The Detour

 

 

Rumbling through some old pictures from about 10 years ago, I stumbled upon these. It's of a cabin near Shirley, Arkansas that was fully occupied until the late 1970's. Scott and I were on our way home from a bluegrass festival in Mountain View, when we stopped to look at this cabin. I've seen it quite a few times on my way up there, but never had time to step inside and take a peek? It was one of those rare occasions that I actually got going on time, and we had plenty of daylight to burn, so Scott agreed to let me go poking around. 

 

 

The door was closed, but not locked. At first glance, the main room that you enter had a fireplace on the left and an old bedstead with springs still sitting there. No mattress to be found. I'm guessing the mice got it piece by piece? The windows let in plenty of morning light, and I noticed a narrow set of stairs. Up I went and would you believe this little cabin had an upstairs room, completely sheet rocked, and a small closet! The add-on in the back is a make-shift kitchen. There was a sink, and a drain that had a pipe that just let the water out to the grass behind the cabin. No plumbing, but the outhouse was still standing! I took a look-see inside and it was still functional! (Good for me, we were in the middle of nowhere!). I saw a broom in the corner and I took to cleaning it out. You always leave a place in better shape than you found it, right? Little did I know that I was tidying up for myself! Our afternoon did not go as planned.

 

 

 

 

After I did all my investigating and was fully satisfied that I'd taken a glimpse back in time, we shut the door and left it the way we'd found it. I put my camera in the backseat of my car, and Scott asked me to drive. No problem, I love country roads! I put the key in the ignition, and tried to turn it. But it was frozen. My key would not budge. We sat there in the autumn air with the windows down for about 15 minutes trying every possible thing we could think of? Is the car in park? Yes. Well maybe we need to rock it forward? No luck. Eventually, it occurred to us that we needed help, but we were so far out in the mountains, that we couldn't get a signal on our new "cellular phones"! So, off Scott goes up a hill, holds the phone up to the sky and prays for bars! He was able to make a phone call to Triple A (AAA) and they actually knew about where we were, but said they had no idea when a driver could make it out that way? Just sit tight.

 

At this point, Scott and I realize we might actually be spending the night right where we were? We evaluated the situation, and decide to put our tent (never leave home without it!) inside the cabin. It was late October, so it would get nippy by morning, and this would keep any critters away from us. We had a case of bottled water, although there was a well behind the cabin if we needed more than just drinking water. We unloaded out car, and pulled out our folding chairs in front of the cabin, facing the road to watch for the wrecker that might or might not be on his way?

 

 

I have to say; I married a Boy Scout. Actually, Scott is an Eagle Scout, for real and for true! He shined like a brand new penny that day when he broke out a box of food I didn't know he'd stashed. We had canned ham on crackers, kippers, and oatmeal for lunch. When you THINK your going to go hungry, the most meager meal tastes so delicious! There was peanut butter and other foods for later. We could have lasted 3 or 4 days without worry.

 

I kept looking at my watch and Scott noticed I was getting a little nervous. You know there are BEARS in The Ozarks, right? My sweet husband pulled out his guitar and my mandolin, and we sat and picked out songs, and sang badly, just as some old pioneer probably did over one hundred years ago in the very same spot! I noticed I wasn't really concerned over the wrecker anymore, as I saw the sun start to get low in the west, and touch the tops of the trees. I noticed the birds, saw a raccoon, squirrels, and took note of berries and various herbs growing wild. I found that walking around, the Mullein was abundant, and realized I needed to pick as much as I can, because this will make a great salve! So I did, and Scott just chuckled at me for filling an ice-chest full of the fuzzy leaves.

 

Just about the time I think we need to light lanterns and get busy with setting up our tent, I hear a low rumble in the distance and a motor running. No one had been this way in hours. The wrecker arrived to see the two of us sitting in front of that cabin, playing and singing to our hearts content, and not really sure we wanted to go anywhere just yet? But we had to...

