The Autumn Push

Though we don't farm any of the miles of fields all around, late summer-autumn always meant a seasonal rush of work even in our family. Dad had to fit most of the plowing in of telephone cable after the crops came off, but before freeze-up.

And though that work was sold with the telephone company, these have been extra full weeks again!

Besides garden harvest, the post-mold-remediation house-rebuilding entered a new phase of finish-work. Dad spent days and weeks sanding and spraying paint and finish on woodwork in the shed until it got too cold. 

Then the work moved into the basement (through the window) where Mom and Elsa joined the action.

Meanwhile, Dad had prepared the new subfloor in the porch for tiling. He and I laid the tiles together, and I am still working on cleaning up in preparation for grout.

I also took two trips to town to get our Toyotas serviced - spending a couple hours in the waiting room each time (good knitting time) and running errands, which are huge wins in this healing journey - unthinkable a year or two ago!

It felt so strange to drive through town traffic and enter the grocery store I hadn't seen in probably a decade. To fight the rising stress responses of overwhelm, disorientation, and even grief over "lost" years, I chose to praise God and focus on the progress.

Then another rare event was my driving alone the hour to my sister's house for some lively family-time. The largest, multi-pronged carrot from our raised bed gardens was a hit with the littles!

Back home, I mowed lawn twice this year... a huge win.

A couple days ago Dad and I also got the roses covered for winter. First dirt, then leaves.

Mom and Elsa cleared vegetable and flower gardens.

And I picked in a basket full of bouquet-makings just in time.

This morning we woke to snow! 

Shut In – Day 376: The Right Time

Our last check-in with Noah on the ark (on his 601^st birthday) left us with the thought that – no matter our feelings or how things appear, we should wait on God for His timing. As Eric and Leslie Ludy of Ellerslie put it:

“Psalm 27:14 tells us, ‘Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord’ (NIV).

“Why is the phrase ‘be strong and take heart’ associated with waiting for the Lord? Because taking time to wait and let God make your path clear requires strength of soul — it requires faith. The Bible says that God is a ‘rewarder of those who diligently seek Him’ (Heb. 11:6). Do we believe that promise? Are we willing to diligently seek Him in order to find the reward that He has for those who wait expectantly on Him?”

Now, we know that Noah sought God diligently, for he was described as one who “walked with God.” He was rewarded in part when God gave him specific directions to build the ark which would be a literal life-saver for only 8 people and all the animals God chose to rescue from well-deserved judgement through the worldwide flood.

But being strong in the Lord does not always look as we expect. Sometimes it involves sitting and waiting for Him. It also entails believing and trusting that His ways are higher and better than ours.

And so Noah waited. 

More than three months passed after the dove returned with the freshly plucked olive leaf and then moved out of the ark for good. Eight whole weeks passed after Noah removed the covering of the ark and saw the dry ground.

And still he waited. … For what??

For the same Voice that had sent him into the ark in the first place! As impatient as he could have grown, the very walls shutting Noah in were clear testimonies to the faithfulness of God… showing that He could be trusted to take care of His children.

And after all that waiting and trusting… On Day number 376 since being shut in the ark:

“God said to Noah, ‘Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh… and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’” – Genesis 8:15-17

[Can't you just about hear the Halleluia Chorus ringing out from the ark?!]

“So Noah went out…”

THE END!

Just kidding. There is more to the story, including Noah’s first action on dry ground once again being to build and altar and sacrifice to the LORD. Then God made a very special promise to Noah and all his descendants (including you and me!) which involved a rainbow.

But I’ll let you read it all for yourself.

After all, I think I’ve written enough words on this topic over the past 13 months! The question now is, are we going to learn from Noah? Are we going to walk with God, trust God, obey God, and wait on God?

By His grace!

~ Hannah

See previous posts in series here:

Part I: The Lord Shut Him In
Part II: Day 10: The Animals
Part III: Day 20: The Man Noah
Part IV: Day 30: The Walls
Part V: Day 40: What God Says... He Does
Part VI: Day 70: After the Crisis
Part VII: Day 100: When Waiting Turns to Years
Part VIII: Day 150: Touch Down!
Part IX: Day 181: Survival Mode while Shut In
Part X: Day 227: Land, Ho!
Part XI: Day 267: Testing the Waters
Part XII: Day 281: Giving Thanks for Signs of Hope
Part XIII: Day 319: A Birthday with a View

Rainbow Photo by Austin Schmid on Unsplash

11.10.22 Shut In – Day 267: Testing the Waters

“At the end of forty days…”

That is where we are in Noah’s season of being “shut in” by God.

Forty days ago, Noah and family and menagerie in their mighty ship were already perched on the mountains of Ararat, and the tops of the mountains were finally visible! And yet there has been no change in daily life since then (unless possibly the earth and waters have calmed down some more from the violent upheaval geological records show were still happening as the flood receded.)

