Porch Prayers

 

Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels.com

There were seven of us sitting almost six feet apart on our porch. One of the seven was Don Cole, Republican candidate for representative to U. S. Congress in the November election. With him were Don’s assistant Wiley Kimbrough and Jeff Jolley, Chairman of Grady County’s Republicans. Don had asked to meet with as many small groups as possible that day prior to the 6:00 grand opening of the Grady County Republican headquarters in downtown Cairo.

Don had requested we meet in small groups, not just so we could ask him questions but that we would pray for him. So after we’d had time to get acquainted and talk some about the issues tearing our country apart, that is exactly what we did. We stood in a spaced-out circle and prayed.

Our prayers ranged from asking the Lord’s blessing on this passionate good-hearted man, to pleading for restoration of our country, to thanking Him for freedom to vote and to meet like this on a porch to pray.

That night Don was the featured speaker at the Open House for the Republican Party. A number of folks had worked hard to make this newly acquired rental storefront a pleasing and functional place. It was clean and bright and decorated in the spirit of patriotism, flags, bunting, and all.

There were around fifty of us who listened in rapt attention to Don’s reasons for running and what he stands for. He briefly told about his life till now, an interesting mix of military service, ministerial service, and diplomatic service. The job he resigned in order to run for representative was as a speechwriter for Sonny Purdue, now U.S. Agricultural Commissioner, formerly Governor of Georgia. He related how he felt a compelling urge to take on this campaign, that God would not release him from following this path.

I can’t list all Don’s concerns he hopes to be able to address in Washington. But here are a few. He wants to give his constituents a voice again in the House. “Right now you don’t have a voice,” he declared, “and that needs to change.” He particularly feels the black community has been cheated and wants to give them much better representation. He is extremely concerned, for instance, that the black community has been targeted by the contenders for abortion. There are those with radical ideas becoming stronger all the time who truly want to wipe out a large portion of our population. And a final reason for running that rings in my head is his desire to stand up for the rights of everyone to worship in freedom, to be a strong voice for upholding the constitution.

My father was  a pioneer of conservatism in Georgia when few near us agreed. He literally preached to us about the need for government to protect us but not meddle in our private business. That’s partly why he and Mamma taught all their ten children at home. I guess I thought I’d heard enough about politics in my growing up years to last the rest of my life. Then I married a man who is just as adamant for standing up for our freedoms. I’m sorry those two, my husband and my father, couldn’t have met. As presidents and congressman have come and gone, we both now see a very sobering trend towards the government’s removing the freedom of the people. It has been amazing to see what President Trump has accomplished even while under siege the whole time. But now troubled times such as we’ve never known are plaguing our nation and so many of our politicians seem more interested in beating Donald Trump than in saving our country. I tremble for the future of our children and grandchildren.

Every election has been important. But this one is more important than any yet. Don Cole emphasizes that we all need to vote and that we need to vote our convictions. Our vote is ours, he says. But he asks humbly that we send “D.C. to D.C.”

My husband, Charles, wrote the following resolution which our church, First Baptist Cairo, is adopting. He says the Lord pressed him to write it one sleepless night. He is happy for anyone to use it in their churches as they see fit.

Be it resolved that we, the congregation of ___________________ (or any organization), in view of the turmoil and troubled times that are engulfing the United States of America and the world, urge the following:

As election time is November 3, 2020, we urge our members to make preparation for participating in this election by studying the issues and candidates thoroughly. We should note their achievements and policies rather than their personalities. Our guiding principle should be a biblical worldview with Christian goals and outcomes.

This is a very critical election as it seems to be a dividing point in what our country becomes and how it functions. Issues of both sides of the perspective are more in contrast than ever before. It is imperative that Christians take a strong stand by studying the issues, the candidates and what they stand for, and giving support to ones who most nearly meet our biblical perspective. This could be done by supporting the best candidates by monetary means, by use of energy and time, and with much prayer.

