Monday, May 30, 2011

Memorial Day........On the Farm

We had a short video at church yesterday about Memorial Day. A day to remember those soldiers who have died in active duty. It's been four years but I could not look at the pictures of Arlington. It was like opening up a wound. Too many memories that are still too vivid.
But......

It was a beautiful Memorial Day here in upstate New York.
It actually felt like summer here. And for most of the holiday weekend, we worked on the "farm". Ethan came up from New York City, where it was beautiful and Aunt June came to visit for the weekend from New Hampshire.

Went to Lowes today and got supplies for fencing in part of the side yard at 42. Christian mowed the Litengard lawn, finally the rain stopped long enough to mow. And boy was it a job...had to go slowly and empty the bag frequently. And then he and Rob began putting in posts for the new yard for the babies. Only four will go over, two are roosters and will continue in the barn until it is time for Christian to take them to the Noble Farm for their ultimate future......which will be on our dinner table.

Ethan was home for the weekend and participated in making a deck floor for the prefab chicken "barn". Unfortunately the completed chicken barn picture did not get inserted so I will have to show you the "barn" on another post.

I planted my some of my tomatoes, after attending an auction briefly with adopted neice Carol. Rob is stabilizing the wire tomato cages made by his dad years ago. Hope my tomatoes are as magnificent as they were last year. I did get a couple of new heirloom varieties and I'm anxious to see how they do.

Ethan modified a new raised bed for me that is located behind the barn at Litengard. Hope to have my cauliflower over there.



Aunt June met the chickens and collected the eggs each morning, just like she did when she was a girl. She's always busy and looking for projects. She helped construct the new chicken "barn", weeded, and dug some plants to bring home to New Hampshire. She strung my netting for the peas, and helped plant the tomatoes. At 83 years old I think she is doing great!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Finishing Strong

As my eyes scanned the titles of the books on the shelf, they stopped at this one.

I"m looking for a book to read in the morning as part of my devotions.

Finishing Strong.

Yes, that was what I always wanted to do.
Finish strong.

And now, if I go by national average I'm inching up to the finish line. But, if I live to be 100 years I'm only ten plus years beyond half way.

I take the book out. It is a book from Christian's library. A book I spotted when Liz was sorting through and packing up. "Can I take this one?" "Sure".

He had such a varied interest in books. But the thing that I loved was that he was interested in being better, learning more, and applying knowledge. I know that I have told you this before but when I went downstairs to "his" room in Italy and saw the book about developing a good marriage opened by his lounge chair, as if he just got up from reading, I knew that he was and would have been a wonderful husband and father.

Finishing Strong.....it's a book for men. It's about going the distance for your family. But why can't I read it? Us girls want to finish strong too.

So I open the cover and begin to read.

The Priority of finishing strong. So few do, finish strong. We need to make it a priority. Oh sure, we all finish. But what will we look like? So many road blocks, wrong turns, and just plan lack of endurance. Finishing strong requires some things...., grit, determination, a vision and finishing power. And most of all the time devoted to developing a moral and spiritual character so that no matter what comes up or at you, you can continue on with the Lord.

Steve Farrar talks about the perils to finishing strong. Lots of perils. Sin can shipwreck ones life. Spending more time on externals rather than the eternal. A person's character not keeping pace with their accomplishments. Being unteachable and unaccountable.

And the prototypes of a stong finisher. I have many older women in my life that have been a prototypes of a stong finisher. One of my good friends, Fran, is 83. I called her on Mother's Day and she was lamenting to me that she is sometimes so frustrated with herself because she feels herself getting lazy. "WHAT?" Now this woman taught 1st grade Sunday school every week until last year. For twenty five years she did a monthly meeting on Women of the Bible. She was the area director of CBS for the whole south east until a couple of years ago. When I visited her in South Carolina this past spring she gave a reception for another lady in ministy for 40 people in her home. And then two weeks later had 30 ladies from church over for lunch. She sends out about 25 birthday cards to different friends each month and calls me every birthday and sings to me. She was the lady who sent me a "care" package every week when I was in Hope Lodge. She loves the Lord and people. She's modeled finishing strong for so many girls. I want to be like that.

I want to live out this verse from I Corinthians 16

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong"

And from I Timothy"

"And I thank Christ Jesus my Lord, who has enaabled me, for he counted me faithful"

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Be Still and Know........Work, Work, Work



There is a tension to Spring.

As we emerge out of our winter slumber, filled with images of whiteness and brown barrenness, we want to stand still and see the restorative creation taking place around us.

But.......

There are chores, that have to get done.

Porches to sweep and wash.
Furniture to set out for the summer.
Storm windows to remove and store and screens to wash and set in.
Gardens and borders to rake.
Grass to mow.
Patios to sweep and set up.
Manure to secure for gardens.
Seeds to start in greenhouse.
Gardens to till and plant.
Driveways- sweep the winter sand away.
Pots to drag out, fill and set in respective places around house and garden.
Air conditioners to install.
And on and on the chores go....



But what my soul, and sometimes my body, wants is to be still....
And see, observe the emerging life from deadness...
and the resurrection of new spring life.



How could it be that the snow covered that ground only days ago and now I see that one green shoot emerging from the ground. Everything looked dead, but there was life growing underneath.

I wish I could sit one day and watch my peonies....because they seem to grow about 6 inches a day. Would I actually see that slow but steady ascent and that almost miraculous development of that beautiful bud? That magic seems to happen at night, and in the morning we are treated to new hope, new life and new expectation.

The crocus, daffodils and now the tulips are almost finished here. It actually has been a long season for them this year. The hostas are unfurled, the peonies are over 2 feet tall and loaded with buds. The lilacs have emerged and are scenting the air.

And while standing on the porch last weekend enjoying the blossoming life, I saw a hummingbird. I thought it was early, they are already back from South America. Now there's determination for you. And as I think of them romantically, my cardinal couple, are back in the neighborhood. He's always first, his bright red feathers glowing, assessing the situation before allowing his mate to proceed. They always travel together. Whenever I see one, I patiently look for the other.....they are never far away from each other. Sort of like my mom and dad. And the bird feeder is full of goldfinches, so sweet and little. How did you survive the winter? And if I'm really quiet I not only hear the Piliated Woodpecker but I can see his large red head extracting unsuspecting bugs from the tree trunk. Now to see the Bard Owl in the large spruce behind Litengard.

Spring is for standing still. For observing with wonder God's grace, and beauty, and love. God resurrecting things that seemed to be dead and gone. No not really gone, just for a season. Out of sight.

But now that magnificent explosion of all shades of green, of life, of color and hope. Of new plants and once seemingly dead, seeds, lying dormant in a package...now they burst forth from the ground and shortly we will be munching on peas and beans, and those tiny sprigs of lime green will be nourishing carrots and beets.

Spring is a wonder. It's a hope and a joy.

Our spiritual life is a bit like spring. We do have to work, oh not for our salvation, totally bought and paid for by Jesus. But we do have to work to put God's word in our hearts, to reach out to our neighbors and friends and be Jesus's hands and heart to them. We need to work to be still and meditate and pray for our family, our villages and our country, God's work here and abroad.

But isn't it wonderful to sit back and enjoy God's creation, to see Him work in our lives and in the lives of our family and friends, to experience God's gifts he's given to those around us and to bask in the beauty of Spring!

"Be still and know that I am God,"