Grapes of Wrath and the Abels

John Steinbeck's THE GRAPES OF WRATH is a story of the Joad family. Forced from their farm during the Depression, they headed to California with thousands of others to pursue a dream and ended up as migrant workers.

Both of my parents experienced the Depression in different ways. However, they raised a family who always had plenty.

Nevertheless, there is an Abel family photo that reminds me of the Joad family. Maybe, it's the black and white muteness, maybe it's the expression on our faces of being just a little bit worn out.

The shirts my brothers and I are wearing were made by Mom. The jeans, although store-bought, were patched by Mom. The rugs inside our house were made from carpet bag rolls and coal kept our house warm in winter months. Our bellies were full of a harvest from the garden adjacent to the house. Our minds were filled with scripture read by Dad after a supper meal. We were a unit. We worked as a family. Chores were divided, purposefulness was not a issue; we didn't understand the word "boredom." There were no gadgets to entertain or bombard our eyes and ears. The activities were mainly family focused: Farm Bureau potlucks, a church picnic at a camp, after-lunch family softball games, and times with grandparents.

Although there were fights, the bonds existed for practical and spiritual sustenance. We were a unit and our unit was part of something greater which we understood when we ventured off to school each fall and headed to church every Sunday.

I got thinkin' how we was holy when we was one thing, an' mannkin' was  holy when it was one 
thing. An' it only got unholy when one mis'able little fella got the bit in his teeth an' run off his own way, kickin' an' draggin' an fightin'. Fella like that bust the holi-ness. But when they're all workin' together...--that's right, that's holy. [from THE GRAPES OF WRATH]

Although the Joad family struggled to keep their family together, they were also fighting for the rights of their fellow man by organizing migrant workers, sharing their resources, etc. so that the unit would be stronger. The GRAPES OF WRATH illustrates the significance of sticking together, working together.

Scripture tells us that we are One in Christ. 1 Corinthians reads, "There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. ...You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it."

I'm so thankful for my parents, my siblings, my growing-up experience.
The world is so different today.
But I think we have something to remember  from our past that we can share in a variety of ways in today's world.

Sticking together, 

working together, 

remembering we are One in Christ, 

and always praising God for the promises He has given us.

Waiting on a Promise

It's early morning. Mr. Sunshine is trying his best, brightening and warming the world. Sitting at my dining room table and gazing out a deck window, I'm watching water drip off the tips of tree branches, off a porch roof, off aged plant remains from last fall.


I'm waiting.
I'm not killing time or wasting it.
I'm not sitting tight or holding my horses.
I'm pausing.
There are no worries, no uneasy feelings.
Just a mere pause, an interval, a downtime.

A jet streaks pink across an azure sky.
Water percolates and giggles until it drops in the nearest culvert.
Robin whistles a string of syllables.

I have everything I need.
It's in a promise
Since the beginning of time.
It's designed for me; its designed for you.
It's from God.
Basically, the promise says, "Trust Me."

Something to think about
Something to give praise about
   as water drips, as Robin twitters, during the intervals of life....

Simon, Garfunkel, and Job

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The book of Job addresses the ancient, on-going, and difficult problem of suffering. Believed to be one of the earliest books written to be placed in the Bible... it is a story of perseverance on Job's part and his unwavering trust in God, his Creator. It's also a book about saying nothing; it's also a book about saying too much.

When reading the book of Job, I couldn't help but think of Simon and Garfunkel's 1964 hit, Hello, Darkness, My Old Friend. Job, who had everything--wealth, children, health--lost everything. It kept coming at him--in waves--until he found himself sitting in the dust and scraping the sores from his skin. His friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, Elihu heard of his tragedy and came to visit. They sat on the ground with him and said nothing for seven days. Seven days. There's something to be said about the ministry of presence, the ministry of silence.

It might have been better if they had remained silent. I guess that after seven days, one of them felt the need to speak. Eliphaz tries first. And, then Bildad.... Even though Job responds to each, there is no comfort in their words. These conversations continue for over 30 chapters until we finally hear from God with questions which start to make sense: Where where you when I laid the earth's foundation? Who shut up the sea behind doors? Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail...?

Darkness, my old friend was used in the song to express despair, angst. The words and phrases seemed to fit Job's circumstances.
Restless dreams, walking alone, people talking without speaking, people hearing without listening, hear my words that I might teach you, take my arms that I might reach you And the people bowed and prayed...the words are written .... and whispered in the sounds of silence.

James 1:19 reminds us to be quick to listen and slow to speak.
Sometimes, the best we can do is to be silent.
In a world filled with so much noise, this can be a challenge.
Seek some silence this week: by yourself, with a friend, with someone who needs to talk--be the listener.
Also, hear God's Words that He might teach you. His whispers are most apt to be heard in the sounds of silence.

Betty and Me

"How does God plan to end things?" Betty often wondered.

Betty's HS grad picture 

I joined the Visitation Team at church and started visiting Betty twice a month. Betty, at 83, was active physically and intellectually. She was a blessing to her independent living community offering rides to others not able to drive, active on Facebook by asking thoughtful spiritual questions, and a generally positive influence on family, friends, and any new acquaintance who happened into her circle.

When I started spending time with Betty, she suggested we study Revelation. Although feeling I was in over my head, I recalled seeing "REVELATION: God's Word for the Biblically-Inept" in our church library, checked it out, and we began.

Revelation 1:1 -- The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place....

