"Blackberries"
I don't like to see blackberry season come to a close. I still see a few around at the roadside stands. Steamy hot summer days spent picking blackberries conjures many memories. Our family of four covered every inch of flesh we could with old clothing, sprayed with insect repellent to deter chiggers and headed for those briar infested bushes. When the boys were small we made quite a game of it and every time we saw the big juicy berries, Dennis would cry, "HARK, I see blackberries." We'd all go scrambling to where he pointed. Hence, in our family, blackberries retain the name, HARK. We dared to place our feet and hands in places I never thought I would to pluck those elusive sweet 'hark' berries.
One blackberry season years ago when depression dulled my senses, Dennis and the boys persuaded me to forge into the bushes again. We eventually found a patch of trellised vines. Nice picking! That night I dreamed...A huge cluster of perfect blackberries appeared before my face. A quiet voice encouraged me,: "This fruit is yours for the picking. All you have to do is reach out and take it."
Since that time, blackberries bring sweet memories of the Fruit of the Spirit He offered, and I continue to taste, as long as I reach out and pluck the promise.
"The Spirit, however, produces in human life fruits such as these: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GENEROSITY, FIDELITY, TOLERANCE AND SELF-CONTROL...and no law exists against any of them." (Galatians 5:22 JB Phillips)
HARK! There must be some blackberries hiding within all that fruit.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
HEARTH THOUGHT from Helen
LESSONS FROM A LEASH... Part 5
Enoch walked (in habitual fellowship) with God (Genesis 5:22, AMP)
I've heard it said that every walk with the master is the very best walk a dog ever takes. Willie Baby was my second collie and resided with my parents in the lower part of the state until we could bring her upstate. Not my choice of names, but she was Willie Baby when I met her so I didn't change it. Willie Baby loved to go for walks. She would get her leash and stand by the gate until I joined her.
Walking with the Master may be addictive. It became so for Adam and Eve. I would presume that each walk that the original couple took with God was also the very best one ever, until that last time that God came looking for them. Enoch's habitual walk with God certainly kept him in good standing and then he walked right on into glory. (There's a story about another Enoch, a dog that took a prayer hike with Todd and Joice from Alaska to Canada)
Walking with the Master overcomes obstacles and brings great rewards. Willie Baby married Charlie, a friend's German shepherd. One of the pups became a gift to my parents. My mother named him Chili (Charlie/Willie). Mother always had good names for animals. Chili turned out to be their best dog ever.
Walking with the Master takes you wherever He leads. When Dennis took a coaching job in Woodruff with the legendary Willie Varner, Willie Baby accompanied our family of three. W/B and I strolled David all over Woodruff. One older gentleman commented one day, "I bet that dog would tear anybody up if he messed with that baby." I couldn't help but be comforted that he thought so, but she was a gentle spirited collie. Unfortunately, Willie Baby disappeared from our household in Woodruff, never to be retrieved. We never knew what happened to her.
Walking with the Master demands determination and commitment. It didn't take us long to acquire a female German shepherd we named Princess. She met an untimely demise; she was poisoned after we moved to Fountain Inn. Following Princess we acquired another collie that we named Lad, a dog. He was a pretty little thing but died after being hit by a car. For several years the Lynn family had really bad luck with dogs. We didn't give up however. The dogs that followed include Cher, Frog, Blackie, Oliver, Freckles, Lulu, Sebastian, Wiggles and now Sadie. Just think of all the dog stories and leash lessons we have to look forward to in the coming weeks.
Leash lessons:
Three year old David asked, "Mommy, read me story."
"What story do you want to read?" I asked.
"You know! That story about the giant and the German Shepherd."
Our David learned early just what biblical shepherds can do when they walk with the Lord.
"And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day." Genesis 3:8 (AMP)
Enoch walked (in habitual fellowship) with God (Genesis 5:22, AMP)
I've heard it said that every walk with the master is the very best walk a dog ever takes. Willie Baby was my second collie and resided with my parents in the lower part of the state until we could bring her upstate. Not my choice of names, but she was Willie Baby when I met her so I didn't change it. Willie Baby loved to go for walks. She would get her leash and stand by the gate until I joined her.
