From My Farmhouse Kitchen

LETCHER FARM SUPPLY, INC

Christmas is a time for making new Just a month a later, a deadly tornado memories or remembering celebrations of wiped out the farm I grew up on. It was years ago. Many of our childhood memo- devastating — not one of the buildings ries involve a special gift we received (or was salvageable. Most of the livestock, didn’t). For those of us who are older, we too, was gone. All but one bull was remember paging through the toy cata- accounted for in the final count. The bull logs which came in the mail. If just one was too wild now, so left alone. of those items from the wish catalog came, we knew Christmas would be good. FROM MY Worse yet, and the hardest to bear, the storm claimed the life of my precious

Christmas is a time of joy and merri- FARMHOUSE niece, Joni Marie DeBoer. ment. But the Christmas which keeps surfacing to my mind this year was one that was not especially cheery. The year was 1986. The farm crisis was in full KITCHEN By Renae B. Vander Schaaf She was just four years old. A sweet, dark haired little girl with a pixie way of smiling. swing. Commodity prices just seemed to only know That day Joni had colored a picture of one way of movement, which was down. The oppo- an angel before going to her grandparent’s farm. It site was true for interest rates. They kept rising. is the first thing my brother and his wife saw as Sadly, many farmers were forced to sell their farms. they came home from the hospital knowing that It was not a good time for most people in rural or their young daughter was now singing hymns with urban areas. the angels.

In February of 1986, my grandma, Louise Cassens Earlier that day, when my sister-in-law talked Reemstma died, just two days before her 77th birth- with her daughter, she had a record playing by Bill day and one day before their wedding anniversary. and Gloria Gaither. The song playing was “Jesus, I

The Crocus flowers I always looked for on the Heard You Had A Big House.” south side of her house were blooming. They always Jesus, I heard you had a big house, bloomed so much earlier than mine. This fall I Where I could have a room of my own. planted more Crocus bulbs … just because. And Jesus, I heard you had a big yard,

Grandma was the first of my grandparents to die. Big enough to let a kid roam. She was my mother’s mom; and like her, Grandma was a farmer’s wife with a listening heart and a strong faith in God. We knew she often mentioned our names in her prayers and would ask us about our salvation. I heard you had clothes in your closet, Just the right size that I wear, And Jesus, I heard if I give you my heart, Then you would let me go there.

A month later, my “opa,” Jacob Marten DeBoer Jesus, I heard about meal time, died. He was 91 years old. He was a man who When all your children come to eat, enjoyed farming. When he retired to the edge of I heard you got a great big table Little Rock, he kept a handful of cattle for many Where every kid can have his own seat. years there in a pasture. A man of strong convictions, he lived his life in accordance with his German Bible that he read from several times daily. Before he died, he had a dream that my dad’s farm would be destroyed. Only Jesus, they said there will be plenty Of good things to children to share, And Jesus, I’d just like to tell you I sure would like to go there. one of my dad’s many cattle or cows would survive. Jesus, I heard that in your big house There’s plenty of love to go ‘round. I heard there’s always singing and laughter To fill the place with happy sounds. And I’ve been thinking that a friend Who would give me all that he’s got Before I had even met him Well, he sure must love me a lot. And Jesus, I’d just want to tell you, I sure do love you a lot!

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Times were tough. Our emotions were all awry. The glitter and tinsel of the holiday seemed so harsh and callous. It was completely opposite of our heavy hearts. I was nine and one half months pregnant with our third child. A time which usually is one of great anticipation and joy.

My parents, younger brothers and sisters, had moved to a different farm place. It wasn’t home. The house was unfamiliar, the gravel road had people living on it that I didn’t know. They were not the neighbors I remembered. The farm place did have nice evergreens, though, which were pretty with the snow on the needles and on the ground.

Dad and mom, despite their busyness on the farm, had always made sure that there was some type of Christmas celebration. That year was no different, as they welcomed us to their temporary home. They must have realized that we needed each other more than ever.

It was also their way to remind us of the real reason of Christmas — that Emmanuel has come. Matthew 1:23 tells us, ‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” ‘God with us’, oh, how we needed that assurance and reminder.

Matthew Henry, in his commentary on this verse, wrote: “Herein consists the salvation He wrought out, in the bringing of God and man together; this was what He designed, to bring God to be with us, which is our great happiness, and to bring us to be with God, which is our great duty.”

We need to confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, because we have all sinned. Sin separates us from God. God is just and holy, we need a mediator to undo the work of Satan.

Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, is the promised deliverer and mediator. We can trust Him fully.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3: 16 and 17.

Through good or bad times, Emmanuel is here. He is the creator of this universe. Just to think of God’s glory and majesty causes me to tremble. He is our Redeemer and our Emmanuel (God with us). The very thought of this restored us that year and still does.

