A Praise Post

 After I posted on Thursday morning, I made a little circle to fill water troughs, feed the bees, and water the orchard. As I was in the orchard, I heard thunder and watched this dark cloud drift into view. 

Thank you! Because I KNOW it was your prayers that sent it. And then it began to sprinkle

Not a ton, but enough to know...

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

1000

I never had a vision when I began this little blog in September 2007. I just wrote because I loved writing and I wanted to document our days. What we did. How we cooked. Where we lived. Who we were. And I never really thought about folks stopping by to visit. But you did. And you do. And thank you for doing so. This dirt road will always welcome you

So I thought I ought to document the fact that I have pretty much talked about this... and that... and not much... for 1000 posts.  😄 I know I'm not a daily blogger. I love it, but it takes time and I can't always make it happen. I often write in my head, but actually getting a post published is a different story. I'm in awe of those of you who do post regularly. I've tried to post a little more lately, but I can already tell it's not going to last. I can't keep up, but I miss writing and connecting with ya'll when life gets busy.

What I share is never newsworthy, or earth shattering, or enlightening. It's just a peek into my simple life. My quiet days. My busy kitchen. My quilting adventures. My passion for this lifestyle. My love for my family (yes, that includes Skeet!). And a profound gratefulness to God every single step of the way

It seems as if blogging is no longer in vogue, but I've never been one to follow the crowd.

Even as a child I took the road less traveled and I'm so glad that I stayed on it because it led me to the end of the dirt road where life is sweet. (photo taken by our girl when we were on a walk a few years ago)
                               

How the Virus Stole Easter

A very thoughtful blog reader shared this with me yesterday and it made me cry. I think everyone ought to read it and she very kindly said I could share it here...thank you, Karen!

Edited to add: Apparently this has been a very popular post...over 1400 views in 48 hours. I don't ever pay attention to the numbers, but this one was flagged because I'm just a quiet little old blog and I don't have that kind of traffic. I have been unable to find a contact for the author, but I imagine she wouldn't mind ya'll sharing her clever take on Dr. Suess' poem. Sharing the news of the empty tomb and the Risen Saviour is always a good thing! The only thing I ask is that you give proper credit to Kristi as the author. Thank you!

How the Virus Stole Easter
By Kristi Bothur
With a nod to Dr. Suess 😊

'Twas late in '19 when the virus began,
Bringing chaos and fear to all people, each land.

People were sick, hospitals full,
Doctors overwhelmed, no-one in school.

As winter gave way to the promise of spring,
The virus raged on, touching peasant and king.

People hid in their homes from the enemy unseen,
They You-tubed and Zoomed, social-distanced, and cleaned.

April approached and churches were closed,
"There won't be an Easter," the world supposed.

There won't be church services and egg hunts are out,
No reason for new dresses when we can't go about.

Holy Week started, as bleak as the rest,
The world was focused on masks and on tests.

"Easter can't happen this year," it proclaimed,
"Online and at home, it just won't be the same."

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the days came and went,
The virus pressed on; it just would not relent.

The world woke Sunday and nothing had changed,
The virus still menaced, the people, estranged.

"Pooh pooh to the saints," the world was grumbling,
"They're finding out now that no Easter is coming."

"They're waking up now, we know just what they'll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,
And then all the saints will all cry boo-hoo."

"That noise," said the world, "will be something to hear."
So it paused and the world put a hand to it's ear.

And it did hear a sound coming through all the skies,
It started down low, then it started to rise.

But the sound wasn't depressed,
Why this sound was triumphant!
It couldn't be so!
But it grew with abundance!

The world stared around, popping it's eyes,
Then it shook! What it saw was a shocking surprise!

Every saint in every nation, the tall and the small,
Was celebrating Jesus, in spite of it all!

It hadn't stopped Easter from coming! It came!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the world with it's life quite stuck in quarantine,
Stood puzzling and puzzling, "Just how can it be?"

"It came without bonnets, it came without bunnies,
It came without egg hunts, cantatas, or money."

Then the world thought of something it hadn't before,
"Maybe Easter," it thought, "doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Easter, perhaps, means a little bit more."

And what happened then?
Well...the story's not done.
What will YOU do?
Will you share with that one,
Or two or more people needing hope in this night?
Will you share the source of your life in this fight?

The churches are empty - but so is the tomb,
And Jesus is victor over death, doom, and gloom.

So this year at Easter, let this be our prayer,
As the virus still rages all around, everywhere.

May the world see hope when it looks at God's people,
May the world see the church is not a building or steeple.
May the world find Faith in Jesus' death and resurrection,
May the world find Joy in a time of dejection.
May 2020 be known as the year of survival,
But not only that -
Let it start a revival.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

I am currently working on binding this quilt (I will post about it when it is finished), and I took pictures before it was bound, but I happened to be driving past this spot when I was on my way to see my mom and took the opportunity to stop. I had the quilt with me because I was in search of a binding for it. I loaded these photos onto my computer today and felt like I needed to share this now - even if the quilt is not finished.

