Daily Abiding with Granny - Coals of Kindness

Daily Abiding with Granny

"Coals of Kindness"

"If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink;
for in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
(Romans 12:20,21 KJV)

This lesson from Granny comes to us in the second book, Going Home with Phoebe. Phoebe is having trouble making friends with a new girl named Delly. In fact, Phoebe even suspects that Delly has stolen a special book that had been borrowed from the parson's wife. Phoebe tries her best to be forgiving, but it's not easy. Zeke gives her encouragement and a lesson he learned from Granny - to be so loving and kind to those hateful people in your life that they can't resist the power of love and forgiveness. It's not easy, but Phoebe tries again.

Delly

Phoebe tried to return to the history of Magellan, but she kept looking at Delly and Stafford and Ross huddled around the stove. What kind of father would make his children walk to school on a day like this? She caught the eye of Delly, who quickly looked away. Phoebe noticed that her sweater looked square, like there was something underneath it.

After the spelling lesson, Miss Edgecomb looked at her watch that hung on a chain around her neck. “Phoebe, would you please help the younger girls to the outhouse and then fetch their lunch pails so they can eat in here? We’ll have to have our recess inside today.”

Stella and Jemmy put on their coats and bonnets to face the blowing storm for the few feet to the outhouse. They each grabbed one of Phoebe’s hands and squealed with mock fright as she raced with them across the soggy yard. The wind whistled through the cracks and even up the hole. No one ever dilly-dallied in the outhouse, but especially not on a day like today.

Even though the storm meant being trapped indoors all day, there was an air of excitement and adventure. Children scurried up and down between the desks. Some of the boys began leap-frogging over them until Miss Edgecomb promised a sing time. She also decided to allow them to sit with their friends instead of in their normal assigned spots. Stella and Jemmy pulled Phoebe to sit with them, so Phoebe squeezed into the seat next to the little girls. She looked around the room and noticed Delly sitting alone.

“I’ll sit with you another time,” she told the little girls. “I promise.”

She stood near Delly’s desk. “Would you like me to sit with you?”

Delly looked up with squinted eyes, “Why would I want that? Maybe I like being alone.”

Phoebe stared at her. Her eyes stung and her throat tightened. Her breath came fast and hard. She turned on her heel and plopped in the bench at her desk. Grrrr . .  . That Delly can be so . . .  so . . .  difficult! Doesn’t she recognize when someone is trying to be nice?

Phoebe ate the bread and cheese and apple pie that Maseppa had packed for her, but it tasted bland and dry. She loved to sing, but today she just didn’t feel like it. She’d be glad when their lessons were done and Zeke came to pick them up. She lifted the lid of her desk and froze.

There was the book! The red coloring from the binding was spreading to her papers. One edge looked smeared, like mud had been wiped off. She glanced over at Delly, but she was bent over her desk with intense concentration. She glanced up at Phoebe and then looked back at her work.

Miss Edgecomb was collecting papers from the third class on the other side of the room. Phoebe took the book and walked quickly to the coat room. She wrapped it in her shawl and put it under her lunch pail. Just as she was slipping back into her desk, she heard Miss Edgecomb. “Phoebe Johanson, please sit down and resume your studies.”

“Yes, Miss Edgecomb.”

The schoolroom returned to the normal sound of rustling papers and books. Phoebe glanced at Delly, who was staring at her. Phoebe and Delly held each other’s gaze for a few seconds. Phoebe smiled and there was a little twitch at the corner of Delly’s lips.

Phoebe was glad that Zeke was there when school let out at three o’clock. She told Matthew to get ready while she went to ask Zeke something. She explained about the Kittles, and just like she knew would happen, he offered to take them home. She ran back through the stinging raindrops.

“Delly, Stafford, and Ross, you don’t have to walk home. Zeke said he’d take you home. We’ll have to squeeze together, but that’s alright. We’ll stay warmer that way.”

Matthew, Stafford, and Ross sat on the floor of the buggy, while Delly and Phoebe squeezed in the seat next to Zeke. There wasn’t much room for their feet.

Delly whispered, “How come you didn’t tell on me about the book?”

“I don’t know. I guess I felt sorry for you, being all wet and all. I want to be your friend.”

Delly’s face clouded. “I don’t need no charity friends,” she hissed and turned her face toward the passing, wet landscape.

Phoebe glanced to her left to see if Zeke was listening. He was whistling and didn’t seem to be paying attention to them. The boys were on their knees and talking about Ol’ Sam.

