Elton

Every morning at a quarter to seven, the barn door slowly opens and in walks Elton. He'd had a friend make him a special walking cane that's handle looks just like a hand-held saw handle. He wears glasses, a ball cap (the type all farmers wear), leather boots, a buttoned & collared shirt with a stripped or plaid design and overalls. The coolest thing he wears however, is his smile and his enthusiasm for life. Though signs of age have grown on him you'd hardly be able to guess his age by his attitude.

I've been working at this dairy farm since last October and one thing that I can count on is seeing Elton every morning. I work for Ted and Corey, Elton's son and grandson and when I first got the job dealing with the grandfather wasn't something I'd expected to be part of my work routine. Getting used to the fast pace of their milking set up and learning the ins and outs was hard enough without having to visit with a stranger. I don't think Elton was too excited about me either. In spite of the "inconvenience" I always tried to be friendly and get to know him, and he tried to be nice and friendly with me. Don't get me wrong, he's the friendliest guy you'd ever want to meet.We'd greet each other, comment on the weather. He'd ask if Corey was around and I could usually tell he'd be disappointed to have me to talk to instead of his grandson. Then he'd say goodbye and leave the barn.

It was just hard to get anything more than the business of weather out of him. As the days turned into weeks, I realized that Elton wasn't going be an easy nut to crack and that it would take a little faithfulness on my part to get him to open up to me. I put in a little effort but it never seemed to make a huge difference. Every once in a while he'd come in and forget himself and tell me all about something exciting in his life. So eventually I came to look forward to him stopping by the barn each morning. I'd get to the point where I'd forget I was supposed to be milking the cows because I was chatting with Elton for a few minutes.

Last Fall, Elton and his wife celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. She'd been in the nursing home for 10 years with Alzheimer's and I'm not sure if she knew they'd made it to 60 years. It was a part of Elton's daily routine to go visit his wife. Talk about faithfulness. Well, she passed away a year ago, this past week. I was surprised at how well Elton took it, but I suppose she'd mentally been gone for a number of years already. One morning he asked me if I had any stocking caps, and by this I think he meant winter hats. It turned out he'd brought me a light blue winter hat with dark blue snowflake patterns. It had been his wife's hat. I felt like this was a huge honor that he would give me something that had been his beloved wife's.

After receiving this hat I decided I wanted to thank him in some way. His birthday came and he turned 88 years old. To do something special for him my mom, sister and I whipped up a little dish of lasagna for him (because I'd heard he was a fan of lasagna). He stopped in one morning, about a week after his birthday, and I snuck out and put the dish and a birthday card in his truck. Later that morning he returned to the barn (which is unusual) with a big grin on his face. He thanked me for the dish and it turned out he'd brought me another gift. It was some coats that had been his wife's! Almost a year after her death I suppose he'd decided it was time clean up the house. I felt extremely honored once again.

Yesterday morning, Elton came into the barn as always. We talked about the weather. As always I asked him if he had big plans for the day... to which he sort of grinned and said, "Oh no." He chatted with his grandson a bit about the latest small town gossip, crops, tractors, etc. Then before he left he let me know that he'd put a bag of clothes in my vehicle. Some more things that had been his wife's. I'm not sure why he's chosen to give some of her things to me and I don't dare ask. I take it as a huge honor. Though he's not my grandfather and I'm simply the milkmaid on the farm, it's a sort of sweet, unspoken friendship we have. It's these little, unexpected relationships in life that bring warmth to the long days and spontaneity to the rigid schedule. No words needed... just giving, sharing and being. The sort of person you never expect to meet and can't believe you'd missed out on knowing for so many years. It makes my heart full.

Pies, Pies, Pies.

I'm waiting for the kitchen space to open up. The little farmers have come inside from their chores and are just now eating breakfast, so I must postpone my baking endeavors until they've been fed. It didn't work out for the motley crew to feast yesterday so we're having Thanksgiving tomorrow and baking today. This arrangement works out wonderfully actually because of the three siblings with significant others. We miss my brother Daniel and Jacqui and their two boys but we heard they had a nice day of Thanks in AZ (where they live) and are headed to the mountains today for a mini vacation. Channing was gone yesterday to celebrate with Rachel's family. It will be a beautiful day when I can call her my sister, but I'm excited for now to have her come today/tomorrow to celebrate with my family. 

