Of Time and Calves

Life is busy. So busy sometimes, that you forget to enjoy it and to stop and look at it from your children's perspective. There is a time for everything; a time to do laundry, a time to do housework, a time to school and teach, a time to make meals...but to take the time to go out of your way to give your boys a wonderful opportunity to feed some calves, that was on the very bottom of my list of things to do that day.

It had been a very busy week preparing for a herb/weed presentation, camping trip and all the wonderful things in between. At the beginning of the week, Fannie had asked us if we wanted to come over and have the boys feed their calves. Oh yes! The boys thought it was neat and they were excited!

The week filled up fast and flew by like a whirlwind. Friday loomed long and busy as we had to get ready for the camping trip and babysitting in the afternoon. I was ready to just let the calf thing go, as it was not of 'importance'. Then i remembered my brother and sister in law who are/were always ready to be a blessing to their children and how much I had appreciated that from them when their daughter and our niece passed away to suddenly. I learned that life is short and to live each day as it were my last.

So, guess what? We piled into the Van bright and early, and headed out!

Hendrik feeding Burdock, the calf

Pieters turn! Boy he was hungry!

In the background you see Nettle, a brown calf. It didn't like drinking from a bottle so it lapped up the milk from a pail

After that we were allowed to pick some strawberry's!

"I yike it" said Rein

and some radishes...I ate most of them as they others nibbled slowly on theirs and Rein made the comment that they were "hot"

~*~

Will you stop today and enjoy what God has given you?

~*~

Psa 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Camping with Vienna Fellowship!

:: early morning fishing ::

:: someone's Bible in the stillness of the morning ::

:: it looks well read! ::

:: three-legged races ::

:: friends giggling ::

:: lots of good, wholesome fellowship ::

:: and laughter! ::

:: girls going for a walk ::

:: Gesina sleeping ::

:: breakfast ::

:: buffet line ::

:: a hungry boy! ::

Camping with fellow Christians is such a blessing! Not only were our tummy's satisfied with delicious food, but more importantly, our souls were filled and running over! Such wholesome, godly fellowship is nothing to compare with attractions, fashions and entertainment the world has to offer! There was Bibles opened, discussions, singing, smiles, waterfights, tears, fishing, campfires, riddles, poems, more singing, hugs, games, races, relaxing, volleyball, cooking, teachings, lessons, helping, encouragements, pointing to Jesus Christ as our all in all, sleeping and resting, air mattresses that needed pumping up in the middle of the night, fish flies, birds singing, I love you's, couples spending time together, godly influence, ministering, learning, revival in relationships....and last of all: Cleanup!

But our hearts were blessed, filled and encouraged as we drove off, with lots of memories to look back on.

~*~*~*~

I'd rather have Jesus, than silver or gold

I'd rather be His than have riches untold

I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land

I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.

~

Than to be the king of a vast domain

or be held in sin's dread sway

I'd rather have Jesus than anything

this world affords today

~*~*~*~

Dear fellow mothers and wifes...

Forget about whether or not others will be grateful for your selfless service, or whether they will even notice it. As God's beautiful women, you don't do what you do to get anything, you do what you do because of who you are, because of the person God is making you into---a virtuous women who is beautiful in His eyes!

~*~*~

Selfish service is the greatest beauty of all.

It's the beauty of our Lord~Elizabeth George

Hendrik!

Hendrik is the one that:

~wants to do his schoolwork with Smokey, the cat, on his lap

~hangs clothes pins from his hair

~pretends to drink from an empty toilet roll using a pencil crayon as a straw

~helps to put on Pieters sock while Pieter colours his Bible verse

~helps finds Pieters sandals

~or sometimes, hides the shoes from our visitors

~started singing "In the sweet by and by" after vomiting for the umptieth time during the night.

A lesson for the boys...

:: we had ordered meat chickens to butcher...::

:: and kept them in a box, under a lamp to stay warm ::

:: enjoying them, holding them ::

:: keeping a close eye on them, day and night ::

:: even looking at the name COUNTRY MEAT PACKING in a whole new way ::

UNTIL, it was time for them to move to the barn due to odour levels in the kitchen. They adapted very well and the boys took good care of them. Carrying the cage outside on warm, sunny days and putting them inside the barn again for the nights.

One night last week, friends came over and all the children went to see the chicks. Somehow, when they left the barn, the door was left open and the next morning all we found was two dead chicks and two free roaming chicks. My momma heart broke for my boys; they were forced to learn a lesson the hard way!

Ouch, but I hope and pray they will never again forget to close the door and keep their precious animals out of harms way and our of reach of night roaming predators!

Lessons of Life

Everyday if full of lessons: if we want to see them as that, or not.

Sometimes I wonder if my children teach me more than I actually teach them. They teach me simple faith; they teach me how dependant I am on our Heavenly Father; they show me who I truly am.
When I see my children show negative behavior, I see myself and I know they have picked it up from me. I have made an influence, but in the wrong way! More is caught than taught! I see the need to correct myself and be a better example.

When I see one of them getting frustrated when they other tries to find his line in a song we are singing and it sounds 'off tune', I know that he has somewhere, somehow caught the 'get frustrated easily' bug from me and I am reminded again to be a gentle, patient momma.

In times when too many life lessons come my way it would be easier to just give up. What's the use? Why even try? It will never work....and the despair mounts up...

But Christ wants to purify us. He uses these lessons to try us, show us ourselves as He moulds us into vessels of honour for Him! It takes a day to day choice on our part to follow Him. It takes diligence, like it takes diligence to weed our garden, to pull away the nutrient-, water-, sunlight robbing weeds to encourage better growth in the flowers and plants we have there. So it is in the garden of life, we need to be diligent in weeding our hearts from frustration, bad habits, discontentment, selfishness, unthankfulness, bitterness, worldly and empty distractions, pride, anger, fear etc, etc.

Due to the sudden growth of weeds in the hearts of our children, they grow and take root before we even realize it and the damage is done. Then we can only root out the negativeness weeds and encourage the good seed to grow up and around to be able to bloom at a later date. The seeds we sow in the hearts of our children today will only bear fruit in later days, so why give up already? Patience, prayer and a godly influence is what I would like to put into practice more and more, and to not grow weary in well-doing. To do my motherly duty with all my might, and to stay faithful to my calling.

I'm pressing on the upward way,
new heights I'm gaining every day-
still praying as I'm upward bound,
"Lord, plant my feet on higher ground."