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Linda Roorda

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Blog Entries posted by Linda Roorda

  1. Linda Roorda
    Christmas… the most wonderful time of the year!  We all have special memories wrapped up like treasures from holidays past - the smell of fresh pine when just the right tree is brought in and set up, strands of beautiful colored or pure white lights, decorations from gorgeous and fancy to simple and elegant in an array of colors and styles, scrumptious cookies and candy being made with their aromas wafting through the house, busy days of shopping and either making or looking for just the right gift for each loved one on our list, the stores beautifully decorated like no other time of the year, gifts wrapped and topped with beautiful bows and placed gently beneath the tree, Christmas music filling the air as we sing favorite carols, a fresh layer of snow to reward us with the white Christmas we’ve been dreaming of, as children (and adults) wait in eager anticipation of Santa’s arrival…  Ahh... memories!  Aren’t they wonderful?
    But in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I long for quiet time to pause and reflect on why we celebrate Christmas.  It’s too cold to sit out in one of my gardens to contemplate, so thoughts run through my mind as I sit in an old rocking chair. 
    My antique wooden rocker reminds me of when my dad brought it home from one of his cousin Howard’s auctions in Nichols 50-some years ago.  It was broken.  Needed one of its rockers replaced.  So, he fashioned a new rocker to make the chair whole again.  Then, my mom lovingly restored the dark mahogany wood to its natural shining luster.  There’s a second rocking chair I often sit in to be near my husband in his recliner.  Outwardly, it looks new; nothing’s broken - but it squeaks if I rock too slowly.  My in-laws knew how much I liked to sit in it over the years while visiting, so they blessed me with it. 
    But why am I talking about rocking chairs, and a broken one at that?  And at Christmas time no less!  Because they remind me that that’s why Jesus left His heavenly home and came to this earth as a wee tiny precious baby to live among us.  Our lives are broken… though perhaps not outwardly evident.  We need someone to lovingly restore us… back to the luster and shine that we were intended to have, a broken beauty like that old rocking chair.  Yet, there is Someone willing to come alongside us, to forgive us on our repentance, to walk with us… gently calling us to Himself… our Savior, ready to tenderly restore us with His gift of love… Jesus, the baby whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.
    I’ve often wondered what it was like to have been Mary and Joseph, having to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem with their first baby due soon.  Caesar Augustus had decreed that every citizen should be counted in the entire Roman world, and Bethlehem was Joseph’s ancestral hometown since he was a descendant of King David.  And so off they went.  I cannot imagine Mary walking all that distance from Nazareth being heavy with child only to learn that they had arrived too late to find a clean, warm room.  We tend to think Mary rode the distance on a donkey… after all, our Christmas cards often feature that image.  But nowhere in Scripture is that ever mentioned.  In fact, as I recently learned, Joseph and Mary were rather poor, while only the wealthy could have afforded donkey.
    So, when Joseph was turned away from the inn in Bethlehem because there was no room for them, he must have felt so frustrated.  He couldn’t even provide a warm, clean room for his exhausted wife.  Yet, the innkeeper took compassion on the couple and told them they could find shelter in his stable.  Oh great!  This was not exactly what they had hoped for; still, it was warm, dry and quiet.  Well, sort of…  There were all those animals they’d have to share the smelly stable with – perhaps donkeys, sheep, oxen, a few cats chasing mice hither and yon, maybe even a few roosting chickens – and animals at night are not exactly quiet.  But at least it was warm and dry!  And they didn’t have to deal with hordes of people rushing around, talking loudly and keeping everyone up all night.  Yes, a simple stable would be good enough.  Now, they could finally get some rest and a little peace and quiet… 
    And there, in the dark of night, with perhaps a small torch for light, Mary gave birth to her first-born son.  She wrapped him in swaddling cloths and must have snuggled him close.  As he fell asleep, I imagine she kissed his precious little face while laying him gently on the hay in a manger.  (Luke 2:1-7)
    And then came visitors, some local shepherds, who told them how they’d heard about their baby’s birth. The shepherds told Mary and Joseph that while they were out in the fields, watching over their flocks for the night, they saw the Angel of the Lord in all His glory.  He shone so brightly that he lit up the world all around them!  And they even admitted to Joseph and Mary how afraid they had been.  Nothing like this had ever happened out on the hills before!  What could it mean?  But they also shared how the angel had spoken gently to them saying, “Fear not!  For behold, I bring you tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you.  You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in the manger.’”  Then suddenly, a multitude of bright angels appeared in the heavens, surrounding them, praising God and saying, “‘Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men.’”  [Luke 2:8-14]
    Mary pondered all that had happened in her heart and soul during the days and years ahead.  If we could only know what she was thinking as she watched her precious baby boy grow up, as she wondered about the life her Son would live… and ultimately give… for her… for us…  just to make us whole again. 
    ONE HOLY AND SILENT NIGHT
    Linda A. Roorda
    One bustling and boist’rous night
    A man sought a room,
    A special room for his wife
    About to give birth.
    ~
    No room! No room at the inn!
    Joseph had heard,
    But go look for your shelter
    With cattle o’er yon.
    ~
    A warm and pungent stable
    Mangers filled with hay,
    Peaceful, serene, inviting,
    Cattle mooing low.
    ~
    A cry pierces the darkness
    Mary tenderly smiles,
    A precious babe is born
    Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us.
    ~
    Shepherds gaze up astonished
    As angels descend
    Amid dazzling-lit heavens
    Singing, Peace on earth!
    ~
    To Bethlehem town they run
    Lowly stable to find,
    Promised Messiah to see,
    Savior of the world.
    ~
    Would I have recognized Him,
    This new baby boy?
    Would I have known His purpose,
    My Savior, My Lord?
    ~
    One holy and silent night
    God came down to man.
    In humility He served,
    His grace-filled plan to redeem.
    ~
    Merry Christmas!  God bless you all!
    ~~
  2. Linda Roorda

    Broken Beauty

    By Linda Roorda,

    During this holiday season, so many among us struggle with difficulties and losses. They seem to make the holidays harder to face as we perhaps miss the joy once shared with loved ones, struggle with losses from devastating storms, or were given a difficult health diagnosis.  Yet, we don’t have to face life’s turmoil alone.  There is one who will be at our side - Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  He’s the very reason we celebrate Christmas.  He brings love to our heart, guides our path, and gives us His peace and comfort to face those difficult days.
    Maybe you feel as though you're broken and scattered... like pieces of shattered glass.  You're so overwhelmed by life, torn apart by one situation after another, perhaps in rapid succession. And you begin to feel like you want to run away from all the stress and responsibility. I have... and know I'm not alone...  My poem below was actually written only days before another very difficult year for me and Ed... words God gave me to show me He was truly with us, that He had a purpose, and that He would be there in those hard days.
    We all get hit hard by life at times, like the disruptive years during the coronavirus pandemic.  We all face losses.  We all stumble and fall.  We’re all broken… broken by our mistakes, sins, fears, pain, ongoing chronic illness, loss of precious loved ones, financial stress, or simply by the weight of life’s never-ending demands.  But are we willing to admit we’re broken people?  Do we think we’ve got it so together that we would never admit a failing? Do we lash out at others around us out of anger, hurt and resentment? Do we perhaps look down on those who might stumble in a moment of weakness?  Or do we humbly apologize and ask forgiveness from those we might have offended?
    The damage from any trauma or abuse can be devastating, leaving us feeling raw and exposed, torn apart.  Just the simplest things can take a toll when we’re overwhelmed by stress without relief.  Long-term illness or disability can have the same effect.  We keep hoping that one day… somehow… things will get better… but they don’t seem to.
    Reminds me of what it might be like sitting in a boat in the middle of a lake without oars, rudder or motor when the storm hits.  We won’t get very far.  In fact, the storm will toss us about unceasingly or capsize us without that rudder to steer and stabilize the boat, or the oars to row our boat to shore.  And it’s so true that life’s challenges can blindside us when we least expect them and catch us totally unprepared, leaving us feeling like we’re unable to handle what comes our way.  Certainly, we don’t feel like our brokenness is beautiful!
    God never promised us a life without problems and pain: “…in me you may have peace [for] in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”. (John 16:33)  He promised to give us what we ask for when we ask in His will, and that He will always be with us.  We just need to ask and trust Him as He “works all things for the good of those who love Him…” (Romans 8:28)  He intends for our journey of difficulty to strengthen our faith.  For James 1:2-3 reminds us to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance…” Yet each trial, or broken road, can sure seem long and tedious, and not something we readily rejoice in!
    Still, as we draw closer to our Lord in the difficulties, we realize He’s been drawing us closer to Himself.  He’s at work putting our broken pieces back together to make us complete… to restore us… to give us a purpose.  How often haven’t we felt His love surround us when the path is hard and long, and we seemed so alone?  Haven’t we looked back to see He’s carried us at times when we’ve done all we could and felt as though we couldn’t take one more step? And isn’t He the one who sent someone to wrap their arms around us, with an ear to listen to our heart, words to heal, and arms to hold us up and help us stand… until we felt stronger and able to function again?  Just like Paul wrote, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”  (Philippians 4:13)
    Recently I read about the Japanese artform of Kintsugi (golden joinery), or Kintsukuroi (golden repair).  These are terms for a special type of repair to broken pottery which began in about the 15th century.  Artisans take gold, silver or platinum dust, mix it with a special lacquer or resin, and apply it to the broken pieces.  As they fit the broken pieces together, the shattered pottery is made whole again.  Typically, the broken vessel becomes even more beautiful in its new state of repair – broken beauty, in other words!

     
    No matter what we go through, God will bring comfort and peace to our heart when we look to Him for strength to face each trial.  He is our salvation for eternity. We are why He came to this broken world as a tiny newborn infant. He has it all under control and even has a reason for taking us through the storms, allowing us to grow and heal through the difficult journey. He welcomes us as broken people, making something beautiful from our shattered pieces of life!
    Then comes the day when we realize we're healed... maybe not exactly as we'd wanted... but the pain no longer has a grip on us... for our brokenness has been used to heal a weakness. The difficult journey was worth every step from brokenness to a new wholeness... because it has given us a better understanding of life with a greater empathy for others, with peace like a comforting blanket... enabling us to come alongside someone else who is struggling and overwhelmed as we "encourage the disheartened [and] help the weak..." (I Thessalonians 5:14)  For we know that God has used our trial in such a way that we now shine a light from within that we never knew we had... as we've gone from broken to beautiful in God's restorative eyes!
    Broken Beauty
    By Linda A. Roorda
    ~
    Sometimes…
    Like a beautiful vase
    Our life is shattered
    Like so many shards
    Of broken glass
    Where once there was
    A vessel whole…
    And unbroken.
    ~
    Because…         
    Trials of life
    Came crashing down
    To take their toll
    Inflicting damage
    Leaving emotions raw
    Trying to destroy
    The joy from within.
    ~
    But…
    There comes a day
    When it’s time
    To pick up the pieces
    And one by one
    To then reclaim
    The former beauty
    Of the vessel treasured.
    ~
    So…
    An effort ensues
    To fit the pieces
    Back together
    In such a way
    That there will shine
    Illuminating brilliance
    Never before seen.
    ~
    For…
    An inner strength
    Has taken hold
    So that the pieces
    Broken and scattered
    In coming together
    Now give the vessel
    A broken beauty!
    ~~
    February 2014
  3. Linda Roorda

    Seeking You

    By Linda Roorda,

    I’ve shared this essay previously, part of a speech given at a local women-of-faith retreat. Yet, there are times my heart is lifted up by re-reading words from another time and place… reminding me anew of God’s unfailing love in difficult circumstances. As I wrote in my Christmas letter a year ago, I have felt so blessed by God in so many ways since Ed’s passing.
    I’ve also been blessed over the years by visions, words or nudges from God, including after our daughter Jenn passed with a vision of her surrounded by children in her heavenly home, saying “Be strong,” those words all throughout Scripture. But a few days after Ed passed, I was woken up by seeing Ed leaning over as I slept, giving me a gentle loving kiss… God’s way of reminding me that His love is always with me.
    Ed was in the ER multiple times that year, admitted just after Christmas and again in January 2023 for worsening congestive heart failure with pulmonary issues. Then, multi-tasking, running in a gazillion directions at once, I walked nose first in the dark into an open door I’d forgotten to close. Thankfully it wasn’t broken, just wounded. Initially, Ed was “ok” but continued to struggle with activities of daily living as shortness of breath and weakness took over, while learning to accept more limitations with his many diagnoses affected us both… until it was clear he would not recover, and he passed from this life into his eternal reward.
    Knowing we are never alone like so many others facing various trials and tribulations, I re-read the words below taken from my larger essay written in 2014 which I shared with my Dad a few months before his passing in April 2015.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God when we deal with the difficulties of life… and I need to be reminded, too.  For God is still here, guiding me, and you, each step of the way.
    ~
    I was asked to speak at a local women-of-faith retreat in December 2014 on their theme, “Wise Men Still Seek Him.”  It was an honor to have been asked to share my life’s faith testimony, but it was also a humbling experience to open my heart in a “public” venue.  It’s entirely different from writing poems and reflections “behind the scenes” for my blog, Poetic Devotions.
    While God has graciously given me more understanding and wisdom gained over a lifetime of spiritual growth, He has also continued to draw me into a deeper faith throughout life’s ups and downs.  This may not seem like a Christmas-type message, but without the birth of our Savior, who would we seek when times get tough?  My prayer is that God will use these words taken from my larger speech to bless your heart.
    I’m the oldest of six children, blessed to be born into a Christian family, albeit a somewhat dysfunctional and fractured family, with my father divorcing my mother not long after I married. There was never a time I did not know about Jesus from church, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and Christian elementary school. At 14, having moved 15 times, and to a new school district for the fifth time, saying I had no friends, my father reminded me that as a little girl I would say Jesus was my best friend. Ouch! I’d forgotten that!
    At 15, I recognized my need for Jesus as my Savior and asked Him into my heart. Still, I did not seek God and His will as I should have during my late teens. Yet, it’s in knowing that when I seek the Lord with my confession and repentance, He forgives me and wipes my slate clean for “…as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Ps.103:12 NIV)
    I married Edward at age 19 on October 26, 1974, waiting until the fall crops were in. Celebrating our 48th anniversary the fall of 2022, I look back and see how immature I was. But I also look back and see how faithful the Lord has been, always beside me, guiding and drawing me closer to Himself, giving me a husband whose love, insight, and wisdom have met my needs.
    Like other young couples, Ed and I thought we’d live happily ever after without problems. Instead, like many others, our life together seems to have been one struggle after another, though it’s how we react and what we learn that makes a difference. There was a time years ago when I did not understand that… when I felt lost, questioned whether I was truly saved, not knowing how to accept or learn from problems sent my way. But the Lord took the wounds and scars in my life and turned them into blessings as He helped me grow spiritually through those tough times.
    Admittedly, it’s been the journey of a lifetime learning to seek God, to listen to His still small voice and nudges within my heart.  Sometimes His message is loud and clear.  Sometimes God is quiet and doesn’t seem to hear my prayers, with no clear answers, no direction, no healings. But it’s in those times that I remind myself to keep moving forward in faith knowing that God is with each of us through the tears and difficulties, not just the best of times, for “…we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  (Romans 8:28 NIV)
    Despite my share of struggles and failures when I take the reins instead of allowing God to have control, I can honestly say, as I look back, that it’s also been through the toughest days that God has blessed me in many ways.  Sometimes I long for a quiet simple life, one without any difficulties.  But that is not the life given to me.  I need to rest knowing that God is in control.  He uses our struggles to teach us, to draw us closer to Himself, and to reach others through struggles we go through.  He understands what we face and allows our difficulties in order to help mold us into the person He wants us to become.  And I can’t help but wonder if I would have grown spiritually if I had never faced the various trials sent my way. 
    For God does not heal us of our problems the way we want just because we pray for healing.  Literally being told that Ed was not healed of his blindness because we were not praying right, or that we should pray certain ways for healing, set dangerous tones of self-centeredness, not seeking or accepting God’s will.  As we read through Scripture, we find that Paul sought the Lord three times to be healed of his “thorn in the flesh.”  Instead of healing, he heard the Lord say, “’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…’” and Paul responded by saying “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness… for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (II Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV) Yet, Ed and I knew how hard it is to live out those words of faith when we had not seen the healing we prayed for.
    So, it’s the Lord’s wisdom I seek to guide my steps, to direct my path, to cover me with mercy when I am weak and fail yet again.  And when I was so often stressed to the max by life and its busyness back then, I find He is still here, even in the mundane.  He’s teaching me to seek Him… to lean on Him… giving me peace and contentment in the turbulence.  In this, I can find satisfaction doing what He expects of me even when it’s not the easiest path nor the direction I want to go.  For our walk of faith takes us to new dimensions with Christ that we would not have known without those difficulties.
    As the Lord drew me and Ed closer to Himself, He strengthened our faith, taught us forgiveness and patience under his grace and mercy, and carried us when we felt so overwhelmed.  He has been with us through days when we wondered why it seemed He wasn’t answering our prayers… when we lost our two unborn babies, later giving birth to three beautiful children; when Ed, a premature twin who was legally blind from pure oxygen in the incubator, went to an eye doctor for vision issues, told to quit farming that day, had 9-hr retinal detachment surgery three days later, and I had to find a job; long-term effects of my undiagnosed PTSD from past abuse; my Tourette’s syndrome since age 10; when our son was diagnosed with a rare congenital heart condition needing an implanted defibrillator at age 16; when our oldest daughter died at age 25 from an undiagnosed heart abnormality; when Ed went to The Carroll Center for the Blind for training, then lost his job as customer service rep after 9/11, telling God he’d tried everything he could to find work, putting it in God’s hands to find him a job – and God answered him with a new job when the company’s owner knocked on our door to ask what Ed could do for them! When I had multiple neck fusions, back and hand surgeries, an autoimmune disorder (pulmonary sarcoidosis) with severe IBS necessitating a very restricted diet, and breast cancer. When Ed had permanent statin drug muscle damage needing multiple surgeries to repair torn cartilage in knees and shoulder from struggling to stand from sitting, neck fusion, a brain shunt causing major grand mal seizures with concern he may not recover, unrelenting pain since 2008, severe life-threatening pancreatitis (he did not drink), severe congestive heart failure, COPD on chronic asthma, presenting in a hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (a life-threatening complication of diabetes), unrelenting and untreatable dizziness, a genetic blood clotting disorder causing extensive clots in limbs and lungs, and even more that I’m not going to list… while taking care of my mother's affairs after her paralyzing stroke Christmas Day 2011.
    And now, having retired as a hospital medical/radiology transcriptionist in 2020, I’ve been blessed with a sub position in our local school system, hoping to make a difference in the lives of local youngsters… as I enjoy a respite of peace and contentment, and the blessing of a Reformed church and many new friends.
    Through it all, God showered us with love in answering our prayers in ways that best fit His plan.  As my friend Natalie wrote, “God does not always reward faith with blessings.  He allows our faith to undergo challenges - to be tried through a fiery testing.”  Job, Paul and James all speak of God knowing our path through trials as we persevere in faith and wait on God’s timing, as hard as that may be.  Because love means being there during all those difficult days, not just the happy times… for that is how much God loves us as we seek Him.
    And in seeking Jesus this Christmas season, may we each find Him in the humblest of places within our heart… not in the rich and colorful embellishments and trappings which boldly confront us, earlier and earlier each year it seems.  May we find Him in serving others with a heart of love, even the least among us… in caring for the hurting souls among the noisy din of humanity. 
    Then, wherever love is needed, may we reach out to reveal Christ among us, and know the gift of His strength and comfort, and hope and peace in the midst of life’s turmoil.  For with that peace comes the gift of inner joy because in Matthew 6:33 we are told to “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
    In this joyous Christmas holiday season as we celebrate the birth of our dear Lord and Savior, may we all remember to wisely seek Him first… whatever comes our way.
    Seeking You
    Linda A. Roorda
    Seeking you Lord, Your will in my heart
    Giving all thanks and praise to Your name,
    As Your loving hand with mercy and grace
    Guides through rough seas to calm peaceful shores.
    ~
    Seeking you Lord, in the dark of night
    When sleep won’t come and dreams bring on fears,
    As I arise to the morning dews
    And greet the sun for a bright new day.
    ~
    I’m drawn to Your side when cares overwhelm
    Teach me Your ways from words filled with hope.
    Grant me Your peace when life darkens doors
    Guide every step, Your wisdom impart.
    ~
    With riches great we travel secure
    Thinking we have control of our life,
    But when troubles come we turn quick to you
    Pleading for strength to carry us through.
    ~
    This strength I seek from Your loving arms
    Moment by moment to face new demands
    With head bent low my prayers rise to You
    To humbly shine Your light from within.
    ~
    May I ever know You walk alongside
    Guiding my steps and the path that I take
    May words expressed show love to others
    From a heart that seeks your wisdom and truth.
    ~
    Then may I know Your mercy and grace
    Covers my soul with comforting peace
    Granting wisdom from within Your word
    As I praise Your name and seek Your will first.
    ~~
     