In spite of the fact that we're baking today, we are also having a family gathering with my mom's two brothers. One family will be coming from Minnesota and will be sharing tomorrow's festivities with us. Then there's my other Uncle and his family who live across the valley. We can see their house from ours and it is a pleasure to have relatives so near. Yet, as our families have grown it makes it difficult to fit everyone into one house on thanksgiving so we haven't had thanksgiving with them in a few years. Tonight we'll all eat soup... something easy with minimal prep and clean up. This is fine by me as it affords more time for visiting. Visiting is far more important to me than any pie or turkey.

Anyways, I know the rest of the world is frantically hitting the stores for some black Friday shopping, decking the halls and listening to the beloved Christmas melodies, I am relishing this Thanksgiving.

I like to think about the Pilgrims and the Indians. The hardships they endured, their different way of life, and their focus on God's blessing. They'd come to the new world to seek freedom. Freedom to serve God and to raise their families in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

William Bradford wrote this of the first Thanksgiving feast,
"They begane now to gather in ye small harvest they had, and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health & strenght, and had all things in good plenty; fFor as some were thus imployed in affairs abroad, others were excersised in fishing, aboute codd, & bass, & other fish, of which yey tooke good store, of which every family had their portion. All ye somer ther was no want. And now begane to come in store of foule, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besids water foule, ther was great store of wild Turkies, of which they tooke many, besids venison, &c. Besids, they had about a peck a meale a weeke to a person, or now since harvest, Indean corn to yt proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largly of their plenty hear to their freinds in England, which were not fained, but true reports."


Gotta love that old English!
Until this year I had not read Abraham Lincoln's proclamation for the United States of America to set aside one day of each year for Thanksgiving. Not only do I love the eloquence of the words but the gravity of their meaning. How has America strayed so far from this state of reverence for our Creator?

I've shamelessly copied and pasted the proclamation from this website, which says, "The document below sets apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise." According to an April 1, 1864, letter from John Nicolay, one of President Lincoln's secretaries, this document was written by Secretary of State William Seward, and the original was in his handwriting. On October 3, 1863, fellow Cabinet member Gideon Welles recorded in his diary how he complimented Seward on his work. A year later the manuscript was sold to benefit Union troops."


Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Happy Thanksgiving, my dear friends. May God bless you in this next year with the grace to appreciate all the good you've been blessed with and the strength to find joy in times troubles as well.

A Friend's Poem

My friend Courtney wrote this poetry. It's beautiful, so I had to share it.

You Are Here - by Courtney Jo

I looked around me, and alone I sat.
My troubles, my joys, my thoughts: my life.
Many asked of me where you were- and to which I could reply so easily for though they cannot see you, I can.
You are here in the stitches of my socks, keeping my feet dry and warm.
You are here in the tinted colors of my scarfs shading the yellow sun in my window and becoming my curtains at night in my room.
You are here in the scents of oil that you spread upon my face.
You are here in the morning with your sweet hellos and you are here at night with your goodnight prayers.
You are here in the food upon my table which you graciously provided.
You are here with your love, care, and sweet memories.

Though they cannot see you, I can see you all around. My love, my all.

You are here.
I've been able to listen to the sermons by David Jeremiah again, each morning after work. For a while work was taking longer due to the harvest. It was a bummer to hop in the car only to catch the tail end of a message. Right now Jeremiah is teaching out of Philippians. It's crazy... I don't know why but each message is exactly what I need to hear each morning. I'll be dealing with an issue and boom! There's the solution. God is always here, and He provides these little things, little blessings, each day.

As it says in Philippians 4:19,  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.