 

 

It was kind of sad when they hooked my car up to the chains and pulled it up the ramp. Scott and I hopped into the cab and they took us to back to Mountainview to a hotel. Ok, I've been stuck in The Ozarks before. I'm just telling you that their sense of urgency is not the same as say, someone in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Not by a LONG SHOT. It  took a week to get the starter  in and have it installed. Something that would have been an overnight job in any big city. They didn't seem to be in any big rush. Then it hit me.. what a beautiful thing! I called my supervisor at work, and explained that this is going to take about 5 days according to Roy at the Auto Repair shop. Yes, it's the only shop in town. No there's nothing I can do about it. But that didn't mean they were slack on their customer service- not at all! They gave us a rental. A beat up model, with four wheels and 4-60 A/C. (That's four windows down, at 60 miles per hour)...

 

 

 

We spent five days a little miffed that we couldn't stay in the log cabin, but happy enough to be able to cruise around the mountains and extend our vacation! That's one happy detour, and it changed my perspective about what I think I "need". Truthfully, you don't need much to be happy. You just need "enough".

 

Deep Foundations In A Shallow World

 

Recently, my Grandson and I had a "talk" about God. He's a teenager, and still struggling with the concept of God, and in fact, the very need for a God. Is there a true need? I know the answer and you may know the answer, but many of today's youth are finding little need to God. They are simply opting for the agnostic route. It sounds arrogant,. Simply put; most American teens have never truly suffered anything. They've been handed a lot. School is easy. Jobs are easy. The economy is easy. Life is good. Few teenagers have ever broken a sweat for lack of air conditioning, and have never had to stoke a fire for warmth. Food is overly abundant. Not a whole lot is required of them compared to their great grandparents generation. 

 

 

 

So, I have to ask myself, what will it take to make this generation humble? It seems horribly arrogant to think that God, Jesus, heaven, and the Bible are mere fairy stories? That it's without a purpose? That God gave His only begotten Son for no particular reason, or worse, that it's a fable? But that is a common thought among America's teens. 

 

However, if you're faith has never been challenged, it's possible that a person lacks it entirely. So here we are: the land of plenty. Majority of America is kept fat and happy by personal employment, the government, churches, and charitable organizations. It wasn't that way not so long ago.

 

 

According to Census Bureau data for 2009 (the most recent year statistics are available), of the almost 50 million Americans classified as poor, 96% of the parents said their children were never hungry. Eighty-three percent of poor families reported having enough food to eat, and 82% of poor adults said they were never hungry at any time in 2009 due to a lack of food or money. And we are seeing obesity rates in children that historically have never been witnessed. Now, I'm not knocking today's children. They don't know any different and of course I want them fed! I'm simply making a comparison from a century ago when true hunger was a reality, and quite common.

Death Rates by Cause of Death, 1900–2005

(per 100,000 population)

Year	Tuberculosis, all forms	Malignant neoplasms (cancer)	Major cardiovascular diseases	Influenza and pneumonia	Motor vehicle accidents
1900	194.4	64.0	345.2	202.2	n.a.
1910	153.8	76.2	371.9	155.9	1.8
1920	113.1	83.4	364.9	207.3	10.3
1930	71.1	97.4	414.4	102.5	26.7
1940	45.9	120.3	485.7	70.3	26.2
1950	22.5	139.8	510.8	31.3	23.1
1960	6.1	149.2	521.8	37.3	21.3
1970	2.6	162.8	496.0	30.9	26.9
1980	0.9	183.9	436.4	24.1	23.5
1990	0.7	203.2	368.3	32.0	18.8
2000	0.3	200.5	340.4	24.3	15.2
2001	0.3	194.4	323.9	21.8	15.4
2002	0.3	193.8	318.3	22.9	15.5
2003	0.2	191.5	310.3	22.4	15.4
2004	0.2	187.4	293.8	20.9	15.0
2005	0.2	188.7	288.8	21.3	15.3

 

 

Mortality rates were very high in areas of disease, such as venereal disease, and sickness. Infant mortality was as high as 30% percent in some areas of America in the early 1900's. Penicillin wasn't even invented until 1928. That translates into: the average American teen witnessed a lot of death and sickness unless they were unusually fortunate. 

