The Characters...

From the Author

“In Sword of the Wild Rose, I have attempted to weave my story through the many significant events leading up to the American Revolution. This particular time and the people of that day have intrigued my imagination for many years. To write this novel, I chose one of my own ancestors, Derick Davidson, and pulled stories from the events of his life and placed him at the onset of the American Revolution. (where he really was). I relied heavily on my supporting characters, Daniel Morgan, the real life hero of Saratoga and Cowpens, and one of the most colorful and beloved characters of that time.”

Morgan was a patriot in every sense of the word, having suffered forty-nine stripes on his bare back at the hands of the British. He was a brawling, cursing, hulk of a man, but an endearing character, whose contribution to the Revolutionary War was unparalleled. He and his company of riflemen were significant participants in the war effort and America owes much to this steadfast company of sharp shooters that kept things hot and exciting for the British during the war for independence.

And what is a book without a wee bit of romance? Although I am not a serious romance writer and my couples barely get the chance at a kiss, I am a firm believer in romance, aye to be sure, and I do like to incorporate this lovely aspect of the human spirit: the need for love, and to be loved in return. I create this element of emotion and sentiment from my own experience on the subject. Aye, lads and lassies, what is life without love?

Beautifully and Elegantly Modest

In today’s society, any attempt to maintain a standard of dress that reflects the Biblical principle of modesty is often met with ridicule and scorn. Nevertheless, the opinions and attitudes of our modern day should not affect the example of a Christian woman or young lady who truly desires to reflect Christ in every part of her life including the outward standard of dress.

What is modesty of dress? Some synonyms are; purity, simplicity, dignity, decency, innocence, just to name a few. What comes to mind when you hear these words? Modesty entails the conventional proprieties in speech, behavior, and dress.

Serving God as a woman is reasonable. The Biblical standard of modesty in dress is not grievous to the woman who desires to please God in every part of her life. Modesty of dress is not taking a vow of poverty in our outward appearance or dressing down to appear humble or different with no concern for our personal appearance. Quite the contrary. We should reflect the charm and beauty that is woman. This quality of grace belongs to our gender and is inspired by God himself for our special role in life.

Concerning the trendy and immodest fashions of the world, we must be firm—unyielding. Otherwise, ungodly dress and graceless behavior will creep into our lives until we betray our own inherent and God-given modesty.

In our desire to present ourselves as women of modesty and femininity, we must also guard against falling into legalism or acting in an unbecoming manner toward those who have yet to embrace God’s ideals for the feminine sex. Teach by example and treat all women with love and respect, from the youngest baby girl to the questioning teen, even unto the aging grandmother.

Excerpt from: Dressing with Decency and Dignity

©ruthellinger2001, Lamplighter Publishers

In my search for lovely and modest clothing, I came across some wonderful sites for dressing in a manner that reflects femininity and the inner beauty and character of the godly woman. Here is what I found. Have fun shopping…or dreaming.

Beautifully Modest

http://www.beautifullymodest.com/

“Modesty is extremely important to us at Beautifully Modest. We truly believe in our motto- First in fashion, Elegant by Design, Modest by Choice. We believe that a woman is beautiful for her character and should be able to express her personality through modest fashion. We are proud to say, that with the help of a wonderful designer, we offer fashionable dresses to accommodate all who choose to maintain high standards.”

Hannah Lise

http://www.hannahlise.com/default.aspx

Hannah Lise is a direct merchant of quality modest clothing for women and girls, clothing that is not typically found in the mainstream marketplace.

Funkyfrum.com

http://www.funkyfrum.com/

An online e-boutique providing stylish modest clothing for modern women, especially for the fashion-savvy, modern woman committed to dressing modestly, yet beautifully fashionable.

This last link will connect you with various companies who offer modest clothing for living in today’s world.

http://www.livingmodest.com/modest_clothing_companies.asp

Anna of the Celts by Dean Morrissey

This lovely painting , Anna of the Celts by Dean Morrissey, was a birthday gift from my husband.