Walking with the Master may be addictive. It became so for Adam and Eve. I would presume that each walk that the original couple took with God was also the very best one ever, until that last time that God came looking for them. Enoch's habitual walk with God certainly kept him in good standing and then he walked right on into glory. (There's a story about another Enoch, a dog that took a prayer hike with Todd and Joice from Alaska to Canada)
Walking with the Master overcomes obstacles and brings great rewards. Willie Baby married Charlie, a friend's German shepherd. One of the pups became a gift to my parents. My mother named him Chili (Charlie/Willie). Mother always had good names for animals. Chili turned out to be their best dog ever.
Walking with the Master takes you wherever He leads. When Dennis took a coaching job in Woodruff with the legendary Willie Varner, Willie Baby accompanied our family of three. W/B and I strolled David all over Woodruff. One older gentleman commented one day, "I bet that dog would tear anybody up if he messed with that baby." I couldn't help but be comforted that he thought so, but she was a gentle spirited collie. Unfortunately, Willie Baby disappeared from our household in Woodruff, never to be retrieved. We never knew what happened to her.
Walking with the Master demands determination and commitment. It didn't take us long to acquire a female German shepherd we named Princess. She met an untimely demise; she was poisoned after we moved to Fountain Inn. Following Princess we acquired another collie that we named Lad, a dog. He was a pretty little thing but died after being hit by a car. For several years the Lynn family had really bad luck with dogs. We didn't give up however. The dogs that followed include Cher, Frog, Blackie, Oliver, Freckles, Lulu, Sebastian, Wiggles and now Sadie. Just think of all the dog stories and leash lessons we have to look forward to in the coming weeks.
Leash lessons:
- Daily walking with the Master may be addicting.
- Daily walking with the Master overcomes obstacles, even strange names
- Daily walking with the Master strengthens you to follow wherever He leads
- Daily walking with the Master motivates you
- Daily walking with the Master aids in the grief process
- Daily walking with the Master demands determination and commitment
- Daily walking with the Master may lead to slaying giants.
Three year old David asked, "Mommy, read me story."
"What story do you want to read?" I asked.
"You know! That story about the giant and the German Shepherd."
Our David learned early just what biblical shepherds can do when they walk with the Lord.
"And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day." Genesis 3:8 (AMP)
Friday, August 13, 2010
HEART THOUGHT from Helen
“Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit. Bodily fitness has a certain value, but spiritual fitness is essential, both for this present life and for the life to come.” (1Timothy 4:7b-8) JB Phillips
Are you physically fit but spiritually flabby? We live in a nation that fanatically demands physical fitness.
Our ten year old grandson, Boaz and I went for a “walk/run” recently up to the Richard Jackson Park off Hwy 101. Wonderful place to go and exercise on the well kept track around the baseball fields that predominate the park. The complete outside loop measures 5/8 mile. We did about two and a half loops until the heat beat me. Boaz is going out for football for the first time and I decided to give him opportunity to start getting in shape. It also gave him a chance to run my golden retriever, Sadie. So, off they ran and I walked behind enjoying watching them run. It’s a pretty isolated park and hardly anyone else was there, so the quiet morning exercise encouraged me and exhausted my companions.
Years ago I faithfully followed the ‘shape up’ crowd into aerobics, exercising to Christian audio tapes. One of the cool down tunes was “El Shaddai”. I’m not too sure that God Almighty, the Powerful smiled on my sweaty, contorted limbs and yet I determined to present a fit, not flabby, body to Him. Shortly thereafter, I herniated a disk, which brought aerobics to a halt. Years later, we purchased a treadmill that has been enjoyed and used by everybody in our household over the years. It recently underwent its own work out to get in shape and got a tune up. I love it. I can listen to my music and walk and worship as I walk.
Our forefathers had no problem staying physically fit. Hard work took the place of aerobics. Totin’ and hauling, shoveling, digging, building, animal husbandry, gardening, washing and cleaning, substituted for pumping iron and working out at the gym. Today’s sedentary society finds that sort of ‘exercise’ archaic.