Zeke dropped off the Kittles, and Delly stomped through the puddles without so much as a glance backwards. Phoebe felt frustrated and ashamed, but mostly confused.

After Matthew got out, she and Zeke headed home. The rain pattered on the buggy roof, and Ol’ Sam slopped steadily through the mud.

“Zeke?”

“Yes?”

“Sometimes it’s hard being nice, isn’t it?”

Zeke lifted his hat and scratched his head. “I heard you and Delly talking. Let me tell you something. She’s hurting and embarrassed about her life. She’s pushing folks away ‘cause then they’ll see how things really are.”

“I know it’s not her fault that her pa is like that. I just want to be her friend.”

He smiled at her. “I know, Li’l  Angel. You’ve got a big heart.” He thought for a minute. “There’s a place in the Good Book that talks about ‘heaping coals o’ fire’ on folks’ heads to show you care.”

“Coals of fire?”

“Granny called it ‘coals of kindness.’ It’s showing so much love to them that their shame makes them uncomfortable and they can’t help but be sorry.”

Phoebe thought on that for a while. It isn’t easy to be kind to the Kittles. It’s like trying to hug a porcupine!  Phoebe cocked her head and faced Zeke. “Do you think you could take me over to the parsonage ‘fore we go home? I’ve got something that I need to tell Missus Thomas.”

Daily Abiding with Granny -Trusting God

Daily Abiding with Granny

"Trusting God"
"For I have learned, in whatever state I am,
therewith to be content."
(Philippians 4:11)

Granny hasn't had an easy life. She lost her son to illness when he was young. Her daughter moved out West to the Territories. Her husband died, leaving her with the farm. On top of all this, she has lost her sight in her old age.
But we find that Granny has accepted her life as it is. Granny has learned that God has a reason for everything in her life. She may not understand it, and it may be hard, but she trusts in God and looks for His blessings in whatever He brings her way. 

 Granny's Home

           Phoebe scurried upstairs and then stopped. In her hurry this morning, she hadn’t really looked around. At the top landing, the door stood slightly open. Phoebe gently pushed it and saw a large soft bed with its bedding pulled down over the footboard. The white lacy curtains swayed at the open window. There was also a chest of drawers with a round looking glass. Phoebe wrinkled up her nose and stuck out her tongue at her reflection. A painting of a man and woman with a little girl and boy hung on the wall.

            Granny hobbled and huffed up the last step. “Land sakes! Those stairs get harder to climb everyday. I can’t wait ‘til the Lord comes and gives me a new glorified body! Let’s plump up the feather mattresses and pillows now that the breeze has freshened the sheets.”

            “Who are those people in that picture?”

“Oh, I almost forgot it was there. It’s my husband, Henry; myself, when I was younger and a bit more slender; and our daughter, Emma, when she was about your age.” Granny sighed and brushed her fingers across it. “And my little boy, Charlie. I wish I could see it again. I miss them so.”

“Granny, why can’t you see?”

“Heavens t’Betsy! I guess the Good Lord took away my sight because He wanted me to understand things in a different way. Sometimes I see better by listening with my ears and feeling with my hands.”

            Granny shook and slapped the pillows and mattress until they were round and puffy. Then she pulled the sheets and blankets up, and topped it with a colorful quilt.

           “I made this quilt while I waited Henry Mackmin to finally get the courage to come courting. We were married forty-two years afore he died. I surely miss him.”

            She lowered the window sash, and they proceeded to where Phoebe and Maseppa had slept. Phoebe ran to open the window and pulled back the blankets, just as she had seen Granny’s bed.

         “Oh dear! You do learn quickly, Child, but next time, do it as soon as you awaken, so it will air out while you eat your breakfast." After they made up the bed, Granny closed the window against the cool autumn air.  “This was my Emma’s room.”

In the hallway, Phoebe pointed to the closed door. “What’s in there?”

            “I’ll show you." Granny led the way along the stair railing. She had to push the door with her shoulder.

          The air smelled musty, and a fly buzzed at the window. There was a low, small bed and big chest at its foot. The walls were bare except for a painting above the bed of a little boy and his black puppy.

            Granny was unusually quiet, “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in here.”

 “Who slept here?”

            Granny sighed. “Little Charlie was always sickly. He suffered so with coughs and fevers. One time, it grew into pneumonia, and … and now he’s in heaven with the Lord.”

