A Spider In My Christmas Tree

“If you want to live and thrive, let the spider run alive.”  ~American Quaker Saying

Garden spiders are one of my favorite inhabitants in the garden.  They spin and weave beautiful orb webs and take up residence amongst the plant life that thrives there.  They are as beautiful as they are fascinating and all dressed up in black and yellow they bring to the garden an element of mystique and eccentricity.  I like that.  I like different.  That is why I added a spider to my Christmas tree.

I found my beautiful spider ornament at a local arts and craft show.  There is a legend that originates from German folklore that came with it.  The story goes like this:

Once upon a time in Germany, long ago, a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year.  Not a speck of dust was left on the day when the Christ Child was to come and bring the gifts of Christmas Eve.  Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner in the ceiling to avoid the housewife's busy cleaning.  They finally fled to the farthest corner of the forgotten attic.

'Twas Christmas Eve at last!  The tree was decorated and waiting for the children to see it.  But the poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the Christ Child's visit.  The oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could peep through the crack in the door to see Him.  Silently, they crept out of their attic and across the floor to wait in the crack in the threshold.

Suddenly, the door opened a wee bit, and quickly the spiders sneaked into the room. The tree towered so high they couldn't see the ornaments on top.  In fact, their eyes were so small they could see only one ornament at a time.  They scurried up the trunk, out along each branch, filled with a happy wonder at the glittering beauty. Every place they went they left a trail of dusty, grey web.  When at last they had inspected every bit of the Christmas tree, it was shrouded in a dusty grey of spider webs.

The Christ Child smiled as He thought of the happy spiders seeing His tree.  But He knew the mother would not feel the same way and that she would be broken hearted. So He reached out His hand and touched the webs and blessed them.  They all turned to shimmering, sparkling silver and gold.  The tree glistened in greater beauty than ever before.

Ever since that time, we have hung tinsel on the tree, and according to the story, it has become a custom to include a spider among the decorations on the tree.

Every creature on earth has a purpose, including spiders.  Spiders are ultimate exterminators and help to control insect populations.  God, like the spiders, weaved all of creation together in a web of cooperativeness that works to create a balance in nature and promotes harmony.  How appropriate that he would give us yet another example in the spider of how his work is accomplished.

“The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.” – Proverbs 30:28

Lizzie Loves Me

“It is not a slight thing when those so fresh from God, love us.”  - Charles Dickens

She is a carbon copy of my daughter; I dare to say they could have been twins.  It catches me off guard at times and I have to look twice.  Sometimes it takes me back twenty years and then that old familiar feeling of loss creeps back in, just when I thought I had let it go.  My daughter is still close, still within arms reach and we have a strong love, but the child she was is what I miss.  God is so good, he knew just what I needed, and he knew I wasn’t quite ready for the empty nest, so he sent me someone to fill the void.  He sent me a little repeat, a sweet, loving child named Elizabeth, my first grandchild.  So caught up in my own circus, I missed out on the first part of the show and didn’t really get to know her until now.  Oh, I was always present, but not engaged and it was not until God brought me to a place of understanding that I realized just what I was missing out on.  As always, he was right. 

We call her Lizzie.  The name Elizabeth is Hebrew and Lizzie is a variant of that.  It means “God’s promise; God is my oath”.  She is God’s promise to me that I will always have that child like love in my life.  When we went to pick her up for the weekend, she was so excited.  My heart was full.  It is good to be loved, and a child’s love is so pure, so real.

That naïve, simple, innocent, authentic, and trusting love is what God wants from us as well.  He longs for us to come to him, as little children, and place our faith and trust in Him for all our needs.  He craves and covets our love, and in return he offers redemption, forgiveness, comfort, and most importantly, eternal life.

