"5 Small Things Friday" No. 61

Go back and read this post for the story behind "Five Small Things Friday".

For this week, here is my list:

1. Sight: First Christmas Lights Of The Season

2. Hearing: Noel's Concern

3. Smell: Plaid Shirt

4. Taste:

5. Touch: Peeling almonds (sat.)

The stories behind the list:

1. On my way to Justice and Noel's house for the college supper and fellowship Sunday night, I passed a house decorated tastefully for Christmas with strings of twinkling lights. The first lights of the season, and I felt a happy rush of the Christmas spirit.

2. In Sunday School I must have been a little more quiet than usual, because during a lull Noel suddenly looked at me and asked, "Are you okay?"
I was a little surprised, for of all recent Sundays, this day my heart was more at peace about things than usual, and all my thoughts were restful ones. But I told her laughingly that I guessed I was fine. She shrugged, almost self-consciously, and said I just didn't seem to be smiling much.
Her friendly concern warmed my heart.

3. I got out a plaid shirt to wear Wednesday night that I hadn't worn since I went with the church group to the children's ranch in January for that mission trip. The shirt still smelled like the washing detergent we used on our clothes there, and as I put it on the scent washed me back to those wonderful memories.

4.

5. Am I the only weird person out there who likes to put almonds in their mouth, and try to peel the brown skin off with just their teeth and tongue? I've enjoyed doing that since I was a little kid, and Saturday I wanted a healthy snack that would take my mind off of how much I wanted an unhealthy one. So I went and got a mouthful of almonds and spent the next hour or so peeling them as I went about my Saturday afternoon/evening routine.

"Squash And Green Peas" On Facebook

Squash And Green Peas (my hand-made business) is now on Facebook. The Lord has been blessing my business and I have had several people interested in items, and a couple of sales recently. One thing I've kept hearing is, "You should advertise your things on Facebook!" I am not on Facebook, and I do not want a personal account :) but it seemed like a page was the next step for my business. Look me up, Squash And Green Peas!

"5 Small Things Friday" No. 60

Go back and read this post for the story behind "Five Small Things Friday".

For this week, here is my list:

1. Sight: Pimento Cheese Heart

2. Hearing: Bro. Dennis Laughing 

3. Smell: The Grandfather's Purple Heart Case / Corn On The Cob

4. Taste:

5. Touch:

The stories behind the list:

1. Friday morning got off to a little bit of a rough start for me. Grumpily I dug through the refrigerator, looking for something to take to work for lunch. I pulled out a Tupperware box and took off the lid and a bright orange heart shone back at me cheerfully.
There had been a little bit of pimento cheese left, and Trissy had taken a knife and formed it into the shape of a heart for someone to find. I had been that someone, and I was both cheered in my discouragement and shamed for my bad mood.

2. Sunday night was the 'community Thanksgiving service', hosted by another local church, so Victory Rd. canceled services that night and went over to it. Afterwards the host church served a light meal of 'finger foods' (sandwiches, cookies, bottled water, etc.). In the crowded fellowship hall, the Victory Rd. folks sortof congregated together at two different tables on opposite sides of the room.
I was eating with my family and some others at one, when within the comfortable din of crowded chatter I heard a vibrant, distinct, throaty laugh from across the room. It was Bro. Dennis, sitting with Bro. Blake and his family, overcome by the hilarity of some joke he'd just heard or just told. I hadn't heard him laugh like that for months. He used to all the time.

