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Dear Friends,

I recently discovered that some subscribers were not receiving my posts. In the hope that accumulated posts on my site had caused the problem, I've deleted all posts prior to this year.

You should have received my blog at the beginning of each month with book reviews now and then. I would so much appreciate if you would you click on the link below and leave a comment to let me know that this post arrived in your Inbox safe and sound.

Shirley

Book Review: The Gift of Years

Joan Chittister packs a lot of wisdom about growing old gracefully into the pages of The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully. Short chapters cover topics such as: Regret, Fear, Newness, Possibility, Relationships and much more. In fact, forty chapters are sandwiched between an Introduction and an Afterword on The Twilight Time, the time we may become dependent upon others. Even during those years, Chittister helps you see the wonder of a new beginning on the horizon.

I liked the book’s structure. Chapters open with quotes related to the topic and end with paragraphs addressing “A burden of these years . . . “ and “A blessing of these years . . . “ This technique draws you away from the negatives of aging to appreciate the positives.

She concludes a chapter on Limitations suggesting we see limitations as boundaries rather than barriers. By the time you finish the book, you realize there is much to enjoy and appreciate about growing older.

I recommend this book for anyone approaching the mature years. Her observations will inform you of the process and inspire you to embrace the journey of life with renewed enthusiasm. This would make a good gift for both men and women moving toward or living in the final years of life.

Better Than Eggnog

Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels

Dear Friends,

Nurses recently told both Bill and me that we were dehydrated. They had a tough time inserting needles into our veins to establish intravenous connections. They urged us to drink more water so that the volume of blood in our veins would make things easier for them.

Bill and I had no idea we were dehydrated. We simply drank water when we became thirsty--but that was not often enough.

Just as we become physically dehydrated, we may become spiritually dehydrated. And just as Bill and I did not realize we were physically dehydrated, we may also miss symptoms of spiritual dehydration. We may feel perfectly normal, going about business as usual.

Here are three signs of spiritual dehydration:

A lack of interest in worship. You no longer attend church. You give little thought to praising God for who He is, to thanking Him for his daily grace. You really don’t feel a need to connect with other Christians. You have a nice group of friends with whom you have fun and conversation.

A lack of interest in working for the Lord. Perhaps you’ve never discovered your spiritual gifts. Or you may have little interest in using the gifts you know you have. Service for God becomes something to do if you have nothing else to do.

A lack of interest in witnessing for God. Perhaps you no longer think about talking about God in conversation. You’ve grown careless in your use of God’s name and you laugh at jokes told at someone else’s expense. You’ve forgotten your responsibility to live responsibly before God.

I’ve taken steps to keep my body physically hydrated. Each morning I fill a pitcher with water and try to drink all of it each day. And you know what? The more I’ve started drinking, the more often I get thirsty.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that she needed to be spiritually hydrated:  “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

Here are four things you can do to be sure you’re spiritually hydrated during the Christmas season:

Drink the living water by coming to Jesus and worshipping him on a Sunday morning with like-minded Christians. They will inspire you. The words of hymns and choruses will fix your mind on Christ, and you will become aware of him walking with you in the week ahead.

Drink the living water by making room in your schedule to read your Bible and pray. Set aside time that you keep just as surely as you brush your teeth. Find a Christmas devotional book to read. Each Christmas season I read Joni Eareckson’s A Christmas Longing. 

Drink the living water by looking for opportunities to say a good word for God, even if it’s just saying “God bless you” when someone sneezes. If someone shares a problem, pray with them. Send cards that remind people Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. Include a tract that explains your faith. Take Christmas cookies to a shut in.

Drink the living water by enjoying God’s creation. Nothing is more refreshing than a walk in a woods or a meadow, pausing to listen to the birds, to ponder a snowflake. Feed the birds in your backyard, and thank God for their resiliency in cold weather.

There is no better time than the Christmas season to refresh yourself with living water. Meditate on the words of Christmas carols. Let Christmas lights remind you of the Light of the World. Throw some change in those red buckets. And rest assured the living water will flow through you to refresh others as well.

Have a blessed Christmas season. And feel free to leave a comment to share how you refresh yourself spiritually during the busy Christmas season.