“People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” – Mark 10:13-15

Dreaming of a Paperwhite Christmas

“Tradition simply means that we need to end what began well and continue what is worth continuing.” – Jose Bergamin

Winter has set in here in Central Texas, but the chance of seeing any of that white stuff, outside anyway, is slim to none.  So, I decided I would just give myself a Paperwhite Christmas!  I am forcing bulbs, bought at my local home and garden store, in shallow containers inside at work and at home.  “Forcing” means growing bulbs inside and out of season to enjoy their blooms.  The classic Paperwhite are members of the Daffodil family and have vibrant snow-white, star-shaped petals with yellow stamens with a distinctive, sweet smell.  They have become almost as synonymous during the Christmas holidays as poinsettias.

Since Paperwhites will thrive in any planting medium, I decided to fill containers with rocks and pebbles, place the bulbs on top of the rocks and add enough water to come just above the roots of the bulbs.  Their green tips are now peeking out in anticipation of shooting upward to find warmth and light.

Paperwhites and Amaryllis are two bulbs that are easy to grow and force to bloom inside because the bulbs do not require a chilling process called vernalization, as most other bulbs do.  They originated in warmer climates and have adapted to flowering without this chilling process.  They only need heat and light to grow and reward you with beautiful flowers and fragrance indoors.  

Here is a general guide to forcing Paperwhites that I got from Ehow.com:

• Purchase healthy, high-quality paper-white bulbs, free of bruises or soft spots.  You can start forcing Paperwhites as soon as you can buy bulbs in fall, and continue planting every two weeks until you can no longer find quality bulbs - usually late winter to spring.
• Select a shallow dish.  The best size is 12 inches wide and 1 to 2 inches deep, but almost any size will do.
• Fill the dish with small pebbles or gravel.
• Cover the rocks with water.
• Place the bulbs in the dish, pointed side up, nestling the bottoms into the wet stones.
• Place the dish in a warm, well-lighted indoor location, such as a sunny window.  Keep the stones constantly wet.  Paperwhites usually bloom in about six weeks.
• After blooming, if the soil is not frozen, plant the bulbs outdoors and keep them moist.

I still have one bag of bulbs left to plant.  I like to stagger plantings so I have a longer period of time with flowers to enjoy.  And the next planting is just in time for my granddaughters visit this weekend.  Hopefully engaging her help in the process will plant a seed of  tradition in her heart that will someday, as Christmas seasons come and go,  grow a desire to carry on the customs of old as well as bloom with new and fresh petals of tradition.

In my home, the practice of forcing Paperwhites has taken its place among the many Christmas traditions carried down in my family over the generations.  I just love the way they look, so simple….kind of the way Christmas should be…

“Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.” - 1 Corinthians 11:2

A Banquet of Tradition and Blessings

"For, after all, put it as we may to ourselves, we are all of us from birth to death guests at a table which we did not spread. The sun, the earth, love, friends, our very breath are parts of the banquet... Shall we think of the day as a chance to come nearer to our Host, and to find out something of Him who has fed us so long?" - Rebecca Harding Davis

On Thursday, November 24, 2011, my family and friends gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving Day in my home.  The assembly seems to change a bit each year, but not the traditions.  As I grow older and continue to succumb to the demands of life, the time-honored way of preparing for the holidays overwhelms me, so this year I decided to order the meal from a local restaurant.  As the day grew ever closer, my loved ones and I kept adding the old traditional favorites to the menu.  I was delighted as each entree was suggested because even though I was tired and didn’t want to cook, it seemed that the thought of not including these special dishes might somehow change the essence, the persona of this special day that had been fashioned by generations before us.

Right on the top of my list of things to give thanks for are the relationships I have with my loved ones.  I often wish I could go back, if even for a day, to the uncomplicated relationships I had with them when I was a child; the time before the disappointments in life and love could steal away joy and plant bitterness.  Even though some relationships are easy and some are complicated, they are all gifts from God and worthy of sustenance, and I am thankful for them.

I put roses in my fountain this Thanksgiving.  The roses are still in full bloom, little blessings that God uses to plant a little bit of heaven in my heart.  The road that leads to eternal life may be rocky, long, and exhausting, but it is lined with these little blessings to encourage and remind me that the banquet he lays out for us on earth; “the sun, the earth, love, friends and our very breath” is just a taste of things yet to come.

"Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end." - Ecclesiastes 3:11

Bringing In The Garden

"God almighty first planted a garden" - Sir Francis Bacon

Since winter is finally creeping into Central Texas, I decided it best to bring in my potted plants.  This is not something I really like to do because honestly I take better care of them while they are outside!  I do like the warm feeling they bring in and the fact that I get to save a little green for the days when all I can see outside is grey.

Many of these plants belonged to my Mother, so for some reason I feel the need to nourish them even more, to ensure that they flourish and thrive.  It’s like if I let them die, yet another part of her slips away…so I shuffle them in and out with the changing of the seasons, just as she did.

My dream is to someday have a garden room, as the only room in my home now the least bit suitable for plant life is my formal dining room; it has the most sunlight in the house.  I envision my garden room with glass walls, French doors, white wicker furniture, and a beautiful chandelier; a space both elegant and functional that serves as a bridge connecting the beauty of the outdoors to the inside of our home.  I’ll have to start plans for that after my greenhouse is done.  Oh, and after I get that second job! 

Garden rooms, or sun rooms evolved from farmhouses and urban row homes that had covered porches for the families to sit and relax.  As Americans became more suburbanized, families started using their back patios and gardens for this purpose. They screened in their patios for shelter and privacy, and WALAH, the garden room was born.  Modern sun rooms offer all that the older ones did but in a more elaborate, comfortable setting because of advanced building technology.

For now, my dining room will serve as a surrogate garden room.  I will bring my green beauties into a place where the sun can fill them with warmth and life and keep winter’s bite at arm’s length.  In return I get the privilege of carrying on the legacy that my Mom fashioned through her love of gardening.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  Genesis 1: 11-12

To Bloom or Not to Bloom...My Trees Want to Know

"Never yet was a springtime, where the buds forgot to bloom" - Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

I have been raving on the insanely hot, crazy summer we have had here in Central Texas.  June-August was the hottest such period on record for the states of Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico.  In fact, in records dating to 1895, the June-August mean statewide temperatures in Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana were three of the four hottest such summer mean temperatures on record for the U.S.  Now that the weather has cooled down and we have had a little rain, plant life here is quite confused on what to do!  Roses, trees, and shrubs are blooming, putting out new leaves, and the grass is turning green again.  A few days ago, a cold front blew in and the skies turned grey casting a dreary façade on the landscape.  As we were looking out the kitchen window into the back yard, I commented that it looked like winter, pondered for a moment and said “well, if you don’t look at all the flowers and green grass”.

I did a little research and learned that fall blossoming in fruit and other spring flowering trees and shrubs can occur if the tree is stressed during the summer (heat, drought, etc.).  While stressed, a plant may become dormant.  When the weather moderates, if conditions are just right, the tree comes out of dormancy and flowers as if it were springtime. The trees do not usually expend all their blossom buds at this time, so there should be more flowers next spring.  So if you have been scratching your head and wondering why your fruit trees are blooming in November, now you know!

Latent, inactive, sleeping, resting, undeveloped, hidden, and quiescent are all synonyms for the adjective dormant.  So many of us can’t seem to escape from difficult circumstances and stresses in our lives and as a result we slip into dormancy, a place where growth and development are not required.  This can be a dangerous place to be.  If we don't pass through this place, we can become self-absorbed and stagnate and this leads us away from God and our relationships with others.  God didn’t intend for us to be alone, he covets an intimate relationship with us and commands us to make that relationship the number one priority in our life, followed by the command to make our relationship with others number two.  That is why we are here, to love God and others, learn, grow, and form relationships that will break through any hurdles that keep life stagnate.  Finally, it is through our relationships that we can lead others to Christ, who, when our work is done here, will transplant our lives and loves here on earth, to eternal ones in Heaven.

Stress and circumstances are the droughts of life, while relationships are the sustenance of life.  Nurturing significant relationships and relishing the healing that they can bring will carry you out of dormancy and into full bloom…no matter the season.

