My Brother Loses Home to Fire

I was awake a bit early Sunday morning, only to have one of the children bring me the cell phone with a text from a sister saying that my brother Elon's home had burned in the night. 

We had had our own excitement the day before with a grass fire nearby, 

burning a number of acres in this warm, windy, dry weather.

But it wasn't anything like losing a home.

 Elon had been supposed to preach at church Sunday morning, (the church Crystal attends Sunday mornings near Penn View)  and he took a different text than he had planned! One from 1 Timothy about enduring hardship was what he preached on. And two of his children with two other cousins sang a special this morning. Losing almost everything they had to their name did not deter them from worshiping this morning. I take my hat off to my brother, but that is the way his family operates on a consistent basis. God is always first, whether He gives or takes away. Before they drove back home to view their losses and see what might be salvaged, if anything,  they gathered with church family to worship God and remember what they still have--each other, family, friends, a supportive church, God, and eternal riches.

Like Job of old, Elon Job Morley (named after his grandpa Job Morley) just said calmly to me on the phone,

"The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away."

When Elon's and Fain's families arrived at the burned home to meet with the fire marshal, 

they found special mercies of the Lord. 

Yes, burnt to a toast were the mobile home, organ, piano, violin, wedding album, many other albums and mementos, all their passports, and almost everything they owned.

But many important papers were safe, as were several hundred dollars in cash that Ezra had been saving up for a mission trip.

 Two vehicles parked 30 or 40 ft. away suffered melted tail lights, but hopefully that is all the damage to the vehicles.

I tried to copy a picture Ezra sent of the burned trailer with Elon, Anita, family and cousins and fire marshal,

but couldn't get it to copy over.

I had already put these pics of the grass fire near us the day before on the blog,

so that will be the illustration for today!

Friends of Elon's family have a picture of Elon's family, a recent baptism of Elon's son, Ezra; and a picture of the fire damage at the following online site:

https://www.youcaring.com/elon-anita-morely-family-530476#.VtRnvmaDQJI.gmail

Elon, whose name means "oak" has been such an oak all his life, as proved by the storms he's weathered. He and his family are always among the first to try to help if there is a need in the family or beyond. Just this weekend, he and Fain were discussing how they could help Iva in Michigan. Fain was putting together a trip to Michigan this week to help Kenn and Iva paint the rental house they are moving into, and help them move into it. Back in December, having just arrived back home from three weeks in Guatemala and needing income for his family,  Elon had canceled or rescheduled different driving trips he does for Amish in order to spend several days helping my mom and dad move to Missouri. I don't know of anyone that can live on such a shoestring as they live on, and always be helping others.

Elon and Anita have been living very near Anita's parents, near Clearfield, PA,  since they came home from Mongolia and Estonia, to care for Anita's aging parents.

My prayer is that God will redeem this loss and make it up to them in a wonderful way.

Their hearts are not set on things below, but God knows that we have need of 

such things as burned up, and HE will provide.

Eagle Over the Prairie

A week or so ago Jonathan saw this great bird, what he believes may have been a golden eagle,

perched on a utility pole along Highway 24.

He turned around to get pictures of it

The younger children were sure they saw an eagle fly overhead two different times recently.

They are great birds, and seem to fly and soar so effortlessly above everything so far below them. 

One wonders as we plod the earth below,

teaching school, scrubbing laundry, working estimates, changing oil in the trucks,

milking goats, cleaning up behind three half-grown puppies, feeding chickens,

trying to rescue a batch of new bunnies on Sunday morning forsaken by their mother,

using a surrogate mother bunny's milk to try to save the wee, helpless babies--

one wonders what it would be like to soar above the petty and the mundane.

Sometimes you have to take a breather from the common and ordinary.

Like Monday, day after Valentines Day, when Jonathan surprised me a little before noon by coming home from an estimate nearby.

We made a quick decision to go in to town together for the afternoon.

He had to pick up something at a store to take to the work site, but he could make time to eat together at a place where he printed a coupon for. 

(Which place ended up being closed on winter Mondays.)

And the second place we tried was closed for Presidents Day!

About then, we decided the only thing to do was laugh--

at which Jonathan's hat blew off with the strong wind, carrying it down the parking lot!

We ended up getting a burger and fries at Burger King--complete with horse radish sauce

which upset my stomach.

But we sat in the truck together enjoying the burger and fries and each other.

Because each other was what mattered.

And later we took a stroll in Garden of the Gods because the weather was inviting us to just go out in the sunshine--me with my husband's extra dirty work coat to huddle under in the breeze!

And then Jonathan suggested strolling through the Garden of the Gods Trading Post gift shop

where they have no end of interesting souvenirs, western style decor and plaques.

Jonathan thought this one was pretty good!

Also this one!

I liked this card that said,

"Life isn't about how fast you can run

or how high you can climb...

It's all about how well you can bounce!"

And I don't think it could be said better!

Eagles soar.

But we poor humans down here on this old earth

have to know how to bounce.

After all, as this towel says, "Life is beautiful. Enjoy the ride!"

This one speaks for itself. 

It spoke to me.

You can even have sunshine in Pennsylvania and Missouri if you do this!

I liked this challenging one.
"Risk more than others think is safe.
Care more than others think is wise.
Dream more than others think is practical.
Expect more than others think is possible."

I would buy this for grandparents, if it didn't cost $9.99!

"We may not be rich and famous but we do have priceless grandchildren."

Jonathan added, "Make that--priceless children!'

And we've got seven of them!

We have to be reminded sometimes how priceless they are when we worry about the bills!

I loved this "Lost Socks" rack,

and the motto beside it.

And what about these one-of-a-kind birdhouses?

These birdhouses were hanging on old shovels or rakes!

Loved them!