My Own Agenda…

My husband is on a mission trip to Central America and I have nine days of my own – waking when I am done sleeping, eating peanut butter and jelly for dinner if I choose, researching my ancestry, and working on my next writing project until the wee hours of the morning. So much for my agenda!

On Monday, a truck turned around in the church parking area, became tangled in the electric wiring, pulling the electrical apparatus from the building, blowing the transformer while strewing live wires down the driveway. My neighbor was at my door with the news. Phoned electric company, insurance, sheriff, (a hit and run) and…so much for Monday. It wasn’t until late Wednesday that all contacts were made, electrician hired, and everything up and running, all while my pastor/husband is sipping mango milkshakes thousands of miles away.

Tuesday, my Co-Director for FIWR, Debora M. Coty and I met for a staff meeting. She says her new website was kidnapped and held for ransom! What is the world coming too?

Thursday evening, I am at the computer reading the scoop on “John, the Bear Hunter,” my illustrious ancestor, and suddenly, the lights go out and the “ups” stays down and I’m in total darkness. “Aha,” says the little voice, “someone has cut your electric wires for calling the sheriff.” I can’t see a thing. I fumble around for my cell phone using it as a light to locate the flashlight. I can do this, I say to myself. I am not afraid of the dark…am I? God is with me. What was I reading about bear hunters…

Sneaking out the patio door and around the hot tub, I see flashing lights at the front of our property. I march out to see what’s up, brave soul that I am, and shine my light on electric company trucks. Heads turn and I see a man in a bucket at the top of an electric pole. He is fixing the wiring. They all stare tiredly at me and I realize I’m in my pajamas. I wave and return quickly to the house. The electric is restored and I go to bed.

Saturday and off to St. Pete where Alicia is competing in the regional Spelling Bee. On the way home, the fuel light indicates that we are low on gas. “No problem,” says my daughter, “we can go another fifty miles after the light.” Sitting along the roadside on a bladder-stretching wait for AAA to bring gasoline, I realize I haven’t eaten since 7:30 am and it is now 3:00 pm. I contemplate how to capture and cook the ducks I see swimming in the nearby pond.

Home at last, but tomorrow is Sunday and a full day of church activities. Monday my husband returns and I am ecstatic. At last, I can do whatever I want!

The Shepherdess Returns

He MAKETH me to like down in green pastures…

He leadeth me beside the still waters…

he restoreth my soul.

For the past several months, I have been away from the flock, watching the sheep from another pasture, a pasture green with soft grass and quiet streams. The Shepherd constrained me to stay in the quiet pasture…alone. Even when I begged and pleaded to return to the flock, he compelled me stay, and then…he left me there. I was in “time out!” I waited impatiently for his return. Time passed and he did not come. During my isolation and loneliness, fear came to sit beside me. I send countless messages to the Shepherd to take me from this lonely place of fear and doubt and allow me to return to the flock.

When no answer came, I waited beside the still water somewhat petulantly. For the first time, I noticed that the grasses growing in the pasture were various shades of green, each blade possessing its own uniqueness and color. The endless assortment of herbs and flowers in the field soon fascinated me. I began taking pleasure in my surroundings, lying down in the tall grass and resting beside the still waters. The stream was kike a balm, but it was also like a mirror, reflecting my image on the calm surface. Looking into the depth of the stream, I could see myself, traveling at breakneck speed, forgetting to be quiet, to slow down, forgetting to notice that grass is not just a covering for the earth and that still waters run deep and hold fathomless beauty and serenity calming to the weary soul. After a time, the Shepherd returned and took me by the hand and returned me to the sheepfold. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters, he restoreth my soul.

