Monthly Archives: November 2021

Clompy And Perfect

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She blew on her chai, causing a pause in the wafting steam. It had snowed last night, and she missed again the steady scrape scrape of her husband’s early morning shoveling. The coat closet door stood ajar, beckoning her to the outdoor task, and her eyes darted to the place where his boots had always stood. Always. Rain or shine, heat or cold. She shook her head, but not with disgust like she had done in the past.

In the past the boots had displeased her. Their appearance and the sound they made matched: clomp, clomp, clompy, clomp. She had bought brand new beautiful boots for him that eventually were given to charity. She had bought a different brand. And another. They both rested in a dark corner of the closet until she finally gave up and gave them away as well.

But now? Now she would have given anything to hear clomp clomp clomp and see snow puddles in a line to the closet. She’d asked the dear Lord in heaven to heal him. Asked and asked. But he was gone now and with him so much of what made her treasure her life. And the boots? She’d kept them. It didn’t make sense to her, but grief and love are seldom logical.

She brought her empty chai cup to the kitchen, slightly comforted by the greenery atop the cupboards and the poinsettia by the window. Next year she might have more desire to decorate.

Maybe, maybe after she shoveled, she’d hike out to that place they’d loved. The fresh air would do her good, and she could carry the goodness to the family Christmas gatherings where love and sympathy would bring her to tears in an awkward sort of way.

As she drove to the starting point of her hike, her mind wandered to grief in general. How many people were having their first Christmas without someone this year? How were they handling it? For that matter, what did the baby in the manger, grown to a boy, do when Joseph died? And later – did Jesus’ friends feel that lump in the throat, eyes-burning burden in the days after the cross? Did they wish, hope, pray for a sign? The Christmas story held plenty: a star, a battalion of angels, shepherds . . .

But for her, well, there were no signs. Eternal life seemed far away and seeing him again did, too.

The newly fallen snow had left everything pure and sparkling. The long hike was absolutely what she needed. Slightly out of breath, she squinted at the sundogs and prayed again, though she couldn’t quite find the words to ask for who knew what. A word of thanks for a life, too short, well-lived. Yes. That would do. And she felt better. She really did, even without the reassurances she wished for.

She started back to her car, then stopped. She gazed down intently, squatted and brushed her hand over what she saw. There it was in the untrodden snow. A bootprint. Larger than her own. Clompy and perfect.

"Bootprint" by AmericaninCanada is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

 

Images: pexels-ryutaro-tsukata-6249388-scaled.jpg; Ron St. Amant.  “Bootprint” by AmericaninCanada is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 

Thanks In All Times

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Dear Heavenly Father,

In a time when we anticipate want in our futures and feel concern in our present, we look to You, because we remember how good You are in both good and hard times: How it was Your hand that parted the Red Sea when the enemy was bearing down on Your people; How it was Your presence that calmed the lions while Daniel was in their den; and how it was Your voice that cast out demons at Gadarenes.

We reflect on our lives – how You have been with us from the very beginning, from Day one. You’ve healed us when we were sick and some of us when we would have died but for You. You’ve rescued us from danger, both known and unawares. You’ve given us work to do and homes to delight in. Your creation calls to us to marvel and calms us when we need it.

When we are alone, You sit with us. We keep company together. And when crowds surround us, You are with us still. You call us by name. You teach us in all the kinds of places and people and times we encounter. Wisdom, understanding, discernment – bit by bit, slowly, but surely we learn.

You are so very, very good, Father. And we come just now to thank You. Thank You for history. Thank You for our past. Thank You for the present times when our faith can grow and we can see how bright the light of Your presence shines in the darkness. And thank You for an unknown future. All we need to know is that You’ll be there.