  4. Linda Roorda

    No Room

    By Linda Roorda,

    I had a big disappointment as a kid one Christmas, but kept it a secret for decades.  I’ve never forgotten that Christmas when I was 5-1/2 years old. We’d left a favorite Marion, NY farm to live in Clifton, NJ, again, the city where I was born.  I was a big girl though, walking all by myself several blocks to kindergarten - PS#15 overlooking scenic Weasel Brook Park.  My sister and I with our toddler brother loved to visit Grammy and PopPop (our Dad’s parents), and that Christmas was especially exciting ‘cause we were going to meet Santa!!  And I knew aaallll about him…
    You see, I had a book, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, and knew that little story by heart… like another favorite book, “The Three Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens”.  Just ask my kids… they’ll tell you not to get me started – ‘cause I still know that favorite story by heart, too!  But there we were at the Christmas party with a house full of relatives.  And who arrives amidst a big fuss?  Santa Claus!!!  No, not down the chimney, silly!  After all, my grandparents didn’t have a fireplace, only radiators in their city house.  No, Santa simply came in the back door, all dressed in red with white trim.  He had a white beard, and a wide black belt around his big tummy – just like in my book!  So, it really was him!!
    Then, while PopPop took movies, we girls took turns sitting on Santa’s lap, telling him what we wanted for Christmas - me, my sister Carol, and our cousin Susan.  I honestly don’t remember who went first.  But I do know that I was scared despite being the oldest cousin and in kindergarten.  I didn’t know what to say!  But cousin Susan?  She wasn’t afraid of Santa!  She talked to him just like she knew who he was… and I was jealous.  Why couldn’t I have talked with Santa like that?  But we were very happy with the big stocking full of candy that he gave each of us!
    As Santa left, Grammy took us three little girls to a window upstairs that overlooked the snow-covered street out front, the street side banks piled high with plowed snow.  “See those lights?  There goes Santa!” Grammy said.  But you know what?  I knew those lights were just a car’s red taillights.  Under city streetlights, I could see there was no Santa’s sleigh!  Where were all the reindeer?  And Rudolph with his nose so bright?  He was supposed to lead the way!  I knew every word of that story from my book, remember?!  Right then and there, I was so disillusioned that I never believed in Santa again!  And dear Grammy never knew about my big disappointment…
    Writing this story, I had to find out who played Santa.  From my Aunt Hilda, I learned that Richard Andela was our Santa.  Richie actually worked with her husband, Roy Oostdyk, at his Gulf gas station on Main Street in Clifton… where my father also worked on Saturdays over the years when we lived in Clifton.  No wonder Susan was so comfortable talking with him!  Oh, the precious memories of childhood that we hold onto!
    Yet, there is someone I can believe in without disappointment… for eternity. It’s the baby whose birth we welcome and celebrate at Christmas… Jesus, the Light of the world, our Lord and Savior.  “For God [our heavenly Father] so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16 KJV)
    With the busy holiday shopping extravaganza, commercialization, and our hectic schedules, I think we sometimes lose a little of the joy and wonder that must have been felt on that very first Christmas… and perhaps we, too, forget to make room amidst the holiday hustle and bustle for this precious little baby.  Like us at times, another youngster was once trying to find the right things to help him celebrate, but nothing seemed to go right for him either.
    “It was finally Christmastime, the best time of the year.  The houses were strung with tiny colored lights, their windows shining with a warm yellow glow only Christmas could bring.  The scents of pine needles and hot cocoa mingled together, wafting through the air, and the sweet sounds of Christmas carols could be heard in the distance.  Fluffy white snowflakes tumbled from the sky onto a group of joyful children as they sang and laughed, skating on the frozen pond in town. Everyone was happy and full of holiday cheer.  That is, everyone except for Charlie Brown…”
    “Charlie (to Linus):  ‘I think there must be something wrong with me.  I just don’t understand Christmas, I guess.  I might be getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I’m still not happy.  I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel…’”
    “Later, after a day of frustrations, Charlie said:  ‘I guess you were right Linus; I shouldn’t have picked this little tree.  Everything I do turns into a disaster!  I guess I don’t really know what Christmas is about.  Isn’t there anyone who can tell me what Christmas is all about?’”
    “Linus quietly said:  ‘Sure, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.’  [Walking to the center of the stage, Linus speaks.]  ‘And there were in the same country Shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone ‘round about them, and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not!  For behold, I bring you tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you.  You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in the manger.’  And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men.’”  [Luke 2:8-14, KJV] *
    Did you notice that Linus dropped his security blanket while saying “Fear not” in the film? He knew Who to trust and believe! Like Ed’s cousin Kevin once commented, “Praise the Lord we have a Savior who has given His life so that our ‘branches and lights’ are beautiful in God's eyes!”  For that’s what Christmas is all about. 
    No Room
    Linda A. Roorda
    Is there no room, no room in my heart?
    Midst all the trinkets this world can offer,
    What do I value and treasure the most…
    Things that decay or things of the heart?
    ~
    It seems I’ve filled my heart with worry
    Frets and concerns of every-day life.
    My wants and wishes each clamor for time
    Leaving scant room for what matters more.
    ~
    Like the innkeeper from long ago
    He with no room sent seekers away
    Little did he know, the love they carried
    Was in the babe about to be born.
    ~
    This babe grew strong and embraced the weak
    An emissary of love sent to our world.
    How else could He know what this life was like
    Except to become like one of us?
    ~
    Tempted and tried amidst the world’s cares
    Unrecognized, despised and rejected.
    No room in their hearts to welcome salvation
    No room for love and gifts eternal.
    ~
    Still, we are drawn to this man unique…
    One who went seeking the hopeless and lost,
    Forgiving our pasts, making new from worn
    He who has room in His heart for us.
    ~
    Is there no room, no room in my heart,
    Midst all the trinkets this world can offer?
    Yes, there is room for the One I treasure…
    The precious babe, my Savior and Lord!
    ~~
  5. Linda Roorda

    Thanks-Giving Day

    By Linda Roorda,

    Thanks-Giving Day… a time of reflection, appreciation, gratitude… recalling blessings even among the difficulties of a most unusual year… and memories shared from years past as we recall what touched our hearts deeply… remembering our loved ones who are no longer here among us… recalling extended family gatherings with delicious food and lots of it… endless football games (sorry, not my favorite)… hunting (let’s go!), especially if there’s fresh snow for tracking… all felt with grateful hearts!
    We really do have so much to be thankful for… like starting each new day with a heart that simply appreciates the little things of life… because it’s so easy to fuss and fret about those little things that annoy me/us… yet it’s the grateful heart that brings out the best in each of us!  And simply thinking about being thankful got me pondering deeper. 
    How grateful I am for the love of family and friends, smiles, cards, and encouraging words!  With love, we lift each other up, strengthen, bring comfort in difficult times, and see the good in each other… reminders of hope and renewal to cheer us on. 
    As I began to write this reflection a few years back, it was a cool, dreary, cloudy, drippy, fall day… much like it is now while editing this blog to repost.  It was the kind of day that reminds me warm summer days have passed and the cold snowy winter is coming, as evidenced by the snow many of us saw arrive this past week.  But then I realized that we were blessed with a good summer and rains during a warmer-than-usual fall, helping to overcome recent droughts and forest fires.  Though they might seem an irritant to sunny days, the rain and snow are so needed to renew and replenish the earth and our water supply, and so I am thankful.
    A grateful heart also shares much love and joy. From our own thankfulness, we reach out to others. I have often admired those who give their time to serve holiday dinners at local missions.  Yet, I have not volunteered as I also felt it was important to spend holiday time with my husband who could not go out and about… a way to make his day special.  Family time and making precious memories are also blessings from God to treasure with a heart of appreciation.
    I also like the idea of a thankfulness jar, but never implemented one in my home.  Throughout the year, family members can write notes about what they’re especially thankful for and put the slips in the jar.  On Thanksgiving Day, or perhaps several days in a row, slips are removed and read aloud, reminding everyone in the family of all the ways we appreciated and blessed each other. And I’m determined to start that project this year.
    A thankful heart is at the root of the joy and happiness we so often search for.  With a thankful heart, we praise the Lord for His many blessings each and every day, even for every breath we take. With a grateful heart, we express love for each other in a myriad of ways, and are open to seeing the hidden beauty among us and around us.  With a thankful heart, we are more apt to focus on the good that can come from trials we face.  And with a grateful heart, we see that which we tend to overlook, or take for granted, as the genuine blessing it truly is.
    For with a thankful heart, we will readily say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  His love endures forever…”  (Psalm 107:1) 
    Happy Thanks-Giving Day!
    Thanks Giving by Linda A. Roorda
    For the dawning of each new day
    For the sun which shines its brilliant rays
    For the birds who share their sweetest songs…
    We thank you, Lord, for blessings rich.
    ~
    For desperate pleas You hear with love
    For all the ways you meet our needs
    For answers to our many prayers…
    ~
    For all the friends who grace our lives
    For the ones who left our arms too soon
    For tears and peace that fill our hearts…
    ~
    For those who fight for freedom’s sake
    For those who protect our streets from crime
    For those who gave all that we might live free…
    ~
    For each new season in the cycle of time
    For spring’s rebirth and summer’s bright sun
    For autumn’s harvest and winter’s rest…
    ~
    For the joy of life in a newborn’s cry
    For hope-filled days as our youth pursue dreams
    For resilient smiles that greet a harsh world…
    ~
    For our great bounty midst a world in need
    For each new breath in a day not promised
    For all the ways we love each other…
    We thank you, Lord, for blessings rich.
    ~
  6. Linda Roorda

    A Vessel of Worth

    By Linda Roorda,

    I love to sing, always have, since I was a kidlet.  In my childhood, it was the old Hymns of Faith whether in Christian elementary school, church, choirs, in the backseat of the car singing with my sister as our family went for a drive, or as she and I sang an occasional duet in church.  As a teen, I sang along with old country/western and then rock songs of the early ‘70s on 99.1, the WAAL.  Yet, I’ve always enjoyed the old hymns, simply for the truth of the words and the joy of singing, though I also appreciate the upbeat contemporary praise and worship songs on Family Life Network, 88.5-FM.  As I age, I still love to sing though my voice is not always as crisp and clear, nor even as loud as it once was.  With pulmonary sarcoidosis, I just don’t have the volume or depth of air in my lungs anymore.
    As a retired member/leader of a church Praise Team, it was an honor to select music for the worship service - hymns, country gospel songs, or contemporary praise songs.  Each week we brought a different set of songs, usually chosen in an attempt to mesh with the Scripture readings.  Our hearts were touched when we chose music not knowing the Scriptures to be read and the songs fit perfectly, knowing God worked through us!  Occasionally, we felt moved to change a song, unexpectedly needing “Plan B” with a different option.  Time after time, we saw what could be looked at as a failure of our plans, but instead was intended by God for His purpose… to touch someone’s heart in a way we could not have foreseen.
    Now, as a member of a praise band, The Dry Bones, led by Paul Estro, I again feel the importance of the music chosen to sing – that which Paul writes or selects from contemporary musicians.  For there’s something about singing that lifts the heart up… from sadness… from a difficult day… from the trials and wounds of life… from pains and losses in life that scar... to the joys and blessings in each day... and the friendships and value of each person...  like a cleansing of the soul, bringing a sense of purpose to our singing and peace to our emotions… for God takes our brokenness and makes something of beauty from it…
    Because singing lifts the heart up in praise to God for all the goodness He’s blessed us with… for taking us through those difficult times to easier peaceful days… for working through our wounds and scars to refine us and use us for His purpose, for His glory… so that, with praise and joy for all He has done for us, we might touch another life along the way.
    After I wrote the poem below, its message reminded me of the old hymn, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” by Adelaide A. Pollard (1902), put to music by George C. Stebbins.  This worshipful song has been a favorite since my childhood.  “Have Thine own way, Lord!  Have Thine own way!  Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.  Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting yielded and still.”
    And the Scriptures from which both the above hymn and my poem’s messages are drawn reflect the Master Potter’s work in us: “So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.  But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands, so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.” (Jeremiah 18:3-4 NIV)  Another prophet felt the same way as he praised our heavenly Father by writing, “Oh Lord, you are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8 NIV)
    Our life is a continual process of growth and refinement through the years.  As we stay focused on our God and His love, He refines our rough edges… our failures, mistakes, and sins… and works through them to bring out our best, just like the Potter, almost without our realizing it… 
    Then, one day, we take a look back.  As we ponder the path we’ve been on, we realize how our Lord took us through the difficult times to clear away the pain of wounds… to draw us closer to Him… to cleanse us from our sin… to refine and change our attitudes from within… to renew our life’s direction and purpose… and to bring joy to our heart… as we become a vessel of worth, more like Christ.  And that’s something worth singing about!
    A Vessel of Worth 
    Linda A. Roorda
    I’m like a clay pot, a plain earthen vessel
    Scarred and fragile, bruised and broken.
    What can I offer in this condition?
    What is my value, and what am I worth?
    ~
    So I watched the Potter as he took raw clay
    Gray bland in color, an undefined block.
    Throwing the clay with fingers easing
    All the rough edges, the lump he refined.
    ~
    Faster he pedaled, wheel turning smooth
    Humming a tune, his hands deftly worked.
    His vision emerged through design taking shape
    While gently he scraped imperfections aside.
    ~
    Yet there in the clay for all to see clear
    Lay fissures and cracks now being exposed.
    Some faults ran deep, others lay shallow
    All marred perfection, casting doubt as to worth.
    ~
    Swiftly he worked to shape and refine
    As beauty beneath was slowly brought forth.
    Heat up the furnace! the potter exclaimed.
    It’s only through fire refinement is made.
    ~
    Purging the defects, molding and shaping
    Tempering through fire, perfection to find.
    For hidden from view in mind’s eye alone
    Lay His creation, a vessel of worth.
    ~
    As I stood aside observing the skill
    Which molded and shaped a plain lump of clay,
    I thought of the One who had created me
    A vessel of value, made worthy by Him.
    ~~
  7. Linda Roorda

    Your Word

    By Linda Roorda,

    I suspect we’ve all heard, “There but for the grace of God go I.”  Truth be told, I think we all know how true those words are.  This world has so much to offer with its many enticements… and how easy it is for any one of us to be swayed aside… but for the grace and wisdom of God. 
    I’m thankful to God for preserving me from being enticed to follow a path that seemed so good, so right when young… which, in reality, would lead to destruction.  Studying the book of Proverbs is an eye opener.  Oh, I’ve read it before, but appreciate studying it closer verse by verse.  Here, the wisdom of Israel’s King Solomon is directly before us as he speaks to his son(s) and daughter(s), his children… us… me.  And, knowing his life’s story, the reading becomes even more poignant. 
    When King David died, his son, Solomon, took over the reign.  In a dream, God told Solomon to “ask for whatever you want me to give you.” (I Kings 3:5)  Rather than great riches, the humble king asked for wisdom with which to rule.  I can only hope I’d have thought to ask for that!  In granting his request, the Lord gave Solomon not only great wisdom beyond compare, but also great riches.  There was no one like him before or since.
    To know the rest of the story is to understand that, although Solomon began his reign intending to follow God’s precepts, he was soon swayed by the world’s enticements.  From humble and wise beginnings, Solomon gradually took to himself 700 wives and 300 concubines, allowing worship altars to be built for all their various gods.  And it wasn’t long before this worship by his wives of their pagan gods also contributed to an undermining of his own faithful worship of the one true God.
    In studying the great and powerful words of wisdom in Proverbs, I can’t help but be struck by the fact that at the end of his life, Solomon realized how far he had fallen.  His had been a life of great riches with glory and fame following wherever his wisdom and searching soul led him, and he was left to ponder at what he had gained. 
    Believed to have also been written by Solomon, Ecclesiastes begins: “The word of the Teacher, son of David, king of Jerusalem:  Meaningless! Meaningless!  says the Teacher.  Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless.  What does man gain from all his labor...?  Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever… I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven.  What a heavy burden God has laid on men!  I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”  (Ecclesiastes 1:1, 2, 4, 13, 14)
    Yet with the same great wisdom, Solomon penned these verses we’ve treasured since, especially in song –
    “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
    a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
    a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
    a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
    a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”  (Eccl. 3:1-8)
    Understanding that he had pursued all which life had to offer, it appears the Teacher, presumably Solomon, was not afraid to admit it was all for naught… while also voicing the dichotomy of profound meaning found in every activity under the sun.  Thus, his conclusion was that there was a purpose to be found in the relationship with his, and our, one true God.  For, in the end, the Teacher concluded we should “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come…and the spirit returns to God who gave it… Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”  (Eccl. 12: 1, 7, 13)
    These were the thoughts which came to mind as I reflected on my poem below well after it was written.  Not one of us can say we are sin free.  Assuredly, we haven’t committed major crimes.  But, deep inside, in all honesty, our heart is not always pure and wise as we struggle in our human attempts to follow a perfect Lord.  We, a product of this world, tend to seek our own way in our daily walk – and I know my own bent.  But I am so thankful that He pursues me… each of us… with never-ending boundless loving mercy.
    May I learn from Solomon’s wisdom, and from his mistakes, and humbly bow my heart to our Lord.  May I learn to follow His words of wisdom, and His will for my life, wherever He may lead… for “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”  (Psalm 119:105)
    Your Word
    Linda A. Roorda
    ~
    Your word is like a comforting hand
    Within the midst of stress-filled days
    It calms the heart and soothes the soul
    To find a peace within Your embrace.
    ~
    Your word is like a sharpened sword
    It pierces the soul with words brought to mind
    Causing a change when nothing else can
    Instructing me, Your wisdom to heed.
    ~
    Your word is like a beautiful scene
    That greets my eyes, tranquil and serene
    It points to You, Creator of all
    Showing Your power and infinite might.
    ~
    Your word is like a solid rock
    Unshakeable with its absolute truth
    Lasting forever, foundation secure
    Its wisdom gained to guide and to lead.
    ~
    Your word is like the calm after storms
    After winds blow fierce and clouds gather dark
    As rain pours down to freshen this world
    So to the soul are Your words of peace.
    ~
    Your word is like a beautiful bud
    Daily growing beneath sun and rain
    It opens wide with petals of silk
    To show the world its hidden glory.
    ~
    Your word is like a fine sunny day
    With healing warmth down deep in my soul
    It broadens faith, shines light on wisdom
    And illumines steps to direct my path.
    ~~
     
    Linda Roorda writes from her home in Spencer. 
  8. Linda Roorda

    Where Are You Lord?