Renae B. Vander Schaaf is an independent writer, author and speaker. Contact her at (605) 530-0017 or agripen@live.com. ❖

The tree looks magnificent. Debra-Ann C. Butler, PhD. It’s perfect for Your kids did a great job decorating the parts you assigned to them; you took pictures this year because they really outdid themselves. So you’re ready (almost) for anyone who works in or dabbles with any kind of engineering today; it’s also the kind of book your dedicated science fan needs. the holidays — except for those few For the person who always embraces tricky gifts that you just can’t seem to the good in life, “Inciting Joy” by Ross figure out. Gay will be a welcome gift. It’s a collecHow about books? Easy to wrap, happy to get … why not look for these great books? THE BOOKWORM SEZ By Terri Schlichenmeyer tion of essays on the things that make us happy, that cause us to count our blessings, smile, and that gather us together. Wrap it up with “Happier Hour” by Cssie Fiction Holmes, PhD, and help someone decide

For the giftee who likes novels with a twist, wrap what’s worth their joy.up “The Storyteller’s Death” by Ann Davila Cardinal. It’s the tale of a girl who learns, at age 18, that she’s a “storyteller,” which is something that’s passed down through the women of her family. But this blessing turns out to be a curse when she “sees” a murder that happened long ago. Pair it up with There’s just no way your animal-loving giftee won’t want a copy of “Possums Are Not Cute!” by Ally Burguieres. It’s filled with adorable photos of possums of all ages, in cute poses and just living their best lives. Bonus: possum facts and trivia! “The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern” by Rita For your media-obsesssed giftee, “It’s Not TV: The Zoey Chin, also a story of a young “fortune teller” Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO” and a vision she may or may not have wanted. by Felix Gillette and John Koblin is a nice eye-openThe person on your list who loves to people-watch and connect with, well, everybody will want “Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting” by Clare Pooley. It’s the story of an advice columnist who amuses herself during her commute by watching the other people er and a look at how we watch television, even in an age of streaming. Pair it with a book that reads like a movie: “Same Ground” by Russell Wangersky, a book about a journey across America, in search of a family story. on the train – until the day something happens and Won’t your reader enjoy “Great Short Books” by commuters suddenly become something more. Pair Kenneth C. Davis this holiday? The answer is “yes”: it with “Has Anyone Seen My Toes?” by Christopher this book is about books – specifically, more than Buckley, a hilarious novel about life during a the fifty short novels by authors you know and don’t pandemic when one’s health is the least of one’s know. Wrap it up with a gift certificate to your worries. favorite bookstore.

The reader on your list who loves to laugh will thoroughly enjoy “Random” by Penn Jillette. It’s the story of an almost-twenty-one-year-old who inherits a pile of debt from his horrible father, and it’s due to the (even more horrible) loan shark when the guy turns 21. Will a roll of the dice eliminate all his problems? Lucky is the person who gets this book, to find out.

Mystery

The person on your list who is Of a Certain Age will absolutely love getting “Killers of a Certain Age” by Deanna Raybourn. It’s a thriller-mystery about four women who’ve worked as assassins for decades but suddenly, everyone thinks their methods are outdated. They’re sent “on vacation” but it’s really no vacation. How do they get out alive?

Lovers of short mysteries will love to find “Reader, I Buried Them and Other Stories” by Peter Lovesey. This book, in celebration of Lovesey’s more-than-fifty years of mystery-writing, is full of mayhem, murder, and you know your giftee will want it.

General nonfiction

If you’re looking for something unusual for your science-minded giftee, then find “The Handy Engineering Answer Book by DeLean Tolbert Smith, PhD; Aishwary Pawar; Nicole Pitterson, PhD; and

For the person who is obsessed with current events, “Adrift” by Scott Galloway could be THE gift this year. It’s a book of charts: where America’s been, where we seem to be heading, and how our leaders are leading. Pair it up with “Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies about Our Past,” edited by Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer. Together, these books are both eyeopeners, for sure.

The historian on your gift list will whoop when the wrapping comes off “The Escape Artist” by Jonathan Freedland. It’s the story of a man who actually broke out of Auschwitz and lived to tell the world what was going on. It’s a true story that reads like a deadly thriller.

Memoir

The music lover on your gift list will absolutely want “Loud” by Tana Douglas. It’s a memoir of rock & roll, working with the band (Douglas was the rock world’s first female roadie) and yep, there’s plenty of behind-the-scenes. Your giftee won’t be able to resist. Another adventure to find: “Life on the Mississippi: An Epic American Adventure” by Rinker Buck. The author built an old-time wooden flatboat and sailed it down the Miss. You can’t miss what happened then...

Business

What do you give the businessperson who’s also a “people person”? You wrap up “The Human Side of Innovation: The Power of People in Love with People” by Maurio Porcini. This book shows why it’s best for a business to put people first, always, and unapologetically. Readers who want to know where

See BOOKWORM, pg. 25