May God be honored by our action and may God bless the United States of America!

We were thankful we were able to host a small praying group on our porch that day and thankful for each who came. Blessings on Don Cole as he seeks that ominously responsible job in Washington. “D.C. to D.C.”

 

 

 

 

 

Robert the Ghost

Robert is not your normal ghost. A normal ghost scares the willies out of you, is a filmy wraith on a moonlit night, makes steps creak on a vacant stairway, and breathes on your face while you sleep. Robert has never really frightened anyone. He seems to be a mischievous ghost delighting in making people scratch their heads and wonder what happened. Robert makes things disappear. He has, even, on one or two occasions made items show up in very odd places.

My sister, Suzanne, her husband Bill and their four children, son Oaky, twin daughters Fairlight and Rebecca, and youngest son Neil have all been nonplussed by the antics of Robert the Ghost. When Suzanne and Bill first got married they lived in a cozy little cabin up the hollow from their present large log house. During the time they lived in the cabin by the stream and until the birth of the twins there were no strange disappearances. When they moved to their new log house, however, they began experiencing some very puzzling situations, not every day, just on occasion.

The first thing that happened was the disappearance of a watermelon that was cooling in the enclosed spring. There were no signs of juicy watermelon hunks or shreds of peeling when Bill went to get it. He stood looking at the undisturbed water, then looking around under the trees, behind rocks, but there was nothing. The family decided that surely the cow must have eaten the watermelon, though it seemed impossible. It was after the cookie dough disappearance that they began to think they must have a ghost. After research, they concluded that the ghost had to be Robert.

Robert lived in the house on Gobbler’s Knob where Bill later grew up. The story is that as a young man he was diagnosed with an incurable condition and the family knew he wouldn’t live to be very old. When Robert was nineteen he went out to go for a bike ride and simply fell over dead beside his bike. Could he be the culprit who flits about amongst the trees and by the streams and even in that new house down the cove? Is he the one who just takes a notion every now and then to do something funny?

Oaky was four years old and the twins were two when the cookie dough disappeared. All settled into their new house, Suzanne one day was preparing a special dinner in their open kitchen/living area. Bill sat in his chair entertaining the children as Suzanne cooked. She made some cookie dough, covered it in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator. When the biscuits were almost done, Suzanne went to the refrigerator to get the cookie dough. The bowl was strangely light as she picked it up. In this case, the bowl didn’t disappear, just every smidgen of cookie dough from the inside. All that was left were spoon scrapings. No one else was in the house, the small children were with Bill the whole time. Suzanne was left with a cookie sheet ready for baking but no dough.

The family was at dinner one afternoon, sunshine still lighting the valley below. All at once water poured out of the ceiling making a distinct puddle in the middle of the table. The children thought it was funny; Suzanne was bound to skin whatever cat had broken the rules. She tore up the stairs only to find nothing, no sign of water, no cats. In fact, the cats were accounted for outdoors. There are no plumbing connections above the table.

On another occasion Suzanne was looking forward to preparing bacon for her family, a special treat. The children were still asleep and Bill was in his chair having just stoked the fire in the wood cookstove. Suzanne set the unopened package of bacon beside the sink and turned to grab her favorite iron skillet. When she turned back around the bacon in its package was gone. Did she just think she pulled it out of the refrigerator? But the bacon wasn’t in the refrigerator. It wasn’t anywhere. There were no signs at all of bits and pieces of bacon or of the wrapper, not in the kitchen, not anywhere.

The next instance is one the family can’t even talk about without becoming amused. Suzanne went on a casual walk up through their woods about 11:00 one morning. Morning work was over and lunch was simmering. She wanted to see if a certain wildflower, a lady slipper or a trillium, were in bloom yet. She was passing the garbage barrel when something caught her eye. There, propped invitingly against the barrel, was a hefty unopened package of sausage and biscuits. She picked it up and examined it. It was dated the day before. Everyone has tried to explain how those biscuits got there but no one’s theory has stuck. Did Suzanne use the biscuits? They smelled so good. But, after all, they were there beside the garbage so after showing them to all the curious family members, she gave them to the pig.

