture of pure white snow to depict God’s cleansing work in our lives. Our sins are like crimson and yet when God cleanses us from our sin, we are then white as the new fallen snow.

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 NIV

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Barn Loft

“Can I go across the street and see if we can find the kittens in the barn?” I ask my Mother while my friend stood by shaking her head up and down.

“It’s almost lunch time so why not wait until after lunch?” Mother replied.

“Please, please, please, I won’t be gone long, okay? I whined.

Mother gave in with a stern warning.

“I don’t want you jumping out of that barn loft anymore now, okay?”

“We won’t”, I said, “and I’ll be back in just a little while.”

So, out the front door my friend and I went, jumping off our little front porch, allowing the screen to slam behind us. We quickly looked both ways and then ran across the street.

It didn’t take long for us to climb into the barn loft. I loved the smell of fresh hay and we played on the bales for a while forgetting all about the kittens that might be there somewhere. Soon we sat down on the edge of the loft, swinging our legs over the edge. We laid back in the hay and I’m sure discussed the important things going on in school with our friends.

It was just too tempting not to consider jumping down instead of climbing down the ladder type opening in the side of the barn.

“I’ll jump if you will.” My friend said.

“Mother said not to jump though. You heard her.” I replied.

“Well, okay, then, I’ll jump. My Mother didn’t tell me I couldn’t?” And, jump she did.

So, there I sat in the opening of the barn loft, kicking my feet back and forth and contemplating whether or not to take the chance and jump even though I would be disobeying my Mother. The little voice in my head whispered,

“Go ahead and jump; she’ll never know.”

The other voice in my heart all the while was saying,

“You shouldn’t jump. After all, you told your Mother you wouldn’t.”

And, there stood my neighbor. She had jumped and she was okay. I didn’t want to be a baby when she wasn’t afraid to jump. So, jump I did. I was fine except for turning my ankle a bit. Oh, I could walk but it hurt a little when I did.

“Time for lunch………come on home”, it was my Mother calling from across the street.

“I’m coming, Mother!" I yelled, " I’ll see ya later, “I said to my friend as I headed toward home …..slowly…..limping slightly.

Opening the screen door, I stepped inside and there stood my Mother.

“Why are you limping?” She asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just kinda turned my ankle when I was climbing down out of the barn.”

“Oh? You didn’t jump out of the barn loft, did you, after I told you not to?”

“No, Mother, I told you, I was just climbing down 'cause you were hollering at me for lunch”, I lied.

Immediately, that little voice in my heart reminded me that I had just lied to my Mother, while the other voice in my head told me she would never know.

“Hummm, well, that really looked like you that I saw jumping out of the loft when I came to the door.” Mother said.

I had forgotten that while standing in our front door, there was a clear view of the whole barn.

Following my mother into the kitchen and onto our porch, I watched her walk outside and I knew what was going to happen. Suffice it to say, the spirea bush outside was minus a little limb when she came back in. And, when the punishment was over, my ankle wasn’t the only thing that hurt.

How many of us tend to listen to the voice in our head rather than the nudging of the still, small voice in our heart? How many of us think that we can get by with something and will never be caught? How often do we think it’s only a little white lie and it won’t matter? It doesn’t make any difference with our Lord whether our lie is a white one or a whopper. A lie is a lie in God’s sight and He hates lying.

“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:

haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes,

feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies

and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” Proverbs 6:16-19 NIV

"Sing Moon Song, Mimi"

When our oldest grandson was small, it was such a joy to have him spend some time with us in our home. One of the favorite times of the day for this Mimi was the time he and I spent swinging in the old swing in our gazebo. We would talk a...bout the day and all of the fun things we had done. As we swung back and forth in the twilight hours, he would look up into the sky trying to find the moon.

"Sing moon song, Mimi, sing moon song," he said gazing up into my face.

"Will you sing it with me?"

"Sing moon song, Mimi, peeeze, otay?" He would plead.

"I'll sing it if you'll sing it with me."

So, in his sweet little voice, Grandson # 1 would sing along with me as we sang "The Moon Song". He was never satisfied to sing it once, no, we had to sing it over, and over , and over. Soon, his little head would begin to nod and he would fall fast asleep in my arms.

I continued to swing slowly back and forth......back and forth, relishing the time God had given me to hold this little one in my arms. As I laid my cheek down on his beautiful, damp, curly hair I thought,

"There is nothing in the world that is any more satisfying for a grandmother than being able to hold a grandchild. Grandchildren eventually get too big to be held in a grandmother's lap and swing as twilight fades away. But, a grandchild never gets too old to be held deep in a grandmother's heart."