It's funny because I never used to listen to Christian radio. My oldest siblings always did... and when I became interested in music there was a disconnect. Maybe it was a change in churches? Maybe it had to do with where my older siblings were at? We listened to a lot of country music. There was still a lot of mention of God and faith in the country songs which was really cool. Then there was some pretty neat pop music and indie music. I especially liked the mellow, acoustic artists like Jack Johnson, Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers. I still love these other forms of music and listen to them regularly, but it surprises me that I never gave Christian artists a chance. The two hours of driving each day have really given me more time to tune into radio programs.

I feel like I'm just discovering the tip of an ice berg, but one must start somewhere. Here are three of my favorite Christian songs right now.

And this last one I heard when I went to church with Courtney this Summer. I keep forgetting the name of the song and having to scroll through our many text messages to find the link she shared with me in July. Trust me.... that's a lot of texts.

It is a blessed thing to have friends.

Experiencing The Harvest

Soybean byproducts are in everything. Our food, our cosmetic products, the feed for our animals. Early records show that soybeans were grown and used in Asian countries as early as 1,100 B.C. and these “Chinese Vetches”, as they were called, were first brought to the American Colonies in 1765. It took over a hundred years for farmers in America to really incorporate soybeans into their crop plan in the late 1800's.

For as common as soybean fields are now, did you know that soybeans haven't been a part of American agricultural for much more than three quarters of a century? Lance Gibson and Garren Benson of Iowa State University, Department of Agronomy, wrote, “Most of the early U.S. soybeans were used as a forage crop rather than harvested for seed. There were only 1.8 million acres in the United States in 1924 when the first official estimate became available. At that time, most of the crop was used for hay.” Which is totally crazy. I can't imagine using soybeans for a forage. Anyways, soybeans didn't become popularized in the United States until WWII created a need for alternative sources of protein and oil.

As this year draws to a close it is interesting to look back on the bountiful harvest. In many areas it was an exceptionally good year for growing crops. With plenty of rain and extended moderate temperatures many farms were eager to measure the season's success. Instead of driving past the fields and busy equipment this Fall, I had the pleasure of experiencing the fieldwork firsthand. I was able to ride along in the combine as my boss was harvesting what for him is a cash crop.

It was exciting riding in such a big machine. Clipping along at such a laid-back pace but requiring so much precision from the operator. 

Even more incredible, was the ability to contrast the modern equipment and technology with the technology farmers were using when soybeans first came onto the scene. It was like stepping back in time because a large plot of land adjoining my family's farm was recently bought by an Amish family. The Amish planted and harvested the soybean crop with horses, old style equipment and lots of manual labor. In fact, one day I drove past and noticed 6 or 7 men and boys going down the rows, pulling the weeds by hand. This was after the soybean plants grew to tall to use a cultivator.

What It Means to Be A Person, Part 3

Understanding.... Being understood...
I like how Robert Fulghum puts it,
"Hide-and-seek, grown-up style. Needing to be sought. Confused about being found."

In continuation of my train of blog posts, like What It Means to Be A Person, Part 2.... 

If a friend were to hand me a book and say, "Please, read this book. I'd like for you to understand me better," I would certainly read that book. It is the essence of being human, this desire to understand others and most especially, the desire to be understood. Yet, I suspect there are people who care more about being understood and less about understanding others. It is not always selfishness in the case of these people but maybe just how their personality works and what their interests are. What the ratio of understanding to being understood is in each of us is probably chalked up to how we were raised, what our interests are and what type of personalities we embody.

For me the desire to understand others is top heavy. Not that I don't not want to be understood, but there is something about humans, who they are and how they interact that fascinates me. I want to know about body language, voice inflections and speech patterns. I want to know what they think, why they think it, what their hopes and dreams are and what they're doing to make those dreams a reality. I want to know about their mothers and fathers, their siblings, their friends, their education, their hobbies, their favorite foods and their feelings on politics. I probably come off sounding like an interviewer and I think a lot of people feel uncomfortable when asked a million questions. Questions make us feel vulnerable, especially if we do not know the purpose that the questioner is asking them. It is only over time that I can prove that my questions are 100%, genuine interest.