 

 

 

Of course I do not wish any hunger, illness or death on today's youth. I simply wish history was taught accurately, and I wish we had better teaching tools? I sometimes long for a new invention like "smellevision". Yep, if today's youth could capture the average smell of a household from 100 years ago, they'd be thanking God for soap and water, let alone their deodorant, or Juicy Couture?
 I wish they average teen could be transported in time to see a real closet of 1900? My grandparents home was built in the 1920's and had no original closets. Each person had their own "wardrobe", a tall cabinet with a door. It was probably about 6" in height, and 3 and a half feet wide. There was room for perhaps 6 changes of hanging clothes at the most, 3-4 small drawers, and if you were lucky; a mirror on the inside or outside of the door. That was IT. You had ONE pair of shoes until you outgrew them, or wore them out. Underpants? Optional depending on how affluent your family was. Typically, a teen had 1-2 pairs of pants or skirts, and 2-3 shirts or blouses. Not drawers of designer t-shirts, and jeans. Not a small room we now call a closet full or clothes that get worn a dozen times then given away. People literally wore their closes out and even then, saved the remaining fabric for bandages (band aides were not yet marketed) patching other clothing, or cut into quilt squares. Nothing went to waste.
 

  Today's America is so vastly different than the America 1913. Imagine where your at?  Did your town even exist? If it did, was their a train? If not your great grands where likely isolated and counted on family and close neighbors for any socializing. Days started early, because of the heat in the summer, and the need to milk the cow year-round, and to break the ice and stoke the fire in the winter, and yes, milk the cows, even in the bitter cold. All this before they went to school, IF they went to school at say, age 15? Many had to stop schooling by 13-16 to work on the family farm, or in a factory to help their parents pay the bills. By 1914, we were at war, and many young teenage males were called away to war on their 18th birthday by either choice or design, as the Federal Draft was in full swing by 1917. Poverty was very common and many young men chose to join the military to learn a skill, see the world, as well as serving their country.

 

 

 

 

I suppose the point I'm getting at is this: Our society is so affluent compared to the America of 1913, and also to other countries TODAY. My fear is; the youth no longer have a need for God? My question to you, the reader is; HOW do you teach Jesus to a society that lacks nothing? Medicine is readily available for most, food is not an issue, and today's youth have so many toys, games, and videos that those born just 20 years ago, don't even know what it's like to use their imagination! Bicycles are a novelty, not a necessity, and outdoor play is "scheduled" in play dates.
Most kids don't ever break a sweat and are more likely to strain their thumb on the playstation than any other injury. No one chops wood. No one totes water. So why would they need Jesus?

 

 

 

St. Augustine said: "If you plan to build a tall house of virtues, you must first lay deep foundations of humility."

 

How do we lead our teens to Christ when they have no humility? It's not their fault... they are arrogant because they have nothing to compare their world to. We, their parents and grandparents know to be thankful, because we've seen war, we've made do, we've seen others struggle, and we've watched technology evolve. We all remember when a digital watch was $200.00! So we appreciate the affordability and luxury of what we have. Our teens, not so much.

 

 

 

Now, I admit that I did my best to make sense of  The Bible and the need for Christ for my Grandson, most likely because I've always believed in God? I don't recall a time when I didn't? My parents were agnostic growing up, but my Grandmothers were adamant about God, and drug me to church. Wow am I thankful! But, no matter how thankful I am, I need to know:  "how do I answer today's youth when they suggest The Bible isn't real, and heaven is just a fable?" How do we present the need for a God? Or do we just give them the facts, and pray?

One thing I know; faith is developed out of need. And basically TWO PRAYERS I've repetitively prayed: "HELP ME, HELP ME, HELP ME!!" And; "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!" I know my grandchildren will get there. That sometime in their life, something will challenge them to the point of prayer, even if it's in a God whom they are unsure of?

I'd like to hear thoughts on leading youth to God, and how to develop their foundation in Christ? Raising Godly youth from the cradle is optimum, but what about those who have not been taught?

Your thoughts are precious to me. Feel free to comment.

 

Blessings,

Kelly

All Labels Aside- Why Be Anabaptist?