    By Linda Roorda,

    Life isn’t fair… or so we think.  We see nothing but tragedies all around us… wars without end, killing of the innocents and young innocence... while evil seems to freely flourish.  We struggle to converse with respect and an understanding of opposing points of view.  We sow words of hate and distrust among friends for thinking or believing differently.  Disease and death stalk our loved ones. What was once considered morally wrong is readily accepted as right.  And we wonder where a loving God is among all of this.
    We look for answers to life’s problems in many ways.  We need comfort.  We want peace.  Yet, there isn’t an era during this world’s existence which hasn’t had its difficulties. I’m sure many of us have asked the age-old question “why?” when trouble hits.  I did as our oldest daughter lay dying, and God gave me His reply on a plaque in the Rochester International Airport – “13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16)  It was exactly what I needed to be reminded of – God was truly in control of even our family’s deepest loss, tenderly answering my heartfelt cry, “Why God?”
    Another man was beset with life’s worst tragedies when everything he owned, including his children, was destroyed, killed or taken away.  When his wife lashed out to at him to “curse God and die,” Job responded with “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”  (Job 2:9-10)  After Job’s friends castigated him for whatever he may have done to bring such calamity upon himself, Job questioned God.  And then found his answer in God’s response, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand….” (Job 38:4)
    What we may not see when we face the hardships of life is that those situations often strengthen a deeper faith in our heavenly Father.  These trials are allowed for us to “know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  (Romans 8:28)
    And yes, I think we often forget that at times… I do.  But our great God, in His infinite wisdom, uses the problems of this world to accomplish good in us, even using our difficulty to benefit others.  As Joseph said to his brothers who had sold him into slavery, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)
    Though I suspect these words may seem like nice platitudes to some, I can think of many who have been used to bless others because of their own trials.  Friends and community members have told me they kept an eye on how we reacted in the many difficulties our family has faced, and found it helpful when they faced similar situations. Through our earthly journey, God brings us to a point where we can say, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”  (II Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV)
    Through our own difficulties with Ed’s loss of vision, the death of our daughter, the loss of his health, and so much more, including Ed’s passing, our faith in God was deeply tested.  Yet, in looking to our gracious God, we found renewed strength for our journey forward.  In seeking the Lord, and relying on His Word, He gives us His blanket of peace and comfort… like the peace I literally felt He wrapped around me. In grief’s journey, God’s comforting peace is something we are then able to share with other hurting souls from our own experiences.
    These personal trials are meant to draw us closer to God and His word as our faith is grown with new, or renewed, strength and wisdom.  We are reminded to “consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”  (James 1:2-3) Difficulties are not easy to face, but can point out where our heart may not be right toward God or others.  The Holy Spirit may pierce our heart as we realize we need to work on some issues with the Lord’s guidance.  Perhaps a trial prevented our headlong advance into something even more dangerous and harmful… like patience in backed up traffic which may have prevented our being involved in an accident up ahead.  Perhaps His words prompt us to change direction to follow a better path.  Or perhaps our hardship was meant to bring a blessing to others, to strengthen their faith, as they observe our response in facing major difficulties.
    In seeking our Lord when facing life’s seemingly insurmountable hurdles, it seems that so often the right verse appears at just the right time.  That’s not a coincidence!  God gently speaks to each of us in many ways.  As I allow His words to guide me, I see the blessings and peace only He can give within the trials. 
    God offers abundant love with mercy and grace in His gift of salvation.  He wants to give us His peace and comfort that we might bless others, while we give Him all the glory in all we do.  He wants to develop our character to become more like Christ, as we grow a richer, deeper and wiser faith through life’s vicarious ups and downs.  No matter the difficulty we face, we can truly know He is with us just like Jesus said, “…I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20 KJV)
    Where are you Lord…
    Linda A. Roorda
    Where are you Lord when I need you the most
    When I’m all alone and no one seems to care,
    When the night is long, my thoughts perplexed,
    When there seems no answer to unending prayer…
    ~
    Where are you Lord when the pain cuts deep
    Midst tragedy’s wounds and wars without end,
    When wrong seems right in a world confused
    When we wonder why our children are killed…
    ~
    Where are you Lord when death comes early
    And life is taken from innocent babes,
    When the heart is stopped in a vibrant soul
    While the world goes on with its endless prattle…
    ~
    Where are you Lord when disease strikes young
    When healing is elusive despite our strong faith,
    When the answer is no, but yes seems so right
    When we cannot see Your purpose ahead…
    ~
    Where are you Lord when wrongs become rights
    And simple apologies cannot be uttered,
    When forgiveness is fleeting and grudges are kept
    And we miss Your grace that heals wounded hearts…
    ~
    Where are you Lord when disasters strike
    And devastating storms destroy all we’ve built,
    When we mar the earth with our selfish greed
    As though we alone control our destiny…
    ~
    Where are you Lord when we wrestle with life
    Seeking wisdom to guide every step?
    We’re desperate for answers, demanding them now
    Forgetting Your Word sheds light on our path…
    ~
    Where are you Lord if not in our hearts…
    As You draw us close to show us the way.
    For we’ll be at peace knowing You have said,
    “Never will I leave.  Never will I forsake.”
    ~~
     
    Linda Roorda writes from her home in Spencer.
  9. Linda Roorda
    As some of my readers know, yesterday would have been my 50th wedding anniversary. Wanting to do something special to carry the memory forward, I invited another widowed friend to share a few hours at Wayne Myers’ Gardens in North Spencer.  (Look them up online.)  But Wayne's tour and knowledge is utterly impressive of the ways of our ancestors.  He has built numerous buildings including a sluiceway for a waterwheel in a grist mill, a covered bridge, and several other old-appearing outbuildings with original weather-worn wood from old barns.  They house a large variety of tools and implements, an area of old living quarters above the mill with many household necessities, old feedbags, milk cans, farm tools, working horse and oxen paraphernalia including buggies, plows, harrows, along with his original artwork in welding a large sunflower using overturned shovels, a large frog at his waterfall pond, a very large salamander, a kid enjoying a swingset, and so much more! Ed would have loved “seeing” this with me as we enjoyed Cooperstown’s Farmers Village and Old Sturbridge Village in Mass., and I’ve also seen Genesee Country Village Museum in Mumford near Rochester, NY. This made my day special, sometimes thinking I’ve lived in the wrong century!
    Yesterday, October 26, 2024, would have been my and Ed’s 50th wedding anniversary.  We had so hoped and dreamed of reaching that milestone, but God had other plans for our lives.  Many of our friends and relatives have already or are reaching that celebration point, and I’m very happy for them!  They made it!
    A lifetime of love is not a mere trifle.  Yet it seems that the years evaporated far too quickly. Our 49 years together, married 48 years and 3 months, did not happen without the ups and downs being mixed and stirred up well.  It involves loving your spouse enough to be there in the best of times and the worst of times… to keep moving forward when life hands you those bitter lemons, to carry your loved one during serious illness or disability, to remain at the side of the one who falls rather than taking the easy way out, helping them stand again on solid ground, to encourage and praise each other in new endeavors, and to simply share the depth of precious memories made as a couple and a family… for time relentlessly moves forward… a unique relationship, one that could never be duplicated…
    After dating for several months, Edward wrote me a song in a letter, a habit of his. Thinking it was his own compilation, he admitted it was the Beach Boys’ song, “Wouldn’t it be nice?”  Proposing to me, of course I said yes!  He could only afford a tiny little diamond, but I loved that gem with the ring resembling a petal or leaf. I didn’t need anything large and ostentatious to show our commitment. Years later, I took my old ring that needed repairs, and my mother’s broken white gold ring which my father had replaced, and was able to purchase a new setting, adding two more tiny diamonds from a ring my mother had, one on each side of my own.  To me it represented each of us separately, the center diamond signifying our marriage union… with a love that never fades.
    When we first began dating, he’d also told me that if I ever felt sorry for him, then I didn’t belong at his side.  So, I tended to take him for granted at times, and assumed he could do almost anything despite his limited vision, which he often could because he was determined to do his best at what everyone else could do so easily with sight.
    We didn’t have much then except love. But what we had we shared. Our first home was a 12x64 ft trailer, part of his wages.  He worked on the farm with his father until June 1985 when he had a major retinal detachment requiring 9-hour surgical repair, told by the eye surgeon he could no longer be a dairy farmer.  With three young ones at the time, it was devastating news, and I returned to work to support us.  In time, Ed went to the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton, MA, and worked locally for two companies, often wishing he’d known as a teen to take advantage of free college for a business degree.  But God was with us in the many difficulties encountered, working out each situation with a purpose in our lives.
    Yes, we had our ups and downs.  We faced many challenges, difficulties and tragedies, including the death of our oldest daughter at age 25.  We were exhausted physically and emotionally, upset at each other at times, but we worked through the issues.  We were not perfect.  We were human.  We had faults too.  Loving and forgiving each other, we stayed together… for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, as the typical wedding vows say… while our gracious God walked beside us, every step of the way, always guiding, leading, and blessing us on this road called life.
    Anniversaries…
    Linda A. Roorda
    Anniversaries…
    Like the years they recall
    Are simply milestones
    And bookends
    Rich with memories
    Tucked into the pockets
    Of endless time
    As bits and pieces
    Like childhood toys
    Are gathered at whim
    To be recalled
    For their special treasures
    Hidden deep within
    That readily affirm
    With broader meaning
    In sight and sound
    From shared joys and tears
    Through difficult storms
    To peaceful harbors
    As the hand of comfort
    Envelops my soul
    In embrace secure
    Like a blanket warm
    That leaves me knowing
    The love I feel
    And share with you
    Has come full circle
    In the gift of self
     Our memories treasured.
    ~~
     
  10. Linda Roorda
    Change… whether visible on the exterior or inside and unseen, can be a hard adjustment to make.  I don’t like change.  Those who know me, know that aspect of me well.  Change has not always been kind to me.  But, once I wrap my brain around it, understand and accept said change, I roll with it and move forward.  Because, as I’ve grown older, and wiser with the years, I’ve learned change is inevitable, has value for the lessons it teaches, and I’ve learned not to fear change.  Perhaps some of you welcome change, and I admire you for that!  But what is it about change some of us don’t like? 
    Nature exhibits obvious and dramatic changes right before our eyes.  From the casting off of autumn’s multi-colored leaves and darkening skies signaling the portent of dark and dreary days ahead… to winter’s dazzling white to the not-so-white coverings of stark-bare limbs of trees reaching out and the dirty-white snow on roadsides… to spring bursting forth with new life in its multi-colored splendor as birds bring joyful songs to our lives… to the warmth and long-term blooms and verdant green of long summer days… these are changes we clearly see and can identify with.  We understand these changes, even welcome them, as we accept the inevitable in the forward march of time. For “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
    We visibly change, too.  From the moment we’re born, we continually change... as we grow and mature from infancy on into adulthood and elderhood. We never stop changing as we age, and our appearance gives credence to this process which is as old as time itself.
    But what we don’t see are the changes beneath the surface.  In nature, it’s the life substance within a plant that moves it forward with growth to change through the seasons. For us, change is evident in our learning processes, our maturation.  Just raising a child provides ample evidence of virtually daily change and growth - physically, emotionally and spiritually.
    Our physical change and growth are obvious.  From helpless newborn to the excitement of childhood growth, learning to do things “myself,” to the physical growth and aging process propelling each of us forward into young adulthood and on through the decades as we become “senior citizens,” change never stops.  We know it, we see it, and we feel it.
    Emotional change, though, is less obvious, yet still evident in our behavior and reactions as we mature from childish ways and selfish ambition.  “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became [an adult], I put childish ways behind me.  Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face…and now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”  (I Corinthians 13:11-13NIV)
    Emotional maturity develops as we process our wins and losses in life… as we learn to share, to understand and appreciate each other, to show empathy for someone else’s situation, to feel pain and loss, to feel and share joy, peace, and more.  All these emotions are developed inside, invisible within our thought processes, but are evidenced in our maturing reactions.

    And then there is spiritual change in our faith.  This, too, is an unseen process of growth and maturation... a change that is often and especially brought about by life’s trials.  “Consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all…”  (James 1:2-5 N IV)
    As we grow in our spiritual faith journey, becoming more like Christ, we are constantly learning and understanding, changing our hearts and minds from within.  We learn to accept change instead of grumbling and complaining… learn to understand and grow by going through the difficulties rather than simply trying to escape and get out from under the trial.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
    For it’s often the trial with its pain and tears which brings about learning and understanding - a process of growth... as we gracefully accept true change and joy brought about by an arduous and painful journey. And it’s only in that difficult journey that we can chose to grow under God’s wisdom… by becoming embittered and hardened or more gentle and kind ... an invisible change within our heart, yet visible in our attitude and behavior.
    Changes Without and Within
    Linda A. Roorda
    The birds have hushed their lilting songs
    Bright colored flowers have faded away
    The trees have turned to brilliant hues
    And the sky with clouds is gathering dark.
    ~
    A silence of sorts ensues with the change
    Though here and there a bird can be heard
    But ever still grows the ambience
    Of nature’s peace midst colors of fall.
    ~
    Yet what we see belies the fact
    That underneath the surface calm
    Lies greater change than evidence shows
    A turmoil within to stir transition.
    ~
    For what can’t be seen is the moving force
    Behind the progress to destiny’s goal.
    So let the heart of every soul
    Heed wisdom’s call, accepting its purpose.
    ~
    This heart of change is all you ask
    That humbly I come as You draw me near
    To be still and know that You’re in control
    As you define Your place in my life.
    ~
    Inevitable change without and within
    As time moves forward on its forever path.
    Then what of our heart when the depth is exposed,
    Are we bitter in change… or more gentle and kind?
    ~~
    Linda Roorda writes from her home in Spencer.
  11. Linda Roorda