40 more days of waiting.
40 more days of feeding and cleaning up after animals.
40 more days of wondering how they were going to possibly start life again in an empty world.
40 more days of waiting for God to show the next step.

And still there was no sign. So, Noah decided to check things out for himself.

“At the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark… and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.” Genesis 8:6-9

As far as we know there was no disobedience or rebellion in Noah’s heart or actions. There is no record of God being displeased at His child’s experiments. It may show a little impatience, or simply a desire to plan ahead.

But as we will see in the weeks to come, Noah was still committed to waiting on God for clear direction.

See previous posts in series here:

Part I: The Lord Shut Him In
Part II: Day 10: The Animals
Part III: Day 20: The Man Noah
Part IV: Day 30: The Walls
Part V: Day 40: What God Says... He Does
Part VI: Day 70: After the Crisis
Part VII: Day 100: When Waiting Turns to Years
Part VIII: Day 150: Touch Down!
Part IX: Day 181: Survival Mode while Shut In
Part X: Day 227: Land, Ho!

Next Post: 
Part XII: Day 281: Giving Thanks for Signs of Hope

What to Read: Part I

I need to explain today's post a bit. A few new readers ["Welcome" to you!] may have already read it published as a guest-post on another blog, and long-time readers of this blog will recognize some of the content. But besides being pulled together in a new way, there will be something new coming up in this short series that you will not want to miss: free downloadable book-lists!

But first, let me back up and introduce myself...

Hello. My name is Hannah, and I love to read! Maybe the same is true of you. Or you may have children whose voracious appetite for books is hard to keep supplied with wholesome fare. Possibly you have the opposite challenge of finding any books that could interest your child in reading!

I have been gleaning the benefit of other people's book-lists through the years – including suggestions from some of you blog-friends! Plus when my nephew finishes a first time through his new chapter-books, he passes them on to us. Yes, this 2-year-old has "read" each and every book he gets as gifts. Children are never too young to enjoy read-alouds… and parents [or aunts, uncles and grandparents] are never too old to enjoy children’s books!

Some of my earliest memories include our parents reading aloud to my two sisters and me. Beatrix Potter and Laura Ingalls Wilder were favorites with Mom, while Dad brought Poor Ralph, The Droodles and The Chronicles of Narnia to life. We also loved poring over the Kurt Mitchell illustrated editions of the Biblical books of Jonah and Esther, both during read-alouds and on our own.

Even though my childhood and youth were filled with books, I have probably read more in the past eight years than the previous three decades combined. For that I have chronic illness to thank. But due to a combination of physical and adrenal weakness and the resulting PTSD, I haven’t been able to handle many of the books I used to enjoy. So, while I used to read a higher percentage of heavier and non-fiction books both for school and leisure, these years have leaned toward more fiction and biographies - especially those written for children and youth. It is a joy to see how God turns that limitation into a blessing as I now have more books to suggest to parents.

Another blessing that has come out of years of weakness is learning to appreciate audiobooks. Since our local library didn't have enough good options, I began searching online. That led me to LibriVox.org: a growing library of free, downloadable audiobooks recorded from works old enough to be past copyright and in the public domain. Though most of the volunteer readers are not professional, my family has enjoyed book after book as if friends are reading aloud to us.

At some point during those first months of listening, an old dream began to revive. Years ago when my Grandpa, an avid reader, lost his eyesight to macular degeneration, I wanted to record books for him to enjoy. But that was not possible due to copyrights. Since joining the team of LibriVox volunteers in 2015, I now help to record public domain books that can be enjoyed by anyone around the world. I am still amazed that God gave back this dream when so much of life as I knew it had crumbled.

Besides learning to be an audiobook narrator, I now have the joy of sharing book reviews and recommendations on several platforms. This eclectic blog often features the books I am enjoying, and my LibriVox reader-name of HannahMary has inspired the following accounts.

Instagram: @storytime.with.hannahmary
YouTube: Storytime with HannahMary
Telegram channel: Storytime with HannahMary

At the request of another blogger I have now put together some book lists that I hope will be a blessing to you and your families. I’d also love to hear of your favorite books! Simply leave a comment below.

I'm nearly through with this lengthy introduction, but hopefully it helps explain where I'm coming from as you watch for the book lists in upcoming posts.

For now, please note that my inclusion of an author does not condone all of their books. I have read many more by some of these authors as well as by authors not listed. If I know a reader or parent personally, I can maybe suggest more. But in these lists I tried to include only the cleanest and best for the imaginations and characters of any reader.

Also, while my lists are ordered roughly from younger to older readers, please do not feel stuck to reading in any order. As C.S. Lewis wrote, “No reader worth his salt trots along in obedience to a time-table.” Every reader is unique!