Recently, I've been rather challenged to remain among The Anabaptists. I know I am not plain... I am not ultra conservative, nor am I so radical that I want to live in a colony.

I love the group I worship with, I certainly do. I agree with "most" of their doctrine, as I do agree with the most basic of Anabaptist theology. I certainly do not feel called to worship in any other church.. I feel connected and loved where I'm at


But that's pretty much where the rubber meets the road. You see, I'm not sure we can say for certain HOW God feels on a lot of issues? I can tell you how He feels about the issues surrounding the 10 Commandments, but then more questions arise when you put it to the test. Take Murder for example? Of course we are not to murder anyone. Right? What about war? What about the police? What about self defense for your family??? Yes, I know most Anabaptists are conscientious objectors and will not go to war literally. But would they protect their children from harm? What about voting? Some say it's a sin to be involved, and some participate.



"Some" Anabaptists seem to have a fairly firm opinion on how God feels about everything from divorce and remarriage, to alcohol, war, and even foster care? Yep, some people think they've got it nailed down. And all of it is by building a case, just as an attorney would with scripture. They take several scriptures, from different places in the Bible and link them altogether to form a defense for the subject they are trying to defend or prove. ... Unless you visit another church, which may have different views on the previously mentioned subject, with a nailed-tight scriptural opinion based on some other view of how the subject should be translated. It's a lot to digest! 


I'll speak about what I've witnessed personally: Mennonites tend to reason much of the individual church theology, which can vary from church to church, district to district, committee to committee. Everyone has an argument and are willing to split what they at one moment call *the body of Christ* over it, and start an entirely NEW body of Christ a few miles away. Now, is this wrong? No, not if it's to end cult like control that can't be reasoned with. But the whole theology is to love each other so humbly... I'm perplexed WHY the most humble can't humble themselves with each other? I suppose they are asking themselves the same question? I'm not here to judge... I'm just trying to wrap my mind around it all, and I've been doing this for over 17 years. But in the end, it's the people that keep me coming back, because after all; people are people regardless of their labels. The Mennonites seem to have a certain simplicity not only in their dress and habits, but also in their love of family. It's just not all that complicated to them and that is very appealing to me.


 I've never known love and friendship like I've known among the Mennonites. I am not one of them... I am grafted in. Jesus had some thoughts on grafting in the ones who love Him and I believe while they have their flaws, as any human, the Mennonites I know personally have one character trait that really sets them apart and keeps pulling back to them; They LOVE with their whole heart. And as  someone not raised in the Anabaptist faith.., I see things from a peculiar perspective. I've been Baptist, Non-Denominational, and attended a Lutheran Church (a.k.a. "Catholic Light"), for a reasonable amount of time. I spent many a weekend with my Grandmothers at their Pentecostal Assemblies...As a child I would secretly visit The Methodists and The Church of God to see how they compare to The Southern Baptist Church my parents assumed I was at? Yes, I know this was deceitful now, but as a kid, it seemed more like civil disobedience? I was a bit mischievous then. Guess I still am?


After all these years of attending various denominations, I find a sense of ease in the simplicity of The Mennonites, and I am also challenged to practice their belief in non-resistance. This doesn't always happen in a flawless, un-bumpy path. It is often a trail of regret that leads me to rethink my actions. I have always had a big mouth. Those who know me are smiling and nodding. And it's difficult for me to stand back, be quiet, stay reserved, and let God do things in His time. I'm more inclined to pop-off, lean in, raise an eyebrow, and stare someone down when challenged. But I see in the lives of my Mennonite sisters, that none of that is necessary. Most of the time, I am simply in the way, like a tree in the road. They have taught me to be patient, quiet, tender, and obedient. Not that it always happens that way, trust me, I'm still me. Still, my friends have been there, and prayed with me and for me as I work against myself day to day. I'm always envious that they were raised to be gentle. I was raised by wolves in comparison!


