Airflow

Bobby and I recently bought a new Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner. This is our third one. I bought the first one while still single. My parents had a Rainbow and once you've seen how well it cleans it's hard to go with anything else.

Rainbows are expensive but with a cat and a dog in the house, it's an expense we are willing to pay. We're thinking this will be the last one we buy because either it will outlive us or we'll be too old to deal with getting a new one.

That's not the point, though. The point is that Brian, the very nice Rainbow salesman who came to the house last week, said something that stuck in my mind.

"Suction doesn't clean anything. Airflow is what allows cleaning," he said before demonstrating the concept.

We could go down a rabbit hole here discussing how different vacuum cleaners work and which is better, but let's not. I think we can all agree that airflow is needed in order for vacuums, along with many other machines, to work properly.

We need airflow too. We take well over 15,000 breaths each day. That's a lot of air flowing into our lungs daily. Again we have an opportunity to go down a rabbit hole. We could discuss all the processes happening in our bodies with each breath. That would be interesting, but this is not the place for those amazing medical details.

Rather, let me just get to the point already. Thinking about airflow made me think about wind, and wind often makes me think about the Holy Spirit.

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." — John 3:8

When I try to do things on my own, I often end up like a vacuum cleaner without proper airflow. I'm working hard but accomplishing very little because I'm not letting the Holy Spirit's power flow through me.

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17

The airflow is there, we just have to be open to it, rather than block it. It's as easy as a small child asking for help. When we seek God's guidance, help, and power He always provides.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

"God knows what each one of us is dealing with. He knows our pressures. He knows our conflicts. And He has made a provision for each and every one of them. That provision is Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit, indwelling us and empowering us to respond rightly." Kay Arthur

Our pumpkin harvest

They are lovely just like Mom

"Be curious, not judgmental." Walt Whitman

"People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day." Winnie'the-Pooh

You Reap What You Sow...

...whether you mean to sow it or not.

Last October Courtney brought a pumpkin for Mom's front porch. She said the pumpkin was one of many she grew in front of her porch. The seeds originally came from Randy Kessinger's farm, which is just up the road from us. Courtney said he grew pumpkins and amazing Hubbard Squash.

The seeds traveled away from Spruce Run before they found their way to Courtney and eventually back to Spruce Run. Randy shared some seeds with one of his nieces. She grew pumpkins and the squash too. Her mother, Pam, gave one of those pumpkins to Courtney six years ago, and thus began Courtney's pumpkin patch.

Courtney's pumpkin patch

Courtney saved some seeds from that first pumpkin and carefully followed Randy's other sister, Patty's advice for storing them over the winter. Each June she plants the seeds and reaps a beautiful pumpkin harvest. According to Courtney these pumpkin seeds always germinate, and she continues to share them with many friends who, no doubt, enjoy them very much.

The little pumpkin Courtney shared with us was a nice bit of fall decoration and we enjoyed having it. In fact, we liked it so much we kept it on the porch long after Halloween and Thanksgiving had both passed. I guess you know what happens when you leave a pumpkin on your porch for too long. Our little pumpkin began to rot. One day Clara got the broom and swept the pumpkin off the porch into the small flowerbed beside the steps.

We've already established my affinity for "throwing things in the weeds", so I instantly thought she should have taken it to the weeds rather than put it in the flower bed, but I didn't say anything. I do remember thinking I'd scoop it up later and take it to the weeds, but I'm glad I never did.

Early this past summer I noticed a vine growing in the flower bed. It reminded me of the summer Bobby had an extra cucumber seedling and suggested I plant it at my parents' house. I planted it in the flower bed, and Mom and Dad had a lot of cucumbers that year.

I knew it couldn't be a cucumber vine because it wasn't near the spot where the other had been, besides it has been years since the great cucumber harvest. I didn't even think about the pumpkin, but I let the vine grow because I was curious.

And then I remembered the little pumpkin

We don't have anywhere near the number of pumpkins Courtney has, but you never know about next year.

I was thinking about how our little pumpkin patch was planted so unintentionally, but pumpkin seeds were sown and pumpkins grew.

I wonder how often we sow seeds of frustration, irritation, or discouragement without even realizing what we've planted. Then those seeds produce fruit and we are surprised by the unintended and unwanted harvest. The opposite is also true. When we sow seeds of patience, kindness, and love, even if we don't realize we've scattered those seeds, the harvest will bring joy just like the orange pumpkins growing in front of Mom's porch bring joy.

Randy's pumpkins prove some things. Sharing seeds with family and friends produces a harvest far beyond what you intend. Giving a friend something as simple as a pumpkin can make a difference far beyond what you imagine. Though Thomas Wolfe would disagree, you can go home again, at least you can if you're a pumpkin. Whether you intentionally or unintentionally sow seeds you will reap a harvest. When you are no longer able to continue sowing seeds, the fruit of what you planted will continue and either be a blessing or a curse in the lives of others.

Thank you, Randy, for the lessons and fun your pumpkins are continuing to create for so many of us.

Whatever you sow you reap. I'm going to try and be more aware of what kind of seeds I'm sowing each day. I'm also going to grow more pumpkins.

"The problem with cats is that they get the exact same look on their face whether they see a moth or an axe-murderer." Paula Poundstone

"Before you get a dog, you can’t quite imagine what living with one might be like; afterward, you can’t imagine living any other way." – Caroline Knapp (and Kim Farmer)

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:7-9, NIV

Coffee

Tuesday, September 29 was National Coffee Day.