My grandchildren can do push-ups with the best of the crowd and do them regularly. Sometimes, they do them to show off; sometimes they do them for disciplinary reasons. Nonetheless, it doesn’t hurt their physical fitness.
Don’t misunderstand. I am a strong advocate of physical fitness. Our lives, however, and now my age, consist of more than the physical. A person IS a soul that indwells a body, NOT a body that happens to possess a soul. Our primary need is SPIRITUAL FITNESS. Just as physical fitness calls for discipline, spiritual fitness calls for determination. We will not always inhabit these earthly tents, but our souls exist eternally.
Are you physically fit…but spiritually flabby?
Are you physically fit but spiritually flabby? We live in a nation that fanatically demands physical fitness.
Our ten year old grandson, Boaz and I went for a “walk/run” recently up to the Richard Jackson Park off Hwy 101. Wonderful place to go and exercise on the well kept track around the baseball fields that predominate the park. The complete outside loop measures 5/8 mile. We did about two and a half loops until the heat beat me. Boaz is going out for football for the first time and I decided to give him opportunity to start getting in shape. It also gave him a chance to run my golden retriever, Sadie. So, off they ran and I walked behind enjoying watching them run. It’s a pretty isolated park and hardly anyone else was there, so the quiet morning exercise encouraged me and exhausted my companions.
Years ago I faithfully followed the ‘shape up’ crowd into aerobics, exercising to Christian audio tapes. One of the cool down tunes was “El Shaddai”. I’m not too sure that God Almighty, the Powerful smiled on my sweaty, contorted limbs and yet I determined to present a fit, not flabby, body to Him. Shortly thereafter, I herniated a disk, which brought aerobics to a halt. Years later, we purchased a treadmill that has been enjoyed and used by everybody in our household over the years. It recently underwent its own work out to get in shape and got a tune up. I love it. I can listen to my music and walk and worship as I walk.
Our forefathers had no problem staying physically fit. Hard work took the place of aerobics. Totin’ and hauling, shoveling, digging, building, animal husbandry, gardening, washing and cleaning, substituted for pumping iron and working out at the gym. Today’s sedentary society finds that sort of ‘exercise’ archaic.
My grandchildren can do push-ups with the best of the crowd and do them regularly. Sometimes, they do them to show off; sometimes they do them for disciplinary reasons. Nonetheless, it doesn’t hurt their physical fitness.
Don’t misunderstand. I am a strong advocate of physical fitness. Our lives, however, and now my age, consist of more than the physical. A person IS a soul that indwells a body, NOT a body that happens to possess a soul. Our primary need is SPIRITUAL FITNESS. Just as physical fitness calls for discipline, spiritual fitness calls for determination. We will not always inhabit these earthly tents, but our souls exist eternally.
Are you physically fit…but spiritually flabby?
Friday, July 30, 2010
HEART THOUGHTS... from Helen
"Sisterly Love"
“The person who obeys God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35, THE MESSAGE)
My older sister, Judy and I use what might be termed ‘sister speak’. Sister speak involves code words from years of memories shared. She’s my ‘Big Sisty’ and I’m her ‘Lil Sisty’. Silly? Probably. But who’s to say what constitutes silly in family traditions. We giggled a lot as little girls. One such giggle fest took place in church. A vivid memory unfolds, as I remember somehow one of us breaking a little strand of fake pearls and them all tumbling to the floor (not carpeted) in the middle of the service of this little country church. Judy and I got the giggles and couldn’t stop. We often got the giggles when we’d go out to eat which wasn’t a frequent thing back in the day. Daddy got so embarrassed one Sunday we were threatened with having to go sit in the car. We couldn’t stop.
Judy is three and a half years older and my brother, Gene is seven years older than me. I am the baby in my family of origin. My mother still calls me her ‘Baby Chile’.
