Cousins are people that are ready-made friends. You have laughed with them and remember good times from a young age. You have fights with them but you always know you love each other. They are a better thing than brothers and sisters and friends cause they’re all pieced together as one. Courtney Cox.

August was the month of cousins!  What a treat!  As I grow older family means more and more to me.  My cousins on both sides of my family were and are precious treasures.  Some are the sisters I never had.  The definition for cousin is the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt. 

My mother was very close to her siblings and that meant that we spent as much time as possible with these cousins.  She had three siblings and I had eight very wonderful cousins.  Four of us were around the same age.  We roamed the entire ranch of my grandparents in Oklahoma.  We crossed barb wire fences, navigated hog wallows, fished in the ponds, rode horses, and used our imaginations.  An old threshing machine became a pirate ship or rocket ship.  Our parents got together to visit and play cards and the less we bothered them the better.  We had free reign over that entire place, and we loved it. 

Cousins are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer.  Ed Cunningham

My dad also had three siblings and a wide variety of cousin ages.  There were four cousins that were close to my age and since my grandparents lived close, we got to see most of them frequently.  We played on our farm and drove the lawn tractor pulling a trailer full of smaller cousins for hours.  All of us learned our driving skills on that tractor.  Board games were also a hit and Scrabble was the best of all. 

Cousins are sisters you never had.  Reah Glowstorl

One cousin couple were having a 60^th wedding anniversary celebration in August.  This started the cousin, journey.  Celebrations always call us out from the farm, so we planned to see them in SE Kansas.  Since SE Kansas is close to SW Missouri, I decided we had to stop and see my sisters/cousins there.  Then another cousin that had lost her husband a few months prior was having a celebration of life for him in NE Oklahoma just two days prior to our trip so of course the trip had to be extended.  In just a few days we were able to see five of my precious cousins. 

No time seemed to have passed since we last saw each other.  Although with some it had been a few years.  We just picked back up right where we left off.  Each of our memories were a little different but all rolled up together they were filled with fun, love, cherished times, celebrations, and blessings.  What a delight to my heart when one of my younger cousins said she always remembered how I would try to get everyone to do a craft or art project.  I guess that prepared me to be the Craft leader for 4-H in my later years. 

In the last two years I have been delighted to spend time with thirteen of my cousins.  I had 20 in all and two are deceased.  Guess I better find those other five.  I have been able to visit with them on the phone.

At Christmas, cousins are the presents under the tree.  Karen Decourcey

Family is a treasure. When parents are no longer available to answer questions on family history or to help you keep in touch with siblings and cousins, you begin to realize that it is now up to you to keep this family together. As I visited with the cousins, we began to plan for a reunion here at our farm again. This little farm on the prairie is the home place for my dad’s side of the family. So, it is the perfect place. My grandma that lived here was a true hostess for her family and that is my desire also. The reunion planning is underway.

After trying and planning for three years, we finally made it to Yellowstone with our daughter Esther and her family. Dieter, her husband, is a great trip planner and had been trying to get this joint vacation out of the starting gate for three years. When the floods hit Yellowstone we thought we might have to put it off again.

The National Park service did an excellent job in getting everything open and running in short order following the devastating flooding.

We camped at Fishing Bridge RV Park and it was a delightful place to base our Yellowstone adventures from. The crowds were not too difficult and we were able to see all the areas we desired to see. Both loops were open and accessible.

It was a joy to share this adventure with Esther’s family. Addie is six and while everyone else hoped to see a bear she had no desire to see any!

Judah is fourteen and is out for Cross Country. He and his dad went for a run nearly every morning. They did have a bear cross their path in the distance. They didn’t get very close though.

Esther and family rented an RV and we took our teardrop. It worked so well for all of us. The kids enjoyed the whole camping experience. We went swimming, hiking, sightseeing and played games. Grandpa made some pretty good pancakes one morning.

The boat trip to Jenny Lake was fun. We hiked to the Hidden Falls and the kids went on to Inspiration Point. Grandpa and I did some more hiking around Jenny Lake. We like to stop to take lots of pictures. (It helps us have time to catch our breath). The altitude and our attitudes do make a difference.

The Grand Tetons are always a favorite of ours. Of course the grandpa loves his barns. We always have to capture many pictures here.

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.

John Muir

This vacation was certainly worth the wait and all the planning. Thank you Dieter for your expertise. It was a delight to share this journey with this sweet family.

Wondering why we call our Daily Devotionals devotional?  My old dictionary from 1828 says devotion is the state of being dedicated, consecrated, or solemnly set apart for a particular purpose.  (I use a dictionary from 1828 because it refers to the Lord)  It says a solemn attention to the Lord in worship; a yielding of the heart and affections to God with reverence, faith and piety in religious duties, particularly in prayer and meditation; devoutness.  An act of reverence, respect or ceremony.  

I guess we call it a time of devotion because we set apart this time to spend with the One True God.  Any relationship is so dependent on time spent with each other.  The Lord created us for this purpose.  To commune with Him and enjoy time with Him in study of the Word and in prayer.

“The morning bids me to linger a moment before the sun proclaims the day as having arrived.  And it is this silent space hewn from a day not yet on its feet that tenderly and at times abruptly positions me to better face the arriving day.  And I am utterly amazed that there has never been a single day in the whole of my life where the day showed up without this gift.  Rather, it’s that I have too often shown up too hurried to accept the gift.”