 I think I've found my niche among the Mennonites, and I'm content to just be among them, and feel  no pressure to be a cookie cutter version of them. I'm staying put. I just do my best to love God, take their interpretations to heart, and respect their culture, just as I have every domination. And all this travelling around various denominations paid off and created something neutral and unique: It gave me a beautiful perspective to love all denominations for whatever in them shines the brightest. For me, my Mennonite friends shine like diamonds in the sun. I have stopped worrying about what facet shines for what reason?  I'm just thankful they shine.

A Thing Or Two About Nanny

  Meet my "Nanny", Mary Cue Ogle Watson, pictured here at age 85, with one of my second cousins.  She's been gone for nearly 20 years, and still I miss my Grandmother something fierce. I can hear her voice, I can imagine the smell of her Chamberlains Lotion, and see her smile in my mind. All of the cousins have a little bit of Nanny in them, but I have been told by most of them that I got hit with the Nanny stick pretty hard! I am very much like her both in physical features (I am tall, and have her bone structure and build), but also in her mannerisms, love for cooking; homemade biscuits and gravy, fried chicken, beans and cornbread, and chow-chow. "Country food".  Oh, and I lean towards conservative churches, just as Nanny did. I tend to want to be a "separate people" as a follower of Christ.


 Now, there's no *moral* hinging on the tale of this post. I just saw this picture in my files on the computer, and it conjured up such strong memories, that I thought I'd share? Let me tell you how I see this: This was taken at my Aunt Jo-Jo's house in the early 90's. Jo-Jo is her middle daughter and my beloved, old-fashioned Aunt. I take after her a lot too. Aunt Jo-Jo had a house filled to the brim with cool, old, antiques like that old piano, and bookcases filled with all kinds of stuff to fill your imagination. One thing that struck me as a kid was when Aunt Jo-Jo learned she was to become a Grandmother, she wallpapered her guestroom with beautiful Victorian floral-striped wallpaper and put an old-timey looking crib there. She literally made a nursery. I thought that was the sweetest thing I'd ever seen, and I vowed to have a crib in my guestroom when I became a Grandma too. And I did.


 Aunt Jo also was huge into "Natures Sunshine" Herbs, and in this picture you can see a bottle of something herbal and 100% natural on the table beside Nanny. Aunt Jo had a kitchen cabinet full of herbal medicine in the 70's, long before it was popular, and mainstream. If one of the women had *change of life* symptoms, Aunt Jo gave them Dong Quai. If you were lacking "umph" and generally feeling poorly, we all went on "Alfalfa", the "Father of Herbs". If us teenage girls had cramps, we got a coca-cola.  That's how I learned about herbs, and life from my Aunt Jo. She had no problem trying to cure any of us who ailed with some little something she had in the cabinet. And it usually worked! Pondering all of this, I realize I am about the age now, that my Aunt Jo was then. And my kitchen cabinet is full of herbs!


  Back to my Nanny- I had never seen Nanny in anything but dresses, and her hair was long, long, long, as she was Pentecostal. This picture shows her hair a lot different than I knew most of my life. It's short and permed, and probably easier to handle, but it's a reflection of Nanny.  She was hurt when the church she'd devoted her life to went through a split, and more of less dissolved because leadership didn't live up to what it preached. I don't want to gossip- so I'll leave the details alone, but I when I first saw Nanny's hair cut short, even though it was full, and feminine, I was probably in my 30's, and my jaw hit the floor. She was also wearing a pants suit, and I'm sure she was comfortable, but it was hard to wrap my head around, all this new dress and shorter hair! I used to brush that hair out at night, and it went way down to her waist. I thought nothing could be as beautiful as her salt and pepper locks that she called her "glory".  As a girl, I wanted long salt and pepper glory too, when I became a Grandma. That could still happen. (grin)



  Nanny is gone to be with her Savior, and Aunt Jo's house burned to the ground last year, along with  all her beautiful antiques, but thank God she was spared. She now lives with her daughter, the same as Nanny lived with her. I'm glad I have a few pictures. I'm glad we can save these memories on computers, so that they live on, even if the original paper burns to ash. Mostly, I'm grateful that God granted me such a good family,  and the good memories of them, even if it's in a photograph to take myself back in time to the sights, smells, and the emotional tug of an era gone by for a moment. I guess we all have closets full of random photo's? I suppose they all tell a story? Hope you enjoyed mine.

