A Summer Afternoon

After I finished my last project in May I vowed to take the summer off and not write anything. I must confess my fingers wouldn't allow my keyboard to gather dust and I did write some short stories just for fun when I felt like it. But I've been on vacation and enjoying the time of renewal and mental refreshment. This poem by James Whitcomb Riley describes my summer.

A Summer Afternoon

A languid atmosphere, a lazy breeze,

With labored respiration, moves the wheat

From distant reaches, till the golden seas

Break in crisp whispers at my feet.

My book, neglected of an idle mind,

Hides for a moment from the eyes of men;

Or lightly opened by a critic wind,

Affrightedly reviews itself again.

Off through the haze that dances in the shine

The warm sun showers in the open glade,

The forest lies, a silhouette design

Dimmed through and through with shade.

A dreamy day; and tranquilly I lie

At anchor from all storms of mental strain;

With absent vision, gazing at the sky,

"Like one that hears it rain."

The Katydid, so boisterous last night,

Clinging, inverted, in uneasy poise,

Beneath a wheat-blade, has forgotten quite

If "Katy DID or DIDN'T" make a noise.

The twitter, sometimes, of a wayward bird

That checks the song abruptly at the sound,

And mildly, chiding echoes that have stirred,

Sink into silence, all the more profound.

And drowsily I hear the plaintive strain

Of some poor dove . . . Why, I can scarcely keep

My heavy eyelids--there it is again--

"Coo-coo!"--I mustn't--"Coo-coo!"--fall asleep!

James Whitcomb Riley

Reflections On Change

  The following article by Lyndon Swarey in the Open Hands newsletter really spoke to me this week as I was struggling with facing some changes that are just ahead in life. I needed this reminder.

 Change is an inevitable fact of life. For some of us, it is something that we do not look forward to. It brings uncertainty about the future, and a new normal can be scary. If we are comfortable in our current situation,we may want to resist change as much as possible. Whether we like it or not, our lives are surrounded by change. Even though change is good, there are things we wish would never change.

   Almost everything is subject to change. Our bodies grow and age. Relationships change over time. Material objects decay or break. Our lives are changed by experiences. Time is based on change. The amount of disorder or entropy in the universe is increasing. Change makes up the fabric of our world, and there is nothing in the physical world that is not changing. Change is the result of living in a temporal world.

   When I was in my late teens and early  twenties, change was something that I looked forward to. It meant I was becoming an adult. There were new opportunities and new things to experience that were exciting. I welcomed that change.

   In the last few years, the glamour of change has diminished, and I have become more resistant to new ways and new things. Change means I must stop doing what I have done for the last few years of my life and adapt to a new reality. The life that was predictable, normal, and comfortable, is exchanged for uncertainty and a belief that things will work out somehow.

   Even though I do not always look forward to change, I would not want to live in a world where change was not possible. Without change, life would become monotonous. Change brings new opportunities and experiences that can impact our lives for the good, and teach us new things. If we are unwilling to change, we cannot continue to grow spiritually and mentally. 2 Corinthians 3:18 states that we are being changed ". . .into the same image from glory to glory, even  by the Spirit of the Lord." To be transformed into the image of Christ requires change. This is not a single change that occurs in a moment, but a process that takes a lifetime. As Christians, we want to become more like Christ and this means we will need to change.

  Christ becomes the frame of reference in an ever-changing world that determines whether the change is good or bad. If the change is taking us closer to Christ and enabling us to grow in our faith, that change is good and healthy.

   While our lives and the world round us are constantly changing, there is one constant in the universe that never fluctuates or changes. James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" God is the only constant, and He never changes. In the midst of change, we can always turn to him and trust Him that He will lead us through life.

   Knowing God will always be there and that He does not go back on His promises makes facing change easier. When change is happening around us, we can rest in Him and His promise that He will never leave us. God is our rock in a world that is constantly changing, and He always knows what we need to make us better people. When we are facing uncertainty, God calls us to trust and rest in Him. It is only in God that we can experience true rest and peace in an ever-changing world.

Every Family Needs A Maiden Aunt

Every family should have at least one maiden aunt who lives long and leaves her estate to her siblings and their descendants. I reached that conclusion this week as I continued working through an 1880 estate which is a little genealogy gold mine. 