3. I spent the day Saturday helping The Grandmother do some "deep cleaning" - cleaning out drawers and closets and desks that had been collecting stuff for years. It was something that needed doing, and with my busy schedule I hadn't been able to spend much time with The Grandparents for a little while. They seemed to really enjoy having me around that day, and I think The Grandmother had as much fun as I did sorting through all those drawers and corners, finding unexpected treasures and making organization out of clutter!
In the course of cleaning up and clearing out, she gave me The Grandfather's Purple Heart and other stripes and pins to put away. The Sunday before was Veteran's Day I believe, and she always puts his medals and pins on his suit coat to wear to church on days like that.
I found the little burgundy-colored box of his war mementos on the top shelf in their closet, with the Purple Heart's medal case nearly on the top. But instead of just putting it in the case and putting the box back on the shelf, I sat down in the big recliner in their room to take a more deliberate and respectful moment to put the things away.
I must have seen the things in that box a dozen times over the years. Letters to and from his sisters during the war. His rifle and other pins. A small Nazi flag with the cruel black spider coiling in the center and victorious messages from fellow G.I.'s scrawled along the sides and in the corners. A few foreign bills and coins. And the Purple Heart. I held the black case for a moment, scuffed and a little cracked in places. I opened it up and breathed in the strong old scent of the age-spotted cream velvet. It had probably been white originally. It smelled old and rich and full of history, if history has a smell. I laid the Purple Heart and it's stripe in their places, stroking the purple ribbon. It wasn't faded at all, and General Washington's profile stood out in bright gold on the face of the purple field.
Maybe I've taken for granted a little my Grandfather's contribution to freedom. I've grown up with the stories; and, though I love history and know he's a hero and how significant it is, it's part of my life and I probably haven't let it soak in as much as I should.
As I sat in The Grandmother's recliner, a ton of sorting and cleaning still waiting for me in other parts of the house, I took a minute to be swept away by that rich old scent. To realize how much had been given up by soldiers and their families for ages and in multiple wars so that young people like me could clean through old treasures in peace.
And my grandfather was part of it.
/
Mom fixed corn on the cob as part of our Sunday dinner and put it in the middle of the table in her big metal pressure-pot. When she took the lid off, the steam billowed out, breathing the scent of garden-grown goodness into our faces. Took me back to days spent at my great-uncle's (The Grandfather's oldest brother) old farmhouse and the smell of my great-aunt's country kitchen. She's gone now and he's in poor health, and the smell was both warm and happy, and a little sad at how times change. I'm so thankful for the wonderful memories I have, and the fact that I realized - even as a child - that they were precious, and worthy of being cherished.

4.

5.

Things I Am Thankful For - 2012

This year I haven't done any 'special' Thanksgiving post or post series yet. I hadn't really thought I would. It's not that I'm not thankful; I'm just not huge on doing commemorative posts simply because everyone else is.
I'm huge on being thankful! You can visit THIS page for an ongoing list of my life's simple special blessings that I treasure as gifts from my loving God.
In the past, I've written many posts on things I'm thankful for. I try to make thankfulness a year-long habit, one of my 'life's missions', if you will.

But this year I hadn't planned on posting anything specifically to acknowledge the Thanksgiving holiday.
I've changed my mind.

So much has gone on the last year or so. So much to be thankful for, and so much heart-break. It is primarily because of the heart-break that I decided it's important for me to take this opportunity and muse on some of the great things the Lord has put into my life that I dare not take for granted.

At first I was going to make a list. Then I thought I'd actually write out things.
Now I've decided to just type, and let it flow.

So, for your musement or amusement, here are a few of the many things I am thankful for this year...

Trissy sings nearly every morning she spends at the house (she often spends the night with The Grandparents to be there to help them if they need something). Before I get out of bed many mornings, I can hear her in her room, already up, softly singing a hymn or some new song we've learned. I've never mentioned it to her, but it has been such a lift on many mornings I just didn't want to get up and face the world. If you read this Trissy, here is my 'public' thank-you.

I'm thankful that my only living set of grandparents lives within hollering distance from my house. I can easily ride my bike or walk to see them. I'm thankful they are still in good enough health to live alone. I am thankful my family lives so close to them so that we can be there and care for them when they need it. Though sometimes tasks are difficult, I'm thankful for opportunities to serve them, and even the 'distasteful' jobs are not really all that bad if met with the attitude that service is a privilege, not a burden. I'm thankful for the example my mom has set as she cares for them. I've never heard her be disrespectful to them, even when a situation is frustrating. She always puts aside whatever she is doing to go help them if the phone rings and they need something. I'm thankful for my dad's example and willingness to help her and them. They aren't even his parents, yet he willingly does or helps with tasks for my grandfather that require a man's assistance. He always respects them and is gracious. I'm thankful for Trissy helping them by housecleaning, cooking, and doing other things for them when I am gone.

My family is patient with me and so gracious to allow me to 'go' and do all the things I am involved in. Two jobs, both with at least somewhat irregular schedules, Tuesday night practice with the church youth music group, leading a junior-high age small-group at church on Wednesday night, Thursday night college Bible study, and various other odds and ends on the side.

