Blanketed in White

We have a fresh, white, thick blanket to warm us this day!  Perhaps it is the beginning of a long winter, we'll see. Syd got started plowing by 5:30 so he could get to work, somewhat on time. We're praying hard for snow tires, as he can only plow downhill right now! I suppose he will put the chains on this afternoon when the final plowing is done, that will help. It has snowed an additional 4 inches since he went out this morning.

So many Thanksgivings have been snowy ones. This year it came 1 day early and tomorrow is supposed to be sun shiny! I could not make it up to Mom's apple tree, which is still overburdened with apples (the very ones I wanted, to make tomorrow's pies). I KNEW I should have picked them yesterday! The snow was way over my boots this morning and I didn't take the time to put snowshoes on. We shall have to work on that this afternoon.

The shoveling was laborious, but certainly great exercise.  Now to get that piecrust made, in anticipation of the last of the apples.  We are expecting only 13 people tomorrow, way down from our usual 25 or so.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family.

Morning Balm

Yesterday before I left for work I had a small job to do. The calendula flower heads had been steeping in olive oil for almost one week and it was time to finish the task. There is a wonderful healing balm that comes from the yellow beauties. I have made it for years and several people now ask when the next batch is coming. In recent months I have discovered that the blossoms can be steeped in my oven by the heat of the pilot light. In the past I have set the jar of oil and flowers on a warm windowsill, which especially works during the hot summer months. Still, with cooling and warming, the temperature is inconsistent. I know true "balmers" who will only steep it by burying it under the ground or within a compost heap --- never tried that, myself. The even temperature within my gas oven seems to be perfect to get the job done and everything stays quite clean in the process.

This calendula salve has wonderful healing properties. The flowers have been used for centuries for this purpose. It soothes rashes and cuts, covers and seals, cleans and heals. Nothing works better for most diaper rash. I have friends who had tried prescription creams to no avail, but once the salve was applied it took only a couple days to show results. The uses are myriad and I am glad to have come to know about it.

I cannot close without mentioning that this morning the Lord used the balm of his Word to cleanse and calm my soul. God uses the Bible to clean and purge us, cover and seal us, soothe our hurts and heal the wounds of sin. The most important healing comes from accepting what Jesus was put on this earth for; ultimately in offering His body and blood on the cross to take our sin away. Nothing needs healing as much as man's sin-sick heart does. We see its effects all around as we watch the news, read the papers and hear accounts of terrible acts of injustice and hate. Anyone's sin problem can be healed by what God has offered to mankind. The simple act of accepting it into each individual's heart will allow the Lord to heal us from the inside out! This Truth is the only thing that can heal people's souls.

So the jars have been refilled (for those of you who gave me their containers to fill) and some new bottles are available. If any of you have need of some, leave a comment.  The only other ingredients are olive oil, beeswax, rosemary essential oil and a couple drops of tincture of benzoin for preserving (three drops in a recipe that makes 3 1/2 four-ounce jars).

Chosen for a Purpose

I scan the ground for the favored cones as I stand below the big pine tree above our house. These are of the tiny variety but further into the woods I'll find larger ones. Due to the abundance of fruit, care can be taken to select ones that are plump and unbroken.  None of them are perfect; many are turned on the end and somewhat crooked, their stems curled in an unusual fashion. Occasionally one will be totally closed up, having fallen before maturity and never exposed to the elements enough to spread its fingery scales apart. These little quirks seem to give each cone its own character, if pinecones can have character.  Pinecones and acorns are like little treasures to me. I like to think of acorns as "oaknuts", for someone referred to them that way once and I have always chuckled at the term.  Each year the tree drops these little gems which can be collected and kept in a bowl or painted and displayed in a small arrangement somehow, for no real use, simply to be enjoyed by those of us who take pleasure in them.  I am sure the the Lord never intended them for this purpose, but only for the use of propagating a new generation of the same tree.  I am thankful, however, that He knows me through and through; that I am of a simpler sort. It does not take much to bring me pleasure, therefore I can look at a bowl of acorns and tiny pinecones as an art-form. Thus far, I have not been rebuked in my spirit for the exercise, so conclude that He's not offended by it at all.

