Grace By The Generations

"Grace" is a Latin girl's name meaning favor or blessing. All the Graces I know are as pretty on the inside as they are on the outside. Last Sunday we had lunch with grandkids, kids, brothers and a sister, nephews and nieces, friends, and friends of friends, at the annual Labor Day campout at Doug and Ginger's house.

Brynn, Sydnie, and Malaki went with their parents to visit the grave of their great-grandfather, my father. They are looking forward to a new little brother or sister in early November.

Last night was a full moon. In June it's called a strawberry moon because it comes up in the southern part of the horizon this time of year. As Jan and I watched it come up over our crop I couldn't help but think of God's faithfulness. Thanks for the picture Jan. It has come up over our previous 48 crops. It came up over my parents crops when I was a kid. It came up during my grandparents lives as new citizens of this country in the early 1900s. I'm confident it will continue to come up over our grandchildren's lives. That's grace by the generations.

We started farming the Hartman farm when I was 21 years old. Roger and Fairy had retired and moved to Oskaloosa. Some years later after Roger died and Fairy was quite elderly BJ and Cassia purchased their farm with a beginning farmer loan and live there today. That was a long time ago. Two weeks ago while visiting my Mom at the Care Center I recognized a voice at her table I hadn't heard in years. It was Fairy. She is 102 years old. Last week she told me the story of how she was offered more money for the farm those many years ago but chose to work with our family. That's grace.

I saw this picture on FB as a throwback to some family's old custom harvest days. It reminds me of a story. After barely surviving the 1980s farming crisis we desperately needed to update a combine. We had a wore out New Idea Uni Harvester. My brother Doug who was much better at watching adds (in papers) found a 1982 IHC 1460 combine in Texas that had been a custom harvest machine. Doug, myself, and our father drove to Texas to look at this combine, combine trailer, and 1973 GMC yellow tandem truck. We weren't crazy about the truck and trailer and Doug suggested we drive the combine home. I told him we were 850 miles from Iowa. On December 31, 1987 I paid $34000 for the package and we headed home. The following morning on New Years Day I was installed as a deacon at 1st CRC Oskaloosa where we attended church.

Back in those 1980s years we had 100 acres of alfalfa hay we small square baled (wire tied) and sold to Missouri dairies. We also custom square baled. Our kids would split 10 cents/bale to load hay-racks. What a work filled summer back then. This year BJ and John have mowed, raked, and baled close to 300 acres first cutting hay and grass. Today they load semis.

Kudos to hardworking grandkids. This past week after their regular jobs Ethan and Gideon replaced a rearend in our 2001 T800 semi tractor.

Mark and Mike continue to work on ponds. After draining a pond for us they headed to Melcher Dallas, about a half hour southeast of Des Moines, to do a pond cleanout they drained last year.

More kudos to more grandkids. Ezra and Elijah help a couple of days a week. Below we are spraying Roundup and mowing yard at the Lacey binsite.

Last week we visited about dry weather. The Biblical definition of "God's grace" is undeserved favor. Although we didn't deserve it, and the rains were spotty, we were favored with 7 tenths of rain here south of Oskaloosa.

Because of that favor BJ was able to plant corn in an alfalfa field after first cutting. It had been baled and sprayed with Roundup. BJ just needed moisture to germinate the seeds. Corn can do well after alfalfa since alfalfa nodulizes nitrogen. He planted a Becks 109 day hybrid 2 1/2 inches deep. His planter measures soil temp. The ground at planting depth was 85 degrees.

The last 5 pictures are just examples of our family experiencing God's multi-generational grace.

 

Mark and his boys are riding motocross at their track at home.

Gideon and John are fishing with their Dad, BJ, one evening just before dark.

Malaki had a ballgame in Eddyville Wednesday evening. He played well as his parents, Karl and Kristin, his sisters, and his cousins watch.

Last evening was Pella Christian School's fun shoot. Over 100 kids shoot competitively as a team during the shooting season. Kudos to Byron, Loren, and all the many coaches who invest their time, talents, and treasures in these kids' lives. Kudos to the parents. Many kids start shooting in the lower grade school ages. Below I asked for a picture after Mark and BJ shot a round of 25 with their kids and a couple of "significant friends".

We started this morning with a story about attending the Memorial Day Campout Sunday lunch as multi-generational family and friends. I asked for a picture with brother Bill and Julie's daughter. She works at Vermeers in Pella. Her name is Mariah Grace. But I just call her "Grace". Blessings.