I also once heard C. S. Lewis attributed with saying, “Good fiction is a ship carrying a cargo of truth.”

And since I personally learn best from stories – both real-life (biographies) and fictional, my lists include many of them. You will see that fiction and non-fiction are all mixed together. I believe that can be a healthy way to read. Just as a balanced diet includes a wide variety of foods, our hungry minds need a mixture of healthy facts and nourishing stories to help us learn and grow strong in character and faith.

As a favorite children’s book (which I first read as an adult) puts it:

A man must have a care to what he puts in his mind, for when he’s alone on a hillside and draws it out, he’ll want treasures to be his company, not regrets.

• Mountain Born by Elizabeth Yates

My hope is that you will find many new treasures for your reading in the days ahead!

~ Hannah

Shut In – Day 40: What God Says… He Does

For context, first see the other posts in this series:
Part I: The Lord Shut Him In
Part II: Day 10: The Animals
Part III: Day 20: The Man Noah
Part IV: Day 30: The Walls

Forty-seven days ago, God told Noah, “I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” (Genesis 7:4)

A week later, God shut Noah and his family into the ark with all the animals to be saved.

And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. (7:12)
The flood continued forty days on the earth. (7:17)

Today marks the 40^th day since the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month… the day when the flood began.

Now something exciting has happened: the seemingly endless rain has stopped!

The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained (8:2)

What a relief that must be! But don't think that it is silent now. The wind has picked up.

And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. (8:1)

Yet there is another silence that must be felt by each one on the ark: the complete absence of any other human life on the face of the earth.

Not only did God live up to His word of the rain lasting ”forty days and forty nights.” He also had to follow through on His words:
- “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” (6:7)
- “I have determined…” (6:13)
- “I will…” (6:17)

What God Says… He Does.

And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died… Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. (7:21-23)

Sin has consequences.

But so does faith-filled obedience, as we will see later on in Noah’s history.

We won’t be checking in with him so often now. Even though it has already felt like a long journey, the time of being shut in the ark has hardly begun.

We don’t have any clue that Noah knew anything more about the timing after the 40 days of rain were complete. Judging from our own lives, it is probably best if he didn’t know how many months he had left shut in there with his small family and a crowd of animals, working and… waiting.

But as Jim Elliot once wrote in a season of very difficult waiting for him and the woman he loved but didn’t know if they would ever marry:

“Waiting on Him for Whom
it is no vain thing to wait,
Jim”

Can we, like Noah, sign our names along with Jim?

Next Post in Series:
Part VI: Day 70: After the Crisis

Sky photo by Chris Nguyen on Unsplash

Apples, Chocolate Mint, and Tomatoes

Apple season has begun!

I froze 15 quarts of sliced Red Baron apples (for crisps/crumbles/pies) from just half the windfalls on September 9th.

That was also the day to get to a bit of (late!) herb harvesting.

Chocolate Mint is our favorite mint variety for herbal tea. 

Meanwhile, Mom and Elsa were prepping salsa from the tomato harvest.

Mom has already canned quarts of whole tomatoes and spaghetti sauce.

We are grateful for all of this food even when the processing wears us out!

The Key to the Riddle

Thanks to the suggestion of a friend, this winter I was introduced to a new [old] author. While I cannot find much online about the author other than that she was born in 1851, Margaret S. Comrie managed to pull me into a story set in an era of history I do not usually enjoy. 

The Key to the Riddle, A Story of Huguenot Days is a sweet and stirring story with a wide range of characters, mystery, plots, and surprises. More importantly, it is full of true, biblical encouragement for any who feel their life has not gone as hoped or planned.

Not wanting to give any spoilers, I still must share this excerpt from the end of the book:

"'Soon, however, there sounded in my ears the words, 'He led them forth by the right way,' and certes, I told myself there could be for me, Leon Montoux, no other way but His.'

'Next, I minded me of these bygone years, and the pains our Father God has taken to teach us that there is no cause for us to fret over the riddle, when we know it is His hand that holds the key.'

"Azerole lifted up her head, smiling through her tears. 'And methinks that even this perverse Azerole has learnt that, when we know it is Divine Love that has turned the key, it would ill become the hand of faith to try and force the lock.'"

 

Don't let the historical language turn you off. If you struggle with the old-fashioned words or, as in my case, stumble over French names and exclamations, I can recommend the free audiobook on LibriVox.org. I cannot know how accurate volunteer-Angela's pronunciations are, but her reading was clear and engaging.

"When we know it is Divine Love

that has turned the key,

it would ill become the hand of faith

to try and force the lock."

The Key to the Riddle

Margaret S. Comrie

[I took the door photos while wandering around an overseas convent back in 2012.]