We lift Your Name above every Name. You are great and loving and merciful and good. Your judgements are righteous. And You, oh our Dear Lord and Father, You are our very breath.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

Image: pexels-ekaterina-bolovtsova-5702778.jpg

 

Look for a Book for Your Christmas Nook

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Homemade Granola

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When the leaves change and the temperature dips, we’re ready for kitchen comforts. As November arrives, we’re on the threshold of Christmas sweets and treats, but here’s an idea from my kids’ preschool. I bought their little recipe book way back when I was still stepping on Legos and Barbie shoes in the middle of the night. It is a small collection of healthy snacks they served there – twenty sheets of paper unglamorously stapled together at the upper left corner. The recipe I share today is a riff off of one of those well-loved snacks. I often add my own twist to recipes I love. It seemed to me the extras only serve to make it more fun. We eat it as cereal, mostly, but it can be sprinkled on ice cream or yogurt or even made into bars.

                    Homemade Granola

3 cups rolled oats                      1/2 – 1 cup sesame seeds

3 cups rolled wheat                   1/2 – 1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup wheat germ                   1/2 – 1 cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 teaspoon salt                       1/4 – 1 cup bran

1/2 – 1 cup walnuts, pecans, or your choice

 

Mix well and add: 3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

2 teaspoons vanilla

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes, stirring once.

After baking, add dried cranberries or raisins.

Store in refrigerator.

For Bars: 3 c. granola, 2/3 c. peanut butter, 1/3 c. honey. Press into pan and store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!      Enjoy!      Enjoy!      Enjoy!      Enjoy!      Enjoy!      Enjoy!

Keeping the Sabbath

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It was as I was in the midst of looking up whether putting up a Christmas tree in some way broke the Sabbath that I realized it was, yes, quite possible learning to celebrate the Sabbath would actually be a process; and amusement would be part of it, at least for me.

If you grew up in the church and you and your family members were actively involved, you might admit that though we regarded Sundays as our Sabbath, they were not a day of rest. This bothered me for a very long time until I finally decided to not fight the busyness of being an active church member on Sundays and to honor the Sabbath Day as it had been in the Old Testament: on Saturday. So began a lovely discovery.

You see, if I was to actually rest on Saturday, that meant I would need to get all of my work done before then, and that meant that procrastination was not the happy-go-lucky, jokey, old friend it normally was. At first, I piled most things onto Friday. By the time sundown rolled around I was exhausted. So then I began to parcel the work out so that poor Friday wouldn’t end up looking like a frothing horse galloping the last mile of the pony express. It worked! And do you know what? I actually got more done than I usually did. I found extra little things to do that I might’ve otherwise left alone. I cleaned closets – that sort of thing. And then the Sabbath! Ahhh!

But there are times when doing something which disrupts the Sabbath rest seems very important. It is those times I’ve learned to lean on several marker stones given in the Bible. First, my memory is drawn to the women after the crucifixion of Jesus. And though preparing His body must’ve seemed paramount, what did they do? They waited that extra day because it was the Sabbath. What honorable examples to us they are! A second reference I lean on is when Jesus says, “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” What a helpful thing to say! And when I must do work to help someone, I also remember what Jesus said as recorded in Luke: “And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” His comment is so helpful.

Another perspective I remember is one of working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. That is to say, that shadow of things to come is given to us with a caution to not concern ourselves with someone else’s judgement of our efforts. And as one who is still (and let’s be honest – always will be) learning, I appreciate the permission given in that scripture.

I look forward to the Sabbath every single week. It’s like a mini vacation! And if something is amiss – too bad. It’s the Sabbath. I’m resting. Zero guilt.

When God instituted the Sabbath (Genesis 2:2, Exodus 20:8-11, Leviticus 23:3, Deuteronomy 5:14), He was showing us the loveliness of balance and enjoyment. But He also holds out a promise for the future when we read “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.” It seems to me it will be a beautiful time of relishing the gloriousness of our Creator in His perfect creation. I, myself, picture myself surrounded by nature without a storm in sight. My little holiday every week is a sweet little taste of the delight to come. Join me!

Images: alittleperspective.com; Photo-by-Amber-Waterman.jpg; Sources: Genesis 2:2 – By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.; Exodus 20:8-11 – “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.; Exodus 31:14 – Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people.; Leviticus 23:3 – There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.;
Deuteronomy 5:14 –  but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.; Hebrews 10: 25 – Do not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.; Mark 2:27 – Then He said to them, “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”; Luke 14:5 – And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?”; Colossians 2:16-17 – Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.; Hebrews 4:9 – There remains then a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.