Free Indeed... (Helpful Links for Post-Abortive Mothers and Fathers)

I can't post my last post and just leave my blog to hang in the air. I want to follow up with a reminder to everyone; abortion has more than one victim. Even if you have no connection to abortion, you may know someone who may benefit from seeking help in recovery. The biggest problem with post-abortive Mothers is that they don't feel like they deserve to be forgiven. It's tormenting. And it's
a lie from the devil.

Here are a few links that may help you, or someone you know find the road to peace on this issue. It starts with a confession, and asking God to forgive you- but living day to day with the consequences is often painful.

http://www.careabortionrecovery.com/
C.A.R.E Restoring Lives Wounded By Abortion

http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/articles/hopehealing.htm
Silent No More

In Our Midst
http://www.inourmidst.com/making_church_safe.htm
Articles on the churches role in healing after abortion.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/abortion/after-an-abortion/post-abortion-syndrome-pas/
Post Abortion Syndrome: NOTE: Every Pro Choice group, every agency that stands to make a dollar, and every feminist publication stresses that PAS does not exhist. Yeah, I remember when PMS and PTSD didn't exist either. That's a crock.

http://www.wakeupnet.net/healing.html
Abortion Healing Resources.

http://www.rachelsvineyard.org/
Post Abortion Healing/Retreat

These are just a few links. I am not connected with any, but hope they bring you, or someone you know the healing that only Jesus brings. Remember; He died not just for some of your sins, not just for the lesser of your sins, not just the socially acceptable sins, but for ALL YOUR SINS.

May you find forgiveness, and the peace that passes all understanding.

Question: WHAT KEEPS YA HUMBLE?

Answer: A GOOD LAUGH AT YOURSELF!

It's good to be able to laugh at ones self, and today that's just what I'm doing. I have been comparing lifestyles of the Amish/Mennonites and, well, ME. There is an appauling, visible difference in their simplicity in thier homes, especially their kitchens, and mine. It's like "sense vrs. nonsense", or "peace compared to chaos"?  I always wanted to be the keeper of the home, yet I see my husband cooking breakfast, because I need some rest from working all week.  I guess my mind is rather programmed to consider their way verses the way I am? Or the way "we" are as a couple??
My husband actually likes cooking a hearty breakfast, and I don't. I'm great at lunch and dinner, desserts, casseroles, and appetizers. But I have a hard time focusing in the morning, and prefer to just sit and sip my cuppa joe will I wait for the fog to clear.  I get sidetracked worrying about this. It's an internal battle of me wanting to be the haus-frau, but I'm terrible at breakfast!  Shouldn't I be the very model of  domesticity??? Well, too bad. I'm not. So I like to laugh about those little battles and I hope you'll laugh with me? Laughing at our weaknesses, and shortcomings is honest, and part of what keeps us humble. So off we go!

 

  

 

 In my mind, my home should be neat, organized, and tidy. Like the Mennonites? Ok, more like some Mennonites, ...no, more like the Mennonites in coffee table books! There we go! Believe it or not, even Mennonite women have children who drag toys out. They have days when the dishes pile up, when the laundry is too much. They also get sick just like everyone else. The thing that they have that I probably envy the most is the sense of community that comes with church. It's not uncommon for a group of women to go clean another womans home when she's unable to keep up for any given reason. Most commonly; a new baby, illness, or a death. Still, they rely on each other. All churches of all denominations should be that way, and many are. Still, ya gotta give the trophy to the Mennonites for really going the extra mile in the sense of *community*. 

But just like facebook, and pop-culture, people are people, and just because you post a picture, doesn't mean life is always that way. It means you captured a good moment. Life is full of chaos, disorderly kitchens, toys strung from one end of the house to the other, and trash that smells. You can't smell a picture, you can only capture the best moment of the day, and post it to leave the impression that life is organized and pristine. And as humans, we love to show our best side! Aren't we peculiar that way?

