Davalynn Spencer's Blog, page 6
August 11, 2024
On My Own – or not
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Two are better than one,
because they have a good reward for their labor.
Ecclesiastes 4:9
*The first morning I saw the white-haired couple on the Riverwalk, I nearly stared. Not because of their age, but because of their unified presence.
The woman wore a thin clear tube around her head that delivered oxygen to her nose from a portable canister. Her male companion wore the canister.
He also held the woman’s hand, walking in step with her so the hose was never stretched or crimped.
In his other hand he held a red-tipped white cane.
He was blind.
They strode along the trail together as if they were forty years younger and in perfect health.
The woman did the seeing, the man did the breathing, in a sense. I suppose she could have carried her own oxygen supply and he could have tapped his cane from side to side, but their cooperative effort in helping one another was a beautiful thing to behold.
Rare.
They had chosen to be dependent upon each other and were, therefore, more confident—a picture of what dependence can mean. How two can be stronger than one.
When Jesus sent out his disciples, He sent them by twos (see Mark 6:7). Could this have been reflective of His Father’s decree that it wasn’t good for man to be alone?
I doubt the man and woman on the Riverwalk would argue that principle. They chose to not walk alone and had perfected their coupled pace.
Independence, in the personal sense, often leaves much to be desired.
**Often I am by myself, but I’m never alone. I’d hate to be walking this road of life on my own.
Oh Lord, thank You for telling us that You will never leave us or forsake us. Thank You for never leaving us alone. Amen.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
for he has no one to help him up.
Ecclesiastes 4:10
*Excerpted from Always Before Me: 90 story devotions for women – “Going It Alone—Or Not”
**Author’s note: By God’s grace, since the publishing of this devotional book, I am no longer by myself, for I walk with my husband, George. Together, we walk with Jesus.
On my own - or not.
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Be sure to check out my book tour for Covering Grace, August 8-21. Follow along and you can enter to win a signed copy of the book and a $50 Amazon gift card! Click on the image below then scroll down to learn more.
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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August 4, 2024
Beware the Swinging Chicken
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
The farmer’s market brimmed with vendors’ booths of homemade breads, jellies, candles, and stained glass. Home-grown vegetables covered tables in patches of silk-topped corn, golden peaches, and squash of green and yellow—a fresh-air market spread beneath sunshine and shade, populated by the young and old alike. Some came to sell their wares, others to visit, or to let their children play.
I came to redeem the time.
I had a couple of hours to wait for someone, so I chose the farmers market as a restful place to sit and read with no interruption, no internet, and no news.
After a few minutes into my book, a familiar background noise penetrated my consciousness, and I vaguely wondered why anyone would bring a chicken to a farmer’s market. Was it a gimmick to draw shoppers to fresh eggs?
Finally, I stopped reading and looked around more closely at my setting.
No chicken.
Hearing the drawn-out cluck again, I turned toward the sound. And there it was—not a rogue chicken on the loose, but a girl on the swing.
Every time she swung forward, the metal brackets groaned around the old beam, squawking like a brooding hen.
I had been certain the sound I heard was a chicken, but clearly it was not.
How quickly we can be misled if we’re not paying attention.
Our world is a noisy place full of false sounds and artificial intelligence. Lots of people are telling us what truth is and whom to believe. They insist that their perspective of what we may see or hear is the way things really are.
Beware the swinging chicken.
We must look into the facts ourselves. Check more than one source. And most importantly, check God’s word. Find out what He says. Learn His ways and follow them
There’s a lot of squawking going on out there these days. Check it out before you believe it.
Don’t let anyone capture you
with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense
that come from human thinking and
from the spiritual powers of this world,
rather than from Christ.
Colossians 2:8
Beware the swinging chicken.