"For I know the plans I have for you say the Lord, plans for welfare, not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."  - NSV Jeremiah 29:11

Halloween - About Relationships

“A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween.”  ~Erma Bombeck

As it goes for most kids, Halloween was always one of my favorite days of the year.  As a child, the anticipation of hiding behind a mask and going out for “tricks or treats” started building the minute fall blew in and built to a climax on Halloween night as I perused the streets in search of fun and treats.  Then a melancholy feeling replaced excitement as the evening ended.  Funny, it still feels the same way for me but with different activities!  I love decorating for Halloween with fall décor as well as adding a spooky component by strategically placing spiders, mice, and skulls (to name a few things) around the house.  I love to play “pranks” on my loved ones and love having the kids and grandkids over for all the fun.  I trick or treat vicariously through the grandkids now.  I watched in amusement as the kids geared up with excited anticipation and Mom coerced them with threats of “not getting to go” if they didn't eat their dinner.  But finally, exhaustedly, Mom breaks down and agrees to start the face painting and costume donning ritual that pave the way to a final blast-off out the front door.

As a Christian, I have felt convicted about my love for Halloween.  There are a lot of opinions on whether or not Christian’s should take part in this pagan holiday.  History reveals that Halloween actually has roots in the Christian faith.  You can read about it here:  http://www.loc.gov/folklife/halloween.html.  Nonetheless, I do not subscribe to the “evil” side that is so popular, or the gore, or any mean-spiritedness that may be associated with it.  I try to establish a balance that keeps me grounded in my Christian faith but allows me to enjoy the innocent fun of the day.

Halloween straddles fall and winter and brings to the season a mischievous festiveness that really appeals to me.  Just like other holidays, it offers me a time to bond with the people in my life that I love, and provides yet another opportunity to foster the relationships that mean everything to me.  A time to play, laugh, escape, live, and love is how I view Halloween; a very worthwhile occasion in my book.

“These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” – John 15:17

  

Looking for A Miracle

Heaven is blessed with perfect rest but the blessing of earth is toil.  ~Henry van Dyke

My vegetable garden rested this year.  It was covered with a pile of brush, remnants of overgrown trees, and bushes cut away during the summer.  Because the soil was spent last year, I didn’t even try to plant anything in that area, but rather let it rest in hopes fertility might find its way back.

Two of the sweetest boys I know, my son Brandon and his friend Stewart helped me to haul away the old dead brush, dig up weeds and grass, and cover the area with compost and mulch.  The bending, stooping, shoveling, and hoeing really did a number on me!  It is truly hard, hard labor.  My favorite part of gardening is planting seed and baby plants and watching them grow!  I get so excited when the seedlings break ground and peek out at me.  But the bed preparation to get to that point is where the real work lies.  Soil preparation is the most important part of gardening, and the hardest part!  You almost have to have a degree in Horticulture to get it right, at least in the part of Texas I live in! 

Easy Vegetable Gardening (http://www.easy-vegetable-gardening.com/vegetable-garden-soil-preparation.html) describes the 6 vital components of excellent soil preparation:

• remove compaction and avoid walking on the soil
• dig/ cultivate only when it is dry/ moist (never if wet)
• regularly add organic material especially compost to build the number of garden worms that help your vegetable garden soil preparation
• dig/ cultivate only what/when you need to
• keep the good fine soil on the top and the sub-soil at the bottom
• always firm the soil with the back of a rake or fork

Where I live, we have rock and grass, so we have to haul in soil and amendments, dig, pull grass and weeds, dig some more, add manure, add compost, pray, go get a massage, and then hope for the best.  But harvest or no, I benefit from the hard work, the hours spent with my hands in the dirt.  Some of my best therapy and inspiration comes in the garden.  God reveals so many things about life to me during my time there.

As I dig out the invading grass and weeds and turn over the soil, I think about how beautiful it is, fertile or not.  Soil is also known as earth: it is the substance from which our planet takes its name.  The rich, organic smell reminds me of the blessings of working with the earth; it gives but never takes, its beauty is inspiration, it enlightens, it heals, it reveals, and it gives life.