    I Cannot See

    By Linda Roorda,

    Since October 15th is always National White Cane Safety Day, I thought it might be fitting to again share Ed and my journey with his blindness. (Written in 2016 with his wise input and approval.)
    Unless you’ve experienced what someone else has dealt with, you cannot make a valid judgment against them.  We take so much in life for granted… especially in what we can see and do.  But reflect with me for just a few minutes on what it would be like without one, or more, of your senses.  What if you could not smell, taste, hear, speak, or see?  What if you couldn’t walk, or move your arms?  What if the simplest tasks became so much more difficult due to a new disability?
    As I’ve mentioned in other blogs and poems, my husband, Ed, was blind, and my mother was paralyzed on the right side from a stroke. Thankfully, my mom was left-handed and propelled her wheelchair with left hand and foot to visit her friends – and let me tell you, that left hand and arm of hers was so strong I had to laugh and remind her not to squeeze my arthritic hand so tight when we’d say goodbye, and she always got a chuckle out of that!
    But this poem was written one day as I contemplated Ed’s dark world of blindness, and the vision I take for granted, even now.  I had to remind myself of his limitations because I’d become accustomed to how good he was at getting around the familiarity of our home without sight in a world that depends on vision.  He never wanted anyone to feel sorry for or pity him.  He had limited vision in his only usable eye, damaged by pure oxygen in the incubator for a month as a tiny 3-1/2 pound twin, having 20/200 vision with glasses. When he farmed with his dad, he managed to make barn and field chores look easy.  In reality, it wasn’t.  He made accommodations and learned to live with very blurry vision.  It’s all he knew.  Yet, he longed to drive a car or truck on the road and be like everyone else.
    As a family, we learned to remember to put something back in its original place so he could find it again, and not to move the furniture without telling him, or leave a door ajar for him to walk into.  Yes, we learned the hard way to make those issues priorities… and sadly, I would forget on a few occasions.
    I would also put bump dots on digital dials of appliances so he could do minor cooking and laundry, while he used rubber bands of different sizes or widths to tell his medications apart and to distinguish salt and pepper shakers.  He wanted to be as independent as possible, though his permanent statin-drug muscle damage took more of a toll and he struggled to get around, limiting what he could do. 
    But there once was the day he made his usual big pot of delicious chili… with a twist.  When the kids came home from school, he heard, “Oh Pop! What did you do? There’s fruit cocktail in the chili!”  The can of fruit had gotten too close to the cans of tomatoes, and he had had no idea.  We ate it anyway.  And it wasn’t too bad, just a little sweeter than usual.  Who knows… maybe it would be worthy of winning a competition!  But, yes, life was interesting in learning to accommodate his needs… for all of us.
    When he went to The Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton, Massachusetts for six months of training in the fall of 1989, we family members were given occluders to cover our eyes for a while.  (Actually, each staff member was required to wear them one day a month.)  At the end of the exercise, the kids and I, and Ed’s parents, could take our occluders off.  But Ed could not… his vision loss was permanent.  It was a stark reminder to us with sight as to how blessed we really are… and how to better understand his loss and frustration in recovering and learning a new way to function.
    It’d been very hard for Ed to face the world without vision along with his other disabilities… as it would be for anyone with a disability. Our world is not always as understanding as we would like to think. Despite others’ prayers for miraculous healing, we knew that was not likely to happen due to the permanent destructive damage inside the eyes, not from our lack of faith. What we needed most were prayers and emotional support as we faced the grieving process and a new way of life.
    Then there were folks who rushed past as I’d guide my husband, and their feet became entangled in his outstretched cane which feels ahead for obstacles... and I’d had to stop unexpectedly because someone cut us off sharply in their hurry, throwing him off balance, nearly falling.  We found that people would sometimes talk louder to him; he was blind, but not hard of hearing. 
    Once, when he was hospitalized, the nurse’s aide actually said sarcastically to him, “Hey! What’s the deal with the sunglasses? Think you’re a movie star?” Ed calmly replied, “No. I’m blind.”  And she stumbled profusely trying to apologize.  Then there were adult stares, which I hope were due to their being impressed with his ability. During mobility training with his specialist, he was learning to find his way through the mall while she followed at a distance.  A kind gentleman came up to him, grabbed his arm and started walking, i.e. pulling, him along, asking where he wanted to go.  Ed stopped walking, thanked him, but gently explained he was learning to find his own way around.  As for the children who stared and asked their curious questions, we explained why he used a white cane to help them understand what it’s like to live in a world without sight.
    But there are so many limitations placed on someone with any disability that we often don’t think about.  Ed simply could not do whatever he wanted. He couldn’t get in the car and drive wherever and whenever he wanted.  Without sight, there is so much that is missed… in the beauty of a sunny day, of flowers blooming in multitudinous hues, of storm clouds gathering, in watching brilliant flashes of lightning, of seeing a rainbow at the storm’s end, seeing the beauty of a freshly fallen snow… loved ones’ dear faces… a newborn’s precious face, never having been seen before to hold onto the memory… having lost the ability to simply pick up any book or paper to read, or a pen to write, having to take the time to accomplish those tasks a new and slower way by having them read to him or by listening to books on cassette/CDs, etc… and so much more.  And to be honest, he generally preferred we not describe the beauty around him for the painful reminder of what he was missing.
    In time, though, understanding and acceptance was gained by going through the vital grieving process, as for anyone with any loss.  Life is no longer the same, and never would be.  We also learned the hard way that grief over a loss is important.  It’s a key process in learning to deal and grow, and it should not be rushed. That was also something neither of us understood early on with his blindness, until an aide from the Association for Vision Rehab in Binghamton came to our home.  Simply be there with support… for acceptance comes with the change by gaining confidence in the ability to move forward a new way… in learning new processes for what was once familiar and easy. 
    Our faith in the Lord had been our support when we felt overwhelmed… when Ed couldn’t do what he wanted, and I’d been stretched to the max to pick up the slack.  The Lord listened to our prayers in the needs of everyday life.  He was at our side to see us through a journey we never expected to make.  Ask how you can pray for the one on the journey.  Ask how you might be best able to help them.  Don’t assume to know what they might need.
    Take the time to understand life for someone with a disability of any kind. Take the time to put yourself in their shoes… to walk their path and understand their limitations. Take the time to love them, to share and ask questions… and then listen between the lines for what they might be hesitant to express.  Encourage them and laugh with them.  Help them overcome the changes. Walk with them, and you will both be blessed on the journey.
    I Cannot See 
    by Linda A. Roorda
    I cannot see this beautiful day
    Yet I long to bask in its brilliant glow
    Taking in rays that uncover the dark
    But instead I feel its warmth like flames.
    ~
    I cannot see tender smiles that beam
    As voices carry the tones of your heart,
    And tears that flow in sadness or joy
    Are a gentle touch felt deep in my soul.
    ~
    I cannot see love’s beautiful face
    Though I hold you near in image faded.
    I take your hand and with gentle kiss
    Shower affection from memories dear.
    ~
    I cannot see what your eyes behold
    As the world moves on and leaves me the past,
    So let me borrow your words to describe
    Changes in life without an image.
    ~
    I cannot see somber cloudy days
    Though I hear your voice cheer me on.
    You tenderly hold my heart in your hand
    For without your strength I could not go on.
    ~
    I cannot see the path that we walk
    Yet wisdom shared from the depth of trust
    Embraces our hearts to cover what lacks
    As you guide with love in step at my side.
    ~~
     
    Linda writes from her home in Spencer. 
  12. Linda Roorda
    October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  This poem and reflection were written in 2014 when I had cancer and pondered the various aspects of my diagnosis.  I urge you not to neglect your own self-screening and medical exams… because, if it wasn’t for Ed’s insistence that I take care of myself, I planned to cancel that mammogram… because he was in the midst of several new health crises with procedures and surgery.  I just didn’t think I had time in my hectic schedule of working full time and running nearly every afternoon for Ed’s appointments to go for an annual mammogram... Yet, it was that exam which found my cancer… so I share a few thoughts from those days…
    The artist fills her palette with dabs of paint from among the dark and drab to the bright and colorful.  I well remember laying out my paints years ago.  I love the smell of the oils, mixing to find just the right shades… then gently brushing color onto the white surface, adding accents along the way, bringing the flat blank canvas to life.  Come to think of it though, I haven’t picked up a brush since our youngest was a toddler, decades ago.  Unless you count painting house walls and doors!
    But I also remember how hesitant I was to make those first few brush strokes… fearing mistakes which would ruin the whole composition.  Not that my work was ever that good.  I simply enjoyed losing myself for hours in creating art… forgetting time, food, and sound.  My heart was totally involved in a world of joy of my own making.
    And I can’t help but wonder how much pleasure our God, as Master Artist, must have enjoyed as He created this world for us to enjoy?
    Our life’s palette is filled with so much good, so many blessings… the bright colors.  But we often don’t like to think about, nor do we welcome, the dark and drab… those difficulties which confront us, and just might ruin our day, or a long string of days.  I suspect I’m not alone with a tendency to take life, my family and friends, my surroundings… my blessings… just a little bit for granted. 
    Those were among the thoughts rambling around my mind when this poem was written in 2014, my summer of breast cancer, procedures and surgery. It was a time we were dealing with Ed’s new diagnoses added to multiple others, nearly losing him to a severe bout of pancreatitis (he did not drink alcohol), with his own near-daily appointments, procedures, and surgery, seeking time and space for us as a couple to handle the weight of our concerns… 
    My thoughts since those days have come to echo a book given to me by my daughter, Emily.  The author, Ann Voskamp, of “One Thousand Gifts” wrote on pg.90: “Who would ever know the greater graces of comfort and perseverance, mercy and forgiveness, patience and courage, if no shadows fell over a life?”  A few pages later (p.97), she pens, “And emptiness itself can birth the fullness of grace because in the emptiness we have the opportunity to turn to God, the only begetter of grace, and there find all the fullness of joy.” 
    The scare which a cancer diagnosis brings can haunt you to the core… for it’s then you come face to face with the brevity of life in a world that continues to hum around you… when more often than not life would whiz on by without a second glance. This poem began as I sat on our deck, taking in the sun’s rays, observing a gorgeous tiny hummingbird swooping in to drink from their favored nectar. This little bird reminded me how much more thankful I was for every second of life… every waking moment… every minute blessing… as I paid closer attention to nature’s beauty around me…
    For here, surrounding me, but taken for granted, were blessings of joy found in the simplest pleasures… like the voice of God speaking in those moments of solitude and quiet as birds sang melodies of praise … as dawn emerged to overtake the darkness with its brilliance… and as something so tiny and delicate as a hummingbird echoed its Creator’s joy in the art of creation.
    And with those thoughts came the realization that all of life brings a joy to my soul… whether the dark and drab or the bright and colorful.  Each and every experience is a chance to slow down, to welcome the new day, to appreciate what God has allowed me, and you, to journey through… by finding we’re in the midst of His palette of life, His will, and all that He has planned for us to experience and learn from as we draw closer to Him and His great love.
    The Palette of Life
    Linda A. Roorda
    ~
    There’s joy in my soul as the sun warms bright
    And colors of dawn announce a new day
    Birds stir in nests while I stretch and yawn
    With thankful heart as dawn awakens.
    ~
    Solitude I seek, Your voice I would hear
    In the early morn, the cool of the day
    As light emerges from its slumber dark
    Bathing our world in brilliant display.
    ~
    So I sit still and listen closely
    As birds arise to greet a new sun
    With songs on the wing to gladden the heart,
    No better way to start a new day.
    ~
    Throughout the hours I hear their chorus
    Songs from the heart lifting praise with mine
    As sounds of life between these spruce walls
    Gently beckon to slow my fast pace.
    ~
    Hummingbirds feed, their wings beating fast
    With a gentle buzz as they zoom on by
    Tiny and frail, delicate beauty
    Feathers glisten in their brilliant hues.
    ~
    Sun shining bright in an azure sky
    A gentle breeze as leaves flutter slow
    Shades of all colors in plants surrounding
    Endless beauty, the blessings of life.
    ~
    These are the things that give joy to life
    Though they be small, with them the heart sings
    From morning sunrise to evening sunset
    Treasures are found wherever we gaze.
    ~
    And may all I do bring honor and praise
    To creator God whose gifts are bestowed
    Amid life’s frailty like colors bursting forth
    With joy in my soul, the palette of life.
    ~~
    Linda Roorda writes from her home in Spencer. 
  13. Linda Roorda

    Once Upon A Day

    By Linda Roorda,

    Sitting in my East Garden a while ago, I absorbed the warm sunny rays while viewing the garden’s fading beauty, enjoying the colorful zinnias now more beautiful with recent cooler days and refreshing rain, gazing out beyond the garden proper to encompass the yard, our house, and the road beyond… listening to the golfers’ chatter and excited shouts of joy... spying birds flutter among the hidden branches above, hearing their gentle twitters – tuhweet, tuhweet… watching a gentle breeze stir the branches and leaves above me and beyond… remembering the many years that have passed us by, 40 to be exact, since we moved into our new house… thinking of all the good times and the difficult days that entered our lives… and so very thankful for the blessings of home and family.
    Like the tiny seed in my poem that was once upon a day planted with so much hope held within the task, to the joy it brings on seeing and touching the beauty in full array as it reaches its zenith… so it has been in our lives.  Among blessings more than we take the time to count, our precious little ones have grown up from being nestled in our arms, absorbing our love and attention, building the foundation on which to stand while testing their wings, flying all too soon out into the great big world to find their own way…
    And that growth, that wisdom, which they eagerly absorbed into their hearts and minds, came into their lives as we parents tried to follow the wisdom from our creator, our Lord God above.  “Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) 
    It is He who has established and numbered our days.  “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Proverbs 139:13-16)
    It is God who has blessed us with our many talents and wisdom. James, the brother of Jesus, describes such wisdom from God as, "the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." (James 3:17)
    It is the same God who guides us as we seek our way along this life’s journey... though sometimes we take the reins until we recognize God’s greater wisdom is really the wiser portion, for “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
    Our pathway might be smooth or it may be rocky, strewn with one obstruction or hurdle after another… all part of what matures and teaches us, giving us a deeper understanding of life, empathy and insight to support others facing a similar storm… as we turn for peace and comfort in God lest we become arrogant, thinking we alone know best.  King Solomon reminded us so long ago to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5, 6 NIV)  Or, as the King James Version says, …”and He shall direct thy paths.”
    But we so easily forget and take charge of those reins… only to realize later that we need to return to the true source of wisdom once again. Though Solomon wrote down his profoundly wise words centuries ago, granted to him by God through prayer on becoming king when his father died, he encourages us in our walk of life today.  “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young -- let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance -- for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:1-7)
    And thus we see how blessed we’ve been when looking back…acknowledging how God has led us all the days of our lives… guiding us when we didn’t even realize it… using the difficulties to teach us wisdom for the future… making our paths straight for His purpose…  What an awesome God we serve!!
    Once Upon A Day
    by Linda A. Roorda
    Once upon a day a seed was planted
    Just a tiny seed, held gently in hand
    The soil was tilled and the seed tucked in
    Patiently waiting its growth to begin.
    ~
    As the rains commenced and the sun shone warm
    The seed emerged from protective shell,
    And with firm foundation of sturdy roots
    Its tender leaves burst into the light.
    ~
    While storms blew fierce it held on firm
    Tightly gripping its feet in the soil
    Its tender stem and each tiny leaf
    Were gently swaying, dancing to the tune.
    ~
    Despite the tempest our plant stood tall
    It weathered the storm for its roots went deep
    Our plant knew its purpose, the unswerving truth
    And humbly displayed character unbent.
    ~
    And so with us as we arrive at birth
    Helpless and feeble, but eager to grow
    Nourished in love with foundation deep
    We mature to face the storms of life.
    ~
    Though we might break without firm support
    And may wander down destruction’s lane
     Yet often it’s from our mistakes that we learn
    The wisdom of God planted deep in our soul.
    ~~
    Linda Roorda writes from her home in Spencer. 
  14. Linda Roorda

    A Peaceful Solitude

    By Linda Roorda,

    We often find peace in a quiet place of rest whether it be our church Sanctuary or outdoors in nature.  There, alone, unencumbered by life’s trappings, we can meditate on and seek our Lord in prayer.  Away from the hustle and bustle of life’s busyness and grueling schedules, we can focus our thoughts and attention as we pray for God’s wisdom and for blessings upon our family and friends.  Because we are so like those sheep that David settled down to rest in peaceful green pastures, we can meet our Shepherd there for His guidance and restoration.
    With a simple prayer in such peaceful solitude, I’m reminded of how often Jesus sought a quiet place to pray.  Away from the noisy crowds, He met His heavenly Father alone to pour out His heart.  Asking for His simple needs to be met, He also prayed that those with heavy burdens would find peace by relinquishing their cares to the very capable hands of God. 
    From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus sought a quiet place to get away from life’s busy pace and demands, to think and pray to His heavenly Father.  Like Mark 1:35 tells us, “very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”  Shortly afterward, his disciples found him; together they went off into the synagogues and villages to preach and serve the needs of the people.  “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.  But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”  (Luke 5:15-16)  Another time, after sending his disciples ahead to the next town by boat, and dismissing the crowd of people, “…he went up on a mountainside to pray.”  (Mark 6:46b)
    If quiet time was needed by our Lord to pray and restore his energy… to refresh his soul during hectic days of ministry… how much more do we need that time alone?  I know I tend to forget that, often uttering prayers-on-the-run so to speak.  Jesus went off by himself to grieve when His cousin, John the Baptist, was beheaded.  He spent time alone to contemplate important issues in His ministry.  And He prayed for hours when facing his arrest and death on the cross.  All fitting examples for situations we face that are both simple and complex.
    There is a peace I find in my quiet place… sitting in my gardens among nature’s blessings of flowers and birds… listening to the sweet chirping of busy birds, watching dainty butterflies flutter by, and watching the creek below our ridge on its endless flow… for in the midst of His creation, I feel God’s presence.  How appropriate that our risen Lord was found in a garden that first Easter morning!  To my garden I often go to pray, think a situation through, and hear the Lord’s wisdom in His still small voice within my heart.  In my garden, a respite from life’s hectic pace, I find a peaceful solitude, and come away feeling refreshed and restored.  How about you?
    A Peaceful Solitude
    Linda A. Roorda
    There is a place where I long to rest
    A place of quiet and contemplative peace
    A placid harbor, restoring my soul
    Where the Lord I meet in solitude still.
    ~
    A place of rest my cares to release
    Where storms of life meet the Calmer of Waves
    With prayers of faith and trust in His will
    As I’m safely held in the palm of His hand.
    ~
    For soothing comfort and solace is found
    Near to the heart of our gracious Lord
    Feeling His presence all along the way
    As He takes my fears to comfort with peace.
    ~~
     
