If you are in the mood for chocolate, this is the perfect cake! It’s a fudge cake. It’s dense like a pound cake, but more moist, and when you taste the cinnamon with the chocolate….mmm! The icing is so rich and fudgey. This is one of my Mom’s favorites, and it has been in the family for as long as I can remember. I hope you enjoy it.
Peanut butter cookies without flour and sugar make for a quick and easy low carb snack.
(From 2016)
A few weeks ago, my Grandma Lorene passed into Heaven. She had accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior when she was a young mother, and she exemplified true Christianity throughout her life. She was the matriarch of the family, and the foundation upon which we all grew upon. She was kind, wise, loving, caring…
I know it sounds like I’m romanticizing my grandmother’s memory, but she was truly all these things and much more.
She was the oldest of 11 children, grew up during the depression and had a fairly rough childhood. She married at an early age, so she and her mother were having children at the same time, and they became close friends.
Grandma Lorene and Grandpa Dee lived in a small town in south Missouri, and they did their part to populate it. They had 6 children, 17 grandchildren, 60 great-grandchildren, 60 great-great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-great-grandchildren. (That would have been 11% of the population, if all of us were living there.)
She and my grandfather were solid people. They not only raised their six children, during the 30’s and 40’s, but many, many people have shared fond memories of being in their 2-story craftsman home. Their doors were always open to everyone: friends, playmates, less fortunate neighbors, family members, and even hobos that rode the train into town—Grandma never turned anyone away. They had so little, but shared so much.
They had a large front yard, right in the middle of town, and it was always full of children running and playing and jumping off of the big front porch. Recently, I overheard my aunts and my uncle recalling the games they used to play in that front yard; it was the same games my cousins and I had played, too. My favorite game was “steal the flag” (although the 4th generation calls it “capture the flag”).
I think my favorite memories recalled by my mother and her sisters and brother are the times when Grandma Lorene would sing. She sang often to us grandchildren; mostly songs about Jesus and His promises. But they remember times when they would all gather around in the small living room with their friends and cousins, when the weather was too bad to go out and play
“Mother and Daddy,” my mother recalls fondly, “gathered us all into the living room and they would sing songs to us. Daddy only had a couple of songs that he would sing, but Mother sang song after song.”
Recently, I was blessed to spend some precious time with my mother, her sisters, and their brother, and the girls sang me a few of the ballads my grandmother used to sing to them. One sister would start a song, and then the others would begin to sing along—it was a sweet, sweet testament to my grandmother.
Grandpa Dee passed a few years ago, and some time later, my Grandma Lorene had gone to live with her oldest daughter. However, due to failing health, Grandma Lorene had gone into a nursing home. Her children were faithful in tending to her. Those who lived close would go every day, and those who lived hours away would come every week.
Several times I have witnessed the staff in the nursing home commending them for the attention and time they were giving to their Mother, and each time one of them would say, “Mother has always been there for us, how could we not be here now for her.” And then story after story would be told about her being there with each of them at some important, life-changing event.
She spent eight months in the nursing home before she was taken to the hospital, due to congestive heart failure. And in true fashion of a woman who loved and was loved, the family began to gather around her—speaking words of love and encouragement.
She spent her last days in the hospital—surrounded by those who loved her most. One of my aunts brought in a CD player, and the room was filled with beautiful, Southern Gospel songs about God and His glory.
As visitors came in and out of the room, the sadness of seeing Grandma at this stage of life was quickly replaced with the joy of a memory each one had shared with this precious woman.
My mother had been driving down and spending the day at the hospital for almost three weeks. Every day when she would leave, she didn’t know if that would be the last time or not…it got very hard for her, and the others. Day after day, they watched their precious mother struggle with being in this world, and looking towards the next. They knew when she passed from this earth that God had a place prepared for her in Glory, but it’s hard to watch life ebb from someone you love so much. However, the assurance that there is a place where loved ones will be united and pain and sorrow will not follow is such a blessing to us who are left behind.
As we gathered in Grandma Lorene’s room that last day, we could tell she was getting weaker. Heavenly music was softly playing in the background as each of us whispered our last goodbye, or one more I love you, into her ear.
