One of the Most Difficult Jobs

               Recently, upon hearing of the imminent birth of a former student's baby, I said, "They will find this will be the most challenging undertaking of their lives." As I observed parenting, I have seen parents experience the greatest joys, the most heart-wrenching sorrows, days of delight, and evenings consumed with worry over life-threatening illness because of their precious children.

              Thinking of that conversation caused me to pull from my digital writing files a manuscript inspired when I played for the wedding of one of  Shannon Pease Lockett's sons. I met Shannon when she and George, her brother, enrolled in school at Ralston. Even though their father had died years earlier, as an upper elementary student, I knew they must miss him. Shannon reflected a cheerful attitude even as a new student in our school. I didn't interact with Little George much (It's ironic how wide the age gap is between an upper elementary student and a primary student!) It seemed he usually walked through the hallway with determination as if to convey he would rise above their family's grief and make a difference.

School Photo of Shannon - 
hearkens back to days when
school friends exchanged 
photos.

             

Learning to Parent from Swallows

A friend asked me to play the organ at her son’s summer wedding. One afternoon I stood under her church’s front portico awaiting her arrival so I could practice the church's organ. 

Soon I heard agitated sounds coming from the apex of the portico. I glanced upward to observe elongated nests constructed of mud lining the eaves of the portico. I began watching those swallows. Even though I pressed my body as close to the building as possible, I was still regarded as a threat to the swallows and their young. The adult birds began diving quite close to my head. I braved their onslaught as they tried to remove me from the near proximity of their nests.  Momentarily my friend arrived quickly opening the church’s front entry.

I reflected on the determined swallows. Instantly I began drawing a comparison between parents of children and the aviary parents of those young hatchlings. 

First, the swallows protected tenaciously their young. How frequently I observed parents of young children only half-heartedly attempting to protect their little ones from the evil assaults waged against them! Perhaps even more detrimental to nurturing strong kids are parents  talking superficially of their love, concern, and diligence in rearing their offspring only to see their parental actions belying this fact.

            Repeatedly I hear the attitude echoing “You can’t protect them from everything” so parents stand by as their treasured children spiral into a mire of immorality along with undisciplined behavior devoid of any character training. Those swallows were unyielding in their endeavor to protect their helpless baby birds against a human giant invading the safe territory of the swallow nest. The small creatures were undaunted by the immense battle to safeguard their nests.

Finally, the swallows had the protection and welfare of those fledgling young ones as their top priority. The adult birds unrelentingly waged “war” on me as an unwelcome presence in their habitat. The defense of the helpless ones in the hanging mud nests superseded all other aspects of the birds’ existence.

What can parents of the 21st century learn from frail swallows? Be vigilant in protecting your child from the deluge of evil online predators and the bombardment of shallow commercialism seeking to strip your child of time-honored values. Model for your child a life free of conformity to and influence by social media. Commit to the long haul of parenting.  Do not become weary. Accept your responsibility as a parent, realizing if your poor choices lead to failure at that God-given task, all other successes in life pale, leaving you with heartache that time can seldom heal.

Watch the fragile swallow and take away lessons to empower you as a parent. Then you will rear children with character able to soar above a society of wickedness, stress, and compromise. The hard work of the present will reap abundant rewards in the future.

           

Galatians 6:9 “So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.”

Just Some Snake Stories

Mother and I are so blessed to have some wonderful, young women as friends. A week or so ago, two of them saw what they believed to be a rattlesnake in front of our farmhouse. These thoughtful women turned around hoping to run over the snake, all the while thinking of the welfare of my mother and me. I graciously thanked one of them as she related the snake story and said, "We didn’t kill the snake, but at least it was crawling away from your house.” 
Once again I see why Mother says she wouldn't live anywhere other than the Bend. (Side note - These young women are relatively new Benders but we already love them. They carry on the tradition of women in the Bend being stellar examples of caring about their neighbors.)

The Back Story - April of 2014
           One of the best ways to explain about Tailer and Bob, the cats mentioned in the following account, seems to be through a link. A blog posting written four years ago provides the back story. https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-orphan-kittens-almost-90-days-old.html

Tailer and the Rattlesnake – Written in September 2014
           One late summer afternoon when Bob and Tailer were about five months old, I headed out the back door on my way to check the cattle’s water in the livestock tank located about a quarter of a mile from my parents’ farmhouse. Bob and Tailer always had to be “sequestered” on the enclosed back porch when I left the yard since they insisted on accompanying me anywhere I went. Usually, I could call their names a couple of times as I exited the back door, and they bounded up the steps into the enclosed porch. Not this time.

Tailer in an unusually calm pose.

          Tailer was focused on something near the pushed back garage door. The other farm cats were standing back observing Tailer. He was not to be distracted. I could hear what I thought must have been a loud cricket. As I got closer to Tailer, the sound became louder and I saw the markings. With a start, I leaped back quickly toward the house, realizing Tailer was within striking distance of a coiled rattlesnake. 
          My heart began to pound. Tailer was in danger, but I knew he was such a curious kitten. Tailer would never back away from the poisonous reptile. My head began to reel. Where was Bob? The two kittens stuck together most of the time. How could I protect both of them?
         As I breathed a quick prayer, I recalled my garden hoe was on the back porch. I needed to let my ninety-year-old mother know I was doing more than turning off the water at the filled livestock tank. Upon hearing “rattlesnake,” she insisted on going outside. By this time, Bob was ready to intervene in this noisy animal’s activity. Mother grabbed Bob using the “bad kitty carry” and transported him to safety on the porch.
         Sensibly, Tailer was keeping an eye on the serpent as well as keeping a safe distance. As I breathed a prayer for accuracy and strength, I struck a blow with the hoe at the snake’s head. Eventually, the dull hoe rendered the snake harmless for the young kittens wandering around the back yard.