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Gathering Harley, Grace walked to the livery, her plans to find a job completely dashed. The town felt smaller than she remembered, despite some of the new storefronts she’d passed on her way in earlier that morning. Old favorites remained, like Reide’s Bakery and the Ceylon Tea Store. The Cañon City Record held its own, as did the grocery, hardware, and paint stores. But she doubted any of those businesses would hire her.
Of course, the Denton Hotel and Raynold’s Bank maintained their dignified status on Main Street. If Clara was still cooking at the Denton, maybe she’d take Grace on as a helper, though cooking wasn’t exactly Grace’s strong suit.
The Selig Polyscope studio was a new development. She’d heard about Cañon City flickers but had no opportunity to see one. Her traveling and performance schedule had left little down time as well as little skill to be used elsewhere. There weren’t many calls for trick riding and fancy shooting.
As she approached the livery for the second time that morning, it seemed, well, shorter. Not as grand as it had been in her childhood, but as flat as the painted-tarp backdrops of buffalo herds and mountains stretched across arena floors.
In three and a half years, the atmosphere had changed.
She had changed.
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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July 28, 2024
God’s Surprising Voices
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Today, friend and fellow author Susan B. Mathis is here with inspiration from her recent release, Libby’s Lighthouse, about God’s surprising voices. Welcome, Susan!
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers,
for by so doing some people have shown hospitality
to angels without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:2
Sometimes the Lord allows people to enter our lives to heal our heart, bring insight, reveal His plan for us, or unfold His purposes. So many of us long to hear from the Lord, and often God uses other people to unfold that. We need to be open to hear, sometimes from the most unusual sources of His truth, and let God be God.
In Libby’s Lighthouse, an unexpected visitor brings news—and gifts—that heal Libby’s heartache, bring clarity to her life, and unfold His purposes for her future.
Papa sucked in a deep breath, and his eyes flashed concern, but for several moments, they sat in silence while he measured his words before speaking. She’d seen it a hundred times and respected him for it. So, she waited until his wisdom of years broke the silence.
“Not everyone is who they seem to be. Life has a way of surprising us, showing us the unexpected. We need to be open to the wonder of a godsend that comes in an unusual package.”
What was he alluding to? Who could be the courier of such blessings?
Papa patted her hand. “There are people that may enter our lives as bearers of hope and light, though they may not appear to be so. That gift might be a shared moment or a kind word. Or it might be a revelation that changes the way we see the world. Listen for His voice and embrace those moments, Libby, for they can change your life.”
Papa’s wisdom flowed like a gentle river. His words lingered in the atmosphere, confusing her but also bringing hope. Libby laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
“Mama once said, ‘appearances can be deceiving.’ Perhaps that applies here?”
Papa gurgled a chuckle, causing her cheek to bounce off his chest. “More than you know, my darling child.” His words held mischief.
Now he was teasing her. Like old times. Her papa was coming back from the shadows too. Perhaps the courier was the author of the missives?
At the thought, Libby jumped off his lap and fairly danced a jig. “Who’s the messenger, Papa? Is it my mother? Is she here? Oh, please say yes!”
~
God's surprising voices
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~
When a lighthouse keeper’s daughter finds a mysterious sailor with amnesia, the secrets she uncovers may change her life forever.
Elizabeth Montonna, daughter of the Tibbett’s Point Lighthouse keeper, thought she’d love the lighthouse life forever—until her mother, on her deathbed, reveals a long-buried secret. Now Elizabeth’s world has been turned upside down, making her question if she’ll ever truly belong and be loved. But when a dashing young sailor appears on her shore, wounded and disoriented, she finds purpose in helping him recover. Although the man knows nothing about his past or identity, his kindness and character steal a little more of her heart each day. If only she knew his full name.
When Owen awakes on the shore of Lake Ontario with no knowledge of who he is, or where he was headed when his ship wrecked, he has no choice but to accept the hospitality of the lighthouse keeper and his lovely daughter. But as Owen works to repay their kindness, and his relationship with Libby turns into something more, he knows their budding romance can go no further until he uncovers his past.