Last week's description of Betty and Dad's disagreement regarding perked and instant coffee got some attention. Not surprising, really, because any serious coffee drinker has opinions about such things. First off, the disagreement wasn't so much about which is better but whether you could or could not tell the difference between the two. I side with Betty because they taste very different to me, though I can still enjoy a cup of instant from time to time.

Like a couple of you, I started drinking coffee early. Back in the 1960s and 70s, Moms weren't so concerned about everything their children ate and drank, at least my mom wasn't. I had coffee starting when I was twelve or thirteen with breakfast each morning. It was instant coffee and loaded with milk (and sugar), so as the saying goes, I had a little coffee with my milk.

My mom's parents drank coffee every morning and after their midday nap. Actually, there was a lot of coffee drinking in the McCoy house. All the adults drank coffee, and most of my uncles and aunts smoked a lot of cigarettes too. It was a different time.

I have fond memories of seeing my Great Aunt Cleo walk the short distance down the road from her house to my grandparents' house in the early afternoon. She would join in the coffee drinking and cigarette smoking while visiting. She would also often work the Roanoke Times crossword puzzle while puffing away on a cigarette. I think seeing her enjoy the crossword was the impetus for my love of crossword puzzles. I'm glad I copied her love of crosswords rather than her love of smoking.

When I started teaching, my coffee habit ramped up a bit, because that's what you do if you're a teacher, right? You drink coffee while you are keeping a close eye on the students during recess. If it's a good day, the cafeteria staff may have a sweet treat for you to enjoy too. Sometimes you meet other teachers at the communal coffee pot and exchange a few frustrations or funny incidents from the classroom. That's what it seemed like my teachers did and it's definitely what I did.

I think it was the summer of 1991 when Lana and I went to St Croix. Paula, a friend from my Brownsburg Middle School teaching days was living in St. Croix at that time and working in a Lutheran Children's Home there. My college buddy, Linda, joined us for part of the trip.

We were young and didn't care that our accommodations were a bit less than resort-like, okay, a lot less! I did, however, care very much that Paula didn't have a coffee maker or even a jar of instant coffee in the house. My head was splitting by the time we found a cup of coffee. Honestly, I don't even remember where we got that cup of coffee or what we did to support my coffee habit the rest of the trip, but I'm certain we worked something out, because I don't recall anymore terrible headaches.

Linda, Kim, and Lana in St. Croix

The summer of 1993 was a travel-filled summer for me. Mom and I joined Lana and her mom on a short trip to NYC. Actually, we stayed in New Jersey because that's where Lana was being trained for the missionary trip she would be doing. Mom and I took a bus into NYC. We enjoyed a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise before having some authentic New York style pizza. I'm still a little surprised we made it into and out of the city, because I did not know what I was doing. No coffee memories from that trip, but I couldn't leave it out of my post, because it kicked off two amazing trips.

On the way home from New Jersey, Anne, Lana's mom, and Mom dropped me off at Linda's house, the same Linda who was a part of the St. Croix trip. Linda is still one of the best friends I have. (Hey Linda!) She has done many nice things for me and one of the nicest was hosting Sharon and me for the evening, making us a delicious dinner, and then shuttling us to the airport the following morning. We went to Acapulco, Mexico. I wish you could have seen us as we danced and sang "A-ca-pul-co, A-ca-pul-co, A-ca-pul-co" over and over again before our trip. A couple of you did have to endure our exuberance. The rest of you should probably be glad you didn't.

The first morning in Acapulco was basically a repeat of the first morning in St. Croix. We were staying with a lovely family Sharon's family had become friends with through the student exchange program. We walked into the kitchen that morning and my eyes scanned the counter tops looking desperately for a coffee pot of some kind. "Ask if there's any coffee," I begged Sharon.

A jar of Taster's Choice was offered with a smile, but the green label, indicating it was decaf, mocked me as I tried to manage a smile and a gracias. On the inside, however, I was kicking myself for not packing a little jar of red label Taster's Choice in my bag.

I popped a few Tylenol and did my best not to ruin our first day in Acapulco. I didn't have to survive long without coffee, though, because when the parents came home for their afternoon siesta they brought the Mr. Coffee from their office with them. I guess I had not hidden my distress as well as I hoped. From then on, the strongest coffee I'd ever had was available every morning and anytime throughout the day. By the time Sharon and I boarded the plane to return home my addiction had been stoked to the breaking point. It took a little while to tone things down and start drinking a normal amount of coffee again.

A-ca-pul-co here we come! (The giant fanny pack and stuffed backpacks are fodder for another post)

The third and final trip of the summer of 1993 was to Germany with Linda. This post has already gotten too long, and I don't think there were any coffee deserts in Germany so I will save the Germany trip for another day.

I apologize for monopolizing the conversation with my coffee memories. I hope you found something to laugh about amid my recollections or perhaps a few memories of your own made their way to the surface of your mind. It is my hope that I will have something more meaningful to write next week but thank you for strolling down memory lane with me today.

You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way." (Often attributed to golfer Walter Hagen)

Maybe if we work together, we can get it. Good advice for the rest of us!

"Rest and be thankful." William Wordsworth

"I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure..." Psalm 16:8-9