Craig D. Lounsbrough

As SOWERS we have devotions every morning before work.  Since there are only two SOWER couples here we’ve had to do the devotions twice a week.  This has put a dent in the devotions that we have prepared to share with others and have had to work pretty diligently to prepare some new titles this trip!  The other morning we felt it was just important to gather together with some specific scriptures and pray for our nation and our world.  I guess that was God’s plan as the other couple thought that should be our mission also.  Isn’t God so good!  It was a great time of praying for the concerns of our nation and our world.

Nothing teaches about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.” 

Charles Spurgeon

After work one afternoon we were able to go to the Rainbow Acres store and see all the beautiful things made by the Ranchers here. There are some really good paintings, some rugs, table runners, mug rugs and scarves made by the weavers here. Some 90 year old ladies come to thread the many weaving machines when they need to be threaded. They use old bed sheets and other fabrics to weave their beautiful designs. It is amazing what they can do and the beauty of it all. A stained glass company sends them all of their small pieces that they are going to throw away and they make wonderful stepping stones that sell very well. Some of the ranchers make jewelry and many other projects. I bought a memory bracelet that is silver and blue and Susan (one of the ranchers) was hoping that it was one she made. I hope it is too.

The barn is a fun place to be for sure.  Debbie was telling me that she gets to do one on one time with one of the horses.  It is a special time for her and for the horse.  It is healing for them both.  They have some goats and some sheep that they are preparing to show at the county fair and a little pony.  Nancy was being a mentor to a new rancher.  She got to take her everywhere with her and show her the ropes.  She was having a great time taking her to classes with her and out to the barn.

There is a choir here that performs at many festivities in the area.  Of course some of the outside activities were curtailed due to the coronavirus.  Things are opening up again and that is making everyone happy.  

At church this morning we met the woman that teaches weaving and we are excited to get to watch the ranchers weave this week. The looms are amazing and look so complicated.  That will be a treat.

The farmer and I drove to the Grand Canyon this weekend.  We walked several miles along the rim trail.  It had been 30 years since we had been on the south rim of the Grand Canyon so it was definitely time to return.  This time we didn’t have four children with us, so it was less stressful.  We did miss showing them the canyon and all its beauty and God’s marvelous creation.  

The farmer and his sidekick left the prairie last week and are 936 miles West and South of the farm and all of it’s flatland.  The change in God’s great creation has been breathtaking.  We’ve seen snow, desert, mountains, rocks and petrified trees.  Even though Arizona is known for its hot low elevation desert covered with cacti and bushes, more than half of the state lies at an elevation of at least 4,000 feet above sea level.  Arizona possesses the largest stand of evergreen ponderosa pine trees in the world.  The two of us are incredibly grateful to take this journey and see some of the beauty available in our own United States of America.

Of course this journey isn’t just about sight seeing, as we came to this part of the world to serve once again as SOWERS (Servants On Wheels Ever Ready) at an adult handicapped ranch in Camp Verde, AZ.  This beautiful spot is called Rainbow Acres.  The story behind the dream of this ranch and the man the Lord used to make it happen, will inspire everyone’s faith.  Ralph Showers in 1973 had a dream for a ranch home for handicapped adults.  He was a pastor who had struggled greatly with dyslexia and other problems.  But he knew how big God is.  After they acquired the property an accident occured in moving a building to the property that left Ralph with no hands, as both hands had to be amputated after his electocution.  Many would have given up at this point but Ralph still believed that God can do the impossible and use a willing vessel.  

The adults here are called Ranchers and they all have responsibilities that they have chosen.  The greenhouses here are loaded with the lushest looking lettuce and they are starting many other plants.  By the way, the lettuce is delicious as I just had some for lunch.  They have horses, sheep, goats and a small shetland.  Many of the ranchers work in these areas on the campus and some have jobs off of campus.  Everyday there are classes to attend of their choosing and they make some beautiful weavings and other articles for sale.  

What makes this a beautiful spot is not the scenery (although that is interesting) it is the smiles and hugs and the love from the ranchers and the staff. It is the love of the Lord in this place and the fullness of His vision and provision. It is the delight of the ranchers to be able to be together again after the covid restrictions. It is the pride they have in their work and their accomplishments. Some are incredible artists, musically inclined with a choir that participates in area events, truely accomplished weavers, and so much more. Oh the talents and giftings the Lord has placed on His delightful children. Ralph Showers did not allow his handicaps keep him from accomplishing the task the Lord had for him nor do these ranchers. God calls people that are mentally challenged, physically handicapped, totally unfit for His purpose in our eyes and He equips them perfectly. The next time I feel unqualified (like today) would someone just slap some sense into me so that I could see God does not call the equiped, He equips the called.

Time for an update. Where have the last few months gone to? The farmer was busy last fall for 2.5 months driving a semi in corn and milo harvest for some friends. He delivered lots of grain to our local elevators.

This girl stayed busy with helping with grandkids, doing some work around our farm and completed a Christmas quilt for one of our daughter in laws.  We spent a week in Texas in December with three grandkids while their parents traveled to Scotland.

All of our children made it home for a few days after Christmas.  That’s the best Christmas present for this grandma.  It’s so good to have family come home. 

Some grandsons are involved in wresting which makes the farmer grandpa happy.  Since two of them live within an hour of us we’ve had some bleacher time at wrestling tournaments.

 

Next week we will have our two youngest grandchildren for a few days while the rest of their family goes skiing.  They were given a choice and chose our house over skiing so grandmas pretty thrilled.

 

A new sewing table had been the farmers new project and this girl has started another quilt.   The sewing table is so sturdy and nice.  This table does not rock and roll like my old fold up table. 

At the end of February we are excited to pull the camper out of the Quonset and head to Arizona for our next SOWER project. 

More later…