Festivals and Fall

It is my absolute favorite time of the year! Fall!
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I took these pictures a few weeks ago, and I've been remiss in forgetting to post them. Hartslog Day is an annual festival held in October (something about a man named Hart, owning a log - I don't know exactly). What I do know is that it is pretty much everything a fun fall festival (alliteration is a gift, folks) should be.
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Here is the street scene at 7:30 in the morning. We beat the crowds. We found a parking space. We hit the ground shopping. Kind of like Veni, Vidi, Vici but lots of women with big purses and tote bags instead of Roman soldiers with swords.

It wouldn't be Hartlog Day without a stop at the traditional pumpkin totem pole, created by students at the local elementary school.

I think this one was my favorite. Moooooo. Or is it a dalmatian? I love the face whatever it is.

Or maybe the scuba diver? With a strawberry on his head? Laying a Steelers egg?

Now, time for the parade. With a marching band, fire princesses, classic cars, boy scouts and . . .
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Shriners. I love the costumes. Especially the shoes.

After some serious socializing, shopping and Shriners (again with the alliteration), it was time to wander through the food vendors. The smells, oh the smells.
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This was my selection. Hot sausage with peppers and onions. It was sooooo good. It was also 9:30 in the morning. Sausage is a breakfast food, right?

This was my mom and my daughter's choice. I had a few bites, too. Funnel cake is a fair and festival staple.

Happy Fall!

Mountains and Valleys

The mountain and valley analogy is used often in the Christian walk. I've come to believe there is a very real reason for that, just because it is so very apt. I wonder who first came up with it.
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I live in a mountain and valley landscape. Ridges run parallel to one another, with broad valleys coming to narrow ends between them. Some mountains have narrow grades, subtly taking you up and up. More often though, they spring up, wall-like from the ground, creating a sharp contrast in the terrain.
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Spiritual mountain tops seem to be where we want to be as Christians. Time spent on the peak is time spent in tune with God, doing His will and getting ever so small glimpses into His plan. The top feels great. The top is, well, the top.
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Spiritual valleys are not our goal. God sometimes seems farther away when we're there. We wonder what He is planning. We gaze at the mountain tops and yearn to go back. Sometimes we grow frustrated and try to climb up out of the valley under our own power. Worse, we resign ourselves to the valley as if we are being punished somehow.
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The mountain tops where I live have spectacular views. In some places, it seems like you can see God's creation spread before you for miles.
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The valleys have a lot to offer, though. Rich farmland support crops and livestock. Rain runs down from mountains to feed streams, creeks and rivers. Occasionally, fog envelops the lowland, blocking out the sun making it hard to see where you are going.
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The spiritual valleys have a lot in common with the real thing. Valleys in our faith are a place to rest and recharge. God will provide us with what we need as we journey through. We just need to remember to trust in Him as we navigate through the inevitable fog that rolls in, confusing us and making us believe that God is so very far away.
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I'm trying to reshape my thinking. Time spent in the spiritual valley is not wasted. It is not punishment. Valleys serve a purpose. Moses, Davis and Elijah all spent time high up on the mountain top as well as down in the valley.
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Just my thought for the day.

Fanny Crosby - Christian Heritage

I'm quickly realizing that I'm running out of month, and I just couldn't forget about Fanny!