Plaid button-up shirts. I love to wear them and I love to see people in them.

The letter the Lord led me to write to Law. Even though looking back, it seems to only have made the proverbial 'recording needle' jerk, there is no doubt that it made an impact on him. He cannot wholly forget it. And I am thankful for the on-going 'Bible-verse-every-Sunday' agreement. Every week during the week, I ask the Lord to show me a verse that Law may need the message of that week, and I write it on a small piece of paper and give it to him on Sunday mornings. I am thankful it's not something I just started doing, but that he eagerly agreed to it and expects it each Sunday.
I'm thankful the Lord is patient and knows perfectly how to deal with each of His children. I'm thankful He is looking out for Law and will keep him and guide him and make him into the man He wants him to be.

I'm thankful for precious little Maxwell. What a joy. What a gift. What an unaware little comforter he is. If ever I need a tangible reminder that God answers impossible prayers, I can think of him and know it's true.

I think if I lived in the city, I would literally die of suffocation. But I don't. I live in the country, in the deep South, surrounded by cow pastures and woods. I can see the stars at night and hear the birds in the morning. I can smell the pungent fragrance of cattle and the honey-like scent of wildflowers. I can hear rain on the roof and the wind in the leaves of the trees and can see the sun rise in gold and sink in fire over the rim of the world. I eat vegetables grown in my family's garden, fruit grown on our trees, and drink pure water from our own well. My street is a dirt road and my nearest neighbor lives in a house friends built for my orphan grandfather and his siblings when they were children.
And I live in America.

My 'college' friends at church (though only a couple of us are actually still in college). How precious they are to me. Aron and Henley, Justice and Noel, Austin and Ava, Toby and Lindy, Russell, Archer, Camille, Julia, Autumn, and Landon, Oliver, and Oliver's wife, though we don't get to see those last three much. How good God is to give them to me.

I'm thankful for my laptop, and internet access. So many opportunities have opened up to me through this. Not only for my own enjoyment, but also for ministry. Blogging, Pinterest, my Etsy shop, research, journaling, doing media work for church, preparing devotionals and lessons, e-mail, website creation, photo editing, and on and on. It's like a door. And I am thankful to have a key.

The mission and church trips and events the Lord has allowed me to take part in this year. The Strength To Stand conference in Tennessee and the mission trip to the children's ranch in January. The 30 Hour Famine in April. The mission trip to Chicago in June. What memories, what blessings. I went expecting blessings, but the Lord did for me "... exceeding abundantly above all that we (I) ask(ed) or think (thought)..." in several areas. Such a treasure-trove of memories.

I'm thankful for my 'girls trio' at Victory Rd. - Lela, Piper, and Joy. I'm thankful Lela still goes to VRCA and that I still get to see and hug her every few days. I'm thankful for Piper's poised, mature, wise, fun, refreshing spirit, and for her friendship - so often I forget that she's eleven years younger than me. She is a spot of silver when the day is gray. I'm thankful for silly Joy's goofy friendship, and for the opportunity to influence her spirit to grow.

The S. family has (other than my own family) probably had the most effect on my life this year. Each member in various ways has had a significant impact on me in the past months.
Bro. S.'s firm, quiet example. His hard work ethic, his commitment to and love for his wife and children, his desire to live pleasing God. I know there is hope for America while there are still men like this alive and well.
The way Mrs. S. lives life - unhurried but purposeful. Her simple tenderhearted wisdom, her perception into the needs and troubles of others, and her willingness and efforts to help them; her old-fashioned unaffected hospitality. I want to be like that.
Archer's calm and unapologetic confidence - he does what he does (or doesn't do) because he feels like he has a good reason for doing (or not doing) it, and if you want to change him about it, you must offer his analytical mind well-presented, legitimate, logical arguments. He's a thinker, passionately compassionate, a lover of good, and one of my best friends - one of my 'adopted brothers'. There are things we don't agree on, but there is also so much I have learned from him.
Law. Dear Law. So much like me and so close to where I was at his age that it's almost scary. He is such an amazing person, and when he allows the Lord to be the one in the driver's seat, he's going to be unstoppable. His energy, his love of laughter, his fascination with going against the flow, his appreciation of optimism, his quick wit, his attraction to the stars, his desire to do good, his charisma, his loyalty to a cause. How I have prayed for/fought for him, how I long to see him become the man God wants him to be, how I love this boy, only the Lord Who loves him more knows. How I rejoice in hope.
Sweet Abigail, my 'corny joke buddy' - she knows I will laugh! I love her calm excitement, her love for good, her pretty style, her sturdy spirit, and her willingness to work hard. She's like a flower in the spring, a sunbeam in the summertime, a copper leaf in the fall, and a snowflake in the winter - the spirit of the best and most beautiful of the season. She has written me several notes over the past few months, and with each one I am reminded that younger eyes are watching how I live my life. Oh how I want to be worthy.
And Piper. Precious Piper. She defies the stigma attached to the title 'teenager'. Her perception and wisdom are startling at times. Her thoughtfulness, her sympathy, her light, her uplifting conversation, her love for simplicity and beauty and family - I never fail to be encouraged by a meeting with Piper. To talk with her, whether the conversation is silly or serious, is to be a tired traveler and to be refreshed from a shimmering stream - clear as crystal, rich as silver.
What richness they have brought to my life, what color and texture and depth. How I praise God for merging this family's path with mine.