As I am bending low to gather my 'finds' I spy a bright bluejay feather. Feathers are another thing that I am quite fascinated by. Last year we had a neighbor bring us an entire turkey-back. I had never dreamed that one bird could hold so many iradescent, jewel-toned feathers! Many of you know that my husband ties earrings (as well as fishing flies). The colors on a turkey range from shiny browns to emerald green, black-blues, russet and deep cranberry.  I have used the long tailfeathers to paint on. These are considered an art within an art to me.The feather alone is so beautiful, but once the head of a wood duck or mallard is added, though I have seen artists do much prettier jobs than myself, it is really something to behold. I use them as bookmarks or to display standing out of a vase and occasionally even give them as gifts.

While I choose my plump pinecones from the needled ground, I am reminded of the fact that I have been chosen by God.  "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." it says in Ephesians 1:4.  I have been reading through the gospels in past weeks. So many times Jesus chose Peter, James and John to be with him for special events.  It was these three who went with him to the mount, where he was transfigured before them. These three were also chosen to go with Jesus to the garden, where he told them to watch and pray with him. As he was going to heal the daughter of Jairus, the ruler of the synagoge, he took with him Peter, James and John (Mark 5:37). Today I read in Mark chapter 10, the account of James and John asking that they might sit at his right hand and his left in heavenly glory. Jesus asked whether they could drink of the cup that he drank of and be baptized with the baptism that he was baptized with. They replied in the affirmative and Jesus agreed that they indeed would suffer and die in much the same way that he would. Jesus himself had prepared them for their future ministry and even their future death. He declared, however, that to sit at his right and left hand in glory was to be given to those for whom it was "prepared" and that it would be determined by God the Father. What a blessing it must have been to walk with the Lord on this earth and for him to choose you to be with him for special events in ministry. Certainly, Peter, too was prepared and used in a very particular way to minister in the early church.

As one who has trusted Jesus' death and shed blood to take away my sin, however, I have been chosen to walk with him daily through life also. He stooped down and chose me. He "plucked me out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings". I am to be something for the Lord to take pleasure in. When he "displays me" in his bowl of christianity, I ought to be a joy for him to behold. What a priviledge it is to be a child of God!

I have gathered my cones and acorns and will take them to use as specimens of God's glory. Though each has its own peculiarities, each is such a beautiful creation to behold.

Lord, make me, as do these treasures, into something that brings proper glory to you.

A Maxfield Parrish Moment

The sunrise this morning was through a looming and purple clouded horizon. The background pink was so strong that it created a violet glowing ring. Then the red ball broke through, now framed within the heavy cloud cover.  The sun promptly rose up into and behind the barrier but the effects of its light streamed through the hole in the still-purple cloud. If you have ever viewed a painting by Maxfield Parrish, you will know the picture it created.  Mist hung heavy in the air and as this light was traveling through it, caused a glow of purple and gold to both shroud and illuminate across the mountains and into the valley!

A camera would not have done it justice but I would have been happy to try if I had had mine at the time.The scene was similar to looking through vellum or crepe (It drives me crazy that I cannot name the material I am thinking of, one of you tell me please!) I have never thought that one of Parrish's scenes looked truly "real", they always seemed fantasaical to me; but today I recognized what he was seeing when he painted his glowing, lovely pictures.

I certainly do not wish to praise an earthly artist above the Creator though, so I especially want to note that I am thankful to the Lord for letting me view the lovely scene just before heading down to prepare for a day spent with Him and his people.
"From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised."Ps. 113:3

I am sorry that I have been so quiet this week. I hope that soon there will be more interesting posts. This is my 100th, however!