 

Life tends to be more random, reckless, and half hazard. Yet I think I need to rise to a higher standard? Truthfully, most Mennonites I know DO have orderly kitchens, but it's out of necessity.  I fall so short in this department, likely because I wasn't raised Mennonite, and I didn't have a huge family that required this sort of forethought in the pantry, I'm guessing? But still, I carry some guilt about it, because I've spent so long trying to fit in with the Mennonites, that you'd think my kitchen would reflect this? Nah. Forget about it. I'll just enjoy my friends orderly kitchens, and do my very best to keep mine clean. I can live with that.

 

http://amishamerica.com/amish-canning/

 

Here is an image I relate to a little better, because SINCE becoming a Mennonite via the plain route, (no longer plain, but I should get brownie points for trying), I've become rather brainwashed in the laundry department. I have  large drawer full of long black socks purchased through various catalogs in the past 15 or so years. My friend Patty Lockwood wrote about Mennonite catalogs here on ber blog; The Morning Ramble:

http://morningramble.blogspot.com/2006/01/amish-mennonite-catalogs.html.


 There are many nifty items including black socks that are easily purchased through stores that cater to the Amish and Mennonites. I sometimes find them at department stores, but rarely at a good price.. There is something about a solid pair of black knee socks that *for me* just reeks of trying too hard. Yet I've worn them for so long, that they have become a part of me, at least in the winter. My Birkenstock's are part of me in the summer.


All my very plain friends wear the black socks, and we all have little jokes about the number of black socks we own.  My sock of choice for winter is by far, the polyester-cable-kit-knee-length-black sock. It's something that the younger Mennonites will probably move away from, but I suppose I'm stuck on them? Hey, I have bigger fish to fry, so I can live with the black sock obsession. Some people collect Star Trek memorabilia, just probably not The Mennonites. Really, this is nothing to be concerned with in the big scale of things. So bear with me, as I can't seem to get past the black sock thing? They are warm, they are modest, they don't show dirt! It's one small step for mankind. And they help me wear skirts because they keep my legs warm. They are warm under jeans. They are warm under scrubs. What's not to love?



Moving forward, my next investment, other than more black socks, will be a hangy-down, clothespin-covered, chandelier like product that you can hang your black socks from. It doesn't have lights, but it's functional in that it doesn't take up space, and one can dry socks indoors from it. It just looks like a chandelier... ok, a redneck chandelier...

I found one in The Budget,

http://www.thebudgetnewspaper.com/subscriptioninformation.html   

(newspaper for the Amish/Mennonites,written BY the Amish/Mennonites)  listed for $19.95.

With all these socks, this is a requirement, and absolutely so if I'm going to call myself Anabaptist, however, I fall short in every other area. Really.... I do. But such is life and it's all a struggle to put one foot in front of the other as we all step heavenward. Right?


I hope you've gotten a chuckle or two out of my perception of myself,  my disorganized kitchen and my footwear?  I'm not too terribly worried about what's on the outside, or who cooks breakfast, as long as overall, my motives are pleasing to God? He knows my heart. He knows I don't wake up and hit the stove running!  He knows I fancy black socks. He also knows I love to laugh. Today, I looked at my kitchen and sock drawer, and did just that. Hope you did too. Blessings! Now go clean out your sock drawer!

Flirting With Disaster

My husband Scott and I flew up to Ohio to visit our children and grandchildren right in time to experience a natural disaster: Deracho 2012. A Deracho is as deadly as a tornado, but the winds are straight-line, and not in rotation. Kind of like a wall of fury coming at you all at once, wiping out everthing with any ounce of weakness in it's path. 100 year old oak trees are plucked up out of the ground like spring carrots and deposited in the neighbors pool. Roofs ripped off and power lines snapped in the blink of an eye. Your world is mowed down by an invisible force that you can only see coming by radar.

 

 

Disaster is not something you plan on, or think will happen to you? Many Americans in 2012 think they are somewhat impervious to a true disaster, as if it's ridiculous to think that anything catastrophic could possibly happen? Or worse; that the government, The Red Cross, and other volunteer agencies will swoop in and take care of them? Right now as I write this, Hurricane Isaac has made headlines and families living as far as Arkansas are dealing with floodwaters and scrambling for cover, while trying to save pictures and a few keepsakes. Many leaving behind pets to fend for themselves. Don't think it can't happen to you. Fire, flood, drought, and wind can level a lifetime of accumulation. Which really makes me wonder why we all strive so hard to accumulate? But that's another post...