Sisters share a lot of history, both good and bad. We fought over who would wash the dishes and who would dry the dishes. Who would dust and who would cook. We joked over the old song “Clementine”. You remember that one, don’t you? One of the last lines being: “til he kissed her little sister, and forgot his Clementine.” I did tease her about that. Even though it never happened, I loved picking at her about it. I don’t think she always appreciated it. We argued over the telephone as teenagers. Only one phone at the end of the hallway and I can see her sitting with her knees pulled up to her chin whispering into the mouth piece so no one could hear. I did the same thing when it was my turn.
Judy always looks her very best, not a hair out of place, not a wrinkle in her attire… so not like me who flies by the seat her pants... She is well put together. Another memory that comes from our church growing up years is that of an older woman talking to mother after the service. “That Judy is the prettiest little thing.” As I looked up into their faces I waited for her to include me; she didn’t. She distinctly looked at me and said nothing. Oh well!!!!
My sister, Judy, reveals her generous and empathetic heart to all who seek her shoulder to cry on. She truly exhibits care and understanding for those in pain and need. When my daddy died Judy took my mother in from Bethea Retirement Community to house and hold her close in her fresh widowhood. At the time Dennis and I took care of his aging mother in another part of the state. Judy and my brother-in-law, Jim, took such good care of mother, spoiling her like she’d never been spoiled her whole life. She thrived on it. She lived close to our old home place and in the same town as her other family members and doctors. They couldn’t have done a better job of honoring our mother.
As years passed, mother aged, Judy and Jim aged and health issues cropped up that resulted in mother’s decline leading to the stroke that hospitalized, and then required nursing home rehabilitation. It was an evident fact that Mother needed more care than we were able to administer at home, so she resides at National Health Care in Sumter. Only those siblings who have had to make such decisions and then live with them know the trauma that accompanies them. And who is it that takes care of all the paper work, the day to day business, the laundry, the loving, and the phone calls the encouraging, the trips to doctors, and the birthday parties? It’s Judy and of course her hard working husband, Jim, right alongside.
I admire my sister’s gifts of service, love, hospitality and over all willingness to do whatever is necessary ‘because that’s what family does’. Judy is a hugger and an affectionate sibling. She and I have a sister’s bond that cannot and will not be broken. Do we always agree…does any sibling? But we choose to move toward what we do agree on and carry on. As Judy struggles with her own health issues, she continues to listen to others and encourage them in theirs, because she knows whereof she speaks. She’s right as she reiterates the saying of today, “It is what it is”.
I think of sisters in the Scripture such as Rachel and Leah in the first book of the Bible, Mary and Martha from the tenth chapter of Luke. There are so many lessons to be learned from each one. Over time I believe we can identify with both sisters in both stories in a variety of ways at different times in our lives. The Lord loved both sets of sisters and He chose to display their good traits along with their better ones. Jesus, Himself had two sisters, I believe, and brothers in his earthly family. He surely knows the interchange, good, bad and indifferent, that takes place in the family unit.
Jesus also said at one point, “For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35 NASB)
I’m so thankful to say that my sister does the will of God. In ‘sister speak’ you could say, we are sisters times two.
“The person who obeys God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35, THE MESSAGE)
My older sister, Judy and I use what might be termed ‘sister speak’. Sister speak involves code words from years of memories shared. She’s my ‘Big Sisty’ and I’m her ‘Lil Sisty’. Silly? Probably. But who’s to say what constitutes silly in family traditions. We giggled a lot as little girls. One such giggle fest took place in church. A vivid memory unfolds, as I remember somehow one of us breaking a little strand of fake pearls and them all tumbling to the floor (not carpeted) in the middle of the service of this little country church. Judy and I got the giggles and couldn’t stop. We often got the giggles when we’d go out to eat which wasn’t a frequent thing back in the day. Daddy got so embarrassed one Sunday we were threatened with having to go sit in the car. We couldn’t stop.
Judy is three and a half years older and my brother, Gene is seven years older than me. I am the baby in my family of origin. My mother still calls me her ‘Baby Chile’.