"Children’s children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children." Proverbs 17:6 NIV

.......Being Grandma

There's nothing like being a grandma,
Of babies with bald heads or curls.
And you'll find it really won't matter,
If grandbabies are boys or they're girls.

There's nothing that quite takes the place of,
The moment they're placed in your arms.
From that moment, they capture their grandmas
With their sweet and innocent charms.

Then you search their sweet baby features,
For something that you recognize.
Some inherited feature of your child
Tiny dimples, round face or their eyes.

You count ten tiny fingers and ten toes.
Note the elbows and knees and the feet.
Kiss that precious and sweet baby's forehead
And you marvel at one so complete.

Then you gaze at the face of your own child,
Now a parent....how can this be?
How can time so swiftly be passing?
How can moments so quietly flee?

You cry softly with joy at the wonder,
A miracle you hold near to your breast.
And, you pray for the future of this child,
Then trust God with this life.........He knows best.

Jo Ann -Copyright.......1996

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l18E-dYvawo When you get past the few seconds of advertisement you can hear Jim Brickman playing and singing "I See The Moon."



This song's for you, Grandson.

 

 

 

 

Mother and Daddy and the Old Porch Swing

 

So many memories of the old porch swing.

Many times I remember at the end of the day, after the chores were finished, Mother and Daddy would walk out onto the breezeway and sit down in the old porch swing. I don't remember when that porch swing was hung but it was there for as long as I could remember from the time we moved there when I was four until my mother passed away at almost 95 years of age.

Many nights after supper, I'd ride my bicycle. Most of the time, it was with some neighborhood friends but sometimes, it was alone. Our porch swing faced the side street. I was allowed to ride around the block in the evenings as long as I didn't get on the main road. So, around the block I would ride finely turning onto the side street beside our house. I can remember pedaling my bicycle beside our garage and, with anticipation, look toward the old, porch swing, where my mother and daddy would be sitting and gently swinging, back and forth.......back and forth. I would wave and they would wave back. How many times I rode around that block in the cool of the evening, I can't tell you but it was always so good to see my Mother and Daddy sitting there enjoying each other and, I liked to think, enjoying watching me come into sight. Mother would often be sitting there fanning herself with the tail of her apron while Daddy was leaned back smoking his pipe filled with Prince Albert.

I have often wondered, in the day and age we live, if we have the patience to just sit and swing back and forth in an old porch swing. Life has too many things to occupy us. There was contentment in the faces of my parents as they swung back and forth in the squeaky old swing. We didn't have much as far as material things but God provided the things we needed and we had each other.

 

When I think of my mother and daddy, who have gone on to their Heavenly Home, I like to think that God has provided an old swing for them on the front porch of their mansion.

" There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?" John 14:2 NLT

"What? No Hot Water?"

Like so many others my age, when I was a small child having hot water in your home was a luxury. Just having running water was a luxury. We did have running water but we had no hot water so our water was heated in a copper kettle on our stove. We had an old, cement shower stall but a cold shower wasn’t one of the things that I craved nor did my parents. So, the copper kettle got a real work out come Saturday night. My bathtub was a galvanized wash tub. In the summer, it was set in our very tiny bathroom. In the winter, Mother would set it in front of the old coal stove in our living room. Dipping out the soapy water, then adding rinse water, was quite a chore but my mother did it without complaining. She also washed dishes by hand, scalding them with boiling water from that old copper kettle. And, she washed clothes in an old wringer washer, pouring hot water from the copper kettle into the wash water and into the rinse water. Today, that copper kettle sets on our fireplace hearth and brings back a lot of memories when I see it.

The last two days, I was reminded once again what it means to have no hot water. Two days, two plumbers and a call into the well service man, and no solution. So, I had a discussion with the Lord.

“Lord, tomorrow is Sunday and you know that we can’t go to church without showers. So, if you could possibly see fit, please, could you just let us know what the problem is and send someone to fix it? “

Not two minutes later, a knock came and there standing just outside was the well service man! And, on a Saturday afternoon at that! In less than 10 minutes, after talking to the plumber, he had discovered the problem; fixed it and was waving good-bye! I thanked the Lord; breathed a sigh of relief and turned on the now full dishwasher.

How many things in this life do we take for granted? The lack of hot water flowing from a faucet wouldn’t have been a problem 60 or 70+ years ago. No running water in the homes was a common thing. Refrigeration wasn’t common so blocks of ice were purchased at an ice house and used to keep things cold in an icebox. Milk was cooled in spring water. Hogs were butchered and cured out in a smoke house for meat that didn’t have to be refrigerated. Telephones weren’t in homes so if you needed to share something, you posted a letter. If you needed to tell your neighbor something, you walked to their house or rode your horse. No televisions to provide entertainment, so you played games with your family and friends. You got to know each other and appreciate each other’s company. I wonder if people put more trust in the Lord back in those days than we do today?