 

 

 

Well, I'm pleased to say that the community of Newark, Ohio really came together and worked through this ordeal. But I realized just how community oriented we all are in small snippets of daily life during the 10 days without electricity, and in the big-middle of the States most outrageous heat-wave in 50 years. It was hot, and it was humid. We took cold showers, and my very gracious family set up a camp stove outside, and had hot coffee waiting for us every morning. We pulled together with neighbors and family and had a good time doing so. But this taught me a lesson: Keep water and food on hand.  And yeah, I know this could easily lead into a rant about "prepping", but I'm not going there right now. Instead I want you to picture with me how delicate our system is, and you can imagine on your own how something like this can affect you where you are presently?

 

 

 

 

Day one: I decided to venture out into the streets about 2 hours after the storm to see if any businesses were open and were in the world was the fringe of this storms path? Who had electricity, if any? Were people hurt? Could I help in any way? I drove my car carefully around downed power lines, wove around pine trees and oaks in the middle of the street, up to the "main drag" where all the stores are. The first thing I noticed besides the abscence of electricity and all the visual devestation, was that none of the stop-lights were operating. Nothing tests a persons character more than the ability for personal gain, even in traffic. People were driving like idiots, and horns were blasting, and middle fingers flying with wild abandon. It was like a trip to New York City, minus the great ethnic food and Broadway plays. I managed my way to the local store, and was stunned to see people coming and going It appears they had some emergency back up system, so I went in, grabbed lots of bottled, water, canned beans, fruit, bread, peanut butter, and snacks, because I felt deep down in my gut, that none of this would be available in a few days?

 

 

 

 

 

Day two: Need ice, and our telephones are not working! No gas is available, because the pumps operate on electricity. Plan: Drive out of town until we get a phone signal. Call everyone in Texas to let them know we are okay. Find gas, ice, and more food. We had a house full of family, and a diabetic Granddaughter. Make sure she has the right foods and plenty of insulin. Check.

 

 

 

 

Day three: Need more ice. Went by the grocery store again. They were out of ice, out of ANY fresh meat or cheese, and fruits and vegetables had been picked over. All that was left was cabbage, onions, radishes, and about 6 bags of potatoes. I grabbed a bag of potatoes, and went to the canned meat isle. Picked over, but I grabbed some spam, and a couple cans of soup.
Question: Why aren't they shipping more food in?
Answer: Because they have no means to store it.
This is scary. Kroger looks apocolyptic and it's 88 degrees inside, and it's starting to smell. No food coming in, and what's there is starting to get ripe.

 

 

 

 

Are you getting the picture? This went on for 10 days. Everyday I drove into town and scouted for ice, gas, and a phone signal. The elderly and infirmed where being sent to Red Cross stations across town because they couldn't take the heat. I thanked God every single day that we were able to swim in my brothers pool, and sleep in my sisters cool basement. We really made an adventure out of it for the grandkids.  We played board games, sang songs and just told stories. But in the back of my mind I couldn't help but wonder if there was more I could do to be better prepared going forward? 

 

One of the most amazing things I witnessed during this power outage was the fresh faces of teenagers, as they figured out how to spend their time without their cell phones? Seeing groups of teens walk the streets, sit outside in groups, and play board games gave me a lot of hope for the next generation, and I'll bet they'll have a story to tell when they are adults? I'll bet there was more than one teen happy that their parents had those board games, or a stack of cards in the drawer? 

 

 

 

What do you do to prepare yourself? Do you have any kind of emergency plan? Do you know how to make do, or do without? How do you store important documents? Do you keep emergency medicine on-hand? Is there emergency rations of food in your pantry? Do you have a plan?

 

 

 

Giving "food for thought" is like planting a harvest for tomorrow.

 

 

In Christ,
Kelly