Perhaps this interest I have in people is due to my personality? I know that Myers-Briggs Typology isn't the be-all and end-all. There are flaws and misgivings about the science behind the psychology. However, I've read up on my personality type and it feels like finally someone understands me. Or perhaps more than being understood, it is the fact that I'm  not the only one with the crazy traits that define me. I'm not the only person who is care free and childish, at the same time as deeply wishing to understand the universe. I'm not alone in my tendency to procrastinate. I'm not the only one who doesn't one to be follow just one profession, but many chase many interests. There are other like me in the world, and I'm not crazy for being who I am... in spite of the many folks who disapprove of or fear my unconventional ways.

What brings this to my mind in particular is a book I read this Summer titled, The Comprehensive ENFP Survival Guide, by Heidi Priebe. It made complete sense to me and explained traits that I've felt so overwhelmed by or that have made me feel like an unsuccessful human for possessing. I don't say that in the worst sense, but just the frustration we all feel when we're trying to wade through life with our strengths and weaknesses. The book was an eye opener. It showed me that I'm not alone, there are other people who are just like me, and it showed why I am the person I am. It was easy to read and easy to understand. I found myself laughing with delight because I could relate so much to the author's words!

I generally kept to the privacy of my room while reading, as if to guard a secret. Mostly because I am a private person when it comes to my feelings. In fear that my poor, sensitive self will be hurt I gaurd my feelings at all cost. This is of course something I never realized about myself, and hope to overcome one day.... to be less sensitive and more open.
Anyway, one night I was determined to enjoy the company of my family and sat in the living room with them, while reading this book. My older sister asked what I was reading, and when I told her, her first response was and eye-roll and, "You've got to be kidding me...." She wasn't trying to be mean, but it just struck her as ridiculous that I'd be reading about personality and putting so much interest in the matter. Isn't life about being selfless, after all? I understand her thoughts on the matter but if we cannot understand our own feelings and thoughts how are we ever to get along with others? How are we to mature and grow? If we cannot understand how we are different from other people how are we supposed to appreciate others for their differences?

My mother comes to mind. She and I are very different. We're both extroverted and strong-willed, but lets just say she's the type of person that prepares, plans and is precise. Whereas I am the type of person that procrastinates, is spontaneous and go-with-the-flow. Granted we are not always such extreme opposites, but when we have contrary opinions it generally makes for a mini war. For many years I never knew why we disagreed on so many stupid, little, unimportant things. Then I learned about typology and discovered that more often that not, we are coming to the same conclusions from different perspectives. I learned that I we can see the other's viewpoint we can then compromise or try to relate, or perhaps stand our ground to the death.  But it doesn't have to be a mess of confusion.

It seems that what Paul the Apostle write in Romans 12:3-4 relates to the matter,
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

As I've stated before and will state again, personality stuff isn't the most important thing in the world. It's good to stay open and not let these things dictate your view of others. But if it offers a few helpful hints along the bumpy roads of life, then it's worth giving a chance.

All In A Week

This coming week is going to bring quite a few challenges. We have election day, which means a good portion of the country will be severely disappointed. On top of which we have the time change which brings darkness an hour earlier, as if the shortening hours of daylight weren't enough to deal with. Then to bring things to the climax it could snow any day and the temperatures are bound to turn chilly and arctic soon. Yikes!

One the bright side, we have Thanksgiving to look forward to. My favorite holiday. We go all out for Thanksgiving. Family filling up every inch of the house, food covering every inch of counter space. I'm trying to be patient so that I don't rush the days by, but it's so exciting!

November has brought some joys as well as some disappointments. I was invited to a special event in Connecticut and would have been traveling with some of my favorite people, but as it would happen I couldn't get the time off work. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to my friend Hannah's baby being born and getting to meet the new little life. Then there are friendships that I know are growing daily and my own life and character that continue to be shaped and sharpened into a better instrument to serve the people around me and  to serve the Lord. It seems that God knows our needs before we do and so of course has trials and treasures waiting around each corner to be dispensed as needed in our walk.