Sisters share a lot of history, both good and bad. We fought over who would wash the dishes and who would dry the dishes. Who would dust and who would cook. We joked over the old song “Clementine”. You remember that one, don’t you? One of the last lines being: “til he kissed her little sister, and forgot his Clementine.” I did tease her about that. Even though it never happened, I loved picking at her about it. I don’t think she always appreciated it. We argued over the telephone as teenagers. Only one phone at the end of the hallway and I can see her sitting with her knees pulled up to her chin whispering into the mouth piece so no one could hear. I did the same thing when it was my turn.
Judy always looks her very best, not a hair out of place, not a wrinkle in her attire… so not like me who flies by the seat her pants... She is well put together. Another memory that comes from our church growing up years is that of an older woman talking to mother after the service. “That Judy is the prettiest little thing.” As I looked up into their faces I waited for her to include me; she didn’t. She distinctly looked at me and said nothing. Oh well!!!!
My sister, Judy, reveals her generous and empathetic heart to all who seek her shoulder to cry on. She truly exhibits care and understanding for those in pain and need. When my daddy died Judy took my mother in from Bethea Retirement Community to house and hold her close in her fresh widowhood. At the time Dennis and I took care of his aging mother in another part of the state. Judy and my brother-in-law, Jim, took such good care of mother, spoiling her like she’d never been spoiled her whole life. She thrived on it. She lived close to our old home place and in the same town as her other family members and doctors. They couldn’t have done a better job of honoring our mother.
As years passed, mother aged, Judy and Jim aged and health issues cropped up that resulted in mother’s decline leading to the stroke that hospitalized, and then required nursing home rehabilitation. It was an evident fact that Mother needed more care than we were able to administer at home, so she resides at National Health Care in Sumter. Only those siblings who have had to make such decisions and then live with them know the trauma that accompanies them. And who is it that takes care of all the paper work, the day to day business, the laundry, the loving, and the phone calls the encouraging, the trips to doctors, and the birthday parties? It’s Judy and of course her hard working husband, Jim, right alongside.
I admire my sister’s gifts of service, love, hospitality and over all willingness to do whatever is necessary ‘because that’s what family does’. Judy is a hugger and an affectionate sibling. She and I have a sister’s bond that cannot and will not be broken. Do we always agree…does any sibling? But we choose to move toward what we do agree on and carry on. As Judy struggles with her own health issues, she continues to listen to others and encourage them in theirs, because she knows whereof she speaks. She’s right as she reiterates the saying of today, “It is what it is”.
I think of sisters in the Scripture such as Rachel and Leah in the first book of the Bible, Mary and Martha from the tenth chapter of Luke. There are so many lessons to be learned from each one. Over time I believe we can identify with both sisters in both stories in a variety of ways at different times in our lives. The Lord loved both sets of sisters and He chose to display their good traits along with their better ones. Jesus, Himself had two sisters, I believe, and brothers in his earthly family. He surely knows the interchange, good, bad and indifferent, that takes place in the family unit.
Jesus also said at one point, “For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35 NASB)
I’m so thankful to say that my sister does the will of God. In ‘sister speak’ you could say, we are sisters times two.
Friday, July 23, 2010
HEART THOUGHTS from Helen
LEASH LESSONS – PART FOUR
“Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.” 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NKJV)
Pierre Beauregard III, a medium French poodle gained access to our home shortly after our matrimony. Dennis felt sorry for him. Beau belonged to my groom’s longtime friends who loved him dearly …until they adopted a baby boy that they loved more and Beau got relegated to the out of doors, a place he was not accustomed to and didn’t care for at all. Can’t you just see it now, Coach Lynn walking a chocolate poodle in the rain in front of our honeymoon cottage on Brushy Creek Road in Greer? It wasn’t a good fit. But he meant well…Coach Lynn, that is. He wanted to save this dog from a chain and possibly the pound.
It all went down hill shortly after our marriage when Beau didn’t want to relinquish his spot beside me in the bed. (Yes, we rue the day we allowed him on the bed) He made the mistake of growling at his master. Not a good thing to do. This dog demonstrated no sorrow whatsoever for his errant behavior and continued to defy the master of the house. I don’t suppose dogs show godly sorrow but I know a lot of them do show some humility.
