Etta Bend Daily Devotional January 12–“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Psalm 56:3). Nighttime at Etta Bend in the early 1900s was dark indeed. If the moon didn’t happen to be shining, the only brightness was the light of coal oil lamps glowing in the farmhouse windows. Sometimes trouble is like […]
Nov 29, 2013
The Day Has Ended But the Memory Lingers On
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Thanksgiving Day reminds me of that old hymn, “Count Your Blessings”, by Johnson Oatman, Jr. When we are discouraged or sad or think there is no hope, the song tells us to stop worrying and start counting all the blessings the Lord has given us– a good idea. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to start […]
Nov 24, 2013
Hogging the Schoolhouse
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The thermometer tells me it’s twenty degrees this morning and Lights of the Ozarks are on at the Fayetteville town square so really and truly, if Christmas is just around the corner, I might as well face it. Winter is here! We have snow in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. The children, at least, […]
Nov 15, 2013
Right or Wrong, I Write
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This morning I woke up wondering why I write. Why? I sit in front of the computer, pulling words out of the air for a good part of my day. Why do I do that? Maybe the answer lies in the third sentence; I don’t really pull words out of the air, they are vying […]
Nov 11, 2013
Armistice! Peace, At Last!
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My parents always called November 11, 1918, “Armistice Day.” Later, it was changed to Veterans’ Day” but to Mom and Dad, it was “Armistice Day.” My mother told me how excited they all were at Etta Bend when they found out the Great War was over. They shouted. They cried. They laughed. Finally, the soldiers […]
Oct 3, 2013
Walnut Gathering at Etta, 100 Year Ago
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Sometimes I realize with a jolt that those stories Mom told me about her childhood happened a century ago. That seems incredible because they are so real in my mind. I have never fully realized that Mom and Dad grew old and I cannot dwell too long on the fact that they are no longer […]