With each passing day, Owen inches closer to discovering the secrets of his identity, but will the revelations bring him closer to Libby or tear them apart forever?
Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has twelve in her fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Peyton’s Promise, Rachel’s Reunion, Mary’s Moment, A Summer at Thousand Island House and Libby’s Lighthouse, the first in her three-book lighthouse series. Her book awards include three Illumination Book Awards, four American Fiction Awards, three Indie Excellence Book Awards, five Literary Titan Book Awards, a Golden Scroll Award, and a Selah Award. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, two children’s picture books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan makes her home in Northern Virginia and enjoys traveling around the world but returns each summer to enjoy the Thousand Islands. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more.
Connect with Susan online:
https://www.susangmathis.com/fiction-books
Buy links: Amazon | Barnes&Nobles | Wild Heart Books
Book trailer: Libby’s Lighthouse book trailer
Social media links: Website | Author Central | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Blog | Goodreads l Instagram | Book Bub |
~
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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July 21, 2024
Dandelion Cowboy
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Most of the characters in my books are people I’ve cooked up on my own. Others sneak up on me when I’m not looking, leaving me with the sense that I’ve met them before and just can’t remember when or where.
I have a character fitting the latter category who appears in Books 4, 5, and 6 of The Cañon City Chronicles—a little cowboy named Kip. He’s the youngest of three brothers, the tag-along. The one who gets left out more often than not.
Recently, I realized where I’d met Kip, though that wasn’t his real name. He was a student from my former life as a sixth-grade teacher—my Dandelion Cowboy.
Each morning he’d line up in front of my classroom with the rest of the first-period students. Except he wasn’t much like the rest of the students.
In his Wranglers and dusty cowboy boots, he didn’t dress like the others. A towhead among dark-haired children, he quietly stuck out in spite of how much he tried not to.
But in the spring when the dandelions sprouted, he was often at the front of the line with a short-stemmed bouquet and a shy smile.
I talked to him about cowboy things and noted the shiny buckle he wore one day—his trophy for winning an event at a weekend junior rodeo. Most of the other kids had no idea what it meant to rope a calf or ride a snorty steer or run a pole-pattern on horseback.
The little cowboy was a loner. A throwback perhaps, from a long line of those who prefer the company of their horse and a good view of the herd.
I saw that heritage in the father who came to parent-teacher conferences, a taller, stouter version of my Dandelion Cowboy in his good palm-leaf hat and square-toed boots.
Creases at his blue eyes were several shades lighter than the rest of his sunbaked face—the badge of a working man who spent his days in the saddle.
His words were few, but they showed his interest. He wanted his young man to tend to business. Hold up his end of the load. Be polite.
Cowboy morals.
Today when I see a patch of what most people call weeds, I smile and wonder about my Dandelion Cowboy, if he stuck to his ways in spite of the crowd. I hope he’s trailing a herd in the California foothills, going to summertime rodeos, and most of all, becoming the fine man I knew he could one day be.
Obviously, I’m not trying to win
the approval of people, but of God.
If pleasing people were my goal,
I would not be Christ’s servant.
Galatians 1:10 NLT
~
Others sneak up on me when I’m not looking.
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“Lord, will I ever fit anywhere?” Grace asked. “Am I supposed to fit in?”
Harley’s ears swiveled at the sound of her voice, and he bobbed his head empathetically.
“You’re right, old man.” She leaned forward and rubbed his neck, tugging the reins a bit so he wouldn’t take it as a sign to run. “We’re an odd pair. Two of a kind, unlike everyone else and no slot to fill.”
It wasn’t being different that bothered Grace. It was being a burden, not able to pay her own way. Hers were not the skills of a homemaker. Maybe spending time with Dorrie Berkshire was exactly what she needed.