Bill and Suzanne have a milk cow. The poor cow has been blamed several times, as have the dogs and the children, for strange disappearances. But in every instance the possibility of any of them being the culprit is totally as unbelievable as that Robert the Ghost strikes again. Remember that watermelon I mentioned floating in an enclosed spring? They blamed the cow until much later when, considering how in the world a cow would get hold of a watermelon floating free and then eat it without leaving one pink bite of evidence is bizarre. And what about the time Bill set an empty glass half gallon milk jug in a tub of water to soak? The milk had soured too badly for Suzanne to use it in her churning and so Bill had taken it to give the pig, then set the jar to soak while he milked the cow. The jug was gone when he came back. What animal, cow or dog or racoon could have grabbed that milk jug in its mouth? As to the children, they were all accounted for.

For the most part, Robert only strikes on Bill and Suzanne’s place, Timbrook. But he has been known to follow them elsewhere. Rebecca and her husband lived in St. Mary’s for a spell and there, too, unexplainable disappearances began to occur. During that period of time, there were no strange happenings at Timbrook.

Maybe you don’t believe in ghosts. I’m not saying I do. But there are some mighty quirky things that happen. When we see Bill and Suzanne, especially at their place, one of the catch-up questions we ask is what has Robert done lately? It’s a good thing he’s just mischievous and funny. And he’s even helpful sometimes. Suzanne was hoeing corn one morning with no one to help her. Usually, if two are hoeing, one starts at each end of a row and the two meet in the middle. That morning she was hoeing along, knowing she’d have the whole row to herself, when suddenly she came upon very fresh hoeing, nicely done all the way to the other end and there were no tracks. I can just picture her there staring down the row, leaning over to check the soil, then taking a deep breath and scratching her head.

Robert the Ghost strikes again! You can almost hear him laughing up the hill somewhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cats–Contented, Cruel, Compassionate

 

Sassy and Cramer meditating

There’s something about just seeing cats in utter contentment that pulls one back from the hectic trauma of the world situation. We are inundated with alarming news of riots, mob violence, of senseless attempts to wipe out our nation’s history. As responsible citizens we can’t just ignore the news. Every one of us needs to watch for opportunities to take a stand for our highly threatened freedoms. But it is such a relief to take a deep breath sometimes and simply enjoy pure contentment personified by our gentle cats.

It’s not that our gentle cats have no worries. They have to make the hard decisions like what is the most favorite place to curl into, like who grabs it first and whether or not it’s worth a skirmish. Or there’s the decision whether to drink at the bird bath, their own water dish, or even from the tiny rain puddle in a curled magnolia leaf. They have to be on the alert at all times that humans in their big machines don’t run over them when they’re taking a sunny snooze in their very own property, that nice asphalt driveway built just for them. They even have to worry about that fellow feline’s bite in the night that’s beginning to abscess. Will the veterinarian take them to the nice animal clinic so they can catch up on the gossip, or will he just take care of it on the back of his truck? They have to decide when to ignore and when to follow their instinct to chase down a skittering lizard or to snag a bird that flies a split second too close.

Last week two of my grandchildren came dashing in the house with the terrible news that Sassy had injured a baby bird and left it lying beside the garbage cart. “He’s having trouble breathing,” reported Charli. When I arrived at the “crime” scene the fledgling cardinal was not having trouble breathing. He wasn’t breathing at all. We decided all we could do was bury him. Charli wrapped the body in a paper towel and I picked up a grave digger, a trusty trowel, before we all three trooped to a nice secluded spot near a nandina bush. There we had to decide how deep the grave should be and then place the baby in the hole. As Kaison covered him up we talked about that God cares about every sparrow (or cardinal) that falls, and cares so much more for His children. We sang “Jesus Loves Me.” The children stuck a twig in the ground marking the grave. On the way back to the house Kaison admitted he had already given Sassy a spanking. That brought up a frank discussion of the food chain and the fact that Sassy has a built-in urge to hunt for her dinner even though now, in the lap of luxury, she doesn’t need to. In other words, we decided the criminal should be pardoned.