Well, it's time for the end of the day. I hope your November is warm and delightful, and that the trials of this next week don't bring you down. If you can't find a silver lining, be sure to sew one in. ;)

Philippians 1:9-11
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Political Satire - 2016

“I am going to Washington as a delegation of one from the American Comedians' Association to get us some aid. No industry has been hit worse than us professional humorists. There is just too much unconscious amateur talent among our elected officials.” - Will Rogers

In the course of American history, has there ever been this much public frustration regarding a Presidential election? Five different candidates for whom the American people can choose to vote and, quite honestly, it plays out more like a comedy of errors than the serious deliberation of a country in search of their next Commander in Chief. Why such a harsh portrayal? Let's consider our options:

Donald Trump, or Drumpf if you prefer, is well known for his TV celebrity status. That, and for stealing an old lady's seaside property to expand his casino, twisting the use of eminent domain for personal gain. Granted, there are plenty of conservatives who wouldn't mind his “You're fired!” approach, in regards to the large majority of the government if he is elected.

Hillary Clinton, who's been in politics so long she likely believes her own lies, probably needs a vacation to recover from whatever ill ails her. Be it pneumonia, her conscience... or Bill Clinton. However, Democrats will be excited to have a Planned Parenthood and NOW hub connected to every McDonald's for your convenience if she becomes the president.

Then there's the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, who looks quite like President Coin from the Hunger Games movies. She is recently noted for creative artwork on a bulldozer and received a court appointment as a reward. Perhaps Stein should take lessons from Clinton and Trump on how to dodge court cases and lawsuits in the future. We also have the brand new American Delta Party. Rocky De La Fuente, who wanted to be the Democratic presidential nominee this year, created his own party in order to make it on the ballot in November. Out with the Whig Party, in with the Delta?

Now don't forget the Libertarian nominee, Gary Johnson, who has a fair chance of stealing votes from both Trump and Hillary. Both the Democrats and the Republicans fear Johnson could cripple their candidate's chances for victory. Johnson will likely get votes from some Bernie Sanders supporters due to the DNC scandal and from Republicans who don't fancy a narcissistic celebrity giving the State of the Union address.

All in all, November 2016 is going to be one hot mess. Of an Associated Press poll taken in July, Lisa Lerer and Emily Swanson wrote, “...Americans hold resoundingly negative opinions of both candidates. Fifty-seven percent have an unfavorable view of Clinton, compared to 37 percent who have a favorable view. Sixty-three percent have a negative view of Trump, compared to the 31 percent who think well of him.” It seems that people plan to vote for one candidate simply because they don't want the other to win. This political season has turned into a giant game of choosing between 'the lesser of two evils'.

One must wonder, when did politics turn into a poker game? We vote for a candidate just to call the other party's bluff? We catch a dirty deal but then don't demand a re-deal? Or we fold a winning hand, just because we don't have as many chips as the other players? Electing a president has never been an easy hobby but Americans are scared of the candidates and worried about the future.

If we're stuck with either Tantalizing Trump or Benghazi Babe, Washington, D.C. will have one sticky, political web to unravel in four years. After November 8^th, it's quite possible that we'll find a brigade of millennials throwing their pumpkin spice lattes into the Boston harbor. Sermons on the anti-christ will escalate in churches across the nation. Paul Revere's 13^th great-grandson will be riding a mustang to the nearest free-wifi location to notify his virtual friends of the revolution, via Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. If you see any towers or steeples, with not just one but two LED lights, take note! It's quite likely that one of Kim Jong-un's nuclear missiles is coming so take necessary precautions. While the lucky few escape the country with their recently acquired passports, we'll find ourselves in the midst of the next world war and the worst economic times since the Great Recession. The conspiracy theorists would like to say “I told you so!” but they won't be able to because they'll be so far off the grid even Raymond Reddington won't be able to find them.

Or maybe... the American people will sigh, remember that Presidents can't do that terribly much in four years. They'll turn on the television to catch the next episode of The Voice and continue to wrap Christmas gifts with uncooperative scotch tape acquired at Dollar General.

To paraphrase the British, “Keep calm and America on.”

To keep track of how candidates are fairing in the public opinion, RealClearPolitics.com keeps fairly unbiased tabs on the race by providing polls from various media sources across the country.