Monthly Archives: June 2018

THIS DAUGHTER’S DADDY

16 Saturday Jun 2018

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I never called my daddy by the more popular ‘dad,’ nor the formal ‘father’. Dad was someone who belonged to my more sophisticated friends; and Father was the one to whom I prayed, the father in Heaven. No, only one name for my daddy – Daddy.

I was born on his 20th birthday, his first child and the apple of his eye I’ve heard, for four and one half years. That’s when his second daughter, a little cherub, was born along with a cradle of other changes in life. But for almost five years, he was all mine, lunch box and all! They say the first few years of a child’s life sets a pattern for giving and accepting love, among other attitudes. After that, we set about real soon trying to abolish every rule, change every ideal, and break every parent’s heart. But for those glorious preschool years, daddies and daughters are pretty tight. In most cases, certainly in mine, all those attempts to become ‘my own’ self of the 1960s and 70s were for nothing. The roots were already down. Deep. In my heart.

Because of my daddy, I still love the smell of wax paper in the lunch box. I happily anticipated his return home after work because I knew I would find a little gem of something left for me in his lunch box.

Because of my daddy, I like the smell of a gasoline engine and oily tools in a garage. I used to line up old spark plugs, nuts and bolts and tools along the wall of the dirt floor garage we first had. A strong pair of hands that held my head up when I was sick often had that grease and oil on them. Thanks for washing them first, Daddy.

Because of my daddy, and my maternal Grandpa, I love the smell of Old Spice aftershave. They both wore it when I was very young, and wrapped my arms around their necks, and sat on Daddy’s knees in church.

Because of my daddy, I love straight young rows of green in the garden. Later, baskets of produce with various colors washed and arranged like flowers in a vase were brought to the door; I love to do that too.

Because of my daddy, I am crazy about breakfast outdoors, and roadside spots to stop and eat bologna and crackers with a coca-cola. He introduced us to camping, too, or I wouldn’t know that this is not always a desirable thing to do. Thanks for the experience Daddy.

There’s nothing magical about wax paper, or motor oil, Old Spice and gardens. The magic that makes these memories mold us is love. Knowing you are safe and surrounded by acceptance is what every child deserves, just for being brought into this world. I had it, and I drip tears onto the newspaper reports of children who get none of it, and worse. Thank you God for a good daddy. Thank you Daddy for loving me, even when I wasn’t lovable.

Happy Father’s Day, to my Daddy, and all the other great dads, grandpas and uncles, and my brother, too! I love you guys!

 

MONDAY MEATLOAF: throw it out if it’s no good.

11 Monday Jun 2018

Posted by in MONDAY MUSINGS

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It’s Monday, and there are a few things that I’ve assigned to myself every time that rolls around. One is to stay home and serve a home cooked meal after eating out some, if not most (I ashamedly admit) weekend meals. Oh face it girl, we eat out way too often, even during the week. So, Monday, cook. I’ve been through several ways of making meatloaf, trying for years to like what I thought was the way Mama made hers. I threw away the left overs, and didn’t really enjoy it the first time around. But my husband, bless his heart, has always claimed meatloaf is one of his favorites. So, I make a Monday meatloaf. Since I dropped the chopped stuff, I like it much better. The simpler the better, in fact; it’s more dense and tastier with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic, dried basil, egg, bread and Worcestershire sauce. But until I was willing to throw out the old way with  chopped onions and green peppers, oats and suchlike, I couldn’t get it right – for us anyway.

Another Monday routine is changing the sheets and hanging them out on the line. If it rains on Monday, I’ll wait to wash them as soon as the sun shines. Rick Bragg hit a homer when he wrote, “…cooler than the other side of your pillow” in All Over But the Shoutin. When I read that phrase, it was instant recognition! If you’ve ever slept without air-conditioning, or even with it for that matter, then you know first hand how marvelous it feels to turn that pillow over to the cool side – two breaths later you’re sleeping. The only other requirement I have for a good night’s sleep is that the pillowcase is wearing fragrance that comes only from hanging out with Mother Nature. Simple things.

I try to get a few cards out on Mondays, but that is not consistent since you never know who may need a note of encouragement from one week to the next. It’s always a good Monday if there are no new heartaches nor illnesses among our friends. Actually, if I’m to be honest, there are always a host of lonely folks who would appreciate a card. I’d say the only thing holding me back from routine here, is me.  Dedication. And a supply of cards and stamps. So, it’s hard sometimes to get a routine going, and I am striving for more consistency there. This is not a ‘toss out’.

So what else am I thinking of throwing out with old meatloaf recipes? I may haul off the recycling more often so I can find the garage wall and bags of cans aren’t clanging every time I shut the dining room door. And I’m definitely tossing out this Monday Musings weekly post idea. Yes, I tried it, and I feel it is not achieving my goal. It’s not that the ideas didn’t flow; I have a list of Monday M’s that I haven’t used yet, and I rarely go a week without inspiration from nature or scripture. But the idea of setting a goal to post weekly, (a blogging group’s idea) with a theme (my idea), took the spontaneity, the fun out, in a way. So forgive me ‘Blessed By Blogging’, as I’m sure your suggestions are much better for most folks than my method, but this is not working for me. I guess I write from the heart, and need more time to make it reader friendly. Anyway, speaking strictly for my own writing, I feel weekly makes it too common;  almost tedious for my readers. Although I have had a big jump in followers lately, so comments on this routine are appreciated.

I began my blog for, well, for me. That is contrary to what all the other Christian bloggers say; they aim at writing for the audience of one – God. Don’t get me wrong, please, I truly want to do everything “as unto the Lord”. It’s just that I am always writing in my head and heart, so starting a blog gave me that vehicle to sport around in so to speak. A vehicle to race, or Sunday drive, or park – whatever my pen and paper wanted to do. Mama wanted me to write, believed in me, so the blog is dedicated to her. I also write for someone else, and that’s my sister Kathy. She has been the wind beneath my wings since we were too young to know Bette Midler, or even to know we’d eventually stop fighting and be friends. My goal is to encourage women to see scripture in living color, one blessing after another.