         Tailer had sounded the warning on the poisonous snake. No person or other animal was injured because we adhered the warning of the orphaned, ginger kitten. How invaluable was the cat that some had scoffed at us for saving and repeatedly told us that he and his litter mates were expendable since we had so much to do with Dad’s care and the day-to-day farm chores! I shuddered to think if I had stepped on the poisonous rattler at dusk. How thankful I am that Tailer, the orange cat with the long tail, saved the day on the farm and earned a place in our hearts.

         So many people today do not see Satan for who he is. John was inspired to use an animal analogy to describe Satan, the enemy of God and people in Revelation 12:9 …that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, who deceiveth the whole world.

         How many times do we receive warnings against Satan much the same way Tailer warned me of the rattlesnake? Do we heed the warnings?

Final Note
          Mother was chagrined at me for not photographing the rattlesnake that Tailer “hunted.” She was so disappointed the next morning when there was not enough of the dead snake left for an impressive photo.
          I am posting a photograph of Dad with one of the rattlesnakes he killed. Mother reminded me a cat alerted Dad to the rattlesnake in the photo below.
         Dad noticed a cat acting oddly in the front yard near the entry gates. As he got close enough for inspection, he heard the rattle and saw the characteristic markings.                  

Dad killed this rattlesnake in 1990.

            Mother insists the snake Tailer located was longer than the one Dad holds in the photo. I can't debate her. Let's just conclude cats are good for more than rodent control.

Three Stakes and a Tomato Plant

The Bolstered Tomato Plant

                This summer was the third year of planting tomatoes in the once ornamental flower beds on each side of the cellar door. In my maternal grandmother’s time, the beds bloomed profusely with pinkish hues of petunias and a border of resurrection lilies. Day lilies and tall phlox stood stately in the back of the carefully designed beds. I love beauty, but my leaning toward functionality and efficiency demanded tomato plants be planted there since I have been responsible for the gardening for the past three years. The large garden traditional to our farm hasn't been planted since the spring my sister and brother-in-law engineered “putting in the garden” as Dad supervised, less than a year before his stroke.

                2018 did see an additional area added. I planted three of the twelve Celebrity tomato plants I purchased at the Fairfax Feed Store in the bed east of the screened-in back porch. What a delight these three plants have been!

                When I planted the healthy, little Celebrity tomato plants in that east bed, I had no idea how prolific they would be, especially one of them. During the first half of each day, the east sun beamed down on the trio of fledgling plants for the precise amount of time – not too much or too little. The back porch protected them from the blistering afternoon sun so the thriving tomato triplets utilized the water effectively.

Thriving, but an out-of-control plant

                 Overnight, it seemed, the tomato plant in the southernmost part of the east bed grew so prolifically, as Dad would say “it outgrew itself." The productive plant was loaded with tiny, yellow blooms. I headed to the little green house shed where I stored the electric fence posts. They made perfect stakes for tomatoes last year.

                This flourishing plant required unique support. It had sprung up so profusely it demanded not one stake nor two, but its size necessitated three electric fence posts be re-purposed as stakes.

Three makeshift stakes.

                 The three bolstering stakes revolutionized the look of the plant, lifting the fruit of the Celebrity star of the 2018 summer. As the summer progressed, the little tomato plant on the southeast corner of the back porch bed produced delicious, homegrown tomatoes. There's hardly any food better.

                Recently, as I picked the ripe tomatoes, I thought of a bolstering incident in the Bible. In Exodus 17, God led Moses into battle with the Amalekites, an ancient terrorist-type group who had attacked the Israelites as they moved through the wilderness when exiting Egypt. God demanded justice for the ruthless Amalekites attacking all the stragglers…tired and weary; and did not fear God. (Deuteronomy 25:18) As the battle raged on, the people of God were victorious as Moses kept his hands raised. When the hands of Moses fell limp to his side, the Amalekites “prevailed.” Aaron, the brother of Moses, and Hur stepped to each side of Moses and lifted each of his hands. The scripture states, “…his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” The Israeli army led by Joshua defeated the brutal Amalekite army.

                What a vivid picture of the need to bolster others, in this case, the leader! Leaders in our government at all levels need to be supported through prayer. Scripture clearly teaches a command to pray for those “in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. (I Timothy 2:2)

                Just prior to the exhortation to pray for leaders, Paul reminded Timothy to pray and make intercession for all people. As Aaron and Hur lifted up Moses’s hands, we must bolster those around us with our prayers for them. Our words of encouragement provide strength along with our willingness to support through our physical assistance as God directs in those lives that cross our paths.

                The thriving tomato plant became even more productive because of the three stakes I strategically placed around the plant. May we look for those we can support, anticipating the day we can rejoice and thank the Lord for the success we see in those lives we bolstered. 

Thriving  - with Support