The day stretched on into early evening, and we lingered hoping that her spirit would be released, so she could be at rest. We began playing specific songs that encouraged us, and that we hoped would encourage Grandma: “Sheltered in the Arms of God”, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”, “Supper Time”… We sang softly with each song, as we sat with her, praying for her, kissing her, loving her; we knew she was only a prayer away from leaving us.
And then a song by Vince Gill was playing next to her pillow, and we softly sang along—“Go Rest High On That Mountain”<<click to listen
“Go rest high on that mountain,
[Mother] your work on earth is done
Go to Heaven a shoutin’
Love for the Father and the Son
…Go to Heaven a shoutin’
Love for the Father and the Son…
As the music softly faded into the last hushed tone, a quiet calm fell upon the room; and all who were there saw Grandma Lorene take her last breath in this life, as her spirit was released into eternal life.
Grandma Lorene lived a full life; she was just a few days short of turning 97 years-old. She was devoted to her family; was a friend to all whom she met; served in the church through many aspects—especially teaching Sunday school; but most of all she lived her life under the direction of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that people are known by the fruits they bear, and she produced a lot of spiritual fruit.
She was loved deeply by us all, and she will be greatly missed. But we have this hope, that when she left her temporary dwelling (her body), she was in her eternal dwelling place with God. (2 Corinthians 5)
She fought a good fight,
She finished her course,
She kept the faith:
And there is laid up for her a crown of righteousness,
Which the Lord the righteous Judge, has given her…
(paraphrased from 2 Timothy 4:7-8)
Grandma Lorene was a true servant of our Lord, Jesus Christ. She was well-known for her singing– while she was busy about her business, to any child who was fortunate to hear, and for a time as a song leader in her church. This song, “Momma’s Teaching Angels How to Sing” <<click here>> reminds me of Grandma Lorene. I often listen to it when she crosses my memory.
I found the base to this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine years ago. It was called Spicy Potato Soup, but after adding green beans, corn, or carrots, I switched it over to Vegetable Beef Soup. The “spicy” comes from adding 1 tsp. of hot pepper, but I don’t use that anymore when I cook the vegetable soup.
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:8]
Jesus said, “This is My commandment,
That you love one another, as I have loved you.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:12-13
Just a Note: If you have a Veteran that you would like to add, please send their picture and their name to my email: cindra e @ ymail . com (no spaces) I will continue to add to this wall, so please share this post with others.
“Blessed is the man that
walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly…
But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man that
walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psalm 1:1-3
Want to be happy? Want to be blessed? Want things to work out in your personal situation?
Then stay away from people who will give you bad advice!
Simple, huh?
The world is full of people who want to tell us how to run our lives. In fact, advice is about the only “free” commodity there is anymore. And although at times we may need another head or two to bump together to come up with some different tactic, we are cautioned to stay away from advice given by people who don’t care to know God.
If we do take ungodly advice, we inadvertently become comfortable with those who are disrespectful of things that are holy.
This psalm shows the progression of bad advice…walking-standing-sitting…which eventually turns into sin. It doesn’t matter what sin it is, it could be a bad habit, a bad attitude, or a terrible action. But let’s imagine bad advice, or sin, as walking along our life’s road.
Yep, there it is, we turn around and look, and there we see ‘sin’ over our left shoulder (notice it’s not the “right” shoulder). It sneaks up behind us—because sin is usually sneaky. We look back again and then turn our eyes back towards the front and keep walking, but it’s not too long down the road until sin steps up right next to us.
Now we’re walking with Sin (counsel of the ungodly)
Oh well, I’m strong, we think, as we continue our walk with Sin keeping up with us. But then Sin starts to whisper something. At first we may disagree; we may even vehemently disagree, but then Sin starts to lull us into its way of thinking…we think these are our thoughts…we begin to like what Sin is saying. Wait, let’s stop and think this out together, we say.
Oops…now we’re standing on our life’s road with sin.
We soon find ourselves thinking the wrong things, doing the wrong things, and going to the wrong places. Sin has taken us off our road and now we are sitting along the path complaining how badly things have turned out for us. We criticize others, because we are miserable; we mock those who do good works, because our work is so unpleasant to us; we are intolerant of others, because we can no longer tolerate our life with Sin.
Now we sit in the seat of scorners…
So what preventive steps can we take to escape this downward spiral? We meditate on God’s Word!