Truth in Labeling

Has anyone ever tried to tell you what you are? Ever feel labeled? I have, and I'm certain I'm in good company.
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Sometimes labels are for categorization. Like stay at home mother, working mother (and I mean working outside the home, ALL mothers are working mothers) or single mother. These labels describe, but don't really define. Wife, mother, daughter, grand-daughter, niece and sister are all descriptions I accept gladly.
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During my childhood and teenage years, labels were stuck on me that I hated, like fat, loser, stupid and ugly. Labels like those burn when applied and if you accept them, they are incredibly difficult to remove by yourself.
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Two of my high school teachers however, knew the secret to scraping those labels off. One was a substitute English teacher, only there for a short time. In the free time at the end of the class, party invitations were given out by one of the "popular" girls. Over half of the class received invitations, and obviously, I did not. As the bell rang, the teacher asked me to see her after class. After everyone was gone, she told me that I was a true lady and that she was impressed with how I carried myself. Me? In ripped jeans, t-shirt and old sneakers? A lady? Some of those hated labels fell off right there and then as I accepted a shiny new badge that proclaimed that I was a lady.
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The second teacher was my high school French teacher. She told me I was beautiful when I felt so far from it. She was generous with her encouragement and her compliments.
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I doubt these two ladies even remember these incidents, but I do! And I am determined to do for others what they did for me. Will you join me? There are a lot of mis-labeled people out there!

Germaphobia. It's not just a hobby anymore!

Last week, my son got spectacularly sick. High fever, vomiting, headache, general misery, he had all of the bases covered. The illness went on for four days, while I worried myself silly. Thus the Faith vs. Worry post. I was so thankful when he felt better and went back to school on Friday, and spent the weekend feeling great. Yesterday, in the afternoon, I got a call from the school notifying me that he was sick - again. As I type this, he is still sick, just as sick as he was last week. And I am again worrying myself silly. Why is that?
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Apart from doing my part to give the hand sanitizer companies the best financial year ever, I've got to admit I'm having a really hard time with this. I spent the weekend breathing a sigh of relief that no one else in the family had gotten sick and had hoped that we were in the clear. Reality hit with a vengeance when the second wave took hold.
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I'll try to get back here soon!

Stepping Heavenward

I just finished the book Stepping Heavenward, and I can well imagine picking it up again and re-reading it. It is definitely a keeper. This book was written in 1869 by Elizabeth Prentiss, who must have been an absolute giant in faith.
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The story is told through the journal of Katy Mortimer, beginning on the occasion of her sixteenth birthday. Teenage Katy tells us of her exasperation with her mother, frustration with her friends and confusion with religion. Some bumps on the road of life lead her to her family pastor, who assures her of Christ's love and sets her feet on a quest to grow closer to God. Throughout the book, Katy often laments that the path to righteousness is uphill and it is so easy to lose you footing and slide back down. I cannot tell you how much that description hit home with me.
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On the whole, I would have to say that while the book is not an easy read, it is not a hard one either. The writing is conversational, maybe a bit old-timey, but not so much as other books from that time period. For instance, much as I love Jane Austen, I struggle with some of her wording and miss out on some of the subtle humor in her books. Ditto for Louisa May Alcott. This book was different. Even though it was written in a completely different time period, a time that we tend to think life was simpler, many of her struggles are the same ones we deal with today. I most highly recommend this book!

This Time Its Personal

The title of this post is definitely meant to be tongue-in-cheek.
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First thing this morning, I came upon this blog post at Stuff Christians Like
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Then, even though I felt convicted by what I read before going to work, I allowed myself to fall into the same pervasive attitude problem I've been struggling with for over a week now. Thoroughly disgusted with myself, I took my lunch break at a local cafe with a good book for company. Stepping Heavenward is a work of fiction, loosely based on the life of the author. It is a story told in journal format following a girl into womanhood as she strives to live a more Godly life. Hmmmm. I picked it up, assuming it would be an edifying read of perfect people living perfect lives, enjoyable, but not real. This is most definitely not the case. The heroine, Katy, is far from perfect. She is confused about her feelings about God, confused about her relationship with her mother and confused about life in general. But gradually, she learns to seek Him. I'm not even halfway through the book, and there have already been several "Wow" moments, the kind that send shivers down your spine because it hit you where you live. The clincher - this book was written in 1869. Amazing.
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Today, whether I knew it at the time or not, God chose the reading list. And I am so glad!
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I'll finish my "review" of Stepping Heavenward once I finish the book. The Screwtape Letters is in the mail as well, so that one may very well follow. This one mentioned on Chrysalis sounds good as well. I'm looking for more reading material for the winter season, so please leave suggestions for me in the comments.