            Phoebe wrapped her little arms as far as they could reach around Granny’s middle. She tipped her head up to look at Granny's face. “Maybe the Good Shepherd is taking care of your little boy.”

Join me here as we study Granny's ability to live her life, 

daily abiding in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Love and Prayers,

Yvonne                 

If you haven't read A Home for Phoebe yet, 

you can order it on Amazon, 

or you can contact me for a signed copy.

Also, the sequel Going Home with Phoebe is now available.

You can order it on (Amazon)    

or you can contact me for a signed copy.

Daily Abiding with Granny - A Tithe of Blessings

DAILY ABIDING WITH GRANNY

"Tithe of Blessings"

"Let him labor, working with his hands
the thing that is good,
that he may have to give to him that needeth."
(Ephesians 4:28)

When I created Granny's character, I gave her some of my mother's traits. Here is one that I learned from my mother - giving a tithe of God's blessings. My mother always designated some of her garden to the Lord. Whatever grew in those parts were given to others- pastor's famlies, missionaries, elderly people, etc. No matter where she planted those rows in the garden, they always grew the best carrots, beans, or cabbages. 

Granny knows that the fruit of her land is a gift from God, and she wants to show her gratitude by sharing it with those in need. Here is a taste of Granny's generosity - 

"The Apple Orchard"

           By the time the sun burned away the morning mists, Phoebe was awake, and the girls made quick work of straightening the house. By mid-morning, everyone paraded down to the sweet smelling orchard.
            Shadow sniffed ahead and chased a squirrel up the nearest tree. Zeke pulled Phoebe and some bushel baskets on a low, flatbed wagon he found in the barn. Maseppa supported Granny over the rocks and roots. Even Cinnamon joined them, picking her way through the damp grass.
Zeke climbed a pointed ladder into the crooked branches and tossed apples down into their open aprons. One fell from a branch and bounced off Granny's head.
        “Hey! Watch where you’re aiming!”
        "Maseppa," Phoebe tugged on her sleeve. "May I climb up there with Zeke? I want to throw down apples, too. Please?"
            It be long way to fall. What if Phoebe be hurt?
            Zeke peered down through the branches. "Don't worry, Maseppa. I'll help her. Every child should climb a tree sometime."
            They worked hard all morning long. The apples that were too hard to reach, Zeke captured with a wire basket on a long pole.  Of course, none of them could resist biting into the crisp, red skin to taste the sweet juice beneath. Each rosy apple was carefully nestled in straw to protect it for its journey. The apples on the ground were placed in separate baskets to use for cooking. . . .
Granny gently brushed her fingers over the mounded baskets as she counted them. “Zeke, which basket is the fullest and the best?”
            “I reckon the one on the end. Why?”
            “Give that one to the Muggins family, out on the back Horse Heaven Road.”
            “I recollect their place—kind of run-down with a passel of youngsters? Why there?”
            “When you give unto the least, you give it to the Lord. That’s the tithe of my first-fruits. I have some mittens for the wee ones and other things too.”
             “But you don’t have nearly enough for yourself.”
            “I haven’t gone hungry yet.” 

Join me here as we study Granny's ability to live her life, daily abiding in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Love and Prayers,

Yvonne                 

If you haven't read A Home for Phoebe yet, 

you can order it on Amazon, 

or you can contact me for a signed copy.

Also, the sequel Going Home with Phoebe is now available.

You can order it on (Amazon)    

or you can contact me for a signed copy.

Daily Abiding with Granny - Ceaseless Prayer

DAILY ABIDING WITH GRANNY

"Ceaseless Prayer"

"Pray without ceasing"

 (I Th 5:17)

Granny talks herself and Cinnamon, her cat, and Shadow, her dog, but she also talks to her God. Sometimes she speaks to Him aloud, as if He were in the room, but we soon learn that there is a constant conversation between Granny and the LORD in all her waking hours. 

Is God so real to me that I feel His presence? Do I hear His voice? Do I turn to Him first for guidance and companionship? Is He my best friend? 

"Surving Winter"

Most Sundays, when Reverend Hermon wasn’t in town or Zeke wasn’t there to hitch up the sleigh, they spent a quiet day together. They didn’t spin or knit or even churn butter. Granny still held it as the Lord’s Day, even if she couldn’t get to meeting. They would sing some hymns, and Granny would quote some Scripture and teach it to Phoebe. “Blessed is the man  . . . ” Maseppa listened from her chair in the corner of the kitchen, near the fireplace.