Caring Beyond 'Enough'

"Reach; Reach farther; STRETCH!"  These words lie somewhere in the shadows of my mind. My mother was always one for getting the job done - she still is, for that matter.  Whatever it takes, the job gets done, and done right. Beyond getting it done, it must be better than just "good enough". Growing up I was priviledged to have her example of not only duty and practicality, but always being done with a true, honest mix of love and caring. I do not believe that I ever heard my mother utter an ugly word to or about anyone. I have been heard to say, "I want to be just like her when I grow up", but I find myself often pessimistic and negative. Almost daily I pray that I will not grow cold and hard in my old age.  Have you ever asked yourself, "just what have I got to be bitter about, anyway?!" I ask myself this all the time.

What is in a "reach"? A reach is anything that extends itself beyond one's body for the purpose of connecting with an object. In order to do this we have to give up something of ourselves.  Our pastor often reminds us that once one has placed their trust in the Savior, they've taken the first step on giving up on self, and giving over to God.  "He must increase, but I must decrease", this verse comes to my mind as I write.  Of course, it was written by John Baptist concerning his Messiah, Jesus Christ. It is the same thing any believer must ask God to produce in them though. John Baptist's life was one that was to "prepare the way of the Lord". He lived his life to reach out to people, to help prepare them for the Messiah's ministry to the earth. Jesus Christ came to "give His life a ransom for many". He was here only to do the work of his heavenly Father. What examples we have been left. Jesus Christ cared for people beyond just, 'enough'.  He told his apostles, "whosoever asketh thee thy coat, give him thy cloak also." It is the teaching of 'going the extra mile'. This morning I was reading about the multitudes who had been listening to the Lord speak. Jesus told his disciples to give them to eat. They had but five loaves and two small fishes. The Lord could not send them away hungry. I noted that he had them sit down upon the "green grass". How lovely that the grass was green and that it was noted in Scripture. Jesus proceeded to "give thanks" and bless the bread. God multiplied it to feed the whole multitude with twelve baskets of fragments left over! There has never been any example of someone who cared for people's souls and bodies more than God Himself, in the God-man, Jesus Christ!

I ask myself alot of questions. These are questions that I bring to the throne also. "How can I care for so-and-so in this particular situation?" Everyone is individual and each needs caring in a different way. Only the Lord knows what the best way is. He does show us if we wait on Him and will extend beyond ourselves and care beyond just 'enough'. There are those all around us who need help. Jesus' teaching was that of 'the extra mile'.  If someone asks you to "go a mile with them; go with them twain", He said.
"Reach", then "reach further", out to others. Have I only cared? or have I truly cared beyond 'enough'?

But how should I react to praise? As I've gotten older I have been more and more thankful for people who show concern and care for me. Never having felt that I 'needed' or perhaps even 'deserved' people's care, I've come to realize that it has come from a heart that was self-sufficient and, simply put, selfish. If we suppose that we don't deserve the help of others it robs people of this important opportunity of ministering; of reaching outside of themselves to touch the life of another person.  Have you ever received a note in the mail that expresses an individual's thankfulness to you for the way God used you in their life? It amazes me and brings tears to my eyes when I get a note like this. I've begun to realize that it is my lack of faith that causes the amazement. Do I not believe that, when I make something a matter of fervent prayer, the Lord will do it? If I don't believe the Lord is making me what He wants me to be (as this is a daily prayer request), I now realize that it is due to a lack of faith on my part. Piety would have us believe that we do not deserve such notes of 'thanks'; that we ought not to be noticed or recognized as servants, for whatever reason.  In true service for the Lord there is no place for pride or false piety. If God used you, be thankful and take thanks graciously - giving the glory back to Him who made it possible in the first place!

This week there will be opportunities to come out of myself. Will I take them? It is a question we all have to face. I pray that the Lord will show me the souls and bodies that He wants me to extend care to; and that, beyond just 'enough'. 

A Day at Home

Happy Veteran's Day, everyone!  I hope you're enjoying a good day off, if you have the day off.
I am happily working at home today. We have a big sale coming up, Lord willing, on December 3rd. It is Beyond the Unicorn in Springfield, VT.  There's lots to do before we're ready, so I'm praying for at least one day off during each week ahead so that I can have plenty of artwork: hand painted pen & ink notecards and several floormats/floorcloths ready to sell.  Syd is busily tying earrings but can only do so in the evenings.