As I said, I get inspiration from nuggets of nature and snippets of life where I see God has tucked in a tidbit of Himself for us to know Him better.  You know, my meatloaf is best when I can’t taste the individual ingredients, but just a great little loaf of compact flavor. Life’s just better blended with God’s gems of scripture to bring out the full flavor. That’s pretty much what my blog has been from the start. I’ve never been too structured. Hey, what farmer’s wife can be? You have to be flexible in our house. In my core, I much prefer schedule, structure, and security. But if I depended on those, I’d be in a wad most of the time. So, I have to be able to throw those out too, from time to frequent time.

So goodbye, Monday Musings. It may be a while, or it may be the next week. I just ain’t- a -gonna wrap myself all up in it. I get a lot of pleasure in my simple meatloaf Mondays with laundry and cards, and no, I don’t think I need a counselor about that….it just feels good to throw out the popular, overworked ideas of what is expected – at least one day a week.

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” Colossians 3:23

Monday Marvel: Hardened Hearts

03 Sunday Jun 2018

Posted by in MONDAY MUSINGS

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Mark 6:52 says the apostles did not understand the miracle of dividing five loaves and two fish among more than five thousand, for ’their heart was hardened’. I keep asking why. Was it because Jesus catered to the crowd? Was it disbelief that Jesus could do what He just did? Again, in Mark 16:14 the eleven are said to be in “unbelief and hardness of heart”. His own! Did they feed off each others’ cynicism? As for our own attitudes toward those in the boat, do we as followers of Jesus empathize, or criticize?

“Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. (Mark 6:50b-52)

Were the disciples distraught because they’d done his bidding, distributed endless bread and fish, only to be told to go on to Bethsaida, in a boat amid strong winds, without Him? Were they thinking, “Hmph! We are with him daily, doing everything he says, leaving all to follow, and He stays behind with a group of people who didn’t even think far enough to bring their own lunch! Here we are, about to sink and drown! Where is He now?” Could it be a little of that ‘older brother’ syndrome, that the prodigal son met? Likewise, are our hearts hardened toward the help and answers that throngs of people receive, while we sit and wait for answers?

Another question, were their hearts hardened because it was not God’s will yet for them to fully understand His plan for Jesus. Are we humans so predictably weak that God knew the disciples and apostles would desert and depart if they knew the heartache that awaited them at the crucifixion of the Lord; the Lord they would grow to love more each day? There is a very good reason why God doesn’t show us our future! We seem to take the hot water better, a degree at a time. I think maybe both scenarios, lack of humility and lack of understanding of God’s will can be heart hardening agents.

The ‘me-me-me’ mindset of today squeezes out of the picture a true desire for the good of others. I’ve been awfully guilty of it, and hard as it is to look the ugly us in the mirror, you know it’s true of many. Not because we are awful terrible people; but because we are human. And yes, God knows that. Just as He knew Peter, Andrew, James, and John, and all the others who were there. He knew they were tired and had looked forward to that quiet rest Jesus suggested in verse 31. Perhaps they didn’t feel like sharing the end of that day with throngs of needy people. So, too, is my heart hardened when I selfishly think, “enough is enough” or “I’ve dealt with this problem causer enough”, etc. Really? Have I not studied God’s word enough to keep “70 times seven” and “long suffering” foremost in my mind? In some cases, it really is time to turn; but I am speaking to me, for I am an impatient person, which makes for short suffering instead.

If the twelve apostles fully understood the total sacrifice that their leader was about to make; the humility, the service and pain that would be His future, would they have stayed for the long haul? Only God knows. But, they were human.… When the sea is calm, with blue skies and a pleasant breeze, boating may seem like a job I’m all in for. But let the tempest rage, and I may abandon ship, or at least criticize the captain. Are you hearing something real here? The invitation of Jesus to “give you rest” sounds welcome, but if the cost isn’t counted before hand, patience will run thin when there’s work to do. If the answers aren’t what I expected; the results are running amok; if fair weather friends forsake me, do I throw up my hands and quit? “Unbelief and hardness of heart” please leave me.

I am not sure their hearts were ready to accept all that their eyes beheld. My eyes read over and over the accounts of Jesus’ acts, but has my heart encased all the belief I am capable of? “Lord I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24) may be my motto.

There are different levels of hardened heart throughout scripture, and when I asked, our pulpit minister said that this was likely a simple case of unbelief.  I agree; but I can’t believe it is the same hardened hearts of the Pharisees who were often trying to trip Jesus up with questions like, to heal or not to heal on a Sabbath. What a tremendous miracle the apostles had just witnessed! Yet, in the middle of a wind-blown sea, proving their own efforts futile, their fear and doubt rose above what they’d just seen. BUT – but, when Jesus walked on the water, stepped into the boat, and spoke the waves still, they marveled, and perhaps that hardness of heart in verse 52 was in past tense! When our seas are raging, aren’t we tempted to doubt? It is SO hard to stay focused on what we know about our Lord, and to not think that He must have missed the real answers to our dire straits. Lacking full belief underlies all of the above thoughts on the hardened heart. Faith is how we know OUR very own Jesus is that Jesus who walked on water and stilled the storms. Faith is why we can follow Jesus’ lead in putting others first; fighting the me-me-me mindset. Faith is how we wade through the atrocities of this life knowing the perfect rest awaits. Believing Jesus is our always answer and our excellent example will soften our hearts into a workable faith. Let Him into the boat.  “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17