  15. Linda Roorda
    With school either having started for some, or about to start for others, I pondered the realization that there was so much I thought I knew when younger, but really didn’t… for education isn’t only that which is gained in a classroom.  Over the years, I’ve learned I can’t turn the clock back to undo or redo what’s been done.  Life doesn’t have a rewind button for our editing... so we inevitably move forward in a relentless flow of time. 
    And in that flow, learning becomes an emotional and spiritual educational process as disappointments and suffering soften our hearts amidst the joys.  This is how we mature and become wiser.  In the process, we learn that we may not get that second chance. Make amends now… apologize, forgive and move forward.  Love one another… and let the other know it.  I have searched for and regained friends from years ago… friends I’d lost when moving away, friends lost when my childish words took their toll, and to whom I’ve given heart-felt apologies.  I cannot undo, but I can atone for and correct my wrongs.
    Walk away from sin… don’t let it overtake you with its tempting appeal.  The great Ten Commandments really do have something to say to us today.  Stop blaming someone else.  Don’t condone or excuse the habit of lying, concealing your wrongs to protect yourself.  Even if no one else is the wiser, God knows.  Own it, confess it, and make amends.  Others do take notice of what we do… do it well, for a good name is much to be treasured.  Love, listen, take advice gladly, and learn… you won’t go wrong.  “Be very careful, then, how you live… making the most of every opportunity…”  (Ephesians 4:15-16)
    As we look back, we often wish we knew then what we know now. Wouldn’t such knowledge have saved us a whole basket of trouble?!  But did we hear, did we listen, did we truly heed the advice given as we grew up?  I’m afraid I didn’t always do so.  I thought I “knew it all” in my teens.  It took time as life traversed a variety of circumstances unique to my needs to gain understanding and knowledge with wisdom from God.  And from the realization of my own errant ways and words, I apologized and made amends… because the Lord has done so much more for me.
    For the loving Father that He is, God took the time to teach me all through the years.  Because I was often not listening to wiser words in my youth, I now treasure the wisdom of others as I sit at their feet to learn, recalling fragmented words of wisdom expressed years ago.
    Blessed with Godly wisdom, Solomon wrote in Proverbs 2:1-6: “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.  For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”  And vs. 9 adds, “Then you will understand what is right and just and fair – every good path.”  Oh, how true!
    If only… that age-old phrase we all quote... if only I knew then what I know now.  So, let me take what the Lord has taught me through the difficult struggles to reach a satisfied contentment… through tears of deep sorrow to tears of great joy with laughter’s healing touch.  And may we use the blessings He’s bestowed upon our hearts to reach out in love with something we’ve learned…
    Something I’ve Learned by Linda A. Roorda
    ~
    Something I’ve learned since I was young…
    If I knew then what I do know now
    I’d have been spared life’s toughest lessons.
    But, then again, how else would I learn?
    ~
    Something I’ve learned came slowly with time…
    For I wanted life to move fast forward
    And in wanting more, I just needed less
    As contentment dwells in life’s simplest gifts.
    ~
    Something I’ve learned by looking backward…
    That in facing life I thought I knew all,
    But looking forward from slow motion days
    Impatience revealed an unsettled heart.
    ~
    Something I’ve learned wishing I’d discerned…
    By heeding then the sage’s wisdom
    Who’d lived and seen what I could not fathom
    For experience marks the role of teacher.
    ~
    Something I’ve learned is not easy to say…
    That which I rue when youth went its way
    As lessons learned brought maturity’s wealth
    With understanding through wisdom’s trained eye.
    ~
    Something I’ve learned by climbing the hill…
    Conquering hurdles that hindered my path,
    For stones that seemed like unmoving boulders,
    Were mere stumbling blocks to peace found in You.
    ~
    Something I’ve learned I treasure now more…
    My faith in You, Lord, once taken for granted
    Its value gained from bumps in the road
    Which led me to where I stand on Your Word.
    ~
    Something I’ve learned we all have to face…
    Sorrow and loss have taught to accept
    That which was healed as my heart grew wise
    For only from pain can compassion speak.
    ~
    Something I’ve learned about all my stuff…
    I can’t take it there on the day that I leave
    Much better by far to share with you now
    Showing my love in tangible ways.
    ~
    Something I’ve learned that when the door shuts…
    Reasons there are for not looking back.
    Express regret for what’s done is done
    Then welcome the door He flings open wide.
    ~
    Something I’ve learned with You at my side…
    To share the bounty of blessings divine
    To gently speak with a tender voice
    And to hear with love from a generous heart.
    ~~
  16. Linda Roorda

    Tolerance

    By Linda Roorda,

    Recently, I’ve seen several memes quoting, “History is not there for you to like or dislike; it is there for you to learn from it.  And if it offends you, even better, because then you are less likely to repeat it.  History is not yours to erase or destroy.  Teach that to your children.”
    In an editorial, Dianna Greenwood penned, “that doesn’t mean we tear the monument down or run around crying about how it victimizes us.  Instead use them as teaching tools, to tell the current and next generations about a time in history we do not want to return to.”  It means teaching our history, the good and the bad.  As the author of “1984” and “Animal House”, George Orwell affirmed “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” 
    Yet we mock, delegitimize or destroy aspects of history. We want our way despite what others may think.  It’s been said to me, “please tell me you’re not going to vote for _____.”  The old give-and-take attitude seems to be lacking... all too evident among those who mock or belittle, especially within today’s world of politics… where a war of words continues to erupt, and people are canceled.  It seems absolute truth and moral or ethical standards have become a negative, a cause for ridicule or derision… while relativism, or determining our own truth as we want it to be, is more often revered. 
    Authors like Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens (and even Dr. Seuss) have become suspect, apparently not worth our reading in today’s political correctness.  They, like so many others, wrote about the way life was as they experienced it while walking upon this earth, something we can learn from.  The Wilder Award in literature has been renamed the Children’s Literature Legacy Award because Wilder used words from a different era, inappropriate for today.  We were appalled at censorship, banning and burning of books many years ago, but even now we walk a fine line of what is appropriate.  Rather than using it as a learning experience, we disallow our children to read of life in other times when words or language we now recognize as inappropriate were used. Even our Holy Bible is often considered unacceptable because it might offend… despite its containing the best standards to live our life by.
    As discerning parents, we did not allow our children to read a few specific books in high school with blatant promiscuous sex and distortion of family values.  We discussed why the books were inappropriate reading material with our children and school staff.  We were told by the principal that, because we calmly explained our objections, the school graciously saw our valid points and gave alternative reading material.  In Jenn’s case, after giving one particular oral book report, a few classmates told her they wished they’d read that book instead of the original proffered book.  A true story, her book showed a quality of character in the challenges a young man faced as an Olympian runner diagnosed with cancer.  Unable to compete, he turned to helping inner city under-privileged kids.  A great life example!
    The book read by the rest of the class, however, was filled with gratuitous sex, filthy language, and mocking of parental/family values – found when I simply opened the book at random junctures.  In actuality, the teacher told his students to seek their parents’ permission to read that book.  Apparently, if other students showed it to their parents like Jenn, we were the only ones who said, “no way!”  Even the school board was shocked to learn what that book held.  It was pulled from the school’s required reading list, and the teacher complimented us on our stance, saying he learned a lot from us.  There truly is a time for discernment of right and wrong when done with respect.  I was later told by a parent how much she agreed with and respected me for doing this, but was hesitant to take the public stand I had. I understand.
    My poem below began to flow with news of the violence and destruction of our nation’s historical monuments in the summer of 2017 and since.  Removing such historical memorials does not erase or change history… except for the younger generations who never learn its truths.  There are lessons learned in those memories earned.  We’ve come so far.  We’ve grown in understanding and acceptance.  We are not perfect as individuals or as a nation, but isn’t that cause for celebration rather than erasure?  Our differences can be teachable moments.  That’s what Freedom of Speech is all about… a chance to show love and respect even in expressing disagreement, revealing true tolerance, not denigrating or canceling someone just because you don’t like their stance or voting intention.
    Tolerance, by definition, is an ability to be fair, to accept a viewpoint which is different, and to realize that the opposition also has rights… without approving wrong by our silence or going into full rage when disagreeing with the alternative view.  Perhaps we remember that society’s Golden Rule (which promotes tolerance when you think about it), actually comes from the words of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount:  “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law…” (Matthew 7:12a)
    Nor is tolerance a license to do anything we want at will.  A moral society adheres to absolute truths of right and wrong, or it breaks down without this solid foundation… as we see with preferential treatment of criminals being put back out on the street where they too often commit more crimes… because they were not held responsible and accountable for their prior criminal acts.
    We can be cognizant and tolerant of others’ opinions or beliefs, respecting our differences… but that does not mean we tolerate rude or foul language, or abusive, bullying, or violent and criminal behavior.  Tolerance is not freedom to persist in traveling down a wrong path.  There are consequences for everything we do... and there is a time and place for speaking out respectfully against what we disagree with, or against inappropriate words or actions. 
    So where did tolerance go?  Too often it seems tolerance is relegated to that which accepts and promotes a particular politically-correct agenda to the exclusion and canceling of the opposing view and person… not appreciating a respectful explanation… putting others into that so-called “basket of deplorables.”
    What happened to our ability to show respect through appropriate discussion and explanation of one’s viewpoint? What happened to Freedom of Speech? Why the hate-filled, foul-worded, and/or disparaging language?  Why violence with riots and destruction, or angry rhetoric to disallow conservative or religious speakers, even on college campuses where all perspectives are supposed to be welcomed?  What is there to be afraid of… that others might actually have valid points of truth, different from your own perspective and agenda, promoting a deeper thought process?
    Fear of a differing opinion by engaging in anger and wrath toward that with which one disagrees serves no viable purpose.  We have heard mobs calling for their rights or else violence will ensue… while proclaiming how tolerant and justified they are!  Seems to me that violence as a coercive bully tactic is anything but tolerance.  Perhaps it would be wise to observe that true tolerance… the courtesy to listen, agreeing to disagree in appropriate discourse… comes by respecting another’s viewpoint, their freedom of speech, without the backlash of vitriolic speech and/or destructive violence.
    When morality and true tolerance steps up and extends a hand in respect, we’re living out the ancient Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17).  Given by God to Moses for the Jewish nation during its exodus from centuries of Egyptian slavery, these words still serve us well as a moral foundation for life even in today’s modern society.  Doing our best to live out Jesus’ words, we show great love and respect for others… “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…” (Matthew 7:12 NIV) – just as we wish to be treated.  With this love, and acceptance of those with whom we disagree, we embody Christ’s love, for “love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.”  (I Corinthians 13:6 NIV)
    Tolerance by Linda A. Roorda
    Could I but live a life that was safe
    I wouldn’t question differences encountered.
    I would not wrestle with problems I face
    Or troubles inherent with consequent strife.
    ~
    For if I the bad from this life expunged
    I’d then have left the best for display.
    My life would exist by my design
    For my benefit and pleasure alone.
    ~
    Remove the memories and mask the failures
    Fashion the remains to what I deem fit.
    Let visible be selfish ambition
    My life according to myself and me.
    ~
    I have no tolerance for views but mine
    My way is right and suspect is yours.
    I demand my way and fight you I will
    If only to prove entitled am I.
    ~
    Yet what I now see is your hand held out
    Bearing a gift, tolerance by name.
    You’ve come to my aid and lift me up
    To help me stand with dignity tall.
    ~
    There’s a price, you see, for this freedom shared
    It’s a cost in red that flowed for us all.
    And it grants relief from oppression’s fist
    That your words and mine comingle in peace.
    ~~
  17. Linda Roorda

    I Searched

    By Linda Roorda,

    Even those of us blessed to grow up in a church may go through a time of searching, especially in our younger days.  We search for fun, happiness, joy, peace and love in many places and in many ways… and sometimes we search in vain… for what we don’t know.  Been there… done that, right?!  But did you know that our hearts are born to seek?  All the while we grow up and mature, we’re seeking and learning, trying to find our place and priorities in this great big world.
    We wonder if our life makes a difference.  Does anyone care?  What is our value, and how is it measured?  To prove our worth, we may seek wealth, fame, praise, prestige, power… and often think we’ve found it in relationships and possessions.  In reality, our search for true peace and joy has nothing to do with these things.  That’s where the world finds its value. 
    So, we carry on, as our hearts continually seek something better to fill the void in our soul.  In reality, we’re “lookin’ for love in all the wrong places” as the song says.  (“Looking for love” sung by Johnny Lee, written by Wanda Mallette, Patti Ryan and Bob Morrison; 1980 movie “Urban Cowboy.”)
    And we keep searching until we realize the something that’s missing is ultimately only found in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  (Matthew 6:33)  For God created us and put within our hearts a longing for Him… because, as our creator, He desires to have a close relationship with us.  He wants us to give up our futile searching.  He wants us to give up the world’s false security, our pride, and our faith in all the petty trinkets which hold no eternal value… to gain something far more valuable when we put Him first in our lives.
    As we search for God and focus on Him and His love for us, we find that the Apostle Paul’s words “…I no longer live, but Christ lives in me,” say it all.  (Galatians 2:20)  For as we seek His will in our lives, we discover that our purpose, our joy and our peace, can come only from God.  Like C. S. Lewis wrote in “The Problem of Pain” … “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains.” 
    In seeking and finding our Lord, it’s then that the void in our heart and soul is filled… with a peace that only God can give.  Our eyes are opened and we see the Lord’s loving hand working through us as we become more like Him… especially, it seems, through the toughest of times.  For so often, that’s when our faith grows deeper as we draw closer to our Lord, and rest in His comforting words of wisdom… and His loving embrace.
    After teaching His disciples to pray, Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9)  As I searched… I found.
    I Searched By Linda A. Roorda
    In vain I searched the corners of life
    As my heart yearned for what it did not know
    But might it be the world cannot give
    The depth of peace as You hold my soul.
    ~
    In pleasures I searched for the hint of fun
    The best this world could ever offer
    But disillusioned it caught me up short
    When softly I heard Your voice fill the void.
    ~
    In hope I searched for one to carry
    For I had fallen from heights I had claimed
    Then helped was I by a tender soul
    One filled with grace from mercy’s blessed store.
    ~
    In silence I searched away from life’s noise
    Seeking Your voice in solitude’s calm
    Within my prayers Your words then echoed
    As You called to me in a still small voice.
    ~
    In forest I searched midst towering trees
    For there was I enveloped by peace
    And as the sun broke through the dark depths
    It mirrored the Son whose light pierced my soul.
    ~
    In valleys I searched along gentle streams
    Till gazing upward to towering peaks
    Majestic splendor was captured in view
    Of stunning vistas, creation’s glory.
    ~
    In faces I searched Your image to find
    Those with a heart of compassion true
    The humble and meek without prideful boast
    Till one in tatters lent a hand to me.
    ~
    In faith I searched for the living truth
    Of One whose claims have captured my heart
    For my soul was cleansed when You took my place
    Lifting me up to heights of Your love.
    ~
    In children I searched for innocence sweet
    The gift of love not lost in their eyes
    Like arms open wide are their hearts and souls
    Freely they give without asking more.
    ~
    In love I searched for the best in You
    Someone to hold and treasure for life
    To carry my dreams on the wings of time
    As ever I cling to faith, hope and love.
    ~
    With joy I found all this and more
    As my heart sang out its praises of You
    For is it not true that blessings are mine
    From the depth of peace as You hold my soul.
    ~~
  18. Linda Roorda
    With the Union Pacific's Big Boy 4014 making a run this summer/fall, I'm sharing my blog from several years ago. I fell in love with that train, and referenced it when I researched and wrote this blog on the old steam locomotives with input from my Dad a few months before he passed away. He grew up next to the railroad tracks in Clifton NJ and had a life-long love of those old trains, passing that love on to me. The Big Boy's agenda for this fall can be found in this recent news release: 1.2 million-pound steam locomotive 'Big Boy' Heartland of America Tour Kansas stops released.
    Who among us isn’t fascinated by the steam trains of yesteryear?  As the big locomotives and cars rumble past, you can’t help but wonder where they’ve been and where they’re headed. To feel the pulsing ground vibrations of an old steam engine as it chuffs down the track, to see huge billows of smoke and steam with cinders and ash in the air, to smell the smoke and oil, and hear the blowing of the whistle and clanging of the bell all make one's heart beat just a little faster!  The train’s a’comin’!
    Constructing model trains was a hobby of my dad’s, along with setting up a track and miniature town for display.  I remember watching him when I was in kindergarten as he built a passenger car with its tiny pieces.  In the mid to late 1960s, I also enjoyed it when he took us kids on the annual drive to a small, non-descript building in Carlstadt, New Jersey.  There, our eyes were opened to a whole ‘nother world as both O (1/4” scale) and HO (1/8” scale) gauge trains were set up in working displays.  And many a youngster has been thrilled to open the much-anticipated Christmas gift of a model train set like these!

    At the New York Society of Model Engineers display at 341 Hoboken Rd, Carlstadt, NJ 07072, the HO-gauge trains run through small towns, farming communities and mountain passes – with sound effects of the old locomotives.  The display is not huge by any means, encompassing two good-sized rooms, but it’s a fantastic setup nonetheless.
    My Dad, Ralph, was born to Dutch immigrants in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but grew up in Clifton, New Jersey next to the train tracks, where he developed his love for the old steam engines.  Clifton had two train stations – one for the Erie Railroad and one for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad.  Eventually, they consolidated as the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad in 1960.  We lived opposite the closed Erie station in the latter 1960s, the parking lot being a great paved playground for us kids; but it has since been demolished like many others, the loss of a priceless piece of history, to make way for new business buildings.
    In talking with my father while writing this article in 2014, he told me, “Steam engines were doing a great job, getting better and better, especially when the Big Boy locomotives were developed and used out west.”  He told me their wheel designation was 4-8-8-4, which I’d learned from my research so I knew exactly what he was talking about.  He explained, “They had a front 4-wheeled truck to stabilize the engine on the curves, followed by 8 driving wheels, another set of 8 drivers, and a rear 4-wheeled truck underneath the engine’s firebox with the tender car coupled behind that.  Tenders carried the train’s fuel [coal, wood or oil] and water.  The Big Boys were used to pull freight cars a mile or more in length over the western mountains.” 
    Dad added that, in the latter 1940s after World War II, it was determined diesel engines could do a better job and go faster than the old steam engines.  “But actually, a steam locomotive could accelerate faster from a standing start than diesels, which were slower to get started; once they got up to speed though, the diesels could travel much faster than steam engines.”  By 1950, he said, the railroad companies had switched all their locomotives to diesel.  “But now and then you might see a rare steam engine being used on the track just because it was available.”
    My Dad also explained that steam locomotives needed a tremendous amount of water to create steam from the burning fuel.  For example, in The Great Book of Railways, I learned that the Big Boys used “22 tons of coal and 44 tons of water every hour.” (p.20)  Clean-burning anthracite coal from Pennsylvania mines was used to fuel steam engines in the eastern U.S. with coal from Wyoming used for the western trains.  I was surprised to hear my Dad say that oil was also used for trains out west because of the availability, but with the proximity of oil wells that makes sense.  “And water tanks,” he added, “were set up every so many miles along with places to take on more coal.  Some trains used extra tenders to carry additional fuel needed for their run.  And sometimes, to get a train up a mountain, more than one engine was coupled together to haul the freight cars up, or they used pusher locomotives at the rear of the cars.”
    And then my Dad, who never passed up the opportunity to tell a good story, shared this one about a well-seasoned engineer running a steam locomotive with a long line of cars.  They’d just hired a new young fireman on the crew.  As the train pulled up to a water tower, the engineer placed the tender exactly in position to take on water.  Pulling the chain on the gantry (crane), the young fireman filled the tender.  When he was done, he released the chain, took a look in the tender to check the water level and fell in, yelling for help, paddling to stay afloat, wondering how long it would take for them to get him out of there.  After a while the old engineer strolled back to see what was taking so long.  Peering into the tender, he pondered the sight that met his eyes, and calmly said, “You know, son… you don’t need to tamp the water down!”
    I have to admit – I really enjoy researching and writing articles for the learning I gain in the process, but this article was one of my absolute favorites as it meant so much to my Dad who was on Hospice at the time of this writing (passing away in April 2015).  And it carries childhood memories of time spent with my Dad at the Jersey train shows.  So, come along and together we’ll learn the history of those grand old iron horses, the steam locomotives.
    Looking back to the start of the 19th century, life was moving forward at a relatively slow pace.  The times still invoked thoughts of the century past in every-day life, but now there was a sense of optimism in our new nation.  And, if they could only have known of the many improvements to come in the new century, they’d have shaken their heads in disbelief, just as our view backward amazes us at our nation’s changes.
    Since the invention of the wheel, man has been contemplating how to make a better wheel or vehicle to transport all manner of goods.  England’s mines were the backdrop for development of the early steam locomotives by some of the best engineers in the late 18th to early 19th centuries.  Beginning in February 1804, Richard Trevithick’s locomotive invention hauled iron and passengers, followed by locomotives for racked/cogged rails (trains with a center driving wheel which engages with the racked or cogged rail for climbing steep grades) as designed by John Blenkinsop in 1812.  The next year William Hedley’s Puffing Billies came on the scene (the first smooth-wheeled locomotives), with George Stephenson’s steam locomotive of 1814 designed to work at a typical colliery (British deep-pit coal mine).  [The Great Book of Railways, pp.8-9]