Cats are independent, non-submissive, and seemingly cruel, playing with their prey before killing it or leaving it to die. But they are not nearly all without compassion. Have you ever snuggled a cat when you were sad and been comforted by its purr? Have you slept with a cat warming your feet? Have you had a nice conversation with a cat lately? Or stroked one’s fur from ears to expressive curling tail?

Our friend, Juanita, and her daughter, Angela, who lives next door to her, call themselves cat rescuers. They don’t go out looking for them but just take them in when they arrive thin and fearful. Some are feral cats who become amazingly tame under their tender care, some come as kittens, others as mature castaways. “They seem to know we’ll have food and water and a kind word for them,” says Juanita.

Juanita’s husband, Billy, never “took to the cats.” He tolerated them for his wife’s and daughter’s sakes, but didn’t care to have one in his lap, certainly not on his bed, took no pains to befriend them. Until Carl came along. For some reason he bonded with Carl. The cat jumped boldly into his lap and welcomed a good stroking. In fact, Carl really preferred Billy over anyone else.

When we visited Juanita just after Billy died, she told us this touching story. Billy had been hospitalized for many weeks but finally was home with hospice care. Carl took up residence beside his bed. He knew his boundaries and was careful not to get in Billy’s face, just stayed close as hours crept by. As Billy was drawing his last breaths, though, Carl jumped up on the bed and nuzzled Billy’s neck. He was right there as Billy went to heaven. The minute Billy drew his last breath, Carl leapt off the bed and went under a chair where he stayed for a long time, mourning his friend. The hospice attendant commented that she believed Carl had caught a glimpse of heaven, he was so close to Billy as he left.

There is a little bit more to that last story. Angela decided she might be able to wear a pair of her Daddy’s jeans. As she was trying them on Carl, who hadn’t been paying her any mind, came over and started sniffing and rubbing on her legs. “I know he must wonder what happened to the man who belonged in these jeans,” she said.

Carl, the compassionate cat, has also taken on a certain responsibility. He seems now to consider himself the “ruler” of the cats, inspecting and giving an okay or a growl to any who enter the house. Last night Juanita said he was playing with a kitten in the kitchen “as if he remembered being young like that and wanted to give a nudge of encouragement to the little thing.”

There are many facets to the character of cats, aside from contentment, cruelty and compassion. What is your cat story?

Carl, a compassionate cat

Mozart’s Sister

There are times when one reads the last words of a book and knows he has to tell someone about it. That’s how I felt when I finished reading Mozart’s Sister by Nancy Moser (Bethany House, 2006). I realized as never before the sacrifices made, not only by a composer, but by a whole family in order for the music that stirs our souls to be available to us two hundred plus years later.

In the prelude of the book I found Baroness Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart Berchtold wandering through a cemetery on a cold rainy morning in Vienna, Austria. She was looking for the grave of her famous brother whom she had not seen for many years, though they had been so close as children. She had just heard of his death. Talking to the cemetery caretaker, she learned that, due to a law issued by the emperor, people were buried in common graves with no markings unless they were nobility. “We been ordered to dig ’em up after seven years to make room for more,” the unfeeling caretaker told her.

Nancy Moser was first drawn to this story while visiting the Mozart family home in Salzburg. The guide relayed to that tired tourist’s mind and heart how “Nannerl,” the family’s nickname for Mozart’s older sister, had as much talent as he did, had huge dreams just as he did, but he was the favored one and she was forced to fade into the background. The Mozarts, all except Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791) himself, loved to write letters and even he wrote dutifully from time to time. So Nancy had a treasure trove of, not just facts, but feelings, dashed hopes, heartache, illnesses and deaths. The author has skillfully added fictional accounts to fill in where the letters left blanks.

