Indiana Inspirational Update

We arrived in North Central Indiana, better known as Michiana, on Tuesday afternoon after a two-day road trip.  For some reason, this trip's destination seems to move further and further away each time.  I'm certainly not implying that age has anything to do with that, just stating a fact.

We got to meet our baby Jax Tuesday night and his Da and Bibby were both able to get some quality snuggling time.  We will take advantage of every opportunity to love on this sweet boy in the next two weeks.

Wednesday morning while all was quiet, I enjoyed my favorite spot of John and Michelle's home - the screened back porch overlooking the above beautiful view.

One of the books I am reading in my early morning time is about Women in Christian History.  Wednesday's feature was Harriet Winslow and the impact her short life had on the education for young women in what was Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) back in the early 1800's.

Harriet was able to open an all-girls boarding school in 1820, where she taught the girls sewing and household skills while also teaching arithmetic and geography, subjects only available to boys at the time.  Of course, she also taught them about Christianity.  The school still exists as Udival Girl's College and has more than one thousand girls, ages five through eighteen, enrolled.

One of the things Harriet did to care for her girls, who were mostly Hindu, was to pray for the salvation of one specific girl each day. Harriet's life was ended suddenly in childbirth at the age of 36, but only history will reveal the impact she had on the lives of these girls.

Girls today still need older women to pray for them and Harriet's example spoke to me this morning.  I am the mother of a daughter who is the mother of four girls, and now a grandmother herself; I am the mother-in-law of a mother of two girls, and a daughter-in love, and also now a grandmother as well.  That means I am personally responsible for praying for these nine females, plus two sisters and additional nieces.

Think about all the girls and young women with whom we come in contact:  daughters, granddaughters, sisters, nieces, girls in our church, neighbors, girls from our community, perhaps even students at your child's school.

Two of my girls are young mothers who so desire to be the best mother to their baby they can be.  They need and seek God's guidance every day. I have four who are unmarried and need God's direction in meeting and choosing His chosen mate for them.  One is starting a new career; one is finishing her last year of college; one is in high school and all the challenges that brings.  One is dealing with health issues and on we could go.

We have young lady church friends who are facing career and pre-nuptial decisions and learning to adapt to new challenges.  I have friends who have recently lost their spouse and one whose only daughter died suddenly.  Some are dealing with serious illnesses and declining-health life decisions.

THEY ALL NEED PRAYER!

Even though I pray for my girls on a regular basis, as a result of this lesson from Harriet Winslow this morning, I am going to select one girl/woman each morning and pray specifically for her.  I trust God will bring them to mind all day long as He deems necessary.  At night I will thank Him for her and for bringing about His will for her that particular day.

Perhaps this idea appeals to you as well.  Go for it!  Make a list of girls you can be praying for, with a few specific requests for each one.  Then rotate them into your daily prayers and thoughts.  The Lord may even lead us to pray consecutive days for one particular girl.  Do it!  Let us be sensitive to His leading.

You might even want to tell them you are praying for them and ask if they have a particular need that day, or you may just want to keep it between you and the Lord.  Either way, it will be exciting to see how our prayers impact their lives.  And ours.

"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people.  Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them."  1 Timothy 2:1

Now, some more scenes of Jax and the Day garden.

Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby!

Unlike the fried flowers we left behind in Plano, these are thriving in the beautiful Northern Indiana summer, and so am I.

And these two never miss a hug opportunity.

Our Frigid Northern Indiana Trip

I'm sure like me, you are pretty tired of anything regarding snow and ice; however, I still have beautiful scenery and places to share.  

This was a view of our son's snow encased home in Northern Indiana before the snow plows came and before I got out with the shovel.

Early morning sunrise

This sweet granddaughter came home from college for a couple days and blessed our hearts.  Savannah is a senior at Trine University and will be receiving her BA and MBA in May.  Not only is she gorgeous, sweet but very intelligent.  Not to mention, she loves her grandparents.

Savannah suggested we take a road trip up into Michigan to see a beautiful old church on the St Joseph River.  Needless to say the scenery was amazing.

This beautiful old church is now only used for events rather than worship, and is part of a large estate where they also have B&B's for event attendees.

This is the iced-over St Joseph River and yes, that is a large snow bank on the other side.

The scenery was spectacular and I found it impossible to tire of it.

I was grateful for a very skillful driver and precious companion on this outing.

Later in the week, Michelle and I took another road trip, this time in another direction.

In Goshen, Indiana there is this large building with a most interesting history.

It is now simply called The Old Bag Factory.

In June 1896 an Ohio native with a canny business mind, opened the Cosmo Buttermilk Soap Company.  The building, built expressly for this business, was almost 80,000 square feet and strategically placed near a railway depot.  Their products were carried by train across the country.  Here they made laundry soap, fine bathing soap and toilet paper.  An interesting combination, don't you think?

In 1910, the plant was renovated and purchased by the Chicago-Detroit Bag Company.  After a merger in 1924 under the control of the Chase Bag Factory, the Goshen plant became one of the largest and most important of the 15 plants owned by the company.  Their specialty products ranged from waterproof burlap sacks to the fine, sheer paper used in Hershey's Kiss wrappers. Again, very diverse products.