    On a side note, the above research regarding Hedley’s Puffing Billy trains brought to mind a favorite children’s song that perhaps others remember.  “Down by the station, Early in the morning, See the little pufferbellies, All in a row.  See the station master, Turn the little handle [we sang throttle], Chug chug, puff puff, Off they go!”  Supposedly written by Lee Ricks and Slim Gaillard in 1948, the words go back to a 1931 Recreation magazine, with a tune similar to Alouette; and first popularized by Tommy Dorsey.  (Wikipedia) 
    American ingenuity took a little longer than the Brits to work itself up to full steam.  With the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company forming in 1823, the intent was to construct and operate canals between New York City and the coal mines near Carbondale in northeast Pennsylvania.  Eventually, the idea of locomotive power became their focus as a more efficient means of transporting both coal and passengers.  With that in mind, the D&H engineers took a tour of England’s renowned locomotive factories to gauge what would best meet their needs. 
    This tour led the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company to order the first steam locomotives for use in the United States.  Built in England in 1828 by Foster, Rastrick & Company, the Stourbridge Lion was shipped over in pieces and reassembled at New York’s West Point Foundry.  Ready for its first official run made on August 8, 1829, it was meant to carry coal from the mines near Carbondale to the canal at Honesdale, Pennsylvania.  Weighing about 7-1/2 tons, however, it was too heavy for the wooden track, a definite disappointment as the engineers had sent requirements to England for a locomotive weighing not more than 4 tons.  However, by the early 1830s, steam locomotives were being built in the United States.  
    Col. John Stevens, the “father of American railroads,” set up an experimental track by 1826 on his property in Hoboken, New Jersey to prove the viability of a steam locomotive operation.  In 1830, Peter Cooper built the first American-made steam locomotive, the Tom Thumb, which ran on common track.  The public was additionally impressed when George Pullman invented the Pullman Sleeping Car in 1857, improving passengers’ over-night travel. 
    With much of our early transportation dependent upon beasts of burden over roads which were not of the best quality (previously published under my blog "Traveling From Here to There"), or by boats on the rivers and lakes, a boon developed with the construction of numerous canals.  Following close on the heels of New York’s Erie Canal debut in 1825 (see my Homestead article "Clinton’s Ditch, aka The Erie Canal") was the burgeoning development of the railroad.  With a good percentage of engineers graduating from the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, their knowledge was put to active use in surveying, planning and developing the railroads.  With their expertise, many of these West Point graduates soon became presidents and officers of the various railroad companies. 
    Each state soon began granting charters to these newly-formed railroad companies.  Among the earliest to be chartered was the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) in 1827.  Intended to run between Baltimore and the Ohio River, its first section opened May 24, 1830.  New York’s Mohawk & Hudson Railroad was incorporated in 1826, and began operating in August 1831.  Its first locomotive was the DeWitt Clinton, named for the former New York State governor of Erie Canal fame.  The Saratoga & Schenectady Railroad followed soon after with its opening in June 1832.  Even then, ideas were being discussed regarding laying longer track from New York to Buffalo; but, it was a delicate subject as the state was heavily in debt for the Erie Canal which had just opened in 1825.  
    Throughout the succeeding decades, many small railroad corporations merged to operate more efficiently.  In particular, the New York Central, headquartered in New York City, eventually became the main consolidated corporation in the northeast and Midwest as it merged with more than half a dozen other companies.
    Innumerable side tracks were laid to meet the transportation needs of outlying regions as freight was shipped more efficiently than previously.  Towns vied for the opportunity to be on a rail line or spur, able to ship products out from a nearby hub rather than the expense of taking goods to a station many miles away.  Some towns were established after track was laid.  Stations built in towns on the line included water towers there and along the route to replenish the locomotive’s need to create steam and thus power.  The public found it convenient to take a passenger train for a trip to the next town or hundreds of miles away.  It sure beat the slow horse and buggy!

    But a major issue began to build as train schedules were based on differing times in towns along any given route.  To bring this under control, the railroads determined standard time was of vital importance.  At noon on November 18, 1883, standard time zones for both American and Canadian railroads began.  Prior to this date, both nations were riddled with innumerable differences in time across the countryside.  The vast differences stemmed from the use of “high noon” as each town clock was set depending upon when the sun was at its peak above their town.  Obviously, the discrepancies in time caused a nightmare for train schedules, and standardized time was the only logical answer.  Without government approval, the powerful railroad companies established four standard time zones which remain close to those still in use.  In 1918, Congress formalized the arrangement, putting the railroads under the Interstate Commerce Commission.  Prior to America’s adoption of standard time, the Great Western Railroad had established standard time in Britain beginning in 1840, with virtually all railroads adopting London time by 1847.
    It should also be mentioned that tracks were built to different size specifications.  Northern railroads typically used a standard 4 ft 8-1/2 inch or 4 ft 9 inch wide track.  This was based on English track dimensions and the fact that U.S. railroads expected to import more British-made locomotives.  This was the gauge used by George Stephenson (British inventor above) for his locomotives simply because he was familiar with this track width from a local mine near Newcastle.  As it turns out, that gauge was used for the mine track simply because it was the common width of local ancient Roman roads in England.  It was next determined by measurements taken at excavations in Pompeii and elsewhere that ancient Roman roads were made for a standard chariot wheelbase of about 4 ft 9 inches or slightly less!  And that is how 4 ft 8-1/2 inch rails became the industry standard!
    The early American railroads like the Baltimore & Ohio and Boston & Albany set their rails at 4 ft 8-1/2 inches, the Pennsylvania R.R. used 4 ft 9 inches, the Erie and Lackawanna both used 6 ft 0 inch tracks, Canada used a 5 ft 6 inch gauge, while Southern U.S. rails were set at 5 ft 0 inches. 
    Obviously, the discrepancies prevented trains from running on certain track, necessitating standardization throughout the industry.  I was amazed to learn that for 36 hours over two days starting May 31, 1886, thousands upon thousands of workers pulled spikes from all west-bound tracks in the South, moved the rails in by 3 inches to 4 ft 9 inches, and immediately replaced the spikes. Thus, as of June 1886, all North American tracks were capable of running locomotives built for standard 4 ft 8-1/2 inch rails.
    Impressive tunnels, bridges and viaducts were also designed and constructed to carry trains over stunning views of open water or above valley floors between steep mountain cliffs.  With the need for better materials, wrought iron rail was produced in England by 1820.  Following this, steel in America became available in the mid-1800s with the process improved in England by 1860.   
    Naturally, the feasibility of a transcontinental track came under discussion and planning for several years before it became reality.  With the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 under President Lincoln, healing began for a war-torn nation as the north and south pulled together in a common goal after the Civil War.  The idea alone of a main railroad line from one ocean to the other across an entire continent was exhilarating!  As the Central Pacific Railroad toiled westward over the plains and up the eastern Rockies, the Union Pacific laid its track eastward out of California, over and through the western side of the Rockies. 
    Meeting at Promontory Summit in Utah on May 10, 1869, the Golden Spike was nailed into the track in an exciting celebration.  In honor of the occasion, the Union Pacific’s No. 119 and the Central Pacific’s No. 60 (Jupiter) steam locomotives met face-to-face with a single railroad tie width between them. 
    This event was the conclusion of several years’ worth of investment in time spent planning, designing, and hard physical labor of laying track.  Many an immigrant, particularly the Irish and Chinese, found work in this venture.  Across the plains and through tunnels blasted out of the seemingly impassable Rocky Mountains, the rails moved inexorably toward each other with much of the original roadbed still in use today. 
    The meeting of tracks created a transcontinental railroad connecting innumerable side tracks and spurs from all across the nation.  It was where the east met the west, no longer necessitating travel for months by wagon train from the Mississippi River to the Oregon Trail and points along the west coast.  Nor did it require a lengthy sail by ship through dangerous seas around the horn of South America to reach our nation’s western lands.  
    Closer to home, 20 miles south of us, Sayre, Pennsylvania housed the extensive Lehigh Valley rail yard.  Completed by 1904, it held the second largest factory of its kind in the world.  Large cranes were in place to lift a locomotive and move it anywhere.  With nearly everyone in Sayre working in one way or another for the railroad, it’s been said that the huge factories were noted for building or rebuilding one steam locomotive every day during peak production.  In fact, between 1913 and 1921, the factories at Sayre built over 40 K-class locomotives.  (The History of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, p.181.)  I would love to see a museum to the local railroad industry built there.

    Along with a growing railroad industry came the need of medical services for injured railroad workers. Robert Packer Hospital, established with railroad money, was named for Robert, son of Asa Packer who was the director of Lehigh Valley Railroad.  The hospital’s adjoining Guthrie Clinic was modeled after Rochester, Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic.  Donald Guthrie, MD, a graduate of Mayo, was appointed Superintendant and Surgeon-in-Chief of Guthrie Clinic (which is named in his honor), taking up his position in January 1910.
    Headquartered in New York City, the Lehigh Valley Railroad made an obvious impact on our region’s economy.  Begun as the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company in the 1820s, it once held a monopoly in the mining and transporting of coal.  In order to break its monopoly, the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill & Susquehanna Railroad was incorporated in 1846.  In 1853, under Asa Packer’s expert management, this mouthful of a company name became known simply as the Lehigh Valley Railroad.   One of its passenger trains, the Black Diamond Express, with an Atlantic 4-4-2 locomotive, held quite a reputation.  Known as the “Route of the Black Diamond” (named for the clean-burning anthracite coal it carried), the track ran from New York City, west through New Jersey to Easton, Pennsylvania, northwest past Wilkes-Barre and through numerous switchbacks to climb the mountains on its trip northwest to Sayre, Pennsylvania, then into New York by going north to Van Etten, northwest to Geneva, and finally west to Buffalo. 
    Beginning in 1876, the Lehigh Valley Railroad “took control of the newly reorganized Geneva, Ithaca, and Sayre Railroad, started by Ezra Cornell of Ithaca.  The famous university that he founded in 1865 would fill regular and special trains with college students and their families for decades.  Special excursion trains were often set up with tiered-bleacher seating on flat cars for passengers to watch crew races on Cayuga Lake as the train kept abreast of the scullers. (History of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, p.126)  The line to Geneva provided the Lehigh Valley a means to construct their own line into Buffalo, but its grade out of Ithaca to Geneva was too steep for heavy freight trains to travel.  A diverging route was planned from Van Etten (then known as Van Ettenville) to Geneva along the east side of Seneca Lake.  In 1892, the new bypass was open and the line was also completed from Geneva to Buffalo.  The original route from Van Etten to Geneva via Ithaca was now used for passenger trains and local freights.” 
    With a new luxury train scheduled for its first run on May 18, 1896, the Lehigh Valley Railroad ran a contest to name the train.  With over 35,000 entries received, the winner was Charles Montgomery, a hotel clerk from Toledo, Ohio.  His submission, Black Diamond Express, “was considered most befitting the premier train of a railroad whose history and revenues were so closely intertwined with anthrocite.”  [The History of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, p.152]
    “Running from New York City to Buffalo, the Black Diamond was promoted as a train of luxury.  The 315-foot long train was the fastest in their fleet.  The Black Diamond had chefs on board who were skilled in culinary arts.  Complete kitchens had every facility present for ‘preparing and serving substantials and delicacies in most appetizing fashion.’  Day coaches were outfitted with plush velvet chairs, a large comfortable smoking room, and lavatories for both men and women.  The last car seated 28 passengers and included a parlor and an observation platform.  It was equipped with plate glass windows at the rear and wicker chairs for passenger pleasure.  Touted by the Lehigh Valley as ‘The Handsomest Train in the World,’ the roadbed it traveled soon became known as “The Route of the Black Diamond.”  Because of its appeal to newlyweds on their way to Niagara Falls, the train was nicknamed the ‘Honeymoon Express.’”  (The Lehigh Valley Historical Society took much of its information from the book, The History of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, pp.152-153]
    Of course, accidents occurred for all railroads and the Lehigh Valley was no exception.  Its second worst passenger train wreck took place on August 25, 1911.  As the No.4 train headed east out of Buffalo, it derailed on the Canandaigua Outlet Bridge because of a broken rail.  One passenger car rolled over onto its side, while two others fell into the creek 40 feet below with 29 killed and 62 injured.
    Built in 1916, a 30-bay roundhouse and turntable just south of Manchester, NY was used by the Lehigh Valley Railroad to and from Buffalo.  With the train yard seeing a decline in freight traffic during the post-World War II era, its doors closed forever in 1970.  Once considered the largest in the world, the Manchester Yard employed over 1000 people during its peak years.  In the mid-1960s, my dad had taken us kids on a ride to see the train yards along the Jersey shore.  Touring a round house, I can still envision the locomotive inside as it was turned onto a different track.  Fascinating stuff!

    In the decades after World War II, as better and more modern means of transportation came onto the scene with trucks traveling over better paved roads and planes reaching distant destinations in only hours, the old trains and their tracks began disappearing.  Lehigh Valley passenger service also declined, ending with the Black Diamond Express making her final run with her sister train, Star, on May 11, 1959.
    As bigger and better locomotives were built throughout the latter 19th and early 20th centuries, record speeds were reached at or above 100 mph.  The first train ever to record a speed of 100 mph was the Empire State Express of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad on May 9, 1893 on a run between Rochester and Buffalo, NY.  Great Britain’s famous Flying Scotsman hit 100 mph in 1934, while the British Mallard reached a record 126 mph pulling 245 tons in 1938.  Recently, on February 25, 2016, the Flying Scotsman returned to the tracks in England, fully restored.  Retired in 1963 when diesel engines took over, she spent a number of years pulling tourist trains along the western coast in the U.S. 
    Sandwiched in the years between two world wars, the largest steam locomotives were built in both America and Europe.  In the U.S., engines were often coupled together to provide strength for running with longer lines of loaded freight cars strung out behind, especially as they traversed the mountain passes of the western states.  Then, in the early 1940s, the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Schenectady, New York built 25 of the largest locomotives ever.  They were dubbed the “Big Boys,” intended for hauling freight over the western Wasatch Mountains.  These are the locomotives which had impressed my Dad while growing up as I mentioned in Part I.
    In August 2013, Union Pacific Big Boy Engine No. 4014 was prepared for return to the Union Pacific Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming from a Pomona, California museum.  Expected to begin its journey in April 2014, it was pulled by several modern locomotives.  Researching and writing this article in 2014, complete restoration would take place over the next several years to full working condition, with my son mentioning they converted the 4014’s engine to oil from coal burning.  An internet search of Big Boy No. 4014 will provide photos and videos of this magnificent locomotive. 
    Built in November 1941, and with restoration completed on May 1, 2019 after sitting idle for nearly sixty years since its last run in 1959, the Union Pacific 4014 doubleheaded an excursion with UP’s 844 on May 4, 2019.  Currently, 4014 operates an excursion service as “part of the Union Pacific’s heritage fleet.” (Wikipedia)  Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, excursions were canceled for 2020, but 4014 is expected to resume this service later in 2021.
    Over time, the amount of coal needed to fuel these big steam engines contributed to their demise.  In order to stay competitive with OTR (over-the-road) truck and plane transportation, diesel and electric locomotive engines were designed and implemented.  Germany’s Rudolph Diesel designed the first successful engine in 1897 which bears his name.  By 1912, the first successful German-built diesel locomotive was also in use.  Simply put, I learned that diesel operates differently by using an oil injection as compared to a gasoline-powered engine with spark plugs. 
    Freight cars in America have often been pulled by several locomotives coupled together, providing greater strength than a single engine.  Modern locomotives are designed with diesel engines and electric generators which help them reach top speed much quicker than a simple diesel engine alone.  Thus, the “world’s first streamlined diesel-electric [locomotive was] a Denver-Chicago express” which began running in 1934.  (The Great Book of Railways)
    With the invention of electricity, it wasn’t long before the great inventors put it to use in operating trains.  Electric trains are connected to an overhead electric wire/cable which provides power.  The first electric tram, designed by another German, Werner von Siemens, was on working display at the Berlin Trades Exhibition on May 31, 1879.  His brother, Sir William Siemens, settled in England and designed the first electric railroad which began running in 1883 in Northern Ireland.  It was not until 1890, however, that London’s first electric railway began operating in underground tunnels.  London’s Metropolitan Railway soon became the world’s first subway in 1863 by using underground steam trains.  Following these world firsts, America’s first electric railway was put to use in 1895 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad with electric locomotives pulling steam trains through tunnels under Baltimore, Maryland.  (The Great Book of Railways)
    And, of course, we also have subways and elevated rails which provide convenient transportation beneath and above city streets.  In the latter 20th century, travel by traditional passenger train declined.  There are, however, some passenger lines still in operation, including scenic excursions, just as there are freight lines providing an important transportation option.  Locally, we can watch a freight train pass through Van Etten and Spencer as it makes its way to and from the Cayuga power plant north of Ithaca, NY.  I enjoy the days when we can clearly hear its whistle and the sound of the heavy engines and cars clicking and creaking over the rails as it passes through our community, reminding us of the halcyon days of active rail travel.
    At the end of every freight train was the red caboose.  These cars were used until safety laws were relaxed in 1980 at which time improved safety monitoring devices were implemented.  Cabooses provided shelter and cooking facilities for the crew who were needed to switch or shunt a train or individual cars onto another track.  This was dangerous work as men could become injured or run over when coupling or uncoupling the cars.  The crew also kept an eye out for any shifting of loads in the cars, or damage to equipment and freight, or axles that might be overheating.  The cupola on top helped them keep an eye out for problems on the track or with the cars. 
    The railroads provided a whole new way of life with many associated occupations, a pride that came with working on the railroad, and a faster way to travel from here to there for quite some time.  We gaze up at those old locomotives, fascinated with their powerful size and the skill of the engineers running them.  Railroads had a major impact on the growth of our nation, including businesses and efficient rapid transportation of goods and people.  As we noted above, the railroad companies were even the impetus behind establishing standard time. 
    Scattered around the U.S. are many old steam locomotives available for excursion rides, along with several train museums to showcase and remember “the way it was”.  
    Simply put, railroads were a vital component to America’s way of life.  When railroad companies began closing, it was the end to a way of life that had grown more modern in new ways…  It was the end of an era.
    One of my favorites sung by Arlo Guthrie says it all, “The City of New Orleans”, written by Steve Goodman:
    Riding on the City of New Orleans
    Illinois Central Monday morning rail
    Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders
    Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail.
    All along the southbound odyssey
    The train pulls out at Kankakee
    Rolls along past houses, farms and fields
    Passin' trains that have no name
    Freight yards full of old black men
    And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles.
    Good morning America, how are you?
    Say, don't you know me? I'm your native son
    I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans
    I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.
    Dealin' card games with the old men in the club car
    Penny a point ain't no one keepin' score
    Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle
    Feel the wheels rumblin' 'neath the floor
    And the sons of pullman porters
    And the sons of engineers
    Ride their father's magic carpets made of steel
    Mothers with their babes asleep
    Are rockin' to the gentle beat
    And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel.
    Good morning America, how are you?
    Say, don't you know me? I'm your native son
    I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans
    I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.
    Nighttime on the City of New Orleans
    Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee
    Half way home, we'll be there by morning
    Through the Mississippi darkness
    Rolling down to the sea
    But all the towns and people seem
    To fade into a bad dream
    And the steel rail still ain't heard the news
    The conductor sings his songs again
    The passengers will please refrain
    This train got the disappearing railroad blues.
    Good night, America, how are you?
    Say, don't you know me? I'm your native son
    I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans
    I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done…
    ~~
    Linda Roorda writes from her home in Spencer. 
  19. Linda Roorda

    I'll Be There...