This quilt is called 'Bloom Where You Are Planted'. God has planted us in some very different places lately and everyone is navigating unchartered territory in an attempt to find a new normal.  I wanted to share that not only during these uncertain times, but every day, I can't think of a better place to be planted than at the foot of the Cross:

Even when there is barbed wire and I find myself in a patch of Prickly Pear there:

Even then. Especially then.

A Good Reminder

I'm sharing something really special today. It's the best article I've read in a long time...maybe ever. The caveat is that our girl wrote it so I may be biased, but I'd like to think I read it from a completely impartial position and that I would have been just as moved...and convicted, had this not been penned by our precious girl. In today's filtered world of social media, it's refreshing to read something honest, and true, and good. She has always been wise beyond her years. And honestly, it spoke to me on such a personal level that I lost myself in the message and it was only after I had finished that I remembered who had written this. My wish is that you too will be blessed by her message.

I See God

Hard Headed Heifer

And yes, that title could be applied to me although technically, I would be a cow. :)

This fella's hard headed, yet has a soft heart. He is incredibly kind to children and animals, yet does not have much patience for folks with no common sense or work ethic.

Lately it seems that much of society wants what they want when they want it and they have their minds made up without much regard for other folk. There was a time when folks actually used their minds, but these days it seems we're all becoming more like cattle.

A few weeks ago, we were out making the rounds, checking cattle and water when we came up short 1 hd in Mesquite. So we went back to the house, hooked up to the trailer, saddled and loaded a horse, and went in search of the missing heifer. DH looked for about an hour before spotting her.

She was sick and he called me to bring the rig his direction after he had her roped

Thankfully she was on her feet and he started to lead her towards the trailer

Then she decided that she didn't want any part in this adventure

She just planted her feet and refused to take another step

So DH had to drag her to the trailer where she finally decided that a trailer ride might be the best thing after all

I couldn't get any pictures of him loading her in the trailer because the first rule in the ranch wife handbook is 'don't get in the way'.

But we brought her to the pens where we could doctor her and keep a close eye on her as she recuperated. Silly thing pitched a fit when all we wanted to do was get her well and let her have all the sweet hay her little ol' heart desired.

We're kind of like that.

Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.
Jer 7:24

The good Lord wants to help us, but more often than not we think we know better. So the next time He's trying to lead you, it might be in your best interest to follow. He's not going to rope you and drag you into the trailer, but some of us (me) are as hard headed  as that ol' heifer and that might be what it takes.

Rise and Shine

Bacon...pretending to be beef. Doesn't this look like a bovine? Made me chuckle this morning. Looks like an Ace Reid cow.

And the Lord was up bright and early this morning painting another masterpiece across the desert sky

Around here, it's worth getting up before the sun when you are greeted by these breathtaking colors

Even my very dirty windows looked pretty as they reflected the extraordinary colors

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness
Lamentaions 22-23 (NKJ)

My Word for 2014

As I've been enjoying catching up on my blog reading lately, I've noticed a trend that many people are choosing a word to describe what they wish to achieve or  focus on during the year. I remember seeing this last year as well and I loved the idea, but I had one problem. I knew I could never choose just one word for an entire year. I tried this word and that word and nothing seemed to fit. I'll love this word today and then I'll love another word tomorrow. I'm not fickle, but I guess I am with words. :)

I love words too much to choose just one.

And then, just today, it hit me.

My word will be GOD'S word. For me, it begins and ends with God and no matter what I'm dealing with or  what the day may bring, it always comes back around to Him. If I focus on God, I'm good, and I'm going to try harder to do that this year. In the daily hustle and bustle that is life, I tend to put time with Him on the back burner sometimes. Ouch. That hurt. I begin each day with my devotional and I pray a lot, but I still feel as if I could draw closer. I fall woefully short each and every day of being a good and faithful servant and I want to quit being so obstinate. Its going to be an uphill climb, but Mathew 19:26 says,

"But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible"

He'll keep me focused and balanced more than any other word that I can think of if I just keep my eyes on Him.

And that obstinate thing. I'm pretty good at it so this is not going to be easy, but He didn't promise easy, did He? :)

Invisible Moms

This was shared on a  board I frequent and I wanted to share it with y'all. I was cleaning out my drafts and found that I had never posted this. May it bless you as it did me:

The Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense: the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, “Can't you see I'm on the phone?” Obviously not; no one can see that I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible: the invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, “What time is it?”

I'm a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney Channel?”

I'm a car to order, “Pick me up right around 5:30, please.”

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude—but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. My friend had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when my friend turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, “I brought you this.”