So, I’ll let it rest another 5 months or so, and then I expect some results!  I am hoping for some home-grown goodies this summer.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed and a line open to Heaven for a cooler summer, fertile ground, and lots of rain.  Do you believe in miracles?

"Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.  His faithful love endures forever." Psalm 136:4

August in October

"We are like the wings of angels, bound together with the love of God."  Michael Bristol

A little wind named August blew into our house this last weekend.  She had grand expectations of going to a pumpkin patch as her sister did while staying with us.  Trying to reason with a 5 year old about how each child’s visit would be different and all the “other” things we had planned didn’t work out as I had hoped.  She had her sights set on that pumpkin patch.  If I had felt better (was a little under the weather), I probably would have given in and taken her, but a movie and “other” things were more manageable.  She was none too happy about it, but it is not all bad, as that is how little ones learn to deal with disappointment and life in general, preparing them for bigger and harder life experiences.  I tried to reason with her a bit, and after a few hours grew tired of the debate and told her we would have to have a talk with her mother if she didn’t drop it.  That worked, but in talking with a mentor about it, I realized that I should’ve better acknowledged her feelings of disappointment and sadness.  Then I should have expressed compassion for them before putting the brakes on the conversation.  It is so important that we express our feelings and have someone safe to acknowledge and show compassion for how we feel.

I don’t know if I am just being a proud grandmother, but it seems to me that this child is pretty darn smart.  I watched her craft some pictures with crayons and scissors and take some scrap lace and make angels with it.  She had a big angel and a little angel.  She called the little angel “little girl” and when she remembered she had forgotten “little girl” on the way home, she sternly instructed me where to find her and to put her up so that her sister couldn’t get a hold of her.  Little girl needed the big angel to watch after her.  So I went home and made a surrogate angel to look after her and until August comes back to Grandma’s.  She also created “puchin” (her spelling) pictures that now grace the walls of my cubby at work and paper ghosts that she hung on my potted plants outside.  Too adorable.

I often feel like “little girl”, even though I have many years of life under my belt.  Insecurity, abandonment, lost, fearful, hurt, and overlooked are all feelings that are quite often found peeking around the mask of autonomy I hide behind.  I want to be loved.  I want to belong.  I want acceptance.   But human love is limited.  Our love is conditional, exhaustible, and often disappointing. 

Good news… there is a source available to us that provides for our every need.  That source is God, the creator of all and the author and perfecter of our faith.  God’s love is boundless and unconditional.  We can shed our masks and go to Him with our burdens, as He is a not a dictator who sits on a throne and condemns, he loves and shows mercy and compassion.  He counts every hair on our heads and collects every tear that falls from our eyes.  He is our source of love and provides for all our needs, physical and emotional.  All we have to do is accept Jesus Christ as our savior and believe.  And, because of what Jesus did for me on the cross, I know that when it is all over, when I leave this life and step into the next, He will wrap his arms around me, wipe away all my tears, and welcome little girl home.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

Scarecrow Finds A Home

“We must all make do with the rags of love we find flapping on the scarecrow of humanity.”  
― Angela Carter, Nights at the Circus

‘Tis the season to fashion a scarecrow, and we did so on our outing with our granddaughter, but we aren’t counting on him to actually scare away any birds as we clearly only have him for the fun of it!

Traditionally scarecrows were charged with keeping the crows out of the corn. They were the best kind of laborers, uncomplaining no matter the weather or working conditions.   Today, however, you are more likely to see a scarecrow relaxing on a porch swing or adorning a fall scene in the yard.  Ours is keeping watch by the front door.

Our little dog Hillary is undoubtedly not impressed with the scarecrow, as when he came home with us she showed her displeasure with him from the get go with barking and growling, very uncharacteristic of her normal behavior!  We found it quite amusing.  Maybe she is jealous that he is taking over her job of making sure no one gets in that front door unnoticed!

I suppose after the fall décor comes down and is replaced with Christmas embellishments, scarecrow can take his rightful place in the yard in preparation for his next assignment, watching over the spring garden…a job I highly covet!