    By Linda Roorda,

    Some of us know the depths of depression and despondency.  Some of us know the lack of physical healing or the pain of incurable disease.  Some of us know the sorrow and grief of losing a precious loved one.  Some of us know family dysfunction.  Some of us know abuse that no one else can see or fathom.  And we question how this could be… 
    How could a loving God leave us in pain by not healing us, even after much prayer?  How could a loving God allow so much evil to go on all around us?  How could a loving God allow the senseless shooting sprees that kill our innocent children?  How could you do that to us God?
    But it’s not God who does this to us… with Adam and Eve came “the fall.”  The perfect first couple failed to heed God’s words, listening instead to the guile of sweet flattery from the serpent.  Ever since, we and this world around us have been living with sin and its imperfections.  We tend to put ourselves… our wants and desires… first. 
    I remember many years ago leaders in our church said that if anyone was discouraged or depressed, they must not be a true believer in God.  How wrong and presumptuous to think that the difficulties of life can’t and won’t weary anyone, including a hardy Saint!  We’re human, as were the best examples in Scripture who dealt with their own failings and weaknesses which brought them to their knees. 
    King David’s psalms of poetic devotions which vividly show his laments and pleadings, including what sound like desperation and depression at times, also showing David’s rejoicing in God’s guidance, protection and provision.  He was no different than us in the ups and downs, and sins, of life.  We all express our sorrows and laments as well as joy and thankfulness.  Yet, it could also be asked, where are we in bringing aid and comfort to the one who has been wearied by the blows of life? 
    As David begins Psalm 55, he sends up a prayerful plea: “Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me.  My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger.”  Yet, as verse 22 attests, David confidently reminds us to whom he could turn despite his troubles by saying, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you…”  A sentiment confirmed by the bold and outspoken Apostle Peter who said to “Cast all your anxiety/cares on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)  And this from the man who three times denied he ever knew Jesus, his Lord and closest friend!
    The difficulties we face do not mean God doesn’t hear our cries, our pleas, our prayers.  Though His answers may not be what we want or expect, He will answer in His time and in His way… for He alone knows the best way to meet our needs.  His answer to our prayers may not come immediately.  Sometimes it’s not until much later that we look back and say, “So that’s why things happened that way!”  In allowing difficulties to come into our lives, God quietly gives us an opportunity to grow.  By seeking our Lord’s will through those hard times, we mature in our faith.
    Even the Apostle Paul dealt with a “thorn in the flesh.”  Some have thought it might be poor vision after the brilliant light that temporarily blinded him on the road to his conversion.  We don’t know his exact problem, and it really doesn’t matter.  Paul felt it was given to him to prevent his becoming conceited.  Three times he asked the Lord to remove it, to heal him; but it was not removed and he was not healed.  Instead, what Paul heard in his heart was the Lord saying, “…My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”   (II Corinthians 12:9 NIV) 
    In the days that seem so dark, so dreary, so difficult and painful… know that you can find comfort from those around you… a spouse, a child, a dear friend, your church family, a friend within your community.  They will be there to comfort you and see you through, and point you in the right direction for help.  Assistance may even come through professionals who can provide counseling, medical care and medication.  But also know that there is another who will be there, one who will come alongside, hold you up, and carry you on those days when you can barely manage to move forward – our Lord.  I know, because He’s been there for me, for us, through dark and difficult days, with a peace I can only describe as an overwhelming warm blanket of comfort… for “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:7 NIV)

    There’s an old song I like by Rich Mullins, “That Where I Am, There You May Also Be.”  I especially appreciate the chorus, “In this world you will have trouble but I leave you my peace…”  This song is based on John 16:33 where Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.” 
    As my proofreader, my husband, Ed, had once commented, “It’s a feeling of complete and unexplainable tranquility knowing that nothing can shake you anymore, that God has your back whatever comes at you.  It’s knowing that you have Jesus and that He died for you; and, when the end comes, that you’re going where He is and there will be peace forever with Him…  If I had a choice between complete healing of all my disabilities or having the peace of God in my heart, I would choose peace over healing. Although very difficult at times, with God’s help I can survive my disabilities, but I cannot even begin to imagine how I could live without knowing that through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection I have a secure home in heaven after I die.  It is one of the great gifts our loving, merciful and gracious God gives us.  First, he gives life; then through belief in Christ he gives us salvation, and then because of our salvation we are cloaked in the ‘peace that passes all understanding’.  Without that peace, life would be unbearable; it would be a living hell.”  And that from a man who was legally blind with only one viable eye from birth, later going totally blind, and who spent 14 years in unending pain and difficulty with multiple overlapping diagnoses…  Those words showed the depth of my husband’s heart for our God.
    It is this overwhelming peace that I have felt as our Lord wrapped His loving arms around me while in prayer, thanking Him for blessings through difficult days... in our daughter’s passing, in my husband’s blindness, extensive health issues, and his passing… and so much more.  Do I always remember to pray right away, to thank Him, and ask for His help and guidance?  No, unfortunately, I don’t.  Sometimes it’s later that I think, once again, why didn’t I go to God first?  I know I need to ask Him to change my heart just as much as I know He is there waiting for me to draw near to Him, telling me “I’ll be there…”  Just like the words we say to a friend in need - I’ll be there… as we become Christ’s hands and feet for others. 
    I’ll Be There…
    Linda A. Roorda 
    When you feel
    As though the world
    Has closed in tightly all around…
    I’ll be there.
    ~
    When it seems
    As though your prayers
    Are never answered…
    I’ll be there.
    ~
    When the road
    You’re traveling on
    Seems too steep to climb…
    I’ll be there.
    ~
    When it’s hard
    To face life’s challenges
    That hide your peace and squelch your joy…
    I’ll be there.
    ~
    When you peer
    Into nothing but darkness
    That envelopes your entire world…
    I’ll be there.
    ~
    When the Lord
    Does not give healing
    But simply says, “Trust me…”
    I’ll be there.
    ~
    When you step
    Into a bright new day
    But only feel never-ending pain…
    I’ll be there.
    ~
    When you need
    A hand to grasp
    And an ear to hear the depths of your soul…
    I’ll be there.
    ~
    When a tear
    Begins to slide
    And sadness covers your entire world…
    I’ll be there.
    ~
    When your face
    Looks up in prayer
    While holding tight your Maker’s hand…
    I’ll be there.
    ~
    When you feel
    God’s loving arms
    Gently enfold as He carries you…
    I’ll be there.
    ~
    When you sense
    God’s peace fill your soul
    He gently whispers within your heart…
    I’ll be there.
    ~~
     
  20. Linda Roorda

    You Are

    By Linda Roorda,

    I grew up in a great church full of my “own kind” – i.e. Dutch immigrants and their first- and second-generation families born in the U.S., the Christian Reformed Church.  I felt a bond and a love for my family and friends from both communities in Clifton, N.J. and East Palmyra, N.Y.  As my family moved back and forth between the two church and Christian school communities, friendships were made with some lasting a lifetime.
    I treasure the churches of my earliest memories.  I treasure having had the opportunity to go to Christian elementary school in both communities through the 6th grade.  I treasure the wisdom gained, and biblical lessons learned.  I treasure Vacation Bible School, Pioneer Girls, and the catechism classes which taught a biblical doctrinal foundation on which to lean during both the good and the difficult times.  But naturally, life moves on even as some of us move away from the tight-knit friendships we once knew.
    But in the midst of life’s happenings, there comes a time when we each have a decision to make – who will we follow?  To whom will we give our hearts?  Is it the things of this earth and the gratification we can readily obtain, or is it the faith and hope in a salvation granted through Jesus’ life and death and resurrection that will provide a heavenly eternal home? 
    At 15, I made the choice for the latter in asking Jesus into my heart under Pastor Wells of the North Waverly Chapel.  Despite getting down on my knees, confessing my sins, and asking for His forgiveness and eternal love, I did not live out my faith as I should have at that time.  Actually, it’s been a lifetime of growth.  Because, being the imperfect beings that we are, we manage to walk through life leaving a trail of mistakes behind.  And all we can do is own our wrongs and say “I’m sorry.  Please forgive me.”
    But I am forever grateful that our great God forgives us on our confession; and, in His gracious mercy, guides us along a better path.  And just as the Lord draws us close to His side and offers redemption, we can give the same forgiveness and love to others who we’ve been blessed to be family and friends with.  
    You Are
    Linda A. Roorda
    You gave your life that I should live
    You carried my sin alone to the cross
    You took my shame that I would find peace
    As You opened arms to welcome with grace.
     ~
    How can I not but love You in turn?
    How can I ever repay Your free gift?
    Precious Redeemer, You gave all for me
    To free my soul from sin’s heavy guilt.
     ~
    You are the One who draws near to me
    And only ask I seek You in faith
    You let me face the trials of life
    As I bring concerns humbly in prayer.
     ~
    For You have shown I belong to You
    With a heart for You I will gladly serve
    You seek me out, call me to Your side
    To show me a love only You can give.
     ~
    What should it matter what others will think?
    In forsaking all this world can offer…
    To You I draw near and lean on Your word
    That I may bring praise to honor Your name.
     ~
    You are my light, the way and the truth
    You guide my steps on this rocky path
    It’s You I seek when storms come my way
    Your words of wisdom will guide day by day.
     ~
    You are my hope when all else seems lost
    Yet may I be found worthy of You
    May I give praise for all You have done
    And all You will do to change me within.
     ~
    When failures dash an expectant hope
    Should I not look upon Your face first
    Seeking Your will before I take reins
    That I would but make Your wisdom my guide.
     ~
    You are my life, the depths of my soul
    Your truth does urge my heart to respond
    That others may see death carries no sting
    For You lift me up that I may withstand.
     ~
    You are my words when I have yet none
    You know my thoughts as I voice to praise
    Your words bring truth to my world of doubts
    To guide and direct, like You to become.
    ~~
  21. Linda Roorda

    Worthy

    By Linda Roorda,

    What is our worth, our value?  How do we even measure such an entity?  Have we been so downtrodden that we feel like a failure… like we’re unworthy of the love of others?  Or do we hold our head up knowing we have inherent worth among the rest?
    Feeling unworthy is not new to any of us.  We’ve all been there at times throughout our life.  Haven’t we at one time or another made a simple mistake, yet were left feeling so ashamed we just wanted to disappear?  I have.  Frequently belittled in the past by those with a bravado making up for their own insecurities, I’ve felt defeated and worthless, without importance or value.
    After my family moved from farm life near East Palmyra, NY to city life in Clifton, NJ in February 1965, I struggled to accept this new way of life.  I hated the move and city life with every fiber of my being.  At age 10, I’d essentially lost all my good friends and the value of who I was… or so I thought.  I had to start over in a new city and a new school, trying to make new friends.
    Initially, this small school did not represent the love that I had been used to.  Here, at a city Christian school, I initially knew only two people – my younger cousin, Susan, and our minister’s daughter, Kristin.  Amazingly, her father had previously been our pastor in both East Palmyra and Clifton, and Kristin and my sister and I were already friends – we used to visit each other for play dates.  So, on the very first day of school, Kristin brought me and my sister inside to take us to the office.  Instead, we were met in the hall by the principal who yelled at us for being inside, insisting we go back outside until the bell rang. I felt so belittled, worthless, like I’d done something terribly wrong, all because the principal did not listen to us, nor recognize and understand that we were trying to tell her we were new students.
    At that time, I was smart, looked up to by peers.  However, there came a day that spring when I made a mistake so blatant that I was shamed.  Waiting for the school bus at the top of our block, I saw a truck pass by with S.O.X. written in very large letters on the side – and South Orange Express written beneath.  That’s an interesting name, I thought.  I’ll have to look for that truck again!
    That morning in school we had a surprise spelling bee – something I excelled in.  I read extensively already in fourth grade, being allowed three books for the week from the school library while everyone else could only take two.  As the spelling bee progressed through its rounds, I was given the word “socks.”  Of course, I knew that simple word.  Yet, what proceeded to come forth out of my mouth was “s-o-x.”  And, then I was laughed at… 
    Oh, my goodness!  What had I just done?  I knew how to spell socks!  But that trucking company’s name had become embedded in my brain that morning, and, without thinking, that’s what I blurted out!  I was so utterly ashamed that I went back to my desk fighting tears, refusing to show outwardly my devastated emotions.  I felt absolutely worthless… 
    On reading this story, my husband Ed encouraged me by saying, “Hey! There are two baseball teams, the Red Sox and the White Sox.  You weren’t so far off after all!”
    Acceptance by peers is not where my value and worth truly comes from.  Too often, we put stock in how others perceive us, even as adults… and in what they consider to be of value – like intelligence, good looks, possessions, and how much fun we are.  Instead, those things are all part of worldly superficial values.
    My family could not afford the latest new toys, nor the current fashion in clothes.  I usually wore and appreciated hand-me-down clothes… especially appreciating clothing gifts from my grandparents, or fabric to sew clothes for myself once I learned how. But the simplicity taught me to value what I did have, and to consider others no less worthy than myself.  I do not look down on someone else, developing empathy toward others in their struggles.  Remembering that when I meet someone new, or see someone who’s been hurt by mocking and shaming, I know how it feels as it had once been me.  Reaching out to others shows they are worthy, too!
    Though we may doubt our worth, God does not.  He knows our value.  After all, He created us and designed our individuality.  There are no two of us alike.  In this way, we each bring our uniqueness to benefit the world.  Unfortunately, our inherent value, our worth, has been undermined... by sin.  Yet, God loves us so much that He sent His beloved and only son, Jesus, to take the punishment for our wayward ways, our sin… to die in our place. (John 3:16)  And with that gracious gift we realize, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”  (I John 3:1)  God knows our worth!  He values and loves each one of us for who we are... for who He created us to be!
    Though we may think we’re not worthy, we truly do have value… for we are totally and unconditionally loved by our awesome God… we are worthy!!
    Worthy
    Linda A. Roorda
    I am not worthy to be called Your child
    I’ve willfully gone about my own way
    I threw caution away with the wind
    Thinking alone this world I could handle.
    ~
    But here I am down on my knees
    Knowing I’ve failed time after time
    How can You care and how can You love
    Someone like me still bucking the reins.
    ~
    You gently seek and call out to me
    Drawing me close, my wrongs now to see
    Had I listened to Your voice all along
    I would not feel the shame I do now.
    ~
    Yet as I reach for Your loving arms
    Hear my heart’s cry acknowledge my sin
    Knowing Your grace now covers my soul
    As once again, mercy washes clean.
    ~
    I give You my all as I surrender now
    And give You the fears that grip at my soul
    What will I gain by taking the reins
    When Your guiding hands hold gently my heart.
    ~
    For You hold me up and prove I’m worthy
    You lead me on to stand on Your words
    It’s then I feel Your arms surround me
    As Your love pours out its comforting peace.
    ~~
     
    Linda Roorda writes from her home in Spencer. 
     