Two hours later, Harley ambled into the ranch yard where Kip was swinging in the cottonwood tree. Her youngest nephew reminded her of herself—more pluck than good sense and always left out of the fun his two older brothers concocted as often as their housekeeper made hot coffee.
“Where’ve you been?” Kip dragged his feet to stop the swing and ran her way.
Grace stepped down and caught him in her arms. “Hey there, cowboy. Who showed you that jump-hug trick.”
He squeezed her neck, then slid to the ground. “You did, Aunt Grace.”
The boy could smile the sun right out of the sky. ~Covering Grace, Book 6 of The Cañon City Chronicles
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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July 14, 2024
My Way – and a Giveaway
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Things don’t always work out the way we hope they will.
Let me rephrase that:
Rarely do things work out the way we hope. Or expect. Or plan. Or even pray.
Could that be because we’re not listening?
I will not divulge how many times I’ve waved my arms at God and yelled, “Hey, God, I have this great idea. Let’s do it my way!”
Can you relate?
In my latest book release, Covering Grace, the main character, Grace Hutton wants to do things her way, but she bumps up against frustration and disappointment time after time.
Not only is she challenged by what she reads in her grandfather’s Bible, she must also deal with the unsought counsel of those closest to her.
Though Grace’s circumstances may be quite different from your own, the choices of how to respond can be similar. I hope you’ll enjoy this final installment in the beloved Cañon City Chronicles series and be encouraged through Grace’s adventures.
Giveaway:
Is there someone in your life, past or present, who was a voice of wisdom and encouragement to you? If so, share briefly below how they helped you stay on the right track or get off the wrong one. Commenters will be entered in a drawing for a signed print copy of Covering Grace.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9
~
Grace didn’t have time to fume over the assistant director’s idea of humor. Harley was about to have the fastest grooming he’d ever known and a nice little jog down Main Street. It’d be a good warm-up for him.
She glanced at the boarding house and dipped her head—as if Dorrie wouldn’t recognize her, or Dan, if he was still there. But she didn’t have time for explanations and arguments. She had to look her best. Do her best.
She ran around to the corral and slipped through the poles, whistling to Harley.
His ears came up and he ambled toward her.
“Good boy, old man.” Leading him inside the barn, she could feel her excitement transfer through her touch as it always did. His head lifted and his eyes brightened.
“This could be our big chance, Harley. I need your best performance.”
A quick once-over—a lick and a promise, her mother would have called it—was all she had time for. Satisfied he was as shiny as possible, she checked his hooves and the leather strap modification she’d made to her saddle, then stepped up, thrilled to be atop her old friend again. Leaning down, she stroked and patted his neck, then walked him out of the barn into the bold light of day.
“You’re going, aren’t you.”
Surprised, she flinched, and Harley lunged forward, arching his neck and prancing.
She calmed him with a soothing word, then whirled toward Dan. “Sneaking up on a horse is not wise.”
“I wasn’t sneaking. You came out when I walked up.”
“I don’t have time to argue.”
Dan opened his mouth to say more, but Grace clicked her tongue and Harley sprang forward. ~ Covering Grace
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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July 7, 2024
How Are You Holding Up?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Have you ever been asked, “How are you holding up?”
Rarely do people mean, “How are you holding up the bank?” or “How are you holding up your socks?” or “You’re holding up the parade.”
Ah, yes – the English language.
The idiomatic expression, “How are you holding up?” is used when checking on someone’s well-being after a trying situation, tragedy, or disease.
The last time I was asked how I was holding up was several years ago and the answer came without consideration: “By holding on.”
I didn’t see that reply coming and I hadn’t given the answer any thought. It simply popped out of my mouth because it was imbedded in my heart.
The phrase “holding up” insinuates personal determination, stamina, or vigor.
At the time, I had none.
All I could do was hold on.
“Holding on” says something entirely different. It points to strength and solidity outside oneself.
I don’t have the strength to hold up under life’s pressures and disappointments. But I can hold on for dear life by holding onto the One who is holding onto me.
