It was early spring of 1976, the year after my first husband and I married, that we moved to Cozad, Nebraska  – a farming community bordering  I-80.  We made the move based on job opportunities and knew no one in this small town or even nearby. The director of nursing that hired me at the twenty bed hospital also had a small home to rent on the northern most street in town. We took it.

This white home with red trim that became ours for a time sat on a long street of mostly moderate, ranch style homes. Our landlady informed us that her/our house was sandwiched between a teacher’s  home – the blue one on the left and a banker’s home – the tan one to the right. I looked up and down the street the day she showed us the house and thought – this is a real neighborhood with backyards, garden spots, patios, and children – unlike the apartment complex in the college town that we had just left. I looked forward to settling in and becoming a spoke of the neighborhood wheel.

Over the next couple of months, we met many of the neighbors. The folks in the blue house invited us over for coffee and rolls the Saturday after we moved in. The large family across the street, in the only two story house on the block, invited us to come to church with them.  A coworker that I had met at work lived just a half block down on the other side of the street. The tan house next to us, however, seemed exceptionally quiet. We had caught a glimpse of a suited man leaving for work in the mornings and a young boy heading off to school. I wondered if this was a single dad raising his son or if it was a family that just preferred to stay to themselves.

It was now May and I was spending more time outdoors. One warm and sunny evening as I unpinned the sheets from the clothesline,  I glanced over the fence to the tan house. It struck me as absurd that our houses were but a few yards apart and I still had not met Mrs. Tan. Granted – we did not know everyone in our apartment building either, but this was small town America! My husband by this time had met Mr. Tan over the backyard fence and we now knew a wife did exist.

Mid morning, the following day,  I arranged an enticing plate of warm, chocolate chip cookies and headed next door.  I rang the doorbell and waited…and waited. I was sure I had heard it chime, but just in case…I thought to knock loudly  before aborting the mission. I waited again, but soon decided it was time to go. Probably just as well, I thought, as my shy tendencies kicked in. She obviously did not want to be bothered. Just as I turned to descend the steps I heard the doorknob turn.

“May I help you?” A woman, I guessed to be in her early thirties with short reddish brown hair and a big smile, stood looking at me.

Any anxiety that had built up on the step, immediately dissipated. “I’m your new neighbor,” I said nodding towards our house next door. “My name’s DeLila.  I brought over some cookies for you and your family,” I continued, holding out the plate.

Elaine introduced herself as she invited me  in. She seemed genuinely glad that I had come. She apologized for not having been over and she laughed at the irony of me bringing her cookies instead of vice versa. I was even more baffled why someone with such an outgoing personality wouldn’t have come by.  And then I “saw” the answer. Propped up with pillows on each side of her, the child still leaned heavily to one side in the chair.  Although a beautiful child; her coarse facial features, skeletal abnormalities, and general appearance made me aware that this was a special needs child in need of constant one on one care.

After this initial meeting, we were invited into their home often. In the summer it was a weekly event to pool our leftovers and meet on their patio for Saturday evening dinner.

Elaine became more than just a friend to me – she became a mentor. When I didn’t know what to do with the surplus of tomatoes we grew, she taught me to can in exchange for a few jars of tomatoes. When I didn’t have a clue how to keep the checkbook and overdrew our account, she invested hours to help me find the mistake. She then gave me step-by-step instructions how to do it properly. When our two boys came along, Mr. and Mrs. Tan became Auntie Elaine and Uncle Leland.

I knew I was going to miss Elaine when we moved to Wyoming.  She had taken me under her wing and grew me – always with compassion and a delightful disposition. We bravely said our goodbyes and promised to write often, call some ( long distance still cost money), and most importantly – vowed we wouldn’t let this be the last time we saw each other.

My…my….so many broken promises in this lifetime. We never intended it to be this way, but we moved, and then they moved. Our paths just never crossed again. Eventually, even the Christmas letters stopped as we became more disconnected and went on with our busy lives.

How fortunate we are that God’s promises (covenants) stand firm and true – never to be broken.  Remember the promise He made to Noah after the flood?  He promised to never again destroy the earth with a flood and then He set the rainbow in the clouds to be a sign of that covenant. (Genesis 9:11-13). When I see a rainbow it never fails to remind me of this promise. And isn’t it interesting? Astronauts seeing rainbows from space – assure us that they form a complete circle – unbroken and unending.