  22. Linda Roorda

    Regrets

    By Linda Roorda,

    Somewhere deep down inside, each one of us has regrets… for something we said… something we did… something we did not do or say… and we long to go back to do it all over again… only better this time. 
    But we can’t go back.  What’s done is done.  It’s marked in indelible ink on the pages of time.  Yet, there is One who offers forgiveness and peace when we bare our soul to Him of hurts and pains… as we take responsibility and ownership of our mistakes and sins.  For years, my errors festered with regrets.  A while ago, knowing it was time I did something about it, there were a few friends to whom I wrote those long-overdue apologies.  I’m so thankful for their forgiveness, a loving grace on their part.  And, like our Lord’s loving forgiveness, those regrets are replaced with joy as our slates are wiped clean, enabling us to start fresh, to move forward without looking back to rue the past… as the Lord renews our hearts. 
    Writing this poem, I was reminded that Jesus had said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”  (Luke 9:62 NIV)  An old-fashioned plow pulled by a team of oxen or horses is kept straight by the farmer holding the reins and plow handles.  If he looks back to where he’s been, he can’t guide the team and the rows will become ever more crooked.  But, if the farmer keeps his eyes focused ahead, aiming for a point in the distance, he guides the team through the reins as he handles the plow, and his rows stay straight.  Just like driving today’s tractor or car – we tend to stray from our lane if we look backwards or all around.  Our eyes need to remain focused on what lies ahead.
    And so it is in our daily life.  If we keep looking back to where we’ve been and to the mistakes we’ve made, we aren’t going to be much good to anyone else, let alone ourselves.  It’s not helpful to live with constant regrets… it’s far better to take what we’ve learned and grow from our mistakes – once we’ve fully confessed them and asked for forgiveness, of course.  For, with backward gazing, we may find we begin to sink like Peter when he took his eyes off the Lord as he looked in fear at the deep water he was walking on.  (Matthew 24:22-34)
    I like the image my late husband had shared as we prayed together during a time of stress.  Ed described it as putting our plow into the furrow while focusing on the end of the row where Jesus stands waiting, holding out his hands.  As long as we keep our eyes focused ahead, and follow the Lord and His guiding Word, our life’s path will be straight.
    Easier said than done at times though, isn’t it?  May God bless each of us with His peace as we strive for that straight row towards Him…
    Regrets
    Linda A. Roorda
    Sometimes alone I’ve felt abandoned
    Though my heart knows You still care for me.
    Didn’t You say to reassure
    I’ll never leave; I’ll never forsake?
    ~
    Lord, hold my hand when fears abound
    Help me to feel Your presence near.
    Your love brings peace when to You I flee
    Contentment known as I focus on You.
    ~
    You know who I am.  You know where I’ve been.
    You know where I’m bound on this journey of life.
    You ask of me with a still small voice,
    I hear Your words, but don’t always heed.
    ~
    Within the clamor and din of my world
    Pulled every which way from dawn until dark
    Voices are heard but whose shall I heed
    As sometimes confusion waits by the door.
    ~
    To whom will I bow?  To what give credence?
    So much clamors, my attention to gain.
    Sweet smooth flattery with enticing words,
    Or voice of reason, the wisdom of God?
    ~
    When troubles come and thoughts overwhelm
    I can do nothing but give them to You.
    And in the act of giving them up
    You draw me near from the brink of fear.
    ~
    Some days I wish that I could go back,
    Back to do over in another time
    To all that once was which fills with regret
    For knowledge gained now sees better ways.
    ~
    Then in reaching out You touch my heart.
    Just as I am You accept me now.
    With arms open wide I’m drawn to Your side
    As You cleanse my soul from stains that have marred.
    ~
    How can I thank You for all You have done?
    Where do I begin to tell of Your grace?
    With a grateful heart Your praises I sing
    As You bless me now with Your loving peace.
    ~
    In looking ahead You lighten my step.
    I need only see the future through You.
    Your guiding wisdom now leads me each day
    On a bright new path as Your hand holds mine.
    ~~
  23. Linda Roorda
    I was as shocked as anyone else at last night’s happenings where our former President Trump was shot in an assassination attempt.  And I thank God that his life was spared by a fraction of measurement.  My heart and prayers go out to Donald Trump and his family, to the family of the innocent gentleman in the crowd who was killed, and to the two who were critically injured.  We need to get back to respecting everyone, regardless of who they are.
    ~~
    “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  Unequivocally, yes, I am… yes, we are.  Words defiantly spoken by Cain in response to God’s simple question, “Where is your brother Abel?”  Cain knew... after all, he had just taken his brother’s life in a fit of jealous rage.  Abel’s offering to God from the best of his flock had been received favorably, while Cain was told by God that if he did what was right his offering would also be accepted.  Instead, jealousy and anger took over Cain’s heart… and the unthinkable murder happened.
    To say we love someone very much is proven false when we fail to show a genuine compassion for their pain and difficulties.  With true empathy for others, we take responsibility for our own actions.  We reach out in humility… we want the best for them, we are happy to see them succeed, and we respect their boundaries.  True love is not about what glory we might attain in the public eye for giving aid.  Rather, it’s about what we can do to give love for others in genuine humility, with no expectation of repayment.
    Jesus told parables to help his followers grasp the deeper meaning.  He told a story about assistance by a Samaritan to an enemy, a Jew, the victim of robbery, beaten, and left for dead.  A priest and Levite passed by, deeming it beneath them to assist the man. Instead, the Samaritan took the victim to be cared for until he fully recovered, paying all expenses.  Jesus expressed in story form what unconditional love and mercy look like:  “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  (Luke 10:27)
    Like the Good Samarian, if we have a heart of love, we view others favorably. We essentially become our “brother’s and sister’s keeper” by understanding the difficulties they might be facing.  With empathy, we feel for our friends in their struggles… we commiserate with them, feel their pain, their sorrow.  We long to reach out and help in any way we can.  In this, we show compassion.  But we also share hope and joy by rejoicing with their blessings, even as they receive accolades and honor. 
    Loving as we’ve been loved showers blessings upon another. It enables us to comfort someone just as we’ve been comforted in similar difficult and painful situations.  As the Apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 1:3-4:  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 
    We gain a new understanding from our own failings, with a readiness to help others in need.  We share a compassion like that which we’ve felt from God in our own difficult life circumstances.  For compassion embodies empathy, a type of sympathy, a sharing of the difficulties someone might be facing.  And with this sense of compassion and understanding comes encouragement and hope with joy.
    Jan Dravecky (whose husband, Dave, left baseball following the amputation of his pitching arm due to cancer) said simply and eloquently:  “God really does comfort His children – and most often He chooses to do so through the arms and legs and voices and ears and faces and tears of men and women who have been to the front lines and returned with battle scars.  Someone who has ‘been there’ has the credibility and the understanding to know what it is that the person in pain is going through – the questions, the doubts, the fears.  They can speak both compassionately and authoritatively because of their own experience… Have you considered how God might want to use you to comfort someone in pain?”  Perhaps you’re going through too difficult a time and think you can’t possibly help anyone.  As Jan continued, “…but who better to reach out with understanding, empathy and genuine concern [to those who are facing their own turmoils]?”  (NIV Encouragement Bible, pg. 1546)
    Being our “brother’s and sister’s” keeper is said so well in what we commonly call the Golden Rule.  In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus summed up how we should love, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…” (Matthew 7:12a)  With such love and tender kindness, we’re able to show mercy and compassion to the hurting souls in the world around us, and rejoice to see them blessed. 
    Compassion’s Love
    Linda A. Roorda
    They understand best who have felt despair
    Who shoulder the hurt they turn to blessing
    Where tender voice calls out to the broken
    And carries to rest on peaceful shore.
    ~
    For only those who’ve travelled this road
    The very same road that you struggle on
    Find compassion’s love springs from the heart
    With understanding and emerging hope.
    ~
    In sharing such hope of vistas bright
    Where two or more can better handle
    The way is cleared of scattered debris,
    The heavy load that once overwhelmed.
    ~
    Embracing the weary and burdened heart
    Tender mercies tumble down like rain
    Washing the wounds and depths of despair
    To break their hold and release the pain.
    ~
    As compassion’s love envelopes the soul
    A gentle peace infuses the spirit
    And fills the heart with understanding
    To sing its song with heavenly joy.
    ~~
     
  24. Linda Roorda
    Oh, the countless blessings of God!  He is so good to all of us in so many ways!  And my heart sings in praise and thanksgiving for all that He has done in my life!
    Recently, I flew out to visit my daughter and her family. And I gotta tell you, they were so good to me!  I don’t like flying, but the flight from ELM to DET left way more than a bit to be desired.  Taking generic Dramamine, I learned the hard way it is not as effective as the real deal. So, gripping that little white bag kindly provided by the airline, and white-knuckling the armrest through dramatic turbulence, I was more than glad to deplane, yet not delighted to get on yet another plane from DET to MSP.  Thankfully, the motion sickness was not as severe on that leg of the journey, but I was so very happy to land!!
    With the flight worsening my minor head cold to include bronchitis, I was not the energetic Grammy they expected.  Despite the downside, and not being able to visit the zoo and a Native American history center Emily planned, we did stroll through St. Cloud University’s arts and craft vendor displays, watched their oldest son swim in his first competition, saw their middle son go fly a kite and made an origami crane as he told me how to fold it, drew and colored a blooming plant with their youngest son, viewed the exhibits at a local county museum, and played numerous games of checkers, magnetic chess, RackO, and Sequence when I needed the rest.
    I also greatly appreciated the thought my daughter gave to movie selections – Bambi, Those Calloways, and The Sound of Music!  In the summer of ’65, my dad had taken me and my sister to the Clifton Theater two blocks from home in Jersey to see the double feature - Bambi and Those Calloways.  Remembering only the vicious wolverine and square dance scenes from Those Calloways, I’d always wanted to see the movie again. Looking forward to April 23, 1978 when it was featured on NBC’s Sunday night Disney theater… it was with mixed emotions that I could not watch it… because we went to the hospital for Jennifer to be born early the next morning!  So, thank you again, Emily, for choosing that movie for your Mom!  And then she chose her and my favorite, The Sound of Music, which my dad also took me and my sister to see in Clifton in the latter 1960s.
    After returning home, my son and his wife and children came to visit.  Going to Ithaca’s Science Center, it was a pleasure to watch the kids enjoy all the hands-on experiences!  Even Grammy put her fear aside and petted the pink gecko held by a staff member.  Playing games at home, or walking the gardens with me, brought shared blessings of family time.
    It seems that, among things we might consider minor in the overall scheme of life, are so many special blessings! Yet, we often go on our way without looking closer and being so very thankful for the “little” silver linings… reminding me of how much God loves us in all those “little” things we take for granted.
    From the moment we awaken until our day draws to a close, we are loved and cared for by an awesome God!  Each breath we take is His gift.  Each beautiful sunrise and setting sunset shines forth glorious rays upon His creation in different hues.  The gift of love, the touch of a hand in comfort and peace, in joy and sorrow, the moments of special fun that we savor… these are all precious gifts from our God. 
    For we were created that we would have a relationship with the Lord of our life.  God created us with a purpose… to bring glory and honor back to Him in all that we do.  For all we are, and all we will be, have come from His hand.  And He showers His love upon us as He provides for our every need, blessing us richly if we but open our eyes to see and understand.  Oh God, You are so good to me! 
    You are so good to me!
    Linda A. Roorda 
    Oh God, You are so good to me!
    You loved me ere I came to be
    I thank you for the life that You gave
    That I may live covered by mercy.
     ~
    I praise You for the gifts You’ve given
    The talents hidden and openly used
    From blessings I see to~ those hid from view
    You care for me beyond ways to count.
     ~
    I thank You for each bright sunrise
    As golden rays stream down upon earth
    And birds awaken with their songs of praise
    While we yawn and stretch to start a new day.
     ~
    Be with me Lord, my prayer for this day
    May all the words and thoughts of my heart
    Bring honor to You, my strength and my shield
    As I align my steps on Your path.
     ~
    Help me to keep my tongue in check
    When frustrations mount throughout my day
    May I with patience attend to my tasks
    And seek Your will in all that I do.
    ~ 
    Prayers for my friends and family dear
    To keep and protect each one on their way
    And may they know Your love that surrounds
    Like a warm hug will protect and guide.
     ~
    And when temptations sneak in unannounced
    Open my eyes Lord, your wisdom to see
    May I discern the right from the wrong
    To keep my feet on Your righteous path.
     ~
    With grateful thanks I now close my day
    You covered my needs in blessings poured out
    With a joyful heart for Your care of me
    Rejoicing in peace, contented am I.
    ~~ 
  25. Linda Roorda

    The Stalwart

    By Linda Roorda,

    The old red barn stood tall on an open flat, alone against the gray sky, testament to a long life.  It had weathered countless storms, looking a tad bit worn… another great photo by my childhood friend's husband.  And once again, the picture painted a thousand words that raced through my thoughts.
    For some time now, I’ve felt like writer’s block has taken away my ability to write reflections, never mind the poems where words used to flow through my fingers almost faster than I could write or type. When the words stopped flowing, I knew the poem was complete. I would literally feel drained… because those words came from the depths of my soul, often a cathartic poem which healed emotional wounds long embedded deep.  And perhaps that’s the point… as God reaches out to each of us, maybe there comes a time when healing is complete from a time and place long ago.
    After my husband passed away last year, I thought about the brevity of life… now facing my own “autumn/winter” phase of life’s four seasons.  Spring is, after all, a beginning, the gift of new life and growth, the carefree days of youth… then summer comes along and we’re in our prime with busy days where all is well with us and the world around, learning and yearning through the passage of time…. as autumn slowly engulfs us in its changes, with colorful harvesting of awards and rewards, reaping the benefits of what we had begun… while winter overtakes us unannounced, bringing a cold and quiet idleness of hands and feet, leaving us breathless to keep up with an ever-changing world which seemingly has no use for our skills or input… though often we ably repurpose our days and ways to assist another soul on their journey to success… as forever onward we go.
    And if you were one of those to whom Ed opened his heart, you were blessed. He shared his life stories with me over the years, but it was never enough. 
    So, in honor of his heavenly birthday on Tuesday the 25th, I’m sharing a few memories of his life. A premature twin by two months, his twin Peter died at two days, being larger at 5 lbs.  But at 3-1/2 lbs, Ed was placed in an incubator for a month with pure oxygen which damaged his eyes – the right eye was totally blind while the left eye had very limited vision at 20/200 with corrective lenses.  He got his first glasses at about age 2, one of 8 children who had some vision among about 2000 seen at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City with this type of oxygen-related retinal damage, the same cause of Stevie Wonder's blindness.
    He loved farming from the time he could walk. He was also apparently a little instigator of a few sticky situations he and his brother got themselves into… like tying a dog to a fence the way they’d seen calves tied up, except the dog was not happy about it and barked profusely as they ran crying to their Dad. He also had a cat who would wait for him to get off the bus at the end of their long farm driveway.  The cat would jump onto his shoulders and enjoy a ride back to the house.  Ed used to throw his art papers into a ditch, but his sister saw them, and brought them home to their Mom to appreciate as all Moms do. 
    Ed learned to drive tractor at a very young age, a John Deere 520. Knowing his vision was not good, he was always extra cautious around machinery to prevent a terrible accident.  That, however, did not keep him from having accidents – like after the first day of kindergarten, he fell with a glass jar in his hand, cutting his hand badly, requiring many sutures to close the large gash leaving quite the scar, or playing on top of the idle hay baler, falling off and breaking his wrist. Oh, the fun of little boys!
    He needed weekly allergy shots for “just about everything” as Ed put it.  He knew when it was time for his next shot, perhaps the only kid who looked forward to shots because he’d feel better afterward.  Being stoic was just who he was.  I remember when he injured a finger with the nail retaining a blood blister underneath, and the pain he had… so, he simply put a fine bit into the drill and made a hole which relieved the pressure by releasing the blood. 
    He insisted on doing whatever he could for as long as possible to be like everyone else.  He tried to be there for me and our children as best he could. He loved to read to them when he’d come in from barn chores at night, giving us all his sound advice as needed, and how we miss his big snugging hugs.
    Like my friend Elaine said when Ed passed away, we lost his wealth of knowledge. We not only lost his wit and wisdom, but the kind and gentle peaceable man that he was, and a tremendous knowledge that he kept tucked away and shared now ‘n then... because he was not a big talker.  Especially as he became sicker, it was almost too much effort for him to make steady conversation.  But it was apparently difficult for some folks to understand this when he was so ill.
    Recently celebrating Father’s Day, that barn seemed to be the perfect illustration of my husband Ed’s character over the years.  In fact, the day I saw the photo, and wrote this poem in a couple hours in 2017, I was waiting to bring him home from yet another hospitalization.  Stalwart and steadfast, he had remained standing no matter what life sent his way, a true gentle giant.  And like that barn, he’d faced many storms head on, never bending or collapsing as the winds attempted to shake his foundation. He remained firm and resolute with his faith in our Lord, resting secure in God’s provision and love, a pillar of strength for our family. 
    Yet, it had not been easy.  There had been some serious storms that sent waves crashing against him… and against us as a couple.  Despite some plain old-fashioned trials, dashed hopes causing great disappointments, the loss of a daughter, and his losses of sight, physical strength and ability, he overcame those trials with an inner strength and peace that came from his strong faith in our Lord.  For it was God’s wisdom gifted to Ed which saw him through as he grew up, married, helped raise our children, and changed careers from farming to office assistant.
    Later, facing a continued ebbing of strength and ability with the progression of permanent muscle damage caused by statin/cholesterol drugs, and worsening congestive heart failure, we began discussing what we should do when he could no longer function and get around on his own.  In all honesty, we didn’t know what our options would be in the not-so-distant future.  We were facing new frontiers. And then, in late 2022, Ed’s health deteriorated even more as he succumbed to several health issues magnified by Covid-19, leaving this world on God’s timeline in January 2023.
    Still, through each difficulty, his and our faith grew stronger, for we’d learned that “[we] can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens [us]” (Philippians 4:13)  As I’ve said many times before, and I often need reminding of, James 1:2-4 puts it so well even though we don’t want to welcome one more difficult challenge.  “Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” 
    Being “strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10-13) is the foundation on which we survive great storms and come out standing. (Proverbs 10:25)  Just like that barn in Hugh’s photo, if we have a firm foundation on the solid rock (faith in our Savior Jesus Christ), weathered by time (experience and wisdom), the structure (our character) will stand tall… and prove stalwart and unwavering. 
    The Stalwart
    Linda A. Roorda
     Stalwart and stoic through the test of time
    Facing the world to weather life’s storms
    Meeting head on whatever befalls
    Humbly proclaiming, steadfast I stand.
    ~
    Bringing together nature’s harmony
    Weathered and worn, reliably true
    Dependably there to meet others’ needs
    Asking for nothing but structural care.
    ~
    Like the pioneers who settled this land
    And carved their place from wilderness wild,
    Weathered by nature midst elements raw
    They kept life sheltered from all threats and harm.
    ~
    Without proper care, wood planks become warped
    Foundations fail without wisdom’s base.
    Oh, can’t you see!  The meaning is clear!
    How like old barns are patriarchs wise.
    ~
    Learning through hardship true wisdom is gained
    Taking a stand for what matters most,
    Sometimes enduring alone in the crowd
    Serene and secure midst turmoil and storm.
    ~
    God bless the stalwart, unwavering friend
    Who braves the path no matter the storm.
    Of foe unafraid, on wisdom standing
    Steadfast and loyal with comforting peace.
    ~~
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