Shirley

In Honor of Veterans: A Personal Family Story

Brother Robert (WW2) and Dad Daniel Smeltz (WW1)

One hundred years ago, November 11, 1918, my father was stationed on a front line in France during World War I. In memory and in honor of all veterans, including two brothers and my husband, I’d like to share my dad’s story:

Soldier, Farmer and Family Man

            Veterans Day parades always made my father, Daniel Monroe Smeltz, choke up. As a child, I wondered what was so moving. But later in life I read his diary of World War I. Then I knew.

On November 11, 1918, he wrote, "The biggest day of my life. Eight a.m. runner reports that armistice is signed to cease firing at 11 a.m. There is heavy firing all through the morning, and we do not know what to think about it. We anxiously await eleven o'clock. After a few mighty bangs and roars, all is quiet. The war is over."

            Daddy, a member of Company A, 34th Infantry, 7th Division, had sailed for Europe on August 17, 1918. Ten days later he landed in Brest, France, and soon headed to the front lines.

At St. Etienny, he bathed in the Moselle River and came down with a sore throat and fever. Too ill to march when his company moved to Averainville, he rode on top of an open supply wagon—in the rain. Later he slept on a stone pile—in the rain.  

            On November 1 Daddy noted that he had carried ammunition, barbed wire, picks, shovels and grenades to front lines and returned under German machine gun fire. A second trip resulted in a "close shave" when Germans started firing "one pounders."

Brother Robert and Me

But Daddy made it safely home to the farmlands of central Pennsylvania. He used his military severance pay to buy a John Deere tractor, which became his pride and joy as he worked on his parents' farm. For a time Daddy also worked as a carpenter in the coal mines. As he drove to work he noticed a pretty young woman walking to work in a shirt factory.

One day he stopped and struck up a conversation with Grace Huntzinger. They soon married and settled in a small house my father and a friend built by themselves. My brother Robert arrived in 1925, Ruth in 1926 and Russell in 1929. Just after Russell's birth, my parents purchased Daddy's family homestead from his stepmother, paying $5,000 in installments. Sister Marie was born in 1931.

In 1936 Daddy was hospitalized with rheumatic fever. In those days if a patient died, the doctor didn't charge the widow. Dr. Dunkelberger was so sure that Daddy would die that he didn't keep track of his bill. But Daddy surprised him. And I was born in 1940, “way on behind,” as they say.

Daddy's ensuing heart condition made farming difficult, especially in the summer heat. For extra money, he cleaned one-room schoolhouses. I loved the pungent smell of the green cleaning compound he sprinkled on the floors. He also sold religious books door-to-door, so I always had plenty to read.

Brother Russell

My earliest memories of Daddy include "gall attacks" in the middle of the night. Mom would cry, worried he was going to die. We had no phone, so an older brother drove to a neighbor's house to call the doctor. Soon I would hear Doc Dunkleberger's heavy steps on the stairs, and in a day or two Daddy would be better.

            Daddy treasured his vintage 1920s Kodak Junior camera. A bellows opened from a flat case. To take pictures, he snapped a shutter release on the end of a cable. He cranked the film rewind by hand. Once the number in the orange dot indicated that the film was filled, Daddy disappeared into our windowless bathroom, which was located behind our kitchen and contained only a bathtub and a waist-high cabinet. Soon the distinctive odor of developing fluid spread throughout the downstairs.

The Smeltz Family

            With his camera, Daddy documented our family history. There we are—my parents sitting on kitchen chairs in the front yard, me on my mother's lap and my siblings standing behind us. There are Daddy and Robert wearing their Army uniforms. And, of course, Daddy took plenty of photos of me—the baby of the family.

            Sundays we all went to church. Daddy and my brothers sat on the right side of the sanctuary, and my mother, sisters and I on the left. The pastor and his wife often came for Sunday dinner. Daddy or Mom always blessed our meals with a prayer.

            A photo of Daddy wearing his Sunday suit and his American Legion cap hangs on a wall in my home. He looks so proud. And well he should. Our Daddy left behind a legacy of faith, patriotism, hard work and love for his family. I hope to pass on to my grandchildren. 