His grip is much stronger than mine, and He never lets go. (John 10:28-29)
I believe everyone holds onto something or someone. What matters most is who or what it is.
~
Yet I am always with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward You will take me into glory.
Psalm 73.23-26
~
COMING SOON – Covering Grace, the final book in the Hutton family saga, “The Cañon City Chronicles.”
Grace was the little tag-along sister for twin brothers Cale and Hugh in Books 4 and 5. But she’s not so little anymore and she gets center stage in Book 6, Covering Grace. After three years riding with Bill Cody’s Wild West Show, she can do it all—rope, ride, and take care of herself. But fitting in back at the home ranch is beyond her. Her discovery that she has more in common with her grandmother, Annie Hutton, gives her exactly the footing she needs. Full of the grit and independence of the renowned Hutton women, Grace’s road won’t be easy to the love and acceptance she longs for.
If you loved Annie Whitaker (Hutton) in Loving the Horseman, you’ll adore her granddaughter, Grace, in the sixth and final book of “The Cañon City Chronicles,” Covering Grace.
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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June 30, 2024
What’s In Your Purse?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
This week I’m featuring a women’s devotional book from fellow author and friend, Becky Van Vleet. Not only do I like the catchy title, What’s In Your Purse, I enjoy the layout of each of the fifty-two devotionals with “Remember This” Bible verses, a “Make It Happen” challenge, and room to journal personal thoughts.
I pray the selection below is a blessing to you.
~
Lasso It In
Moderation in all things is a good rule.
As a young girl, I had no idea what the word moderation meant when it came to squeezing the ketchup bottle. Goodness knows, this quote would have applied to me. I have slacked off a little at this stage of my life, but oh how I love ketchup!
Democritus, an ancient Greek philosopher, stated, “Throw moderation to the winds, and the greatest pleasures bring the greatest pains.”
In our greedy, thrill-seeking, if-it-feels-good-do-it culture, moderation seems to have gone out with the winds. While we normally think of gluttony as pertaining to eating, it can apply to doing anything beyond the point of necessity. And sadly, our world is filled with gluttonous behavior.
Over-indulgence can divert our attention and beckon us to the glitter of a pretentious society. Our peace and joy can become depleted if we don’t cling to their true source, our Lord and Savior. As humans, we have a tendency to complicate things in general anyway. But running our lives with moderation and ease can keep us well-oiled and clean.
In Philippians 4:5 (KJV), Paul exhorted the church at Philippi, “Let your moderation be known unto all men.” Still a good rule of thumb today. Let’s lasso it in, sisters!
Remember This: Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. Proverbs 16:32 (NIV)
Make It Happen: Do a self-examination this week. Are there any areas in which you lack moderation? Write down your plan to control over-indulgence.
I love ketchup!
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Becky Van Vleet is an award-winning multi-genre, multi-published author. Her devotions have appeared in multiple publications including Guideposts, Christian Devotions Ministries, and Lighthouse Academy. A wife, mother, and Nana to nine grandchildren, she and her husband make their home near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Purchase link: If you enjoy Becky’s delightful devotional book, please leave a brief comment or two as a review on Amazon. This is a great way to bless an author!
Learn more about Becky, her children’s books, and historical novel at her website: https://www.beckyvanvleet.com/
~
COMING SOON – Covering Grace, the final book in the Hutton family saga, “The Cañon City Chronicles.”
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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June 23, 2024
Oh, Give Me a Home …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Do you know the next phrase in the classic Western ballad that begins, “Oh, give me a home”? It has something to do with buffalo, deer, and antelope.
However, the line after that is the best one, in my opinion, and no doubt became the deciding factor in the song’s popularity.
“Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day.”
“Home on the Range” became the iconic tune of the American West in the 1800s and was sung by cowboys on the Chisolm Trail and elsewhere. It was popularized in the next century by silver-screen cowboy crooners like Gene Autry.