Last week I stumbled upon a deed in which Mary Good, single woman, sold a small parcel of land to the trustees of the Evangelical Assocation for the purpose of erecting a house of worship in Voganville. The deed said it adjoined her property and she sold it for ten dollars. I didn't remember there was more than one church in the little village of Voganville so I looked it up and sure enough! It's still there at 590 Voganville Road. It was called Salem Evangelical Church until recently and is now Salem Bible Church. 

Having satisfied my curiosity on the church, the next question naturally was, "Who was Mary Good?" A little search of Lancaster County records soon turned up the Release of Mary's estate. She was the daughter of Michael and Elizabeth Good and her estate was divided between her one surviving brother, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews. It gave me a list of sixty names, some of which were not found anywhere else. 

For example, Rachel Good married Abraham H. Buckwalter and died in Illinois at the age of 21, shortly after the birth of her only child, also named Rachel Buckwalter. The child was raised by relatives in Lancaster County until she was grown. Then she went to live with her father in Kansas. She received her mother's share of Mary Good's estate. The Release identified her at Rachel Calkins of Adams County, Nebraska. Census records show her married to Frank Calkins in Nebraska. He must have died soon after 1880 as he disappears and she returned to Lancaster County where she married two more times and died as Rachel Drorbough. The Release is the only place which documents her first marriage and makes it possible for us to reconstruct her life story.

If every family had a maiden aunt who did the same as Mary Good, genealogists work would be made much easier!

Kudos to Mary Good, 138 years later!

Weekend to Remember

Many years ago I heard a minister say in a sermon, "What is more beautiful than a young couple on their wedding day? An old couple who has weathered the storms of life together and is still happily married." We had the privilege of witnessing both this weekend.

My niece, Karen, married Phil on Friday afternoon June 8. They are both 35 and it was a match worth waiting for.

We were invited to a 50th anniversary party on Sunday evening for a couple who has been our friends for more than 50 years. Their children asked us to meet them at the church where they were married and take them to the party in the 1967 Chevelle that used to be our family car. Our son owns it now. We secured his permission and were happy to oblige. The look on their faces when they saw us pull in was priceless! Curvin drove a car like this when they were married and they were thrilled to ride in one again.

In between these two events, from Friday night until Sunday evening, we were at the cabin for our annual family weekend with our children and grandchildren. Oh yes! And our first great-grandchild.

We took a little time off Saturday morning to go over to the Home where Leroy's mother lives to introduce her to her first great-great-grandchild and take a 5-generation picture. Avery was born in January. She is the first child of her parents, first grandchild for both sets of grandparents, our first great-grandchild, and Mom's first great-great-grandchild.

Sarah Stauffer (great-great grandma), Leroy Stauffer (great-grandpa), Cheryl Stauffer Miller (grandma), Josh Miller (father), Avery Miller (5 months old)

On Saturday evening we crammed in one more thing, a 50th birthday party for Daryl about a month early. Some clues that you're getting old are to have your children turn 50 or become grandparents.

This weekend was a reminder that time moves relentlessly along and we're being swept downstream with it. We collected some more good memories this weekend to add to our stash. Lots to remember and more to come. "Roll, Jordan, roll."

Earnestly Contend For the Faith

In a 7 - 2 ruling today, the Supreme Court sided with the Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for two gay men. I applaud this ruling but at the same time know it will not end the clamor of the LGBT community for the "right" for their lifestyle to be recognized as normal behavior. How has our nation and world gotten to this place?

I think some of the answer can be found in a presentation given by Lamar Martin at the Conservative Mennonite Teacher's Institute on September 15, 2017. He said:

"The Protestant work ethic has made democracy work in North America. Someone asked Ben Franklin what kind of government the Constitutional Convention had produced. He replied, "A republic, if you can keep it." Both George Washington and Ben Franklin said in effect that democracy will work as long as there is virtue in the people. Thus, the decline of Protestantism (or Christianity) in America as a whole is requiring the U. S. government to decide moral issues and provide social programs. As Americans exhibit less virtue and self-control, they will need government control." 