Originally published in Good Old Days magazine, Nov. 2006, www.goodolddaysmagazine.com

My Husband, Bill

This post should have gone out at 8:30 a.m. November 11; I'm reposting, since it did not seem to publish. Forgive me if you get two copies.

Five W's to Help You Clean House!

I made surprising discoveries as I housecleaned kitchen cupboards. A small jar of pepper I looked for turned up. I gained valuable shelf space by combining smidgens of coffee. I pitched solidified marshmallow cream and stale snacks, threw out old heavy oven mitts that I never used and found a bag of pecans (surely stale by now) I didn’t know I had.

When I was young, loose fitting screens and doors invited pests into our homes. Cupboards were high and deep with contents easily forgotten. Dust from our unpaved lane covered even the insides of closets, so we housecleaned each spring and fall. Now homes are tighter, so it’s said we no longer need to houseclean. Don’t believe it!

Housecleaning restores order and eliminates clutter. We find forgotten contents. And we get a fresh, clean start as we wipe away dust, dirt and crumbs.

Perhaps our lives need the same housecleaning. We might start by asking ourselves the five W questions reporters ask when writing a story:

Who?

Who am I? Have you found your true identity? Is your identity wrapped up in your work? Do you feel at loose ends if you’re not working? Does your work consume your time and thought?

Do you think of yourself as “only” a mother, a wife or a daughter and put yourself down for not acquiring a more important status in life?

Our identity is provided by our Creator God who made us in His Image. We are His children. His Son Jesus died so that we may spend eternity in heaven. This earthly existence prepares us for that eternal future. Have you spent time considering your relationship with God and how that affects your relationship with others? Like finding lost ingredients in my cupboards, finding your true identity allows you to enjoy a well-balanced life in tune with God and others.

What?

What am I here for? God has a purpose for each of our lives. Whether we’re called to raise a child or solve a universal problem, we have a purpose. Everything we experience can, by God’s grace, be used to encourage someone in a similar situation. If we keep such stories to ourselves, they get as stale as my pecans. What opportunities do you see to support someone by sharing your story with them?

What is God calling you to be about? What spiritual gifts and talents has He given you? What burden has He placed on your heart? Share it with a friend and see where it leads.

When?

When might you spend time with God to houseclean your thoughts and emotions? He will help you recognize expired items in your life—unforgiveness, bitterness, grudges, jealously, anger—and replace them with peace of mind. We may think “out of sight, out of mind.” But God wants us to bring ugly feelings into the light of His love. He is able to infuse us with His compassion, understanding and grace to pass on to others. And that leaves us with fresh products of joy on our shelves.

Perhaps a neighbor offended you as a child, and you’ve never forgiven her. Perhaps a coworker turned on you in some way and you’ve held a grudge. Perhaps someone blamed you for something you did not do, and you’ve harbored resentment. Time to (as the song says): Let. It. Go.

Where?

 Where will you go to connect with God? Do you have a prayer corner? Do you attend church? Do you pray before you make decisions? God is everywhere, and He is happy to interact with us no matter where we are. But He is a gentleman. He does not intrude if not invited.

Do you ever go to dark places where you hope God doesn’t see you? To clean my cupboards, I climbed a step stool to peer into back corners of high shelves. Invite God into every room of your house and let Him help you empty waste cans and toss garbage. What about those books and magazines? What about that snarky language that you use only with your family? What about that grumbling that stops as soon as you pull into the church parking lot? Invite God into every nook and cranny of your life.

Why?

Why should you bother to houseclean your life? Life passes quickly. “Our lives may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for we quickly pass and fly away.” Psalm 90:10

We never know when God will call us home. I’ve been graced with more than seventy years and they feel as fleeting as the blink of an eye. I watched my children grow up and now see my grandchildren becoming young men and women. I am so glad I dedicated my life to Christ as a young woman. I know I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, but my basic motivations and intentions were meant to glorify God. I hope you can say the same.

But if not . . . simply stock up on cleaning supplies. It’s never too late to houseclean your life and make a fresh start.

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.” (1 Corinthians 3:11-13)