I mean, really, who couldn't decorate a bird house like these,
with old keys, or old tools, or whatever you find lying around your yard?

A basket handle made from an antler.

And many more!
It was a fun half hour or so that we spent there, browsing over the lamps made from tree stumps or branches, giving Jonathan ideas for making one for ourselves since our bedroom touch lamp broke.
And when we came home, we indulged in half-price Valentine candy--
Reese's peanut butter hearts.

Because sometimes when you are weary from plodding,
it just takes a walk in the sunshine,
some hearty laughs,
a bit of peanut butter candy to lick,
a loving hand to hold,
and a God in heaven to be grateful to
to lift you up to where you can stand on mountains.

For we "shall mount up with wings like eagles."

 We "shall run and not be weary,"
and we "shall walk and not faint."

Valentines Day--and the Desires of Your Heart

It's taking me a long time to read through Psalm 37 as usual. 

Matthew Henry's commentary says that while most of the Psalms are songs or praises or laments or meditations talking to and about God,

 this is one of the rare teaching Psalms, full of instruction.

Here are some golden nuggets, shining like the sunset glow out of the windows of our humble prairie home the other evening. 

Jonathan called me outside to look, and we stood gazing at the stunning view of sunset,

and the windows glowing.

And this is one of those Psalms where you gaze over and over at the stunning simplicity and wonder of God's way, the way He wants us to take when we feel unhappy about the unfairness of life.

Here the Psalmist first instructs us on what not to do:

"Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity."

Remember their end.

:"They shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb."

(And no, I did not set up this photo--the cat really was sitting on top of the car engine.)

And what to do.

Trust in the Lord, and do good.

Dwell in the land and ...be fed.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

(These are photos the children took of their bunnies.)

"Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.

Trust.

Dwell.

Delight.

Commit.

Rest.

Wait.

And for a second and third time--

"Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;

do not fret--it only causes harm."

Those who pursue righteousness instead of pursuing prosperity,

who choose the way of the cross instead of the way of the crowd

will find it easy to fret when hard but right choices do not result in prosperity but rather adversity.

 And so God's Word reminds us over and over, 

don't waste your time and energy fretting about this conundrum.

Continue to trust and commit and delight and rest and wait on the Lord.

Someday He will make it all right.

Those whose choices for God and righteousness and honesty 

made them poorer on this earth

shall someday be made heirs of all.

For the "little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked."

"The Lord upholds the righteous.

The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever."

"I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread."
[Instead, they are making oatmeal raisin cookies and taking doughnuts to share with the AA group meeting in the dance hall across the street from our church Sunday morning, as our pastor wants to let them know that there are people who care about them.]

"His descendants are blessed...

For the Lord loves justice, and does not forsake His saints...

He is their strength in the time of trouble."

 Can't you hear Him calling from heaven's golden windows, 

"Happy Valentines Day to all whose hearts delight themselves in Me!"

Saying Goodbye to Iva

In the last week and a half, different ones of our family have spent several days down at Pueblo West
helping my sister Iva's family pack and clean to move.
Timmy got this quickie of Iva and me at the side of her front porch after we'd loaded their firewood up on a trailer for a neighbor.

Sam and Kenny worked hard trying to pull up T-posts from the unforgiving soil,

but they only got one up. 

Kenny is a good worker, and has been such a help to his mother.

I'm so grateful for that. Kenny is a great boy, and has been a good friend to our Sam.

Here Kenny is swinging a pick to try to pull out the T-post.

Here Krissy, Rose, Timmy and I were loading firewood to give the neighbor. 

Iva just learned that their neighbor had just taken in the wife's mother who has stage 4 cancer plus congestive heart failure, and who is now on hospice care in their home. 

This family, whose young adopted daughter has been a great playmate to Iva's kids,  has been kind neighbors to Iva's family, and Iva felt really bad for them.

Pray for this family. For their privacy's sake, I will just call them Iva's neighbors, but I ask my readers to  bring them to the Lord in prayer, and their mother who can hardly keep down any food anymore.

Iva said they do not go to chruch, but she is hoping a friend of hers will share Christ with them.

The girls found a mouse in that pile of firewood!

So the boys came hurrying over to dispatch of it--and discovered it under a board with another one!

Two mice scuttling around! And as the boys chased them, the mice ran back toward us girls!

The girls shrieked with laughter to see Aunt Anna screaming and dancing beside the wood trailer!

I am not that scared of mice--except when they are right under me!

I am sure I looked a sight!

Even after all that work, Iva still has a bit of mischief in her as I take a picture of Kenny and Sam together.

Kenny is taller than Sam and he's three years younger!

Krissy and Rose together. 

I absolutely love Krissy.

Iva spent Thursday night with us before heading on east with the loaded van.

Kenn had traveled back earlier with the moving truck and trailer, to start his job this week. 

We were figuring Kenn and Iva have lived here in Colorado 14 years, almost as long as we have.

I will miss her.

We didn't get together very often, being almost 1 1/2 hrs apart, but at least a few times a year I got to see somebody from my family.

But I'm glad they can move back near Kenn's family and Kenn's home state.

Pray that they will find a suitable place to live.

Here Iva is making popcorn at our place for the trip.

We packed some breakfast and lunch fixings and said goodbye.

k

 Danny loved showing his Aunt Iva the pretty baby bunnies.

And so we said goodbye to the only relatives on my side that I have nearby. 

My kids will miss them a lot. 

There is nothing like family, but I wouldn't hold them here just to be selfish.

Love means roots, but love means wings.

We do not love as we ought if it is all about how a relationship will benefit us, and not about what is best for the other person. 

Another sister just wrote and said they are thinking of coming to visit in Colorado sometime!

Wouldn't that be fun!