The Urban Dictionary describes a scarecrow as “a protector; a legend; In the year 1589, the ancient tribes of Northern Africa spoke of a man that stood in the fields of rice to protect it from predators and evil spirits. It is believed, according to the legend, that the man had no name and no family. He was an orphan of Great Africa, his mother the sky and his father the nature below.  According further to the legend, when the moon was high and bright and the wind was nothing but a "calm breath," the ghosts of past warriors from enemy tribes would come out of their resting places and attack the rice fields. The "Scarecrow Man," as he was later to be known as, would fight them off.”

I don’t know about you, but I have tried everything EXCEPT a scarecrow to keep the birds outs of my garden.  I tried hanging old, shiny CDs from fishing line, brightly colored spinning wheels, putting birdseed in another part of the yard to lure them away, sending Hillary out to chase them off, and actually chasing them off myself!  I think the birds of today must have higher IQs than the ones that scarecrows or even CDs discouraged, as I always find some pecking away amidst all the scare tactics.

What in your life serves as your protector when the birds fly in to steal away your harvests?  Happiness, joy, loving relationships, peace, security…and love, a few things potentially in jeopardy because of the evil one who seeks to deceive and destroy.  God wants to be your protector, a love that surpasses all understanding is available to those who believe and have faith in Him.  Psalm 18:2 says “God is our protector.”  Not only does the Bible say just that, it also says:  God strengthens us and rescues us., 2 Timothy 4:17-18, God protects us from evil., 2 Thessalonians 3:3, God protects us while we are being tempted., 1 Corinthians 10:13, God protects us from our enemies., Psalm 56:9, God protects us from danger., Psalm 91:3-7, God protects us until disaster has passed., Psalm 57:1, God is always protecting us., Psalm 121:3-8, God's protection never leaves., Joshua 1:5, God's protection is reassuring., Isaiah 41:10, God's protection is powerful., John 10:28-30, God's protection is necessary., Psalm 124:1-5.

Nothing scary about that!

An Eternal Summer

There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.  - Celia Thaxter

All I can say is Texans must have cornered the market on grateful hearts this year!  September 23^rd ushered in “Fall” here in Texas along with more 100 plus degree temperatures in the Central Texas area.  Plans to put on a sweater and go to that fun, fall pumpkin patch with Elizabeth, our very first grandchild, didn’t get cancelled, but we abandoned the sweaters for shorts, sunscreen, and hats!  It was sizzling!  Nonetheless, we had a lot of fun. 

We painted pumpkins, stuffed scarecrows, painted our faces, and just about had a heat stroke before retreating back home. 

Harvest festivals are traditionally held on or near the Sunday of the Harvest Moon.  This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox (about Sept. 23).  In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October.  This year it came September 12.      

I thought it might be fun to look up some harvest superstitions.  Here are a few I found:

• Anything a pregnant woman plants will grow well as she is full of life. 
• Fertilizer put on fields by moonlight will not decompose and is useless, however it will sink into the ground.
• A turtle dove's coo on New Year's day indicates a good crop to come.
• If you thank someone who gives you seeds, they won't grow. You should instead thank the seeds.
• Rusty nails or other types of iron placed around a plant will make it grow better.
• Plowing on Sunday will leave you stuck to the plow until Monday.
• If it rains on the day you begin to plow your fields, you will have a good harvest.
• Plowing up a black snake or a turtle shell equates to a good harvest.
• A red moon indicates a storm to come and is bad luck for crops.

Well, the first one is OUT for me, so guess I will take note of the others and maybe, just maybe, my garden will flourish next spring…but with the drought, I won’t be holding my breath.

God promises restoration to what has been taken away from us.  We had very little rain this year and it has resulted in a hot, dry, dangerous environment.  Wild fires burn all around us and have taken many, many homes and even some lives.  But hopefully soon the rains will return, as they always seem to do, and restore what was ravaged and bring healing to the land.  The land will once again grow green grass, trees, and water will be restored to the lakes and rivers.