Yes, it’s important to read the Bible. Maybe you are a disciplined person who reads through the Bible every year (wow! brownie points for you, I’ve never been that consistent). But this is talking about reading, then reading again, and thinking about it, and considering all that God has said about it, over and over again.
Maybe it’s because I’m a farmer’s wife, but I love this quote from Sprugeon:
“Meditation chews the cud, and gets the sweetness and nutritive virtue of the Word into the heart and life…It is not only reading that does us good; but the soul inwardly feeding on it, and digesting it.”
Meditating is taking God’s Word and reading it with our lips, thinking about with our minds, and allowing it to sink into our hearts, so our spirits can feed on it and grow to produce godly fruit. (Galatians 5:22-23)
“This is the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day which the Lord hath made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:23-24
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:
because his mercy endureth for ever.
The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
Open to me the gates of righteousness:
I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:
This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.
I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
This is the LORD’S doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:1, 14, 19-21, 23, 24
As a young girl, I remember one morning coming into the kitchen where my Mother was fixing her morning coffee. She greeted me with a semi-cheery, “Good morning”, which I countered with a rhetorical question, “What’s so good about it?” (I probably had a test that day, or something else of equal misfortune).
But her sincere reply stopped me in my contemplating tracks, and has directed my thought pattern over the years.
“Any day that God gives you is a good day,” she wisely replied.
How true are those words! Isaiah talks about our lives being one snip of a chord away from death. None of us know when we will take our last breath. None of us know if we will see tomorrow. None of us know if we will even see the next moment; only the present moment is assured.
Life is a gift from our eternal and loving Father. He created each of us individually. No one, no matter what the circumstance, was “accidently” given life. It’s an ongoing gift that is renewed for us daily.
But another gift has been given to us also, and that is the gift of salvation. The special “day” that is spoken of here in these verses is the day that Jesus redeemed man back to God, after the sin of man thrust all of us into eternal separation.
We can find occasion every day to rejoice in the fact that Our Lord has given us the gift of life. It can be celebrated, appreciated, and spent for God’s glory.
But even more so, we can celebrate the fact that Jesus is our Redeemer, and echo the psalmist by saying,
[ctt template=”3″ link=”Nrpza” via=”no” ]“Oh, let’s give thanks to our Lord; He is so good: His mercy endures forever!” Psalm 118:1[/ctt]
I can hardly force myself to watch the news anymore. Every headline screams of scandalous politics, excessive immorality, abominable acts our government has allowed, and innumerable stories of crimes, murders, and wars.
I’m an optimist by nature, but in the shadow of all this commotion, I tend to get discouraged with the world.
When I get like this, the first thing I do is turn off the TV! (and get a snack, of course)
The second thing I do is go to the Lord.
And the third thing I do is sing Louis Armstrong’s endearing song, “It’s a Wonderful World.”
For me, this seems to put things back into prospective.
In this world of turmoil and uncertainty, we need to keep our eyes on the One who can contain the whole world in the palm of His hand (Isaiah 40:12).
Like Peter walking on the water with Jesus, we are surrounded by a tumultuous sea. To look around and see how much trouble we could be in, if we were out there by ourselves, would cause us to slip deeper and deeper into the turmoil.
However, if we keep our eyes on God and trust His way, we stay atop of the chaos and look toward the work He has for us.
No matter what happens this side of heaven, God has it all under His control.
“Do you not know?
Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
Who brings princes to nothing,
And makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
The Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
And to him who has no might He increases strength.”
Isaiah 40:21-23, 28-29
Food for Thought
The great prophet Isaiah tells us in these passages that God is everlasting, the Creator of all living things, and that His understanding is too great for us.
Because of His greatness, it’s hard for us to understand why He would pay any attention to us or our problems. But God does. (remember…His understanding is unsearchable for us)
God loved us enough to fix the broken relationship that has been caused by our sin.
In Isaiah’s own words he said of God, “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength.”
Places to ponder:
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS!
–How do you find peace when everything around you is in such an uproar?
–Do you have a favorite Bible verse to go to?
–It’s hard to be positive when things are so crazy. Is there someone you can go to and help you talk things out?
–Or do you like to write things down and keep them between you and God?