Neither Betty or I considered ourselves Biblically-inept; however, when it comes to Revelation, it's a challenge to keep it simple enough to understand in an earthly context. Betty sat with her Bible and I sat with the book. We covered one chapter each time I came and asked thoughtful questions of each other. After our study together, we stood, held hands and recited, "The Lord's Prayer." She always sent me off with a hug.

We had only a few chapters left when Betty suffered a stroke. After a few weeks at an acute care center for physical and speech therapy, Betty returned to her hometown hospital and eventually the nursing home where she sat in a wheel chair unable to speak but a few words at a time in a whisper. But, her eyes sparked when we spoke of her Redeemer King.

We were not able to finish Revelation or the list of other topics she wanted to study: Mark, Daniel, and different religions. When wondering what to say to Betty on one of my last visits, I skipped to the last chapter of Revelation...

22:21 and read--The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen

When it's all said and done, it's all we really need to know, it's all we really need to ask for: GRACE.

Older Than Dirt?

Seeking illustrations for a short story, I enter the search phrase elderly woman.
Aha moment! ...some are noticeably YOUNGER THAN I AM. It's not like my aging is unexpected. Seventy something is seventy some years. Elderly is another category, or at least I'm choosing to think so.

Mature, senior, ancient, venerable, long-in-the-tooth, old-as-the-hills, older-than-dirt, gray-haired, grizzled, hoary, past one's prime, decrepit, doddering, senile, no spring chicken... Obviously, there are few good adjectives for this stage of life.  Out of all these, I pick venerable. Although it means honored, esteemed, it still implies aging and perhaps vulnerability.

A friend of mine who is 83 believes that "older" is always 10-15 years older than your age. Which means that we would NEVER have to consider ourselves old or elderly.

So for all of us who are ten to fifteen years from being "elderly," I offer this:

Let us never know what old age is. 

Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years. 

Ausonius

The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, 

which means never losing your enthusiasm. 

Aldous Huxley

When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable. 

There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age. 

Victor Hugo

So we do not lose heart. 

Though our outer self is wasting away, 

our inner self is being renewed day by day. 

2 Corinthians 4:16

Eye-rolling and other gestures

A friend felt offended by a loved one. When his back was turned, she fingered him. She had no excuses. Because of built up resentment, she reacted quickly and in offensive ways when she became frustrated.

I can't imagine Jesus even doing an eye-roll when He was exasperated. And, there were plenty of opportunities when his disciples indicated only a glimmer of understanding of what he was trying to achieve. ...Not to mention the Pharisees and other legalists who questioned him at every turn.

And, here, we are, created in His image, with anger popping up and displaying unrighteous behavior. Where is that divine spirit within each of us?

It's original sin rearing its ugly head.
It's also not an excuse we can use...
Because of Christ in me, in us, we can do better; we must do better.
Repentance means "change"....

I will feel that Jesus has accomplished something in me, when I no longer react in such a manner. Thank you, Jesus, for not giving up on me.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, a well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32

What I Left Behind

Messenger binged. I took a quick look to see a stranger’s face. Curious, I opened it and learned it was from a former student. The year was 1971. She texted that I was a “great teacher,” and she just wanted to say “hi.”

Beginning teachers....

I wanted to text her back and explain that I was not a great teacher. I learned much of the material the night before the next day of school and wrote it out on index cards because I was not knowledgeable or glib enough to wing it. On many days I was terrified the class would eat me up and spit me out for their simple entertainment. Instead, I messaged her back with “Time does fly, and so much happens between the then and now. Hope life has been good for you.” And, it started me thinking of my own then and now and what I left behind and am still leaving behind.

After forty eight years of marriage, raising four children, twenty seven years of teaching—some on the wrong side of the tracks and some in special education, running a day-care out of my home, fearing we would not have food on the table at the end of the month, worrying about a child in another state having an allergic reaction in a motel room and all alone, etc…. you get the point. I don’t want to go back; I don’t want any do-overs. The first time was difficult and while difficult, also worthy in shaping me into an adult who is less naïve and yet more compassionate and understanding. An adult, who is less thin-skinned and one who has developed a sometimes wide-ranging sense of humor.

After retirement, I became a writer (thanks to my writing group I can say this and not feel inadequate or funny or weird). When the books came out, one by one, I would grow anxious, wondering if I was misusing scripture, offending anyone, or making typos, or writing like someone who had no business writing. I would check the ratings, check the reviews, and get tied up in things I could do nothing about—that is if I really wanted to write what I was called to write about.  Well, let’s say, I’ve grown. I’ve left some things behind, again: things that needed to be taken off my shoulders; things that needed to be erased from inside my head.

I choose to write words and send them out into the world and hope they find a home somewhere. For some, my words come across as negative, intense, not worthy of their time. That, is okay. I like suspense and mystery in a story. I also love scripture. So, I use all three. Some readers prefer to read about quilt-making, romance, or history. That is okay, too. What others think of me or what I write about is their business.

Getting older isn’t half bad. You determine that a person only has so much time left, why not be you? I want to be sillier, I want to laugh more, I want to dance when the mood is right. I have left behind some of what I used to consider proper. I am free-er, I am stronger, I am more at peace.

Erich From wrote, The whole of life of the individual is nothing but the process of giving birth to himself; indeed we should be fully born when we die.....  hopefully, with what I’ve left behind, I'm on my way to being "fully born."