Maseppa noticed that except for the change in chores, every day was the Lord’s Day to Granny. She was always singing hymns or quoting Scripture or talking to God as if He lived right in the house with them. At first, Maseppa looked around to see if Granny was speaking to a guest, but she soon realized those frequent comments spoken to the ceiling were prayers. After a while, she got used to it, and gained comfort knowing that Granny’s God was always nearby.  

"Phoebe Greets Spring"

             Zeke grabbed his coat again. “Did Maseppa cross the creek? She may have trouble getting back on account of the rain.”

            After scurrying around for a blanket and a lantern, Granny said, “Be careful, Zeke. I’ll be praying.”

           “Thank ye much, Granny.” He smiled. “Was there ever a time that you weren’t praying?”

            Phoebe watched the lantern bobbing down the hill toward the creek. Soon it disappeared into the stormy darkness.

            “It doesn’t do any good to fret, Child. Come, sit down and work on your shawl.” Granny went back to her knitting. The clock in the front room cuckooed seven times. Sometimes Granny hummed. Sometimes her lips moved silently. 

Join me here as we study Granny's ability to live her life, 

daily abiding in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Love and Prayers,

Yvonne                 

If you haven't read A Home for Phoebe yet, 

you can order it on Amazon, 

or you can contact me for a signed copy.

Also, the sequel Going Home with Phoebe is now available.

You can order it on (Amazon)    

or you can contact me for a signed copy.

Daily Abiding with Granny - Grateful for Everything

DAILY ABIDING WITH GRANNY

"Grateful for Everything" 

Philippians 2:14
"Do all things without murmurings and disputings."

Granny has a way of making the most miserable days easier to endure. When Phoebe has had enough of the cold winter and difficult chores, Granny shows her how to look for the blessings in the midst of hard times. 

Sometimes I find myself complaining about things, but I know it's wrong. I try to use Granny's advice and find something to be thankful for in every situation. Here's where Phoebe learns to be thankful - 

"Surviving Winter" 

When the wind blasted from the north, woolen petticoats and stockings and shawls and bonnets still weren’t enough to keep them warm, even in the house. They did all their daily activities huddled close to the kitchen fire.
           Phoebe slammed the shed door as she returned from feeding the chickens. “I hate winter!” She clamped her hand over lips, but not soon enough.
         “Phoebe!” Maseppa paused in stirring the stew. "You not be angry. You not slam door. You not say you hate things."
         “I’m just tired of going to a cold outhouse and thawing snow for water and eating soup everyday. I only got one egg. Even the chickens are freezing cold! I hate winter. I'm tired of being cold.”
         “Shame on you, child!" Granny tisked. “Every time you speak that word, I want you to bring an armload of wood from the shed. Perhaps hard work will teach you to guard your tongue.”
         “Yes, Ma’am.”
Granny plopped in her rocker and closed her eyes. “Line upon line, precept upon precept.’ That is how you learn the ways of the Lord.” She sighed. "‘Tis true that life is harder in the winter, but it is still from the Lord. He gives us difficulties to teach us patience and make us strong.” She creaked back and forth in her rocker. "Instead of murmuring, like the children of Israel in the wilderness, look for things to be thankful for. You can be thankful for strong arms and legs to fetch wood and for a warm fire to cook our food.”
            Phoebe took a deep breath. “I reckon I could be thankful for the soup, even if it does have cabbage in it. It’s better than eating hay like a cow!”
              “That’s the spirit! Now what else can we be thankful for?”
             “I’m thankful for Cinnamon and Shadow, because they are soft!”
              “I will be thankful for the sheep who give their wool to keep me busy,” added Granny.
              “I’m thankful for you and Maseppa and Zeke.”
                “I’m thankful, too, for you and Maseppa ‘biding with me this winter.”
               Maseppa hadn’t been playing the game with them, but looked up at the sound of her name. It be good to be here with Granny. She teach Phoebe many things. She teach me many things, too.
             “I’m thankful for fresh cream,” continued Granny. “Even if it’s not very much. Maseppa, if you fetch me a bowl of fluffy snow, I’ll show you how to make a nice treat.” 

 Join me here as we study Granny's ability to live her life, daily abiding in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Love and Prayers,

Yvonne                 

If you haven't read A Home for Phoebe yet, 

you can order it on Amazon, 

or you can contact me for a signed copy.

Also, the sequel Going Home with Phoebe is now available.

You can order it on (Amazon)    

or you can contact me for a signed copy.