I decided to concentrate on only ONE thing today, note cards.  I still have quite a stack to get printed before I can get them all done, but there are plenty all ready to paint now.  Next week I'll work on floorcloths, though later today I may at least get the base coats on them.  The ones that sell the most seem to be for our animals...the Doggie and Kitty feeding stations.  I call them Doggie/Kitty place mats (this is SO funny, I left the space out of  'place mats' and it changed it to placentas! Now that would be a strange craft item!)

For the first hour or more I took the time to check out all my blogging friends and anything new that they've written.  It is so much fun to read all the blogs.  I don't think that Ruger enjoys these home working days as much as I.  Hearing a lot of ruckus behind me while I've been at the computer, I just turned around to see almost ALL of his toys strewn across the floor and this eager-looking fellow ready to play. Hopefully there will be a lot of squirrel activity outside today to keep him busy!

Now I'm getting ready to just get going on actual work. The sun has started to peek through the clouds here, so my mind is already thinking about a walk with Mom after lunchtime.  Guess I'll get busy!

Hope you all have a wonderful day and plenty to keep you occupied.  There's always something. I keep eyeing the dishes, but had better pick up the watercolor pencils instead!

A Settled Peace

"He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Matthew 5:45

I love the way that this mist has settled into the plunging valley of Mill Village. On a clear day from Darling Hill one can see just how deep this valley is.  On this particular morning the heavy fog appeared to be pressed into the mold of the twisted and hillocked terrain that winds its way between folded hills and leads East and South to villages and cities beyond. 

As my eyes take in the view, I am reminded of peace.  On an early morning before the sun has peeked his eye open to glorious sunrise, all is quiet and peaceful. The valley is blanketed with a haze that makes it difficult to detect a fox making her way back to the den, or the deer moving through and between trees to wooded thicket to wait out the heat of the upcoming day.  Above the mists Darling Hill has only begun to awaken. The birds have started to rustle and try their voices to morning calls. No dogs have been loosed to chase a skunk or coon that may have wandered too close to their driveway.

The clustered clouds grow pinker, then gold and purple and we know that the wonder of sunrise draws nearer.  And then it breaks forth! From the eastern horizon the glorious light spreads across the mountains and field. Its fullness streams into the windows, flooding the room with brightness and warmth as if it could burst out through the portals. Once relieved of this miracle, the sky's horizon returns to blue and clouds to gray-white.  A phoebe's voice begins the chorus. The day is awake.

Already can be seen the lifting of the fog from the lower village floor. It obscures the baser hills for a time then strands of gray reach upward as if trying to touch the face of the Creator.  He takes them home once more, as He has done countless times.

Before the morning passes there is still time to rest and reflect on the peace that can be had with the One who created mist and sun.  Like the fog that lay heavy into the valley's belly, this settled peace can rest within the breast of anyone who will place their faith in the Son of God, who's cross one day stood on the mount of Calvary. On this cross was shed the blood of the spotless Lamb of God.  His one-time sacrifice, sufficient for the ages, bridged the deep chasm of sin and the heavenly place where God the Father resides.  One day I walked across that blood stained bridge.  The Lord Jesus' death, burial and shed blood -my only hope to take away the sin that separated me from a holy God- was realized in my heart and my Father took me into his family and made me heir to eternal riches and righteousness.  Oh what peace!

No outside disturbances can take this away. As the day begins to take shape around me and the cares of life begin to press in upon me this peace remains.  It lies heavy in the valley of my soul. There is no lifting or escaping; no filtering out through the cracks. The mists of peace do not break apart and disappear into the great unknown. My favorite "peace verse" comes to mind, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1)  The word "peace" there truly means 'legal, settled peace'.  Every time I look at this picture of the mist it reminds me of this peace that is, once and for all, settled into my being.

I hope that all readers have experience the peace that comes from knowing that you are brought back into a peaceful relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. If you haven't, the Bible says that 'whosever will, may come'.  God has not changed, nor has His Word. Jesus died for all mankind and is ready to bring this settled peace to you too!