Wolfie, as his family called him, was a child prodigy as was his sister. Their father was Vice Kappelmeister in Salzburg, Austria, which meant he was director of an orchestra for Archbishop Schrattenbach. This was a place of great honor but also a highly political position. His position was threatened every time he took his children on tour, which was sometimes for months and even years as he was obsessed with introducing his son to important audiences. The children were ages six and eleven when they started their first tour. Nannerl, known affectionately by her brother as Horseface, tells of the thrill of playing for kings and queens, but also the disappointment as again and again her Papa brags on her little brother, hardly mentioning her brilliant accompaniment on the clavier. Mama is the one who kindly and gently reminds Nannerl from time to time that things are different for women, that she can’t expect to go very far with her music but must take up her supportive role.

After playing with Wolfie his Sonata in G minor for the king and queen of England in the Buckingham House when they were much older, Nannerl described the experience: Then suddenly my hands were still. The combined notes of violin and clavier hung a moment as if wistful at leaving the here and now, unwilling to travel to that place of waiting in the future where they might be set free once more…I opened my eyes, and for an instant was surprised to see we were not alone. I put a hand to my cheek and found tears there…We were a trio: Wolfie, me, and the music.

This loyal sister who loved her brother passionately also struggled with covetousness. However, over and again she helped Wolfie through times of illness and despair, even helped him at times composing music, tirelessly making copies and then playing with him. In her mid-twenties she began to realize she would never be the musician she’d dreamed of. While Wolfie traveled without her she began giving music lessons, keeping the Mozart home, and wondering what else God might have in store for her. If it was to marry, then where was a suitor for her, a spinster of no great beauty?

This is Nannerl’s story, not Wolfgang’s, though he and the Mozart family are so much a part of it. It is not a history book, as author Nancy declares herself. It is a story of feelings, disappointments, and victories. At the end of her life Nannerl’s thoughts, as stated by the author, give a clear picture of this woman’s victories:

I had not become famous like my brother. No, I had not pursued my music as much as I would have liked. And no, I had not married the love of my life. Yet by marrying as I did, I had changed five children’s lives for the better. If I accomplished nothing more than that, I could be proud. How comforting to realize God knows what He’s doing.

Mozart’s music has always “sung” to me. Music from “Marriage of Figaro” and “The Magic Flute” are favorites. Now, as I listen, I have a new appreciation for the sacrifices and struggles that went into the composing of these pieces. There were the sacrifices of a father who poured his whole energy into pushing his boy forward, of a mother who died far from home on one of Wolfie’s tours, and also the sacrifices of a sister who adored him in spite of his unkindness.

 

The Fiftieth Fourth

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

The story of our second and third presidents dying on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence has intrigued me for years. In case you haven’t pondered it lately, let me remind you of that account. I have to wonder what these and others who risked everything to earn our freedom would think about what is happening right now in their beloved United States of America.

David McCullough in his scholarly and thoroughly interesting book John Adams describes the relationship between these two Founding Fathers. McCullough used letters from Adams and to Adams as well as letter and diary entries from Abigail Adams, John Quincy Adams, and others to glean the details of their lives.

John Adams, second president, was known by many as the “voice” for pushing the long and sometimes heated discussions that led to the writing of that marvelous document. Jefferson, third president, was known as the “pen” being responsible for the actual writing of the Declaration with the other four on the committee giving strong input. Through those terrible times leading up to the Revolution they were friends, not agreeing by any means on everything but working together and enjoying each other. You might say they were like the proverbial “iron sharpening iron” as they forged through danger and conflict molding a nation.

The two men had grown up in vastly different surroundings. Adams’ family owned a farm in Quincy, Massachusetts where he grew up working the land and never lost his love for it. He became a lawyer, was a respected leader in his community, but always lived simply. On his frequent trips to Washington, he rode his horse, often alone.