Victory Rd. Much, if not most, of the heart-break this year has come from it. But the blessings the Lord has used it to accomplish in my life are immeasurable. I have nothing to say that could express my awe and thankfulness effectively for His gift of this church.

It is Thanksgiving morning and there is much to do, so I must be moving on. A Biblical example is always appropriate, so I will close in the style of the writer of the book of Hebrews...

And what more can I say? For the time would fail me to tell of blessings I would praise Him for; of running water and electricity, of food stored up for months ahead, of a stable family life, of access to good books and audios and even some movies, of good friends and Godly examples and family members serving the Lord on the far sides of the globe, of my own copy of the Bible in my own language and the ability to read it, of fresh breezes and thunderstorms in the summer, of hot chocolate and blankets and bonfires in the winter, of craft supplies and ideas and the satisfied feeling after finishing a project, of the sound of a rooster crowing and the friendship of a soft black kitten with a permanent curly-cue at the end of her tail: which encourage me when I'm down, thrill me when I'm happy, comfort me when I'm thoughtful, fascinate me when I'm excited, and calm me when I'm discontent. All these things and more would I name, God having provided them to reprimand my fretfulness, solace my sadness, and rejoice my thankful heart - to make me more into the Christian I should be.

SOLI DEO GLORIA! And Happy Thanksgiving, 2012.

"A Primer In Southern Expressions"

I stumbled onto this article in a local newspaper in 2007 and thought I'd share it here for those interested, since many of my readers are not even American, and certainly not Southern! I've altered a little bit of it to conceal place names, and changed some wording that I felt might be a little confusing to a non-Southerner. My edits are in [ ].

"Hey, y'all, welcome to [the South] !

If you are new to [this state], you might find some of our expressions quaint, or even difficult to understand. Southerners have a colorful way of speaking. We enjoy playing with words and creating funny new expressions.

It's a mistake to think that Southern drawls all sound alike. The way [someone in this state] sounds is very different from the way [someone in another Southern state] sounds, although both states are considered to be in the South.

Accents also vary from one part of a state to another. [This area] is heavily influenced by [a near-by large Southern city].

Southerners say 'ain't' even when we know it's grammatically incorrect. 'Ain't' is often used for effect.

We often drop the 'g' at the end of words. That, too, may be done for effect.

Here are some Southernisms that are popular in this neck of the woods:

Words

-Y'all: Contraction of you all. Use it when you are talking about or to more than one person.
-Catawampus: Crooked or askew.
-Chifforobe: A tall piece of furniture for hanging clothes, like an armoire.
-Coke: Generic term for any soft drink.
-Downright: Very, as in 'He's downright mean.'
-High faluting: Someone who thinks too much of [him or her]self.
-Lollygag: To waste time.
-Plumb: Very, as in 'I'm plumb tuckered out' (tired).
-Pot liquor: Juice left in the pot when greens [or beans or peas] are cooked.
-Tump: A cross between turn over and dump, as in 'Don't tump that over.'
-Yonder: Over there.