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

“With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.”

In the days ahead I would read—no, devour—the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals—we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a work man carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.” And the workman replied, “Because God sees.”

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, “I see you.

I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.”

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my children to tell the friends they bring home from college for the holidays, “My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning to bake homemade pies, and then she creates a turkey feast that takes hours.” That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want my children to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to their friends, to add, “You're gonna love it at my house.”

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals, but we cannot be seen. And, one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM! If you want, share this with all the Invisible Moms you know

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Years ago (think close to 20), I first saw this saying at a Cracker Barrel when I was with a treasured friend and I knew it fit me. I love it and it has become quite applicable in my life. We made this move over 7 years ago kicking and screaming. Did NOT want to leave our beloved mountains. Then, when I had settled down, picked myself up, and stopped blocking the blessings that the Lord wanted to abundantly bestow upon us, I though of this: Bloom where you are planted, my child. Ah! What a difference!

So fast forward and I do mean FAST forward  6 years. I walk in the mornings at 6. This was the sunrise. I was actually late, at 6 it's already up this high:

 and I realized that even in the midst of this desperately parched land, there are beautiful things blooming:

Amidst the dirt:

And the rock:

And the prickly thorns:

And the dusty ground:

Amongst the spines:  

In the prickly places:

In the sweltering heat:

With little to no rain:

God can make things bloom:

That doesn't mean we're not praying for rain, but the blessings are there, in abundance if we'll just stop long  enough to accept them.

  And sometimes He throws in a little extra in for good measure: 

Praying God's Word

While I am waiting for the mercury to rise above freezing this morning, I thought I would share the following with you. Lately I have been really digging into my prayer life and the Lord has led me right to the original source - His word.This prayer for loved ones has been a source of comfort to me and I recently shared it with a friend and wanted to share it with all of you as well. I did not put this together, I found it online somewhere, but my copy does not have the internet address printed on it.


Mt 21:21 Father, I come before You in faith,
Mt 21:22 and in prayer.
Rom 13:11 Your Word says that now is the time for all to awaken from sleep
Rom 13:11 For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
Col 1:13 Lord, deliver my loved ones from the power of darkness,
Rom 13:12 and cause them to put on the armor of light.
Rom 13:14 Help them in their daily walk to put on the Lord Jesus Christ
Rom 13:13 and to avoid the lust and idolatry of life.
Ps 119:37 Cause them to turn their eyes away from worthless things,
2Tim 2:26 to come to their senses, and escape the snare of the devil.
Rom 13:13 Deliver them from immorality, strife, and envy,
Heb 10:22 and draw them near to You, Father, with a true heart.
Mt 5:6 Create in them a hunger and thirst for You and Your righteousness,
Ps 119”37 and revive them in You ways.
Col 1:9 I ask that You fill them with the knowledge of Your will
Col 1:9 in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Col 1:10 that they might have a walk worthy of You, Lord,
Col 1:10 fully pleasing You, being fruitful in every good work,
Col 1:10 and increasing in the knowledge of You,
Col 1:11 strengthened with all might, according to Your glorious power.
Rom 8:30 Bring them into the calling that You have predestined for them;
1Chr 28:9 help them to serve You with a loyal heart and with a willing mind,
Ps 32:8 and instruct them in the way they should go.
Jas 1:22 Let them be doers of the Word and not hearers only,
Ps 119:97 meditating in Your Word day and night.
Ps 112:6 Establish their heart, so they will never be shaken,
1Cor 10:13 and show them a way of escape from every temptation.
Rom 13:8 Let them owe no man anything except their love.
1Jn 3:18 A love that is in deed and truth, not just in word and speech.
Ps 110:3 Let them be volunteers, serving You in the time of Your power.
Mt 6:33 Seeking first Your kingdom so that they will reap abundant blessings.
Prov 3:9 I pray that they will honor You with their possessions
Prov 3:9 and with the first fruits of their increase;
Ps 111:1 Praising the Lord with their whole heart in the assembly
Ps 111:1 of the upright and in their congregation,
Mic 6:8 walking humbly with You, Lord, being determined to act justly,
Ps 112:4 loving mercy and righteousness,
Ps 112:4 being gracious and full of compassion.

Well dear friends, the promise of a glorious day is waiting just outside my window and I am heading out to play in the dirt! Be blessed!

My Favorite Way to Start the Day

I'm not a materialistic sort of gal, but this is what DH gave me for Christmas and I adore it! The guy who makes these is wonderful. His name is Monty Reedy. The workmanship is absolutely stunning. He certainly found a wonderful way to use the gifts he's been given!





DH chose it while we were at the WRCA in Amarillo. It's one stop shopping at it's finest and the best place to knock off that Christmas list. So while the majority of us are contemplating New Year's resolutions, I have one to share as well even though this is March.


