Don't Turn Around and Look Back

Isn’t it easy to assume that children go through life without care in the world and in their innocence aren’t much affected by what’s going round them? Come to think of it, what I am really saying isn’t it easy to not pay too much attention to a child other than to care for their obvious physical needs?

The only little girl I knew well, myself, wasn’t unaware of the stress in the atmosphere, and even in times when she may have appeared totally carefree there was a deeper meaning to her actions.

Mom was a lover of flowers, just like I am now, and it seems to me that the summer I turned eleven the  flowers along our garden path were doing especially well. I recall some Sweet William growing near the strawberry patch, but after that lots of zinnias paraded across the garden. This was the ideal place for a little girl to prance up and down singing the upbeat songs learned so recently.

“Keep in the middle of the King’s Highway, Keep in the middle of the road, Don’t turn to the left, don’t turn to the right, just keep in the middle of the road, Don’t turn around and look behind for the devil will change your mind, Just keep right on, marching along, keep in the middle of the road. “

I also sang “I’m gonna run, run, run to meet my Jesus…” Do you know that one, too?

There were other choruses, also, that I enjoyed singing, and years later sang to my own children and grandchildren.

Being a follower of Jesus has little or nothing to do with our intellectual maturity but so much to do with the condition of our heart and our relationship with Jesus. Our Saviour gives everyone who decides to follow Him a lovely connection with Him.

I’m thinking sadly of the ones that ‘turn around and look behind’ and eventually the sweet and tender voice of their loving Guide and Friend can’t be heard anymore. If that’s you, why not go back to that experience that was dear to you from long ago and renew your walk with God that was once so precious to you.

Yah, why not?

An Oasis in a Camp

Okay, backtrack with me, if you will, because I forgot some important stuff that I want to tuck in right here so you get the drift of the plot better.

Have you ever tried to put a puzzle together without having a picture to follow? It's pretty hard, isn't it? Well, I guess we all, as we get older, try to do that with our past in one way or another, don't we?

As I journeyed through my desert-like existence, I came across oasis's that were bright spots which nourished my soul for years to come. One of them happened shortly before I turned eleven.

Here we can pick up a puzzle piece that I only found recently. The reason I was at this particular place at this time, a Summer Vacation Bible Camp, was because my father was an electrician there, and I imagine they gave him a cut so us kids could join in all the fun. No matter what the reason, it was a blessed respite from the discord at home, and I, as a normally shy young girl, really blossomed for some reason. Not only that, but I got to know Jesus as my personal Saviour and through the following years, my dearest Friend.

Although many memories in the annals of time have faded away these details are pretty much picture perfect to this day.

There is one hitch, though. I knew what kind of home I was going back to, and even as a small child, I worried about being able to hang on to that glorious peace I had found by surrendering my heart to God.

We had a...what would you call it? It wasn't a station wagon, exactly because there were no seats in the back, just benches for us children to sit on, and I suppose Dad's tools when we weren't along. I was back there as we drove homeward and wiled the time away singing those catchy tunes learned earlier that week.

My Dad, who was driving, and my siblings may have thought I was just happy, but that was not the case, I was praying, praying earnestly that I could be a 'light' to my family. Do you know what that means?

Well, it must have been only a couple days later when I ended up squabbling with my sister and someone said: "I didn't think anything happened to you, you haven't changed."

Oh, did that ever hurt! I went silent and walked outside. What was a little girl to do? I found my way to the front of the house where my mother had planted some hollyhocks; they were tall and blooming by then.

I think I was standing there, not really seeing them when the sweetest voice seemed to float in the air: "Lo I am with you always." Suddenly I realised how pretty the flowers were, how green the grass, and the sky was a bright, clear blue. Do you wonder why I have cherished that memory and even as I write tears moisten my eyes?

This is part of my memoirs from my childhood. Comments and questions are welcome.

Pays one point and 2 member cents. 

Do You Know If You Are Home?

Is Anyone Home?

Everything seemed normal at Jack and Lorna Jensen's place. It was such a pretty little house along a quiet street and passersby at this time of year would sometimes check to see if her tulips were up yet. Everyone knew that her flowers were the cheeriest, the healthiest looking in the neighbourhood, and it was a sight to behold once they were all budding. The blooms didn't stop with tulips either. Once they were beginning to fade other flowers took their place, and it was an un-going session until blankets of snow created a new type of beauty.

It wasn't only outside though, that everything appeared to be normal. As the sky paled to peach and an azure blue, the alarm went of somewhere in a bedroom. Soon that was followed by lights switching on here and there, the clink of dishes on the table and other sounds that came when the couple started their day.

The ping of the microwave was next, followed by the whistle of the kettle. Everything seemed normal. So normal. Soon the sound of Jack and Lorna's chairs being pushed to the table, and the rustling of thin paper could be heard. Jack's deep baritone read a scripture for their morning devotions, and he prayed.

The days lengthened and grew warmer, but eventually the neighbours noticed that things were not quite the same. Just little things, mind you, but changes none the less. For one thing Lorna wasn't getting around to weeding her tulips! Strange! And when they were faded, they weren't even replaced! Stranger yet! And why was Jack neglecting to mow the lawn? It was always so immaculate; his pride and joy!

Finally someone knocked on the door to investigate. No one was home! They spotted a tape recorder on the table that appeared to automatically rewind and play the same daily sounds from morn until night, then start again the next morning. Robots that looked just like Jack and Lorna went around automatically doing ordinary things.

Does everything seem normal at your place? Are you going through the motions of living a Christian life but the Spirit has moved out and you are on autopilot? Do you know when things began to change? Are the flowers of friendliness and hospitality blooming in your front yard? Are you so used to following the 'correct formula' that you don't sense that the 'abundant life' is only a faint memory?

Wake up!

Come ON Down

I've been having so much fun prettying up the place in preparation for Bed and Breakfast guests that's updating the blog has been put on the back burner. Talking about back burner, or rather front burner, in this case: I have had the fleshier parts of two old hens simmering on the stove all day. What a wonderful aroma! What should I do with them? Chicken and Dumplings? A soup? A casserole? Save some for sandwiches? 

Don't want to make you jealous or anything, but you can't get that good a flavor from chicken at the supermarket. There is something, real, real good about the taste of homegrown, free range chickens.

But that's not all I've been doing lately. The shelf by my kitchen window and under all the various grow lights tiny seedlings are sprouting. I'm really intent on prettying up our place this year. Sure, some people say it looks nice already, but just wait...! Every year I end up starting some plants in the house, but this year I really outdid myself. That's my typical reaction when winter seems too long and spring is slow in coming. Here's some of the visions dancing in my head.

What else with a name like Hollyhock Haven, eh?

Because of all the shade caused by immense trees I have lots of begonias growing around the place. Well, actually that's only part of the reason. I love, love, love them!

Maybe you'd like to take a peek at some of the show-offs from last year. (Mind you, with B&B guests expected, I want to baby them even more this year!)

You can't really see what a vibrant color these are, can you? 

These aren't exactly ours but I love growing this kind.

Would you believe I wintered this little guy just inside that patio door?

I'm eager to see it take off when its a little warmer. 

I don't exactly blame you folks for not showing up this winter when some of the time it was looking more like this:

but just wait til summer when you can do lots of canoeing on this:: (our canoe is available for rent)

or this:

Or maybe you prefer heading to the river and doing this:

or this:

www.marilynfriesen.webs.com

Or going to a nearby market garden for this type of fun!

See you next summer!