In the past, homosexuality was shameful and kept under cover because the general public knew it was sin. If Americans had maintained Christian beliefs and principles, the wedding cake would never have been an issue. That it reached the Supreme Court is simply an indication of the breakdown of society. Protestant churches failed to uphold Biblical standards on the issue and things rapidly spiraled downward. 

Lamar Martin goes on to say:

"From the beginning, the Anabaptists have held to the belief that the civil government has no authority to determine matters of Christian doctrine or practice. They have believed that the New Testament teaches a clear distinction between the kingdoms [of church and state]. . . . Are we willing to unashamedly bear the suffering of being identified with the kingdom of Christ or will we accept the cultural norms around us?"

I am sure the LGBT community will continue to pressure for acceptance. How long will it be until our government bows to the pressure? Will their "rights" take precedence over the religious freedom guaranteed in the Constitution? How can the government justify granting the wishes of one group of people at the expense of canceling religious freedom? 

The more important question is, are we willing to stand for Christ and not compromise His truth? If it comes down to it, are we willing to suffer persecution to maintain our faith like our ancestors did 500 years ago? It's a spiritual battle. "Earnestly contend for the faith." 

Dream Come True

Sometimes wishes and dreams do come true. After years of wishing and waiting, my outdated pink and black bathroom is gone and the remodel job is completed. The new window topper that arrived in today's mail is the finishing touch. I am very happy with it. Here are the before and after pictures.

Flooring is gray vinyl planks run the long way with the idea of a boardwalk in mind. 

Lighthouse theme started with the shower curtain

This mirror always was too high for a shorty like me. I could only see the top of my head.

 Now I think I see a little too much! (Pardon the bottle of pink soap. Someone gave it for my birthday and I was too tight to throw it out half used just because it's pink.)

Gene made the shelf for me from aged pallet lumber. It's supposed to simulate driftwood. All the things in it I already had. Some of the seashells in the jar were collected in Florida in 1972 and the  bottom layer of sand we got in California on our honeymoon. The wall plaque and fishnet are two extravagances I allowed myself.

The toothbrush holder and soap dish went with the tile so I improvised with blue glass pint jars. Leroy cut the pump from an empty bottle and fitted it into the lid. Life savers are available in case anyone starts floundering in the tub. The wooden cheese box was something I already had. I lined it with the Spanish moss (call it seaweed) I picked up in Florida in March. 

It's amazing what it is possible to come up with for decorating without buying things. I had fun doing it and can enjoy it the rest of my life. The remodeled bathroom should last as long as I do.

A Rose by Any Other Name . . .

Do you recognize the quote in the title? It's from Romeo and Juliet and the full quote is:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

Basically, what it means is that what matters is what something is, not what it is called.

The labels on a lot of things have changed in today's world. Instead of tramps we have homeless people. Homosexuality is an "alternate lifestyle." Abortion is a "right to choose." Another one we're hearing a lot about these days is "human trafficking" which is just another label for slavery.
Slavery is almost as old as the hills. We find slaves and slave owners in Genesis. Joseph was a slave in Egypt, and there were slaves long before that. Slavery has been practiced ever since ancient Bible times and never stopped. In colonial days, black people were brought from Africa to America (and other countries) to be sold as slaves. White slaves were Europeans who sold themselves as "indentured servants." Someone paid their passage on the ship and in return they served a specified number of years as an unpaid servant. 
Slavery was one of the main issues in the Civil War which finally emancipated the slaves in the United States. But slavery is alive and well in this country and many others. It's just called human trafficking. 
The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking around the world—and a $150 billion industry worldwide. An International Labor Organization study indicated that girls are more likely to be trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic services, and boys tend to be trafficked for forced labor in commercial farming, petty crimes, and the drug trade.
While many people think of human trafficking as a third-world problem, the numbers paint a very different picture, with 2,105 of the 7,621 human trafficking cases recorded in 2016 involving U.S. citizens. Modern slavery touches each of our lives through the clothing we wear, the electronics we use, and the prevalence of the practice in communities across the country. 
I am not involved in sex trafficking, but how can I know if I am contributing to the problem in the things I buy? Our world today has a global economy. When I am making a purchase I usually look at the price, not where the item was made. My comfortable lifestyle may be possible because of slave labor on the other side of the globe. It's a problem I don't know how to handle, much less solve. As a Christian, how should I feel about or respond to this?