Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Today is the last day of 2015.  Every year at this time, we  reflect back on what has happened during the year.  Everyone says, "Where did the year go?" as time seemingly keeps accelerating. Here are a few of the things we experienced in 2015. We had some good times,  and some not so good. Some things have changed, and things have stayed the same. We have had some happy times  and times of great sorrow. We've done some traveling and a lot of staying home and working. All and all, it has been a glorious year, an ordinary year, a blessed year of living and laughing and loving on Planet Earth. We are truly thankful for this year, this breath.

Here is the list of the books I read in 2014. You will notice that a couple are listed twice; this is not a typo.  I loved the books so much that I reread them. Blink of An Eye.....Ted Dekker The Good Guy.....Dean Koontz The Athena Project....Brad Thor The Devil's Dream......Lee Smith The Shoemaker's Wife...Adriana Trigiani White Fire...Preston and Child Target....Catherine Coulter Never Go Back...Lee Child Icy Sparks..Gwyn Hyman Rubio Oolong Dead...Laura Childs Sycamore Road...John Grisham Caught....Harlan Coben Envy...Sandra Brown The Walker Sisters of Little Greenbrier..Rose Houk The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc..Loraine Despres Fly Away...Kristin Hannah Live Wire...Harlan Coben The White Devil..Justin Evans The Tea Olive Bird Watching Society..Augusta Trobaugh Big Hair and Flying Cows...Delores J. Wilson The Scarecrow...Michael Connelly High Country Fall...Margaret Maron Malice...Lisa Jackson A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories...F...

We always have green tomatoes on the vines when frost threatens in the fall.  I use them for green tomato pickles and always fry up a few.  I have tried various methods of storing them, from wrapping them in newspapers to storing in cardboard boxes.  They always rotted before they got ripe. This year, I took the best ones and lined them up on the kitchen window sill.  They stayed hard and green for several weeks, then they started to ripen.  We have been eating tomatoes all through December. Yesterday, we had the last ones with our bacon/biscuits and scrambled eggs.  They were so good, and I'm sad to see them go.  On this cold rainy day, it seems like an eternity until July when we will start the tomato-fest again.

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; He  rescues those whose spirits are crushed. ~Psalm 34:18

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and  in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace  for anything whatsoever, even if your whole  world seems upset. ~ Saint Francis de Sales

On a recent trip to Huntsville, Alabama, Hub and I stopped at Mooresville, the first town incorporated by the Alabama Territorial legislature on November 16, 1818.  Referred to as Alabama's Williamsburg , the entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. President James Garfield once preached here. Mooresville Post Office is the oldest continuing operating post office in the state and one of the oldest in the country.  It was built from sawmill lumber. The day we were there, the friendly little town was all dressed up for Christmas.   Mooresville is located just off Exit 2 on Interstate 565.

Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, And teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Did Mary know? Did she wonder? Surely her back was aching as she rode the donkey; maybe caused by travel weariness, maybe the first contractions, faint at the beginning. For months she had known she was the chosen one. She had felt and watched the baby grow inside her. Surely her young skin was riddled with stretch marks, her feet swollen. As she continued mile after mile, Joseph by her side, leading, did she wonder if there would be a resting place for them tonight, if there would be a place of welcome, a warm place? Did she know that this was the last day, the last day the Savior, our blessed Jesus, would reside in her womb? Did she know that by tomorrow, she would be different, the world would be different, all time and eternity would be different because of the baby she carried? Could her heart and mind comprehend anything so glorious? For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Co...

It is an ancient profession, this job of being a shepherd. Someone has to tend the sheep. Someone has to keep the flock together; to chase away the predators. They have to keep the little lambs from wandering off and getting lost. They have to keep moving sheep to different pastures, searching for fresh grass. Fresco by Taddeo Gaddi, Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence, Italy, 1332-1338 In the days when believers read Isaiah and waited for the promise, there were many shepherds. The job sometimes fell to single men who had no family responsibilities, who could stay with the sheep day and night. They moved about with the sheep, living in tents or wagons. Being a shepherd was a cold, lonely job with little to eat and none of the comforts of home. Throughout time, God has used shepherds for his purpose. Before he became the Father of Nations, Abraham tended sheep. Jacob and Isaac were shepherds. Moses spent his time in exile tending sheep. David, who had God's heart...