We acquired a fence in our back yard for Pierre Beauregard to romp in while Dennis coached and I worked in the Emergency Room. We knew we were dealing with a shrewd yet smart animal when Beau dug out under the fence and came to the front scratching on the door to get inside. After many efforts at containing him, frequent baths due to the mud puddles he dug getting out of the fence and enduring the condescending looks of the groomer when we took him to be trimmed; we decided to just not keep him in the fence because he wasn’t staying in anyway. What was Beau’s solution? He dug himself back under the fence into the backyard and presented himself at the side door to be admitted. OH, he did frustrate the newlyweds. Dennis, who was teaching/coaching at a local high school at the time advertised at school for a new home for our poodle. Pierre Beauregard sensed the future and began to ‘do his business’ right in the middle of our living room in front of the television. He was placed with a student whose parents called us shortly thereafter to ask if he was up to date on his shots. It seems Beau had bitten his groomer. Poor Beau just couldn’t get over the rejections in his life. I have to admit, we were among those who rejected the impudent little poodle and we are dog lovers.
Lessons learned from Pierre Beauregard III:
Do you suppose that God, our Father has that in mind for us when we find ourselves in a rebellious situation no matter what the cause? I’m glad He doesn’t reject us as children but He chooses His own restraints in teaching us important lessons even if they come at the end of a leash or inside a fence. How do you respond to God’s restraints?
“Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.”
“Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.” 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NKJV)
Pierre Beauregard III, a medium French poodle gained access to our home shortly after our matrimony. Dennis felt sorry for him. Beau belonged to my groom’s longtime friends who loved him dearly …until they adopted a baby boy that they loved more and Beau got relegated to the out of doors, a place he was not accustomed to and didn’t care for at all. Can’t you just see it now, Coach Lynn walking a chocolate poodle in the rain in front of our honeymoon cottage on Brushy Creek Road in Greer? It wasn’t a good fit. But he meant well…Coach Lynn, that is. He wanted to save this dog from a chain and possibly the pound.
It all went down hill shortly after our marriage when Beau didn’t want to relinquish his spot beside me in the bed. (Yes, we rue the day we allowed him on the bed) He made the mistake of growling at his master. Not a good thing to do. This dog demonstrated no sorrow whatsoever for his errant behavior and continued to defy the master of the house. I don’t suppose dogs show godly sorrow but I know a lot of them do show some humility.
We acquired a fence in our back yard for Pierre Beauregard to romp in while Dennis coached and I worked in the Emergency Room. We knew we were dealing with a shrewd yet smart animal when Beau dug out under the fence and came to the front scratching on the door to get inside. After many efforts at containing him, frequent baths due to the mud puddles he dug getting out of the fence and enduring the condescending looks of the groomer when we took him to be trimmed; we decided to just not keep him in the fence because he wasn’t staying in anyway. What was Beau’s solution? He dug himself back under the fence into the backyard and presented himself at the side door to be admitted. OH, he did frustrate the newlyweds. Dennis, who was teaching/coaching at a local high school at the time advertised at school for a new home for our poodle. Pierre Beauregard sensed the future and began to ‘do his business’ right in the middle of our living room in front of the television. He was placed with a student whose parents called us shortly thereafter to ask if he was up to date on his shots. It seems Beau had bitten his groomer. Poor Beau just couldn’t get over the rejections in his life. I have to admit, we were among those who rejected the impudent little poodle and we are dog lovers.
Lessons learned from Pierre Beauregard III:
- Rejection in any shape or form may result in rebellion
- Rebellion may develop into a number of reactions
- Reactions vary from compliance to lack of repentance to outright revolt
- Revolt rarely wins friends or influences people, especially when the people rule
- Relocating a rejected poodle to the newly wed game has its repercussions (or… timing is everything)
Do you suppose that God, our Father has that in mind for us when we find ourselves in a rebellious situation no matter what the cause? I’m glad He doesn’t reject us as children but He chooses His own restraints in teaching us important lessons even if they come at the end of a leash or inside a fence. How do you respond to God’s restraints?
“Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.”
