We are in the midst of Dogwood Winter here in the Appalachian mountains. It comes every spring reminding us that winter isn't that far in the background. Our temps have been rather warm until yesterday when the cold wind blew in. In the higher elevations they got snow. Next on the spring look back to winter calendar is Blackberry Winter. Then we hit Mother's Day and Roy will be planting tomatoes. The warmup starts tomorrow. I don't think it got cold enough last night to harm any of the plants or blooms but tonight might be a whole nother story.
I spent a lot of time reading and researching yesterday for the lesson on Sunday. We are with Jacob and Laban. Wow, Jacob gets schooled in schemes, deceit and lies, something he is quite good at himself. Jacob has the Lord on his side and the promises made to him as well as to his grandfather and father. Reading Laban's deflections and his proclaimed victimhood, reminded me greatly of my father and his tactics. I was telling Roy about the direction of the lesson or how it is shaping up, the Lord reminded me at every trick and turn of my father's plans, the Lord had been there for me/us bringing solutions or people to the crisis my father was creating. I never saw something in Gen 31:41b until yesterday, God saw your abuse and my hard work. If God hadn't been on Jacob's side, Laban would have sent him away empty handed. I never realized what a narcissist Laban was. He blamed, accused falsely, turned others against Jacob and then he became the victim, at least in his thinking. Then after none of Laban's gods/idols were found due to the clever thinking of Rachel...she had sat at the feet of the master...she used her period excuse. Ah, nothing like periods to set things a little askew. Jacob vents...really vents, finally. He and Laban make a pact and celebrate it with a meal. We don't hear about Laban again.
I have written before here recently that I am enjoying a series of stories and books by Daphne Simpkins. She is retired from Auburn, I won't hold that against her, as an English professor. The book, Kingdom Come, is the third book in the Miss Budge series. I bought it from Thrift Books and the copy I have is from a previous reader. Very fine pencil marks are made through the first two chapters. At first I thought, oh has the grammar police found something? No, it seems the marks are for some memorable quotes. I just mark through books, never thinking of making notations in the margin with pencil.
Just read a great article on the silent treatment we have experienced or practiced. The original concept came from sailors. The silent treatment was used for those people on the ship that were obnoxious or just hard to deal with. This could go on for months and months. Those who experienced it sometimes would go mad with the exclusion. There was a time that the silent treatment could be used on me and the outcome would be the desired result. Now, I don't know, not so much. Well except Roy, who isn't exactly wordy at all. So, it isn't the same thing. My father went one year without speaking to us over some furniture, that had been given to us. One day at their house, while he had made a great production of ignoring me, I said to no one particular in the room, cause it was only him. I said, while you have spent this year fuming and angry over a triple dresser, we have been out and about, having fun, never giving a thought to that dresser. It has been freeing. He started talking to us after that. At the time I thought he saw the reasonableness of that statement, but he came to his senses only because his "possession" wasn't responding to his treatment and he might lose me... He didn't count Roy cause he never liked Roy for taking his possession away.
Maybe I have stumbled upon a biblical thing that isn't talked about too much. While studying Genesis I have come to believe that the Sarahs and Rachels of the world are a pain in the butt. They might be beautiful but there are some personality flaws in them that could get on one's nerves. Who knows? But there is a lot more to learn from Hagar and Leah or at least that is the conclusion I have come to.
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