I am wiser now, peaceful, inspired, and restored. I choose carefully the things that are necessary to my life and those that are not. I take time for what is truly important; things that add peace and joy to my life, and I remember that all that I do is weighed in the just balance of work and worship. If I forget this all-important principle, the shepherd will place me in “time out” again and will make my lie down. He loves me so…he is the good Shepherd.

©Ruth Carmichael Ellinger

Gifts from the Shepherd...my Valentine

THOUGHTS ON LOVE...VALENTINE'S DAY

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.




No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth. ~Robert Southey

Can miles truly separate you from friends.... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there? ~Richard Bach

Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love. ~George Eliot

Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart. ~Kay Knudsen

The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected. ~Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

You and I will meet again
When we're least expecting it
One day in some far off place
I will recognize your face
I won't say goodbye my friend
For you and I will meet again
~Tom Petty

Goodbye to an old friend...

Life is not so much about saying hello,

as saying goodbye

I read this quote recently and have been thinking about it ever since. I believe I understand the significance of these thought provoking words. In the past several months, I have been sorting through boxes of old photos and keepsakes, separating them into labeled boxes for my children to have someday. In all of this 40+ year collection, there are so many goodbyes…and truth be told, that is what life is mostly about. After all, whey does it take only a minute to say hello and forever to say goodbye? The hellos are fun and exciting. We embrace new challenges, meet new people, and form new and inspiring relationships. But oh, those goodbyes…

While perusing the memorabilia of an earlier period in my life, I found photos of old school and college friends, my extended family in every season and setting, ministry and church friends, even pets that I loved with childish devotion. One day, I said goodbye for the last time to many of them.

“Goodbye” is a rather sad word, a word we don’t like to say and a word we don’t like to hear. When our son leaves for his sometimes dangerous international job after a visit, I can only say, “I love you and take care,” but never do I say…goodbye.

I believe the goodbyes in life are preparing us for the heavenly world; a world where the word “goodbye” will have no relevance. This present world is so transitory, fleeting. More than ever, I am aware of my brief sojourn through this earthly life when I recall the many goodbyes said to family and friends. But we have a hope, steadfast and eternal in the heavens, a place where farewell will never be spoken.

Goodbyes are not forever.
Goodbyes are not the end.
They simply mean I'll miss you
Until we meet again!

May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

A Celtic Blessing

Do not lose heart

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."

2 cor 4:16

On the Carmichael Estates in Scotland, there is an ancient house sadly falling into ruin. It is hard to find someone to rent a twenty-room house and maintain such a dwelling, so the house sets empty in the quiet center of Carmichael. On our last visit to my ancestral home, I noticed this Bible verse on the side of the house, reminding those who visited there not to place their love and affection on earthly buildings that crumble with time or on our fleshly houses that are so very temporary, so very vulnerable to sickness and disease. Someday, both houses shall fall into ruin and decay, just like this lovely old home that once was the epitome of fashion; an edifice of stone and wood that rivaled the Chief's own dwelling.

But...we have a house in the heavens, a house not made with hands, a building that is our final and eternal home. While facing my own personal trial of affliction these past months, I felt keenly the need to remember: no matter what my circumstance in this life...it is temporary, fleeting, and my eternal home lies in the heavenly realm, a place where my spiritual house will stand forever. This is the hope of the righteous, the goal of all God’s children.