The broken promises that Elaine and I made to each other as we hugged goodbye was 35 years ago. As I was preparing this blog, I couldn’t help but check Facebook once again. This time I found her! The friend request has been sent and I’m waiting, hoping to mend that broken promise.

Until next month – keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.

(If you enjoy this style of writing, visit my “Book Page” on this same site and see how to purchase one of my Christian Fiction books, Bound by Secrecy and the sequel Bound by Three Strands.)

 

I took it for granted as a child. But now,  I understand how fortunate I was to have grown up in rural America – first on a farm with a creek and then on a ranch with a creek. Each one of these ambling streams had big names – the first being the Elkhorn River and the second being the Calamus River. To be quite honest, where our properties were located, both of them were little more than a creek. That was okay with me – all that much sooner that my folks would allow me to explore the banks by myself. It was a grand day when they felt I was old enough to high-tail it to the creek without supervision! And the best part about these two creeks, were that they were still large enough to have some monstrous fish – well…they seemed monstrous looking through my child lenses.

My first experiences with fishing were on the banks of that Elkhorn River in northeast  Nebraska. Topographically, it lay on the  western edge of our property, running south where it would join up with the Platte River near Omaha.  Grandpa Harley would often show up in his old gray Ford sedan with a fishing rod, a well used tackle box, and a Butternut coffee can full of worms. There wasn’t anything I would rather do than accompany Grandpa through the thistle patch – my cane pole perched over my shoulder while my other hand carried my very own tackle box with a few necessary items – not the least being a small bottle of Merthiolate. Some time within each fishing experience with Grandpa, when he would tire of my constant chatter, he would lean close to me and whisper, “Okay, we need to be quiet so we don’t scare the fish away.” Somehow, we always seemed to return to the house with fish on the stringer.

The summer before I was to start sixth grade Dad and Mom traded the farm for a ranch in north central Nebraska. This time it was the Calamus River that threaded it’s way through the clover and grassy meadows of our new property.  It took me no time at all to pick out a favorite fishing hole. At that time, there were only two species in the Calamus – carp and northern pike. I never did catch a pike, but it was seldom that I didn’t come home with a carp or two on my stringer. We were always thankful for whatever God provided in the way of food, and Mom could fry up a good meal of carp and fried potatoes. (My taste buds found the carp very satisfactory, no doubt helped along by the fact that it had been I that had caught them.)

When Stan and I married, 15 years ago, he introduced me to “catch and release.” I had to get used to that idea. But, he was right – we weren’t especially fond of the trout we caught; yet we both liked to fish. So now, we only keep the ones that are damaged beyond survival. I’ve managed to come to the point that I cheer for the ones we’ve released as they flip their tails and head happily out into deeper waters.

My earlier fishing experiences of toting home everything I caught seems to parallel how I’ve been known to reel in a burden, put it on my stringer, and let it take up residence in my mind. As a praying person, I discuss with God on my way back through the “thistle patch”, whether I’d like Him to grill, fry, or bake my problem. In the past, I’ve been quite certain of how I thought He should cook it, and sometimes I’ve even jerked the pan out of His hands. There is hope though, even in the likes of me. Now that I have gotten used to the idea of “catch and release”, I am trying to cast my burdens upon Him and trust Him to deal with my concern in whatever way he thinks best. I can imagine He is as excited as those fish we release to have the freedom to do what is in my best interest –  in His timing and without my interference.

Until next month, keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.

DeLila with catfish caught in the Calamus, 2007

If you enjoy this style of writing, please check out my book page on this same site and how to obtain the two Christian fiction books I have written.

 

 

 

As my husband and I were touring the local craft shows in search of a few Christmas presents, my mind began to think back on past Christmases. Which ones were special enough that they had stuck in my collection of memories? As I thought through them,  not one of these special Christmases revolved around a gift I had received. In fact, I can barely recall any of the gifts I have gotten in years past. My fondest memories seemed to center more around the people I was with or a special activity we had done.  The one Christmas that seems to dominate all my other Christmas memories, however, is one that taught me that giving, by far, trumps receiving.