Our material needs today are probably not as great as they were back then. But, I think perhaps our spiritual needs might be greater. A lot of us have forgotten to ask the Lord to meet our needs. We just complain if our wants are not met and forget that He desires that we come to Him with our requests. He will supply all our needs if we just ask.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives ; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Matthew 7:7-8 NIV

First Firewood of the Season

Our first firewood was unloaded and stacked this morning. It seems a bit ridiculous considering temperatures are predicted to be in the 90's today. But, before you know it, the leaves will turn their beautiful, bright reds, yellows and oranges, and then fall to the earth in anticipation of the first snowfall.

There is nothing like a glowing fire in a fireplace; the smell of wood permeating the ...air. It's very easy for me to get lost in my thoughts as I set, curled up in front of the fire with our cat purring in my lap. I love watching the flames as they twist and turn and lap at each other.

 As I gaze in our fireplace, I remember as a child when Daddy would burn our trash out back. When the fire died down to a few hot coals, he would cut a long stick and put a marshmallow on the end and I'd hold it over those coals until it turned a golden brown.

"Be careful and don't let that slide off the end of the stick because we don't have very many marshmallows," Daddy would say. So, I would hold the stick very still, turning it very carefully, and removing it very slowly when it looked just right. Mother would usually make hot chocolate to go along with those marshmallows. She would carry it out back and pour it into a little cup for me and bring my daddy's coffee cup to hold his. Sometimes Daddy would bring out our old washtubs, turn them upside down and we'd set until the fire burned completely out. My daddy learned early on not to tell ghost stories if it was close to bedtime or he and my Mother would be sharing a bed with me.

You know, the stars seemed a little brighter and the moon a little closer back then. Perhaps the air was not as polluted and there were fewer outdoor lights. It didn't take a lot of entertainment to keep families occupied at the end of a very busy day.

One thing I know for sure, our Creator knew exactly what He was doing when He set our earth in motion giving us the seasons to enjoy with our families while we can.

"The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.
It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made both summer and winter." Psalm 74:16-17 NIV

There is nothing like setting in an old porch swing to bring back memories!

When I was a child, we had a porch swing on our breezeway. It was a favorite place to set late in the evenings with my Daddy. That was when he caught up on my activities of the day.

"So, what have you done today, Honey?" my daddy would ask.

"Oh, well, I played with Blondie a while. I dressed her up in my doll's dress and pushed her in the doll buggy. Then, Mother put some Kool-aid in a little jar with a lid and she fixed me a sandwich and she let me eat it outside. You know, down there under that white bush", I said, pointing to the spirea bush that graced our south lawn. "Then, she said I had to take a nap. You know I don't like naps AT ALL. But, she said I had to at least lay down and if I couldn't sleep I could just rest. So, I took my doll and my books and climbed up on the bed. Blondie came and jumped up by me. She just purred and purred and then went to sleep but I didn't. It was just too hot. Mother came and peeked in a couple of times and just grinned so I guess it was okay if I didn't go to sleep," I said, yawning.

Then, as I laid my head over on my Daddy's big, broad shoulder, he would tell me about the fish he saw jumping out of the water on Kings River. Sometimes, he shared about the squirrels that were jumping from limb to limb in some big ole' trees. And, as he talked, he would gently glide the swing back and forth..... back and forth. The crickets would be chirping as darkness crept in. Then the lightening bugs would come out flickering all about, lighting little areas here and there. And, still daddy would gently glide that old, squeaky swing back and forth..... back and forth.

I never remembered being moved but in the morning, I would wake up just where my daddy had gently laid me; right in my own little bed. I would open my eyes and the sun would be streaming in and I would smell breakfast cooking. Yawning, I'd get out of bed, stretch and wonder what new things awaited me this day.

I like to think that's what it will be like for us when we close our eyes for the last time and awaken to the brightness of our Savior's face as He guides us to our Heavenly Home.

Dottie Rambo wrote this song that has been a favorite of mine.

Sheltered in The Arms of God

I feel the touch of hands so kind and gentle,
They're leading me in paths that I must trod;
I have no fear when Jesus walks beside me,
For I'm sheltered in the arms of God.

So let the storms rage high, the dark clouds rise,
They won't worry me for I'm sheltered safe within the arms of God;
He walks with me and naught of Earth can harm me,
Sheltered safe within the arms of God.

Soon I shall hear the call from Heaven's portals,
Come home my child, it's the last mile you must trod;
I'll fall asleep and wake in God's new Heaven,
Sheltered safe within the arms of God.