Another Year...Another Anniversary

When 2010 arrived, it seemed like a nice even number to roll over your tongue. A new decade had arrived with new perspectives, new ideas, and for me, a new book, Sword of the wild Rose, coming out in April. Twenty-ten – it was fun to say the number. However, the year was not even a month old before an unexpected heartbreak stunned our lives. We went to our knees in prayer, wondering what had happened, what had gone wrong, and if we could have prevented the trial that left us reeling with doubt and confusion. During such dark moments, the age-old questions begin nibbling at our faith, seeking for answers that never come. Some circumstances that appear on the stage of our life clambering for a part, even demanding a starring role, must be left with God. Resolution to difficult situations is not always in our hands, not in our ability or our feeble efforts to resolve. At such times, I find comfort and solace in simple things, in simple pleasures; my home, my family, the five senses of nature, of touch and feel, of taste and smell, of music and words. Perhaps I seek simplicity because the uncomplicated appears less demanding, less threatening, and needs no clarification. I understand simple things. I am a simple person and I find enjoyment in the unsophisticated, the unpretentious. A crackling fire burning on the hearth is soothing and requires no mental effort to enjoy. I can hold my husband’s hand and feel his love, his devotion. I need no words to explain this. Love exists and simply is. When I cannot understand the complexities in my world, I know that God is able to handle the complicated issues; those thorny problems that only prick us and make new wounds when we try to untangle what is beyond our grasp, when we try to go beyond our reach.

Recently, during a particularly difficult day, my husband hung a wee sign from the chandelier above our dining room table. It read: “Meet me under the mistletoe.” How simple is that? How comforting is that? And…I know where I hung the mistletoe.

Lord, I am like to mistletoe,
Which has no root, and cannot grow
Or prosper but by that same tree
It clings about; so I by Thee.
What need I then to fear at all,
So long as I about Thee crawl?
But if that tree should fall and die,
Tumble shall heaven, and down will I.

Robert Herrick

CHRISTMAS AT TANGLEWOOD

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” KJV 2Co 5:1

Endings…

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning.

~Ivy Baker Priest

Another year is drawing to a close and I feel sad. Just why this is, I don’t understand. But there is something poignant and emotional about endings…like coming to the end of a good book and reading those unwelcome words—The End, or waving goodbye as the family leaves after some special event, or even watching the sun sink slowly into the Gulf waters at the close of day. Something is over, something is lost, something has ended, never to be relived again.

I was thinking about “endings” last evening as I sat on the patio and watched the moon rise in the east, shedding streams of moonbeams over my garden while stars spanned the heavens in a glorious display of God’s handiwork. It was an unusually magnificent presentation. In that mystical way that God reveals Himself to us, I suddenly understood why God hesitates…why He waits…why He delays the Lord’s coming. He, too, must feel that same sadness, to bring about an end to the gospel day, a conclusion of those things familiar, those things we know and love, to bring the curtain down on His own creation, the work of His own hands. Something will be lost.

But then I remember…new beginnings spring from old endings, from the dust and the ash of wreck and ruin, of failure and hopelessness, a new year always begins, bringing hope for our distresses and dreams for the future. We find new courage to face tomorrow and another chance to get it right. We are challenged to try again, to believe again and to live again.

I understand more clearly now and know that when this present life is over and my earthly tabernacle crumbles into the dust, I will rise to a new day, a glorious day, a day filled with hellos and never a goodbye. By faith, I can see it afar, that wonderful day with only a beginning; a day with no ending.

©Ruth Carmichael Ellinger 12/10/10

Giving thanks...

"Be ye thankful..."

Autumn Blessings

It only makes sense they arrived in the autumn, when harvest is sweet and pungent in the air, when the greens and golds, scarlets and purples clothe the earth.

FL Arts Council Awards Reception, 2010

Before reward is defeat, before prominence, lowliness,

and before honor is humility

“And thou shall remember all the way which the Lord thy God has led thee these many years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or no.

“…that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end.”

De 8: - 2De 8:16

The Shepherdess wins an award...

“The Awards event was truly a night to remember…one of those thrilling times when the unexpected becomes a reality. I truly had no idea that I was being considered for this great honor. When Cheryl Kuck, chair person for the Arts Council phoned saying I had been chosen “Artist of the Year” for excellence in the arts, I felt certain there must be a mistake. Little did I realize that my writing and my involvement in teaching in our community would result in this award. I felt so blessed, so special. My prayer has always been that God would order my steps and guide me in the way I should go, to use me in a way that would honor Him through my writing. Surely, this is one of those surreal moments. “

Ruth Carmichael Ellinger

What I've Been Doing

What I’ve been doing in October: Toured the OH area for two weeks doing book events for, Sword of the Wild Rose. The fall colors were spectacular with weather to match. Visited friends and family and attended the Fairfield CO Fair. Sat in the grandstand and watched the bands, reminisced, and walked through the horse barns. I love the smell of horse, hay, and sweaty leather.