I want to start each and every day with the Lord. First thing each and every morning. I need to put my devotion time at the top of my list of things to do. Every time I find things going off course, I can trace it back to my wanderings. Oh I have good intentions...the best intentions, but then the busy-ness of the day sneaks in and off I go and before I know it, it's close to noon or later. The laundry's done, the windows are clean, and dinner is in the oven, but the Lord is waiting on me to sit with Him a spell and I don't want to keep Him waiting.


I know without a doubt that He guides my steps so why do I insist on making my own path that always leads away from the One who loves me the most. How sad that must make Him.


So, I am determined to add new fingerprints to this beautiful Bible cover first thing every morning. Drinking in His word is my favorite way to start the day. It really does make all the difference!

Blessed By This This Morning...

WOW! A friend shared a book with me at the baby shower on Saturday and I opened it up this morning. After the healing rain yesterday, the windows just begged to be opened. I've been folding laundry this morning too and the combination of smells just drew me to that sunny spot on my bed. This is how the book opens:



Lord, High and Holy, meek and lowly,

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,

where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;

hemmed in by the mountains of sin I behold thy glory.



Let me learn by paradox

that the way down is the way up,

that to be low is to be high,

that the broken heart is the healed heart,

that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

that to have nothing is to possess all,

that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

that to give is to receive,

that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from the deepest wells,

and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;

Let me find thy light in my darkness,

thy life in my death,

thy joy in my sorrow,

thy grace in my sin,

thy riches in my poverty,

they glory in my valley.



-from "The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions



I have been so blessed by this and I wanted to share it with you. I imagine that many of you are familiar with the author -Nancy Leigh DeMoss, but this is the first time I have read any of her writings. May you be blessed as well.

Transitions

Transition: The process or an instance of changing from one form, state, activity, or place to another.

I like to think that I am flexible. That I handle change well and that I am good at transition.
Apparently that is not the case ~ at least not today.

I can, and have, on numerous occasions, willingly, dropped the day's plans and run off to help Gary with whatever ranch job was deemed urgent at the moment. Fix a windmill ~ turn off the stove. Repair a watergap ~ close the history book. Run a heifer to the vet ~ put the science experiment in the refrigerator. I love it all. I love being his partner and being there to help in whatever capacity I am able.

On the other hand, I did not weather the transition well when we moved from our beloved mountains in West Texas to our present flatlands.

I did not handle today well either and my children have not fallen far from the proverbial tree.

Today was a huge transition. I saw it coming. I knew it was on the horizen. How did I know? Well suffice it to say, history repeats itself.

We just finished 6 days of fall works. 6 days that we eagerly look forward to. 6 days that leave us utterly exhausted. So yesterday I made sure that everyone rested and honored the Sabboth as it was intended. We'll ignore the fact that I still had one dayworker here until midmorning or that I scrubbed the stove, washed the floors, scoured the kitchen, cleaned up the bunkhouse and washed the towels from over there. I still rested ~ I even took a nap! I had a wonderful week of lesson plans all laid out for the following day and I wanted my students to be well-rested.

These same students have no problem removing themselves from their warm nests at 4:30 a.m. when we work cattle, but they seem to have a problem with our current transition. For some reason, it is almost impossible for them to drag themselves out from under the covers at 6:30 or 7:00 on a school day. When I posed this question to my daughter, she answered, "But M...O...M! Working cattle is fun!" Aha! I see! So I get to resume my un-fun position as teacher and attempt to squeeze some education into my children.

Here is where I can very easily wander off onto another tangent and say that they receive huge amounts of education in their daily lives on the ranch. I will not argue with that. I believe it with all my heart, but I also believe that they need a balanced education and some of that must come from good books and math lessons. They both wish to attend college so a well-rounded education is a must. The fact that they will have learned a good work ethic will serve them well, but so will the ability to communicate through a well-structured paragraph. I refuse to make them diagram sentence after sentence, but I do want them to be able to write coherently and speak intelligentlly.

I agree that is difficult to transition from a funfilled day horseback, carousing with the crew to the drudgery of completing the Apologia study guide or wading through the next chapter on the Korean War. However, everything in life cannot be fun all the time. There are days where we've simply got to put our nose to the grindstone and make the best of it. Grumbling about what must be done will not make it easier. Falling to the floor in dismay will not make it go away. Making a very heartfelt diatribe on the woes of the day will not get it done~although I might be persuaded to count that as public speaking :)

Life is full of transitions. Some we will be quite adept at steering through and some will cause us to stumble. I want to give my children the tools to handle them all.

That tool can be summed up in one word: God. Look to Him in all things. He will guide your way. When life's transitions start barreling your way, cling to Him. He will not make them all disappear, but the path will be less rocky with him by your side. There are days that I need to remind myself of this too, afterall, I'm a work in progress.

I love homeschooling. But not today.