Friday, July 16, 2010
HEART THOUGHTS from Helen
LEASH LESSONS, PART 3
“I delight to do Your will, O my God”. (Psalm 40:8) AMP
Tanmarque’s Happy Princess fulfilled a youthful dream when my grandparents surprised me with this precious collie pup. Princess proved to be my Lassie for true and real. As an adolescent I marveled that she always desired to please me.
Princess memories flood my mind as I smile remembering them. Some of the most memorable include her uncanny ability to sniff out snakes and slay them by carefully stalking, then snatching them quickly and shaking the life from them. I attribute her determination to a bite she received on her nose as a pup. Her elongated nose grew to enormous proportion one summer day and the vet felt it was snake bite. This collie demonstrated her hatred for creepy crawlies by a definitive snake bark. Our family came to recognize this bark and to heed it appropriately. One dark August night she tended her ten pups in the back yard pen when we heard that specific bark. Sure enough, she found a huge rattler, which my daddy killed, probably saving her life after we rescued all the pups in our kitchen. Her protective instinct would not be deterred. We forced her inside also.
Let’s back up a bit to those ten pups. My mother (ninety-four) insists that I include this part of Princess history. After giving birth on our screened front porch on a hot summer day, Mother discovered Momma collie going back and forth into the living room from the front porch. She investigated and found that dear royal Princess felt that nothing was too good for her babies so she carried each one gently into the living room and tucked them in the corner of the couch. I happened to be working at the time, so didn’t get to witness this enthroning of the babies. Mother couldn’t decide whether to be upset or laugh. We never forgot it. Princess delighted to do for her family what she felt to be the very best. When said pups left the nest their momma, just like mine, knew just what to do. She instinctively separated the pup leaving and gave it her best wishes, nosing and licking it as if she knew.
While in high school, Princess trotted beside me as I walked to the bus stop two tenths of a mile down our dirt road each day. Her deepest desire was to be with me and to be obedient. She also knew instinctively when my bus returned and she joyfully greeted me when I arrived.
Princess, I’m sad to say, acquired a taste for the neighbor’s chickens which he finally despaired of enough to shoot her. She came home and died under her beloved dogwood tree outside the kitchen window. At the time I attended nurses training in Greenville and didn’t get to tell her goodbye. For years afterward, I dreamed I heard her barking; thankfully it wasn’t the snake bark. I don’t believe there are poisonous snakes where she resides.
Lessons learned from my precious Princess?
“I delight to do Your will, O my God”. (Psalm 40:8) AMP
Tanmarque’s Happy Princess fulfilled a youthful dream when my grandparents surprised me with this precious collie pup. Princess proved to be my Lassie for true and real. As an adolescent I marveled that she always desired to please me.
Princess memories flood my mind as I smile remembering them. Some of the most memorable include her uncanny ability to sniff out snakes and slay them by carefully stalking, then snatching them quickly and shaking the life from them. I attribute her determination to a bite she received on her nose as a pup. Her elongated nose grew to enormous proportion one summer day and the vet felt it was snake bite. This collie demonstrated her hatred for creepy crawlies by a definitive snake bark. Our family came to recognize this bark and to heed it appropriately. One dark August night she tended her ten pups in the back yard pen when we heard that specific bark. Sure enough, she found a huge rattler, which my daddy killed, probably saving her life after we rescued all the pups in our kitchen. Her protective instinct would not be deterred. We forced her inside also.
Let’s back up a bit to those ten pups. My mother (ninety-four) insists that I include this part of Princess history. After giving birth on our screened front porch on a hot summer day, Mother discovered Momma collie going back and forth into the living room from the front porch. She investigated and found that dear royal Princess felt that nothing was too good for her babies so she carried each one gently into the living room and tucked them in the corner of the couch. I happened to be working at the time, so didn’t get to witness this enthroning of the babies. Mother couldn’t decide whether to be upset or laugh. We never forgot it. Princess delighted to do for her family what she felt to be the very best. When said pups left the nest their momma, just like mine, knew just what to do. She instinctively separated the pup leaving and gave it her best wishes, nosing and licking it as if she knew.