What I need to do today: I need to do something with my hair and prepare for writing group tonight. Our writing prompt for October’s session of Brandon Christian Writers is: One dark night…(OOOOoooaaaahhhheee)

In the kitchen: I have some left over pork roast for pork tacos for and early dinner. An easy one to make so I can speed out the door to meet with my writing group.

What Wright is doing: Catching up around the yard, cleaning the spa, gardening – his favorite therapy.

I’m hearing: The air conditioner still running, music playing in the background, the door opening because Audry (my ten-year-old granddaughter) left her new little purse.

I’m learning: When the "illusion" in our mind crumbles and falls away, what remains is reality...the actual truth. Yes, it may not be what you imagined or what you dreamed it would be, but that does not change God, nor does it change His word, the crux and foundation of our faith. Loyalty, integrity, and trust in God are essential virtues when disillusionment becomes the tool of Satan to undermine our faith. Holding steady when illusion gives way to reality is where faith becomes what it is meant to be -- the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

I’m reading: Beloved Enemies by Al Lacy. A great Civil War novel that covers the onset of the war and the Battles of 1^st Manassas., A beautiful woman who is also a Confederate spy and the hunky Union soldier who falls in love with her supplies sufficient conflict against the backdrop of civil war. Beautifully crafted by Al Lacy and historically accurate. The romance is a little more than I like, but that is just me. A good read for those who love historic fiction and I do.

I’m Creating: an “organized looking” space in my writing are (large foyer of our home) for the Tampa Tribune reporter to take photos for the upcoming Brush Strokes awards reception. Yes, I was surprised and honored to be chosen as “Artist of the Year” 2010 by the Arts Council, Brandon FL. Yeah!

My favorite things in October: Autumn colors, my family, Wildrose Cottage in autumn, apples and pumpkin pie, Florida evenings, and fires in the fireplace again.

“Give it a Rest”

There is a Place…

There is a place where you can always go, come with me,

Where it’s alright to let your feelings show, come with me.

What a pleasant journey, isn’t very far,

We can go together, stay right where you are

And now it’s time to start, it’s right here in your heart.

There is a place where you can be yourself, come with me,

And it’s a place where you can free yourself, come with me.

And you know it’s waiting, no so far away

Need no reservation, we can go today,

Now it’s time to start, it’s right here in your heart.

And the light shines through each window, and the door is open wide

And each question has an answer, if you’ll only look inside.

There is a place where every sorrow ends, come with me,

Where every hope and every truth begins, come with me

What a pleasant journey, isn’t very far,

We can go together, start right where you are,

Now it’s time to start, it’s right here in your heart.

….And now it’s time to start, it’s right here in your heart.

♥

“I have a problem…” I say sipping my coffee.

“What?” he asks sitting his cup down, giving me his full attention.

“I’m multi-tasking, stretching my limited time, and directing my energy into solving everyone else’s problems.”

“Oooo,” he says raising his eyebrows.

“I’m weary of teaching women how to set priorities, solve problems, manage time, how to mend and maintain relationships. I’m teaching others when I need to be managing these same issues myself.”

“I see,” he says.

“I need a rest, a break. You know, like…give me a break, give it a rest, and in fact, I think I’ll run away.”

“I know a place,” he says, “a place where we can both go, where we are free to rest.”

“Where?” I ask.

“Well, Jesus rested when he was weary. He found it necessary, so it’s not strange that you should feel the same way. He ran away too—all by himself.”

“I know, but that was different,” I say with a sigh.