It was 1987 and I could hardly wait for Christmas to get here. The tree we cut ourselves was trimmed with homemade ornaments and silver rope tinsel. The Christmas tape in the tape player was playing a mix of secular songs and carols. I sang along to each one; the boys joining in on their favorites as they built impressive vehicles with the Legos corralled between their outstretched legs. The boys – now six and eight years old – asked again how much longer it was until “Christmas.” But their longing didn’t meet mine. I was giddy with excitement of giving the boys a gift I knew they would love.

Santa liked to find our house on Christmas Eve. He was very good about picking a time between oyster stew and bedtime. Most years, my husband would herd the boys to the garage after supper. There was always some chore he could assign. This particular Christmas Eve plans were modified just a bit as my husband announced he and the boys were going for a short ride. Low and behold, Santa snuck in while they were gone.

“Mom, didn’t you see him?” the boys asked in their excitement while eyeing the new gifts under the tree.

“I must have been back in the bedrooms, putting laundry away. He’s very sneaky, you know.”

We settled in around the tree. Daniel, the oldest, read the names on the packages and Caleb passed them around to the appropriate people. We took turns opening the gifts until only one was left – the one I had told the boys had to be opened last. It was addressed to them both and it was from Santa. The boys knew from past years that Santa gave the BEST gifts.

Wrapping paper flew – one boy tossing it over his shoulder, the other wadding his portion into a ball and sending it flying into the box of already discarded paper. They each grabbed a flap of the cardboard box and pulled. Silence overcame the room as they starred at what lay inside.

“This is it?” Daniel finally asked. “A bag of dry dog food?” I could hear the edge in his voice.

Caleb was more reserved, but he too had that look of confusion. After all, we didn’t have a dog.  It was evident that neither boy was amused and were very disappointed in Santa. What the boys had failed to do was lift the bag out of the box and read the note that Santa had carefully tucked under it.

“Let’s see the dog food,” their dad instructed. Caleb shrugged his shoulders and tugged at the ten pound bag, lifting it from the box. As he carried it to his dad, my eyes were on Daniel, waiting to see what might happen next. Just as I had hoped, he noticed the bright green note lying in the bottom of the box.

“Hey, this says to look in the garage for the rest of the present!”

“Wait, wait,” I called. “You boys need to put on coats and shoes.” I was hurrying to put on my own as was my husband. Neither of us wanted to miss out when the boys found the BEST part of the gift. We all trudged with eager anticipation through the snow to the detached garage.

That is where they met the puppy with the red bow around his neck and who they would later name Meatloaf. The black tail of the little coonhound looked as if it was a windshield wiper on high speed – waiting for the boys to pick him up. Two seconds later he was cradled in their arms and making his way to the house to enjoy the rest of Christmas Eve with his new family.

As Christmas closes in on me this year, I can’t help reflecting on the greatest gift ever given – the gift of Jesus Christ. It is the only gift where joy, peace, love, and hope are all packaged in the same box. Unlike most of the gifts we receive, it is the one gift that’s so special that once it’s accepted it won’t be forgotten. If you’ve not considered this gift, I hope you will this Christmas season. It’s the only gift that lasts and lasts and lasts…even into eternity. Now that’s a GIFT worth remembering!

Until next month…keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.

If you enjoy this style of writing, check out my book page and how to get either of my Christian Fiction books.

 

 

 

The old farmhouse where I lived through my fifth grade year, was a cold son-of-a-gun. No doubt, the insulation was minimal, the windows one-paned, and the heating system inadequate. But it was home, and us three kids who had never known any other way of life were content and satisfied.  I’m guessing we were every bit as happy  as our contemporaries – Caroline and John Kennedy – living in the White House.

The old house had only two bedrooms – both located up the creaky, wooden steps on the second level. As the two oldest children, Dave and I shared the largest room. Connie, still in the crib, occupied the space between Mom and Dad’s bed and the north wall. Our heating system for this upper level consisted of leaving the stairway door open and hoping a bit of the heat from the oil stove below floated upward. Not much did.