Expressions

-Give me some sugar.: [Give me a kiss.]
-Older than dirt.: Really old.
-Knee-high to a grasshopper [or other tiny creature].: Very young, as in 'I've known him since he was knee-high to a grasshopper.'
-That's the pot calling the kettle black.: [Accusing someone of doing the same thing you have; being two-faced or hypocritical.]
-That dog don't hunt.: [That's a lie.]
-Act like you got some raising.: [Be respectable.]
-Go cut me a switch.: Said by a parent to a child when [the child needs a spanking.]
-Dinner on the ground.: A potluck dinner at church.
-Madder than a wet hen.: [Really really mad.]
-Fixing to.: [Getting ready] to, as in 'I'm fixing to go to the store.'

If you want to make friends here, don't make fun of our accents and/or our expressions. We love the way we talk, it's one of the many wonderful things that make Southerners unique.

And just remember, Newcomer, around here, you might be the one with the funny accent."

"5 Small Things Friday" No. 59

Go back and read this post for the story behind "Five Small Things Friday".

For this week, here is my list:

1. Sight:

2. Hearing: Simon And Law / Piper: "It's 'Pepper'! Get it right Joy!"

3. Smell: Shoe Polish

4. Taste: Ham Sandwich

5. Touch:

The stories behind the list:

1.

2. I tell about listening to Simon and Law practicing Tuesday night in THIS post.
/
On the Chicago mission trip, for some reason I adopted "Pepper" as a nickname for Piper, and still call her that every once in a while. And though I don't think she particularly cared for it at first, Wednesday night when I called her that, Joy overheard, but misunderstood. So in a few minutes, Joy said something to Piper, but called her "Popper", and Piper - rolling her eyes with that unique teasing bossiness - came right back at her, "It's 'Pepper'! Get it right Joy!"
It was absolutely hilarious!

3. Thursday we (The Grandparents, Mom, Trissy, and me) went to the northern part of the state to a Bible conference. Our family goes way back with alot of the folks who go to it every year, and we always look forward to it. Wednesday night I was polishing my shoes, getting ready for the next day. The house was quiet - I think everyone else was in bed - and the smell of the polish took me back to memories of Dad and Mom polishing our shoes years ago, getting ready for church on Sunday morning. Besides that, leather shoe polish just seems to have such a wholesome smell somehow.

4. Thursday night on our way back from the conference we ate ham sandwiches in the car that some of the ladies up there had put together real fast for us. The Conference lasts almost all week, and usually the people who go stay in the dorms on the little campus there. But we haven't gotten to do that for several years - since The Grandparents' health has gotten where they need special help. It's just too difficult for them to stay and spend the nights there. So, for the past several years we've just driven the three-or-so hours up one morning and stayed 'til late afternoon, then driven back that same evening. At least we get in on part of it that way!
So the ladies who cook, when they heard we weren't going to be able to stay for supper, went to the kitchen and quickly made us some sandwiches to take with us.
That sandwich was one of the best I've ever had I think. It was made with a wonderful big biscuit and pieces of real ham. We were hungry and tired and disappointed to not be able to stay longer, and that sandwich was just "what the doctor ordered", as the saying goes.

5.

Where I Love To Be

Last night I got to leave work at VRCA a little early, which meant I got to go to the church early before music practice. Simon and Law were already there playing together. We exchanged hellos, and Law told me that Archer said practice would have to start around 6:30 'cause he had to work late. That would give me almost a whole hour to rest and listen. What a treat!

The boys went back to their playing of random bits of song, switching instruments, giving each other advice, and discussing chords and rhythm and such.
After taking off my coat and putting down my things, I found a pen and a piece of paper and wrote:

"It's enough just to be here, sitting in a corner, knowing they don't mind my presence, listening to their voices and their music. I have no idea what they're playing, but I like it."

I dug my current read out of my bag, got my coat (it was pretty cold!), and curled up in the big old recliner at the back of the room.

But I didn't read my book for a while. I reclined the chair, stretched out with my coat over me, and closed my eyes, resting in the softness and listening to their voices and their music. A wonderful deeply satisfying peace was in my heart. Rest and contentment.

Few, if any, places thrill me like my church does. To just be there, even if no one else is, but especially if there are others, is to remember hard and precious lessons, priceless experiences, complete laughter, beautiful faces, joy, tears, praise, love, mercy, hope, and the unbelievable compassion of almighty God. I never tire of that place.

This morning in my devotional reading, I ran onto this verse, and it expresses my spirit quite well:

"One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple." Ps. 27:4