“Not really,” he says, “in Exodus, God commanded His people to rest, the Sabbath—you know. And Jesus said in Mark 2:22, that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Not only that, He let people know that the thought of Sabbath was “rest” not rules.”

“Well, that’s obvious,” I say to my Shepherd husband, “since he broke so many Sabbath rules himself.” I feel a sermon coming on and I want a rest from that too.

He smiles, knowing what I am thinking. “In the Hebrew letter,” he continues, “the word Sabbath is from the Greek, shabbat, which means to cease, or to stop, to rest, if you will.”

“But I can’t stop to rest,” I protest“, my life is so full, I can’t take on anything else. In fact, I don’t think I can take anymore preaching either and I feel like that’s what you’re doing right now.” Guilt tugs at my heart and I see compassion in his green eyes.

“Time to empty out,” he says, “time to rest.”

After this conversation, I began to think about what my husband had said about emptying out, about resting. I wanted to find a resting place. After all, Jesus said He was our rest, our Sabbath.

I understand that life is more than work, money, and homes, all our earthly endeavors, all our lofty ambitions, our plans and strategies for the future. I know this in my head. By seeking the principle of rest in my life, I have learned some valuable lessons. I have learned to experience rest in my heart and spirit.

To truly rest from the labors of life, we must learn to restructure our lives around God, not ourselves. How easy it seems to take life into our own hands, make our own plans, then find that we cannot manage them. Therefore, it is essential to empty our vessel of those things that are filling our lives with our own doings and allow God to re-fill our lives with grace and beauty and joy. If we do not, life will be only an existence and no real life at all.

The Sabbath under Christ, the Lord’s day, is a day unto the Lord, an entire day, a small gift of time that we give back to Him who has given us six days to work and one day for Him. In doing so, we give ourselves the gift of rest from our earthly labors. (Exodus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:14).

Under the law of Christ, the Jewish Sabbath is no longer observed as an ordinance or law, but that does not mean that we should not rest from all our distractions, our work, our daily routines. The principle of the Sabbath, or a day of rest should still be observed. Most Christians observe this practice on the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week—Sunday.

Sad to say, even the Sunday “rest” is slipping away from our modern society. The malls, the amusements, and almost every type of commerce is still conducted on Sunday. Our society has become lax in observing the principle of rest. Even our college students are taking tests on Sundays.

The principle of rest is sadly missing from our society and it is affecting our lives, our homes, our worship, and our attitudes toward God and His work.

In observing the principle of rest, we find delight in God, we renew our faith, find joy in living, happiness in simplicity. We become mare aware of our own dependency upon a Sovereign God and not on our own intellectual ability to work out our own lives according to our own plans.

To find this place of rest and our own personal “Sabbath,” we must first empty our vessel of those things that are choking our lives with meaningless and unproductive clutter. Some things are necessary, but if we consider our daily lives, we will find many things that can be eliminated. However, we must be willing to set them aside and to rid ourselves of those things, however dear, are in reality, unnecessary.

We must learn to stop and rest.

Busy people, workaholics, over achievers, perfectionists, and all un-restful and unfruitful, and unproductive lifestyle habits must cease, must stop, and some must permanently end. You know what brings you down, what keeps you from God, what keeps you from rest…unload it.

On this one day, empty yourself of all your concerns, all the things on your “to do” list, your household chores, your upcoming schedules and appointments. Turn off your cell phones, your computers, every distraction in your life. Just rest and worship, reflect and meditate. Allow God to pour into your vessel the life giving grace, joy, and peace, those things that keep us close to God. If we learn to do this, then we can manage well during the next six working days of the week.

Our personal rest can be a time to stop and “smell the roses,” to enjoy nature, our children, our parents. It can be a time to read for pleasure, to roam, to walk, to dream. Quiet the internal noise of life and learn to tune into God and hear His voice. Find a secret place, take a long nap, rest…rest…rest from your labors.