While in high school, Princess trotted beside me as I walked to the bus stop two tenths of a mile down our dirt road each day. Her deepest desire was to be with me and to be obedient. She also knew instinctively when my bus returned and she joyfully greeted me when I arrived.
Princess, I’m sad to say, acquired a taste for the neighbor’s chickens which he finally despaired of enough to shoot her. She came home and died under her beloved dogwood tree outside the kitchen window. At the time I attended nurses training in Greenville and didn’t get to tell her goodbye. For years afterward, I dreamed I heard her barking; thankfully it wasn’t the snake bark. I don’t believe there are poisonous snakes where she resides.
Lessons learned from my precious Princess?
- Devotion unspeakable
- Love unbounded
- Faithfulness undeniable
- Joy unspeakable
- Confidentiality unequalled
- Patience unending
- Delightful obedience…
“I delight to do your will, O my God”
Friday, July 9, 2010
HEART THOUGHS from Helen
LESSONS LEARNED AT THE END OF A LEASH (Part 2)
“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Psalm 40:2 NIV
Duchess joined our family around the same time that adolescence arrived for me. She derived her heritage from the Heinz 57 family. She was black as the ace of spades and apparently acquired some shepherd and some lab in her ancestry. Duchess, though a medium sized friendly dog tried her best to keep up with whatever went on at our country home. She dearly loved to go rambling around the country side where we lived on my Granddaddy Goodson’s farm in Oswego, South Carolina. She loved to follow my Daddy when he drove the tractor. She loved to go down the lane with Momma and me to gather eggs from the chicken coops. But the singular thing that I remember about Duchess, my dog, was that she dearly loved flopping down in any mud puddle she came across. I can see her now just plop right down and smile all over herself, long pink tongue hanging out the side of her mouth, happy as she could be. Momma would fuss and I would get to hose her off until the next time.
Isn’t it funny the things we remember about our pets? I wish I had a picture of Duchess to show you how happy she was in the mud puddle. You’d have thought she was part pig. She did not, however, endear herself to us when she chose to run up and shake her muddy self all over us.
What did I discover from Duchess?
“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Psalm 40:2 NIV
Duchess joined our family around the same time that adolescence arrived for me. She derived her heritage from the Heinz 57 family. She was black as the ace of spades and apparently acquired some shepherd and some lab in her ancestry. Duchess, though a medium sized friendly dog tried her best to keep up with whatever went on at our country home. She dearly loved to go rambling around the country side where we lived on my Granddaddy Goodson’s farm in Oswego, South Carolina. She loved to follow my Daddy when he drove the tractor. She loved to go down the lane with Momma and me to gather eggs from the chicken coops. But the singular thing that I remember about Duchess, my dog, was that she dearly loved flopping down in any mud puddle she came across. I can see her now just plop right down and smile all over herself, long pink tongue hanging out the side of her mouth, happy as she could be. Momma would fuss and I would get to hose her off until the next time.
Isn’t it funny the things we remember about our pets? I wish I had a picture of Duchess to show you how happy she was in the mud puddle. You’d have thought she was part pig. She did not, however, endear herself to us when she chose to run up and shake her muddy self all over us.
What did I discover from Duchess?
- Mud Puddles can serve a purpose
- Duchess taught me that it is the simpler things of life that make us happy.
- Flopping down in a mud puddle beats running around like a chicken with its head cut off
- Mud puddles are for cooling off sometimes. They may not be the most attractive way to relax but they surely can help the immediate heat of a situation.
- Dogs named Duchess may not act like the royalty the name implies, but they get the job done nonetheless
- Dirty is a relative term. To Duchess being muddy meant nothing more than temporary comfort from the heat of the day. She knew I’d wash her up and she’d be soot black and shiny again.
- Don’t stay in the mud puddle too long and be compared to the “sow that is washed goes back to her swallowing in the mud.” (2 Peter 2:22b) NIV and end up lazy, listless and at loose ends.
- And by all means, when you’ve been in the mud puddle, don’t run up to your friends and shake your mud all over them.
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