Please share your thoughts in the comment section, I would really love to hear from you. 🙂
“Well, look! There’s the Myers Girls.”
I heard it over and over again, when I took my mom to her hometown for her 60th high school reunion this year. Every place we went, someone would excitedly call out,
“Well, look! There’s the Myers girls.”
And with each joyous call came a myriad of smiles, hugs, and hellos.
The Myers girls, as they are so fondly called, are my mother and her four sisters. They all are 2 years apart, except for the youngest who allowed a little red-headed boy to sneak into the family before she came along.
Although the little red-headed boy (who now stands over 6 ft. tall) was, and still is, adored by his sisters, it’s the sisters themselves who have formed a life-long bond that has withstood the test of time throughout the last 80 years.
Living in a small town in rural Missouri, Pa Dee and Grandma Lorene raised their 6 children, along with half the town, in a 2 story craftsman, that had a wrap around front porch and a humongous front yard.
Everyone in town knew the family; in fact, if you weren’t related to them, then you were for sure a close neighbor, classmate, or well-known acquaintance.
As with other families, they’ve rejoiced together through marriage ceremonies, child rearing, holiday celebrations, and personal accomplishments. They have comforted each other during life’s hardest moments: the death of their “Daddy” (as he was lovingly referred to), the passing of a spouse, and the untimely death of a child.
“Before you were born”, as the saying goes, the Myers girls roamed the streets, played on the volleyball team, drank Coca Cola at the drugstore, worked in the cap factory, and danced to “the oldies” on the jukebox. At one time or another, they have all been involved in activities that have formed their hometown.
To hear them talk, they knew everybody and everybody’s cousin. They are the gatekeepers and historians of their little rural town, connecting the dots between one generation and the next. They remember the history of their town, and the lifestyle that seems to have sadly disappeared, and share it with us youngsters who are lucky enough to enjoy time with these precious ladies.
Although three of them have made other towns their home, their hometown will always be Winona, MO. They return yearly to attend the family reunion and the alumni reunion, and occasionally they meet together on sadder occasions, such as a funeral. But regularly, they get together and visit their 96 year-old Mother and occasionally go on day trips just…
So if you’re ever in southern Missouri and you see 5 lil’ ol’ gray-headed ladies with matching shirts traipsing around town, combing through the cemeteries, or wandering around WalMart, give ’em a shout out, because it’s probably going to be
The Myers Girls.
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A couple of weeks ago I was privileged to attend the graduation of Daughter #2 as she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology. This is something she has been working hard on for years, and I’m tremendously proud of what she has accomplished. Although, she says she is interested in the research side of human studies, I’m a little suspicious that her true reason may be to diagnose her upbringing, which no doubt will turn out to be her mother’s fault. I’m just kidding, she has done a great job and is on her way to a rewarding career.
So, at the graduation ceremony, each candidate was announced, presented, then led through the acceptance line of professors who were selected to represent the university. Some of the candidates received shout outs from their friends and families, others did victorious air pumps, and two of them even did a dance routine! 🙂
From where I was seated, I was able to witness the candidates coming down the steps, leaving all the pomp and circumstance behind them. And as each newly hooded doctor, graduate, or specialist came down the steps with their diplomas, they were all wearing the same thing—a mile-wide smile across their face!
As I witnessed the scene over and over again, I began imagining what each of them might have been feeling; the excitement of completing a long, successful accomplishment; the mixed emotions of leaving old familiar friends behind and reaching towards new beginnings; and the sense of pride as their family and friends cheered them on to the finish line.
I was touched by each person, and the new life I imagined each of them beginning. Their smiles were contagious, and I found myself feeling excited as each person was taken to the photographer to capture one of the most memorable moments of their lives. What a tremendous time for these graduates!
During May and June there will be graduation ceremonies going on all over the country. From little ones who will be rewarded for making it through their first year of school, all the way up to a limitless age of grownups who will be reaching their highest pinnacle of education after years of schooling.
But to each individual, no matter how young or how old, they all attain the same goal—
“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding.” Proverbs 3:13
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Such a seemingly simple word, the term Mother encompasses one of the most complex relationships we have.
A Mother is a caretaker, caring for all the needs of a child—emotionally and physically.