In learning to stop and rest for one day a week, you will find you are more energized, more creative, more the person God intended you to be. The principle of resting can do more for you than all the vitamin B-12 you can consume or all the caffeine you can drink. Give yourself a rest!

©2010 Ruth Ellinger

One little lamb...

Before I left for Wildrose Cottage and my last book event of the summer, Mandy came to visit. We spent three glorious days on the beach on Long Boat Key, just Mandy, Papa, and me. It was a special time; a time I know will never come again, not in the same way. There may be other visits, other beaches, and other memories, but none quite like this one. I feel sad when I think of it, but I know this is the way of life, the way it must be.

Mandy is sweet sixteen, with taffy hair and brown eyes. Her voice is sweet, and her way is kind. She is at that magical age when girlhood is melting away like footprints left in the sand, disappearing with another wave. She is a woman-child, waiting…watching, looking into the golden sunset, wondering what life has in store for her.

God has a plan for her life and I’m thankful for a little part in that plan. I want to be there if she ever needs me. I was there when she drew her first quavering breath. I will never forget that night as long as I live. It was a wintry night, cold and snowing when she came into the world.

I remember too the look on Katherine’s face when first she held the baby in arms and peered into the tiny face. It was a look of love so profound that no artist could ever reproduce it. There was that instant connection, a bonding that in some unfathomable way, will last a lifetime and beyond, no matter what comes. I have felt that awesome, indescribable bond when my own babies were born. True, they may leave us in a physical sense, but that attachment which binds us together at birth, can never be broken.

The years come and go and we see God’s hand weaving the tapestry of our lives. One golden thread in our tapestry is Mandy, and we treasure the moments, the days she stopped by Tanglewood to visit us in her journeyto womanhood. We are blessed.

The Flock Moves to Higher Ground

Ps 18:33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.

Hab 3:19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet,

and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

CLIMBING...to higher ground

It was spring and the sheep had to be moved to higher ground, to a pasture on top of an abruptly rising hill. There, the grass was young, tender, and un-trodden, with a large and rolling pasture that stretched for miles. A spring bubbled from the side of a rock precipice to form a brook that ran the length of the high pasture and emptied into the valley below. It was a goodly place for the sheep.

The shepherd stood at the top of a small rise, explaining the necessity of moving to higher ground. His instructions to the flock were clear and concise, leaving no room for misunderstanding. He would lead the way himself and I, his shepherdess, would act as rear guard, following behind to insure the safety of the flock. Rear picket duty was not my favorite position, but quite often, I found myself in that particular situation and it was certainly not by choice. Nevertheless, the move lay ahead and was necessary for grazing during the summer months.

We left the next morning; sheep, shepherd, and shepherdess. From my position at the rear, I watched the wooly procession as the shepherd climbed steadily upward, his staff raised, his form silhouetted against the skyline, clearly visible to the entire flock. Now and then, he spoke, encouraging the flock as they climbed. Some of the sheep followed obediently, not looking back, staying close to the shepherd. Others bleated pitifully, not wanting to leave the old and familiar, but despite their complaining, they followed along steadily enough, bleating as they climbed. Others lagged behind as if to protest the move, until a sharp word from the shepherd changed their mind and hurried them along.

From my position in the rear, I shooed the dallying sheep forward, those who lingered just beyond sight of the shepherd, hoping to find some pleasure along the way. They were not opposed to the move, just fooling around, hoping to discover some new adventure. The curious youngsters stopped every few minutes to butt one another or hide from his comrade behind a thicket, not considering that danger that might lurk in the shadows of the dense undergrowth. Again and again I brought the careless sheep back to the main flock, scolding them soundly for their indifference to danger. When at last the stragglers and I arrived at the higher pasture, the main flock were romping in the tall grass, forgetting that they had ever grumbled and complained about the difficulties of the climb or of moving to higher ground. Surely, this was a goodly place to be.

©2010 ruth ellinger