But it’s not just the prairie that has changed since Dr. Brewster M. Higley penned “Home On the Range.” It’s the proliferation of discouraging words.
How many have you heard lately?
Probably more than a few. And I’m not even talking about the news media.
As an author, I hear both positive and negative feedback about my work through public review forums such as Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and Facebook. One of my very first reviews years ago was a real slice-and-dicer, yet that book turned out to be a top seller.
“Consider the source,” I was told, and there is some comfort in that cliché. But for me, the experience underscored the power of words, both spoken and printed.
Words are like bricks. They can build up or tear down, and it’s a whole lot easier to tear down something than to build it up. Anyone with a sledge hammer and a crow bar can demolish a house, but it takes a skilled craftsman to construct one.
Our parents’ generation of school children were taught to deflect painful words with an old quip:
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
How untrue!
Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words can shred us to ribbons and leave us bleeding in the ditch.
Words have power to heal hearts, but discouraging words can destroy marriages—like little drops of acid over time, corroding once-loving foundations until nothing is left.
Cruel remarks on social media impact young people more and more every day. Ugly barbs devastate their characters and diminish their sense of worth.
God knows the power of our words and He has a lot to say about it. Check out this list of scriptures on kind words:
This week, may we choose our words wisely, and make our homes a refuge where “seldom is heard a discouraging word.”
The very words
I have spoken to you
are spirit and life.
-Jesus
John 6:63 NLT
~
Words are like bricks
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The Dodson place opened up east of the Rafter-H with good flat land as well as prime mountain grass. The couple had been mostly farmers with potatoes, berries, and a small apple orchard north of the barn and outbuildings.
Hugh approached off-road from the west, and a chorus of red-winged blackbirds cut loose from new-leaf cottonwood trees. But as he neared the house, an eerie feeling climbed his shoulders like the first time he’d ridden over. The place must have been in decline for years with the older couple unable to keep it up. He and Cale would have helped if they’d known, but the Dodsons kept to themselves, even the few times he’d seen them in town.
Didn’t matter. Neighbors were supposed to help neighbors. It’s how things were.
Rather than start right off on the barn, Hugh stopped behind the house and went inside through the open back door. The place was run-down and dirty with the wind blowing through. It must have been a nice home at one time. He reminded himself he was no trespasser, for if he had his way, he’d soon be the owner.
Word was, the place was up for taxes and overdue mortgage payments, but there would be an auction. Just like the government to milk every penny they could get. So be it—he’d play their game. A fat worm if there ever was one, and he planned on being the early bird. ~Hope Is Built – Colorado Book Award finalist
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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June 16, 2024
If only …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Fifteen years ago, I was not writing Western romance but teaching sixth-grade Ancient-World History and Language Arts in a central California farming community.
I was also writing a slice-of-life column for a daily newspaper in a larger, nearby city. This Father’s Day, I want to share one of those columns with you – one that speaks of a priceless moment from those rich years of seeing life through the eyes of a child.
~
“If Only”
One of the great things about kids is their surprise factor. You never know what they’re going to say next, like “What about Mrs. Potamia?”
Mrs. Potamia was that woman in Iraq who lived between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. She was one of the ancient aunt-sisters, according to some of my sixth-grade history students, a distant relative of the famous Egyptian lady, Rosetta Stone.
Maybe it was a language barrier that sent students into rhetorical contortions, or maybe it was just a delightful little bonus for us grownups who needed a splash of humor in our lives.
Or maybe, as a teacher, I needed to be reminded that I didn’t have all the answers to all the questions.
“If people didn’t exist, where would chickens live?”
I didn’t see that one coming, but the look on the boy’s face said he wasn’t kidding.
Many of the students who passed through my classroom moved out of my life completely as their families followed the ebb and flow of a harvest tide. Parents found jobs elsewhere. Texas and Mexico really weren’t that far away, so babies were bundled and furniture stored and friendships torn apart. It happens.