The same happens with a spiritual drought.  There are times when we feel disconnected from God, from His love, and from His blessings.  We may feel that God has abandoned us and our lives seem "dry" and fruitless.  Our vulnerability during these times open the door for Satan's deception.  He moves in and makes us question all of it.  As a result, our actions during these times can be downright dangerous to the progress of our relationship with Christ and other people.  But God never abandons us.  What Satan uses for harm, God uses for good.  His promise is that he is always with us, no matter the environment, and if we will stand in faith and believe that His purposes for our lives will be revealed in His time, not ours, then will the blessings pour back in and restore what has been taken.

I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.  -Joel 2:25

A Southern Fall

A Southern Fall

By Lisa White - 2004

Fall blows in on southern winds,

Where are the falling leaves of colored blend?

A theory at most, as no evidence will host

Any event that would confirm its arrival.

A forced bulb, the season it senses,

Then opens up under false pretenses.

And as its petals bloom, summer’s ghost still looms

To threaten its very survival.

Shorter days, fallen gardens, and pumpkin jewelry

Convicting evidence that lead all to agree

The charade is over, the season now bolder

Prepares the earth’s spirit for revival.

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile." -William Cullen Bryant

Pumpkin Love

"Oh how we love pumpkin season. You did know this gourd-ish squash has its own season, right? Winter, Spring, Summer, Pumpkin.... We anxiously anticipate it every year."  ~Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer

Pumpkins just make me happy. Every fall when they make their first appearance, my soul is filled with delight.  I simply can’t get enough of them!   I love all colors, shapes, and sizes, and I feel excitement when I see them in patches and on porch steps.   They speak to me of the coming of a cool, crisp change in weather, of the upcoming holiday season, of falling leaves, spiced cider, and gathering with friends and family to feast on the warm, sweet senses of the season.

Pumpkins, whether they be holiday adornment or vital nourishment to our bodies, have all the elements of good health.  Their bright, beautiful colors are telling of the nutritional value they provide for our bodies and can be used in all kinds of skin treatments as well!  I found some really exciting information on Care2 that presents 11 ways to use a pumpkin!  Check it out!

There's an old saying:  To be a successful gardener, grow pumpkins.  With this truth, you only need one thing to produce pumpkins: seeds!  According to Wilkipedia, pumpkins are grown all around the world for a variety of reasons ranging from agricultural purposes (such as animal feed) to commercial and ornamental sales.  Of the seven continents, only Antarctica is unable to produce pumpkins.

Some interesting facts about pumpkins:

• Pumpkins are a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squash and cucumbers.
• Pumpkin flowers are edible.
• The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.
• In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.
• Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.
• The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds.
• The Connecticut field variety is the traditional American pumpkin.
• Pumpkins are 90 percent water.
• Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.
• Native Americans flattened strips of pumpkins, dried them and made mats.
• Native Americans called pumpkins "isqoutm squash."
• Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine.

Go figure, there go the Native Americans being resourceful again!  Amazing people!

Pumpkins really shine on Halloween!  Literally!  Children (as well as those who are young at heart) poke and prod at them carving scary, fun, and even thought provoking faces and messages.

People have been making jack o lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack o lanterns.

Source of the history of Jack O Lanterns: The History Channel - http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/pumpkin.html

The legend of the jack o lantern says that God wouldn't let such an unsavory figure such as Jack into Heaven.  It's a legend, it is fiction, but it brings to my mind God's promise that if you have accepted Christ to lead and transform your life, then nothing, not anything can keep you from the love of God.  He accepts us just as we are; unsavory, broken and downtrodden, addicted, full of sin, and transforms the broken pieces of our lives into a beautiful reflection of Him.  When the light of God's love shines through our broken pieces, it creates a beautiful masterpiece.

Don't you know God must feel about his children as I feel about pumpkins?  When He looks down and lays eyes on us, His soul fills with delight.  He loves us so much; all colors, shapes, and sizes, and feels excitement when we gather to worship.   Our faith in Him reminds Him that soon there will be a new season, a season of fellowship and love for eternity; no more sorrow, pain, or tears, only unending love and communion with friends and family where we will forever feast on the warm, sweet senses of Heaven.

"No power in the sky above or in the earth below--indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:39