The term "bagology" was coined during this period, meaning "to elevate the production of bags to the level of science."  This evidently didn't go over very well, and after a long decline in business, the Bag Factory closed its doors in 1982.

In 1984 the Swartzendruber family bought the building.  Wind and weather had taken its toll, and electricity and plumbing were no longer working, so after an extensive renovation, the Swartzendrubers made the Old Bag Factory the headquarters for their handcrafted custom furniture.

During this time, they also made space available for other Artists and Merchants to use this historic building and its surroundings as their home.

In December 2010, the building was sold, but it continues to be used by area artisans and the tradition of locally made Amish furniture continues.

Inside the old building the first thing you see is this beautifully carved stair railing.

The majority of the main space is filled with some of the most beautiful handmade furniture I've ever seen, done by local Amish craftsmen.

Michelle found the glider of her dreams and she may have actually had a dream or two while enjoying the chair.

I seriously have never seen or felt a smoother finish than on the furniture in this place.  Legacy Home Furniture

Beyond the furniture section was a large room full of pottery.

While looking around and exclaiming over the beauty of each of the unique pieces, a gentleman walked out and asked which we liked best.  Because it was an impossible question to answer, I asked if he was the potter, to which he replied "Yes!"

Mark Goertzen was such a nice and friendly man and took the time to explain some of his process and didn't mind a bit posing for this picture.

If I had any extra space in my suitcase, I would have brought home one of his pieces.  But, that will be reason to return on another trip when we drive.

We had the best time exploring all three levels of this huge old Bag Factory.

It is said that now, instead of transporting goods by train, the Old Bag Factory's artists and merchants can send their crafts away in - what else?  Shopping bags.

Our next stop was in Elkhart, Indiana at another old building full of magic.

I couldn't find any information about this grand old building, except that it is now the home of the Steelyard Coffee Co.  And although I am not a coffee drinker, my daughter-in-law is an expert and she says they have the best.

After eating the most delicious lunch in the Coffee Shop and exploring and making a few very small purchases in the boutique, we found the rest of the magic.

For some reason the composition of mirrors encompassed by the long doors kept drawing me back to just simply enjoy.

There was so much to see and in this space and we made several repeated rounds before we left.  This too is a definite do over.

Before Savannah left to go back to school, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast together at Uptown Kitchen in Granger.

We treasure our family time with our family even and especially when its zero degrees and layers of ice and snow on the ground, because being with them brings nothing but warmth and tons of love, not to mention sweetness to our souls.

A Snowy Hodgepodge

It is good to finally be back on the Wednesday Hodgepodge, so let's jump right in and see what questions Joyce has challenged us with today.

1. January is National Mentoring Month. Have you ever had a mentor? Been a mentor? How would you rate the experience?

Many years ago when I was in a deep spiritual and emotional slump, the dearest lady reached out to me.  She invited me into her home once a week for in-depth Bible study and counseling.  This dear saint shall forever hold a very special place in my heart.

I have not consciously mentored anyone, although there have been several times thru the years that I have counseled and encouraged specific women. I hope this was as meaningful a time to them as it was to me.

2. What current trend makes no sense to you?

No words necessary!

3. I saw a cartoon on facebook highlighting a few 'weird' things that make you happy as an adult. The list included-writing with a nice pen, having plans cancelled, freshly cleaned sheets, eating the corner brownie, cleaning the dryer lint screen, and sipping coffee in that brief time before anyone else wakes up. (Credit for the cartoon goes here) Of the 'weird' things listed which one makes you happiest? What is one more 'weird' thing you'd add to the list?

Freshly clean sheets for sure!

Bad weather makes me happy.  But this didn't just start as an adult.  For as long as I can remember, the worst the storm, the more I like it.

This was almost a white-out snow storm when we went out for the 11:30 PM Christmas Eve service.  Loved it!

Another thing that makes me happy is sitting on my back porch while it's raining, with a good book and music.  That's probably not too weird, but it does bring me joy.

4. What's the last good thing you ate?

My daughter-in-love always lets her children plan the Christmas Eve meal and they usually always suggest the same things.  We love tradition in our family.  There were so many delicious dishes but a new one was a Brie dip that we all fell in love with.  It is bottom center in the picture.

We had so much good food during this holiday period that it is seriously impossible to isolate just one dish.  Now, today I am looking forward to a very delicious Cabbage, Sausage, Potato Soup that will be the most delicious thing I've eaten lately.

5. Describe life in your 20's in one sentence.

I got married at almost 21, gave birth to my son at almost 25, my daughter at 26 and cried when I turned 30.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

On a very cold, snowy day during Christmas week, we took a road trip to Shipshawana, a small Amish town we always visit while in Indiana.

This trip was to specifically see the ice sculptures.

 

The nativity is always a favorite and never entered into the judging.

The three top winners were carved with much intricacy.

This Louisiana Bird, the Pelican was very much out of place but beautifully carved.

Then we strolled the snow covered streets and visited some of the unique little shops.

Yes, it was a wonderful excursion and one we will remember for a long time.