Speedy, our small three inch turtle, lived in a plastic aquarium on the top of Dave’s dresser. Dave, unless we’d had a recent spat, would let me cross the imaginary line that separated his portion of the room from mine so that I could spend time with Speedy, too.

It was a frigid winter night when Mom brought us both an extra quilt to add to the  mound already on our beds. Shivering and teeth chattering, we didn’t argue. Having changed into our flannel pajamas with lightening speed, we dove beneath the covers of our beds, intentionally leaving our socks on. Mom tucked the quilts beneath our chins before bidding us good-night.

The next morning, I slipped my arm from beneath the covers and yanked my clothes from the nearby chair, slipping them beneath the covers with me.  When I felt confident they had warmed to a tolerable level, I thrust my legs into the denim pants and quickly pulled the long-sleeved sweatshirt over my head.  Dave appeared to be doing comparable maneuvers beneath his covers.

Although Mom had thought to bring us extra quilts that night, no one had thought about Speedy.  “Come, look,” Dave called, as he motioned me to hurry. Oh my…poor Speedy! His aquarium water was frozen solid around him and only his small snout stuck above the ice. As I think back on it, this surely had to have been one of Speedy’s worst moments.

Sometimes we tend to freeze people in their worst moments. We remember the poor choices they’ve made or the hurt they’ve caused. We often don’t make any effort at reconciliation, protecting ourselves based on past experiences. But, does anyone deserve to be frozen in time based on their worst moments? Even Speedy thawed out as the room warmed and it now seemed he enjoyed paddling about with increased vigor. Maybe, those we once had a relationship with, but now hold at arm’s length, would do the same if we warmed them up with a smile,  a pat on the back, or an encouraging call.

Until next month, keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.

(If this style of writing appeals to you, check out the Book Page on this same website and see how you can get my books.)

 

 

 

Have you ever experienced a time when you thought someone would react to a particular situation in an assumed manner, but their response turned out to be surprisingly different?  An event happened in my life, that looms so large in my mind that it seems it happened yesterday. It left it’s brand on my hide – never to be forgotten.

As I was growing up on the ranch, all three of us kids were expected to work in the hayfield. Dad started us out as soon as our legs were long enough that we could effectively and safely use the clutch. To the best of my recollection, it was my second year of raking when my parents purchased their first “brand-new” piece of equipment. The first day we got it, the family raced outside to admire the new dump rake. We oohed and aahed over the bright red hubs and the yellow spokes of the metal wheels. I was especially enamored with the new piece of equipment because I would be the one to use it.

I was very cautious the first few days I used the new rake. I was particularly careful not to drop a wheel off the steep banks of the river that snaked through our meadows. By the end of the week, I became over confident in my abilities. When it came time to move from one meadow to another, I made the decision to pull the rake between two huge cottonwood trees rather than make the longer trip around the grove. It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen Dad maneuver the old rake between those same two trees.  What I hadn’t accounted for was Dad’s experience. I remember so wishing I could go back and make that decision over, instead of staring at the brightly colored wheel, now mangled and wrapped around the ungiving trunk of that big cottonwood.

I could see Dad in the distance, sweeping up the windrows of mowed grasses on this next meadow. I was in fear of the disappointment I would provoke as I trudged slowly, eyes downcast, across the meadow toward him.

As soon as he spotted me, he throttled the International M down and waited for me to approach. When I neared the back tire of his tractor, he leaned down from his seat.

“Got trouble?” he asked with a reassuring smile that made me wish more than ever that I had chosen to go around the grove. I nodded and spilled out my story – anxious to get it over with.

With only a momentary frown crossing his face, he replied calmly, “It could have happened to anyone. Jump on,” he nodded towards the tow bar, “let’s go see what we can do about it.”

My Dad taught me that day what GRACE  looks like. He extended kindness to an unworthy daughter. A daughter by the way, who continues to give thanks on a daily basis for the parents that raised her.

Many sons and daughters don’t have earthly fathers that would react the way my father did. But, there is a Father that is waiting to bless us despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Anyone that acknowledges Jesus as their Savior, can experience GRACE through our heavenly Father. And that’s a mighty blessing!

Until next month, keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.

***

(If  this type of writing appeals to you, check out my book page on this same site.)