Jefferson’s father was a plantation owner in Virginia. Jefferson naturally inherited the plantation, the slaves, and the lifestyle of a southern aristocrat. He, being an architect as well as lawyer, built himself a mansion and named it Monticello.

Both men were scholars, each acquiring in their lifetime a huge library. Jefferson is quoted as saying he could not live without books. Adams read constantly even during his last years when he was becoming blind. Jefferson had more than six thousand volumes in his library and Adams more than three thousand. Both were dedicated to serving their fellow man. Neither would sit by and let injustice rule.

It was at the end of Washington’s two terms as president that John Adams became the nominee and Jefferson ran against him. Adams was a federalist pushing for more centralized government whereas Jefferson was striving for far more government by representation of the people. Adams won by a narrow margin and Jefferson became his vice president. As Adams began to campaign for his second term Jefferson turned on him. It was the first and last time in history that a vice president has run against a president. The smears and lies that Jefferson circulated pained Adams to the core, as well as his dear first lady, Abigail, who often had hosted Jefferson in their home. One would presume they could never be friends again after all the hate Jefferson slung towards Adams in his fervor to win the presidency.

But in their later years these two past presidents became close friends again, corresponding regularly. Adams wrote more than Jefferson, almost twice as many letters during their last year. It was a happy correspondence, each dwelling on things he knew the other would understand. They generally avoided subjects that would raise conflict. It was time to enjoy their friendship.

Asked on one occasion how he, Adams, could be on such good terms with Jefferson after the abuse he had suffered, Adams answered that he didn’t believe Jefferson ever hated him, just his whole administration. Jefferson wished to be President of the United States and Adams stood in his way. Adams is quoted as saying, “I forgive all my enemies and hope they may find mercy in Heaven.”

Jefferson sent warm congratulations to his old friend on the occasion of his son, John Quincy, being elected president in 1825: “It must excite ineffable feelings in the breast of a father to have lived to see a son…so eminently distinguished by the voice of his country.”

The year of 1826 was to be a big one with wonderful celebrations. Ninety-year-old Adams, eighty-three-year-old Jefferson and eighty-eight-year-old Charles Carroll, the third living Declaration signer, were invited to a variety of commemorable celebrations. Though Adams and Jefferson in their years as negotiators and diplomats had both traveled to France, England, and the Netherlands, now they were too feeble to plan on being in Washington, Philadelphia, Boston, or New York for the Fourth. But they each voiced to those around them that they would live to see the Fourth.

Dr. Holbrook, Adams’ doctor, was with him early on Tuesday, July 4 as was the Reverend George Whitney. Cannons were already booming in the distance. It was obvious that the old president could not last much longer. Adams woke and on being told it was the Fourth, he answered in a clear voice, “It is a great day. It is a good day.”

“At Monticello,” David McCullough writes, “Thomas Jefferson had been unconscious since the night of July 2…At about seven o’clock the evening of July 3, Jefferson awakened and uttered a declaration, ‘This is the Fourth’ or ‘This is the Fourth of July.’ Told it would be soon, he slept again.” Jefferson died at approximately 1:00 the afternoon of July 4. Bells in Charlottesville were ringing in the distance celebrating the Fourth.

At Quincy, Adams lay peacefully resting as cannons grew louder. A loud thunderstorm showed off the “artillery of Heaven” as some would describe it. Adams stirred and whispered, “Thomas Jefferson survives.” He died at about six-twenty in the evening of the Fourth, unaware that Jefferson was already gone.

Two great statesmen, flawed men used by God to build a nation where everyone could worship freely, two strong leaders who deserve our honor and respect–both died on the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

As you hear fireworks in the distance, or even see them light the sky, and as you furl your flag, say a prayer of thanksgiving for these presidents of the past. And pray for our current president, Donald Trump who also, though flawed, I believe, is the man God chose “for just such a time as this.”