A Mother is an instructor, instructing her child from the moment she hears the first sound escape from his lips to the final step heard as he goes out the door to begin his own life.
A Mother is a teacher, teaching life’s lessons of love, loss, and laughter gained from the experiences of her own life.
A Mother is a disciplinarian, using correction to benefit her child, which also benefits society in whole; not out of need to control or abuse, but because of her love.
A Mother is a protector, whether the danger comes from outside the home or from inside the child. She is always a step ahead, watching for those lurking evils that disguise themselves as something good.
A Mother loves without being told how and gives without asking how much.
A Mother takes a child and cares for him through the millions of moments in his life, whether they be joyful, peaceful, and carefree, or worrisome, troublesome, and heart breaking.
What defines a Mother?
I believe the relationship with the child, and not the number of children one has, defines the mother. A true Mother is a woman that sacrificially loves the child in her care, no matter how, or if, they are related.
Many women have given birth, but not all have accepted the responsibility of “Mother”.
A Mother “…looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed…Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” Proverbs 31:27, 28, 31
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It had been bitterly cold for a few weeks, but fortunately, the weatherman was finally predicting some increase in temps. Calving season was quickly approaching, and one can only imagine the possible dangers of a newly born, water covered baby calf falling on top of the cold, ice-crusted ground. And although it was down in the 40’s when our 1st baby girl came, that’s a lot warmer than freezing!
March and October are our big calving months, so we are always on high alert around here during those times. The Farmer is up and out on the 4-wheeler early every morning and early evening checking to see if we have any new additions to our herd. It’s kinda’ like hunting Easter eggs, except not as colorful and a whole lot bigger. 🙂
The mamas like to hide their little ones to keep them safe from predators like coyotes, and at this time of year, they think The Farmer is one, too. So The Farmer is always watchful and careful where he is driving.
The cattle do a great job of protecting their little ones, however, after a few of the calves had been safely brought into this world, we were awakened in the middle of the night to the call of the wild—wild coyotes! If you have never heard a coyote howl, it can be very unsettling. They yipe, yipe, yipe, and then there’s a high-pitched howling sound. Sometimes it sounds like people calling out to each other with crazy laughter, but usually, to me, it sounds like a bunch of frightened, screaming children being chased by a tormented banshee.
As you can imagine, The Farmer jumped out of bed and went off on the 4-wheeler to scare off the pack of vicious, varmints, invading our valuable bovine. (wow, that was good—Am I the only one that appreciates that statement?) 🙂
The next morning, the fog was so heavy that it was fairly difficult to see much. As The Farmer searched for new calves, checked the mamas to make sure they were doing well, and counted the babies that we knew we had, he came up one short on his count. A calf was missing, and mama didn’t seem too worried. (bad mama)
He searched everyplace he could to no avail. He went out later to search again. The calf was gone, and mama still didn’t seem worried, which is a sign that she has no motherly instincts.
Losing a baby calf is a big deal! If one purchases a newborn calf, it may cost a couple of hundred dollars, but to lose a calf that you were preparing for costs a whole lot more. As a producer, there’s a lot of cost on every baby born around here. We provide a place for mama for 9 months; we’ve built waterers to ensure she has plenty of clean water; grasses have been planted and nourished; fences have been put up for her safety; we do what we can to keep her healthy; she always has plenty of food to keep her strong; and we bought her a bull. So when that baby comes along, we’re expecting a money maker.
Well, there are no second chances around here—if you are not a good mama, then you are a goner! This cow was going to the auction barn, if the calf wasn’t found.
The only hope The Farmer could hold onto was the fact that he had not seen any trace of the calf that the coyotes may have attacked. Not wanting to be too graphic, you can imagine. The next morning when he came back from his daily round, he was all smiles. The calf that had been lost was found! (apologies to mama 🙂 )
As I thought about the whole situation and the couple of days that we fretted over a missing calf, I was reminded of the parables found in Luke 15. Jesus taught that losing anything valuable is worth the effort to recover it. That’s why when sin separated the human race from God, Jesus came to this earth to find us, pay for us, and give us an opportunity to be redeemed back to the Father. We are that valuable to Him.
“For God so loved the world [us], that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world [us]; but that the world [we] through Him might be saved.”
John 3:16-17