We wait in lines, at work, at school, in traffic. Always waiting, our vaporous time on this earth dictated by clocks, buzzers, lights, ringing. Life around us constantly flowing, everyone about their business, everyone running and waiting, hurry up and wait. Isaiah waited for a Savior while preaching of His majesty, His healing. David waited as he sang psalms and adored the one he had not seen with fleshly eyes. They knew the promise.  The Messiah was coming. We celebrate the Advent, this season of anticipation, and we imagine as we are tending sheep in cold silence, wondering about the star in the east, wondering when this promise will walk among us. The Word, which always was, took on flesh, flesh that laughed and cried, flesh that needed food and water, flesh that felt cold and heat. Flesh that awoke, worked, rested, slept. Flesh that walked among us. Divine flesh that died for our redemption.                 ...

The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory. ~Gary Zukav

Star by Wanda Stricklin Robertson No loud, lighted shopping malls, No shimmering street lights in a row, No service stations with dazzling fluorescents, No string of cars with headlights beaming. No burning bush in the wilderness, No lanterns to light the crooked paths. No brilliance to point the way home. All was darkness, gloom, murkiness. Then, over a barn in Bethlehem, a star appeared, lighting the sky, illuminating the Baby, the shepherds, the angels, and the hearts of mankind. The ones who witnessed the flaming star  wondered what it would mean to them, not knowing why or how, but knowing that nothing would be the same again. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. ~Isaiah 9:2

We have been going to Gatlinburg's Arts and Crafts Community for several years.  Sadly, not all the shops are genuine; some leave their "Made in China" boxes sitting in plain sight.  Some of them are the real thing, however, and they are a pleasure to visit. My favorite shop is Apple Annie's.  It is a combination of antiques and home-made crafts.  The shop sells braided rugs, soaps, Christmas ornaments, and potpourri among other things. These soaps are so fragrant that one bar of it makes the whole bathroom smell good. Apple Annie's always smells like Christmas when you go in.  I highly recommend you stopping there the next time you are in the area.   Apple Annie's is located at 337 Glades Road, Gatlinburg.

Sacred Harp singing became popular after the publication of  The Sacred Harp  in 1844 by Benjamin Franklin White and Elisha J. King.  This book started the shape note tradition.  Mr. White organized singing schools, where participants were taught to sing using the shapes of the notes. Most chutch congregations during this time had o piano or other type of music.  Learning to sing by the notes enabled people to sing in harmony.  There was an instrument called a harp that was used for pitch, and some think this is where the name Sacred Harp originated. Singers of Sacred Harp music sit in a square, each side facing each other and representing the four musical parts: treble, alto, tenor, and bass.  All singing is done a cappella . There is not just one leader; all members are free to lead a song of their choosing.  Leaders stand in the middle of the square. At one time, women were not allowed to be leaders, but most groups tod...

One part of the Christmas From the Past celebration was an hour-long presentation called Stories From the Past.   This part was sponsored by the Smoky Mountain Historical Society, and several members talked about their memories.  This year, one of the panel members was Herbert Clabo.  Y'all remember Herb  from last year. Herb Clabo was born on April  3, 1911, and is looking forward to his 104th birthday.  He has two pieces of advice for living a long life: watch what goes down the red lane (what you eat) and stay away from doctors. He said he doesn't smoke, cuss, or chew, and accepted the Lord when he was fifteen, and all that helps, too. His memory was amazing, although he got a little confused with some of the questions (who doesn't?).  He told about killing a bear that had killed a calf they were raising for their winter beef.  He said they had to have something to eat, and he shot that bear right below the eye with a shotgun. He was...

Hub and I spent last week in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  We love going to the mountains in December, where we see old friends, all the festive lights, and sometimes snow.  It was a good week. One of the highlights of the week was attending the Festival of Christmas Past at the Sugarlands Visitor Center.  We have attended this event several times, and we are never disappointed. The Visitor's Center was beautifully decorated with natural wreaths. With the exception of the red bow, everything in the wreaths came out of the woods. They had a workshop with raw materials where visitors could make their own wreaths using cedar, pine, holly, ivy, sumac, mistletoe, ferns, and other things.   Outside, rangers and volunteers talked about how toys were made and the rituals that were common to the area in the 1800s.  Inside, there was singing, storytelling, and music all day long. Boogertown Gap Band plays and sings Pre-Civil War m...