And it happened one hot June morning at the end of the school year.
“Mrs. Spencer – we’re moving.”
The boy’s dark eyes met mine, void of his usual excitement and anticipation. They merely confirmed an unavoidable fact. And in their old-too-soon gaze I read, “I don’t want to go.”
“Did your father get a new job?” I asked, ignorantly assuming the reason behind the departure of one of my brightest students.
“No.” He glanced away, quickly noting other students nearby. “I’ll tell you later.”
Again I jumped at a possible motive. Perhaps it was an immigration issue.
But later, as promised, he shared the reason. Through the painfully pure sentence structure of one too young to cloak his feelings, I learned the truth.
“My dad left me.”
Not many statements had caught me by greater surprise. In four simple words, this twelve-year-old revealed all the pain of a broken home, the self-imposed guilt of the guiltless, the bottom-line loss of one left behind.
I will never know if he confused his pronouns and really meant to say, “My dad left us,” but somehow I doubt it. I think his heart spoke the words before his mind could interfere.
Teaching is often like parenting and grand-parenting: you want to protect those who suffer from that which causes them pain.
If only you could.
If only I could have captured the joy of innocent discovery and saved it for later. If only I could have answered unanswerable questions or dried the eyes that watched a hometown slide past the backseat windows of his mother’s car.
If only I could have assured those boys and girls that in spite of the surprises and the questions and the pain, they would make it. Their journey would be worth it, and I was blessed to have had them in my life.
Even if only for a moment.
And he shall turn the heart
of the fathers to the children,
and the heart of the children
to their fathers …
Malachi 4:6
Author’s note:
Today, if you’re a dad, don’t wait for your children to give you a card, send you a text, or fix your favorite meal. Take the first step and tell them you love them. Tell them you’re sorry for the mistakes you’ve made, (you’re human) and tell them how much they mean to you.
And if you’re a child of an absentee father, remember that you don‘t know the whole story. If your father was a brute rather than a dad, find forgiveness. And if there was no father at all, learn about your Father in heaven who loves you more than humanly possible.
His heart spoke the words before his mind could interfere.
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Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
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(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
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June 9, 2024
Resting In His Shadow
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
(Excerpted from Always Before Me)
American lyricist, Oscar Hammerstein II, said the hills were alive with the sound of music.
Where I once lived, that music played against spring-green hillsides. Black angus cattle dotted the scene like quarter notes on a musical score. In the spring, each cow had a calf at her side, and she paced her stride to match its own youthful steps.
The calves shone like onyx in the morning sun, dark and sleek against the grass their mothers grazed. There was a tenderness in it all – in the grass, in the animals, in the freshness of the mornings – a moment set against the rush of time when nothing mattered but the protection and nurturing of new life.
I drove through that landscape every weekday morning on my way to school. And in the late afternoons I returned on the same road to find long shadows thrown across the pastures by the grazing cattle.
One day the cows had turned their eyes away from the low sun, and their backs toward the west. I slowed to watch them, wondering what there was of God out in that pasture. I knew there was something – something He would show me of Himself if I paused in my hurry home and searched for His message.
The cow closest to the fence line along the road stood at an odd angle, sideways to the slanting sunlight. Her shadow stretched wide across the grass, and several feet away lay her resting calf, tucked exactly within the edges of her cool shade, sheltered from the heat of the day.
She knew exactly how to stand to shade her calf, and she stayed there until the glare of the sun had passed.
Our God knows too. He knows we need respite from the heat of worry and stress. He also knows when we need it, and He is there to let us rest in the shadow of His presence.
And if we still our hearts and listen, we may hear the music of His love around us.
~
Oh God of all comfort, thank you for knowing us better than we know ourselves, and for giving us exactly what we need. Amen.
He who dwells in the secret place
of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow
of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
The post Resting In His Shadow appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.
