Words

 

Words         

By John W. Vander Velden

 

Surely the events of this past week are burned deeply within our minds. We have, each of us, been exposed to a situation which is driving a new conversation into an old problem. Flashing across our television screens, on our computers, or our phones, were scenes we have never witnessed before. It is easy to point fingers, make accusations, hang blame upon the obvious perpetrators, those whose faces we have seen treading on polished floors and invading chambers of our government, the trashing of the “Peoples House”.

Things of this nature occur in other places...faraway places...places that do not represent the freedoms we take for granted.  But friends it did happen here, and sadly, cold happen again.

What, have we, as a society, learned from this terrible experience?

I cannot say what lasting lessons, if any, have been acquired.

Personally I have been bracing for this confrontation since November. I was sickened, saddened, and angered by the images I saw playing out Wednesday afternoon, but as I implied, was not surprised.

As a writer I have to believe in the power of words. I have to believe that EACH OF US must carry the responsibility for the words we speak. Surely our actions speak with a louder voice than our lips, yet our lips are the doorways to our hearts and our very souls. Words spoken and repeated, and repeated again and again carry a power. And the amount of that power is made manifest by the voice...by the person...that utters those syllables we call language.

I have watched the news play out more closely these last two months than ever before. I witnessed the power of words. I have become angered when someone at the pinnacle of our nation’s government, a person whose words we should trust...lied to us all. Others fueled the spread of those lies. Others disregarded the truth, while spewing words reinfocing concepts of a global conspiracy, without even the smallest shred of truth.

In life, when things do not move in the direction we hoped, it is easy to believe the words spoken that seem explain the cause of our disappointment. It is easy to be towed along by words. To look away when the facts are clearly laid at our feet. To join in the voices of denial.

But friends, truth is truth, and no person’s words, not even the President of the United States, can change what is TRUTH!

Attorney General, William Barr told us there was NO MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD.

Christopher Krebs, head of the election division of our nation’s cyber security, assured us that the VOTE WAS SECURE.

More than sixty cases brought to courts all across our great nation, even cases that were presented to the Supreme Court, the highest court of our country, fell face down for lack of REAL evidence.

Yet millions believe the imagined events that never occurred, driven into a frenzy by WORDS, and worse, by LIES spoken by the very people we should trust.

I view of history from a very different place than most of you. My parents grew up in an occupied country. They witnessed firsthand the oppression instituted by the power and control of words. I have made the effort to look back to the very ground swelling...the beginning...of the movement that lead millions of good people much further from good deeds than any before might have anticipated. Millions died because of the charismatic WORDS of one man, and the world came to brink of total destruction.

I understand that WW2 was not caused by one man. Hitler was surrounded by those that fed his ego, reinforced his actions, approved his words. The actions Wednesday were not the result of one speech, for the blame must fall on others as well. For President Trump was surrounded by those that knew the truth and did nothing to discount the lies that flowed nonstop for two months. And those who stood idly by while our country was catching fire were not only to be found within the executive branch of our government. Legislators and Senators that KNEW THE TRUTH and did not speak out publicly in order to unravel the lies. They too must carry responsibility as well. For each elected officials that stood proudly while saying there actions were driven IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST, all the while turning their back upon oaths they gave to the constitution of our great land. They are an insult, to all of us that have put our trust in them to lead.

Truth will stand...their words will not!  

I understand the process...I watched it unfold before my eyes.

Yet I remained silent, I am one person, my voice means nothing.

BUT I HAVE WORDS!!!

And the time is long past that I assemble them!

God save our country for it will take His ultimate power to restore our trust in one another. To restore our faith in the very institutions that make our democracy work. It will take God to open the eyes of all of us as we move forward...for moving forward should be our common desire...to a better place...a better country...to a unified land.

I know this essay will raise the ire of some.  I am confident that family members, friends, associates, and many others will take strong offence to the view I have expressed. If that be the case then so be it.

I do not apologize.

But understand that these words are MY VIEWS ALONE and do not reflect upon the opinion of any other person. Aim your wrath at me. Not my family, not my friends, not my church. If you have an honest and open opinion I will hear your words, but I will not quake beneath insults.

I will stand up for what I know is the truth and willing to take the brunt of others reactions. Their criticism. For I believe the truth must be spoken.

Countries crumble because good people remain silent!

As I said before...I am but one voice...all I have is words...but the time has come for me to use my words.       (1012 Words) 1-8-2021

December Open Spaces

 

Open Spaces

Vol.: 20.12

By John Vander Velden

 

We are in the middle of Christmas. For those of you scratching your head and asking
isn’t Christmas celebrated on December 25^th? Yes, it is...but... For me Christmas begins on the 25th and runs nonstop until Epiphany on January 6^th. I recognize the 12 days of Christmas. So even though we near December’s very last days, I can say to you Merry Christmas...and mean it.

Yet as we pass through these wonderful days when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we may feel that the dark cloud of COVID has stolen some of the holiday’s luster. If you are like Jackie and I, things were very different this season. To some degree many of us remain isolated. Even though the news of vaccinations is promising, this pandemic has not released us yet. We yearn for things to be “normal”, and find ourselves wondering if things will ever be the same as they were again.

Yes, Christmas in 2020 was, or as in my house is, different. But Christmas IS! And no disease can stop it. Because at the center...the very center...is that God so loved the world (you and me and everyone), SO much he sent His Son. That Jesus entered our world the same way we did, as a helpless babe. That this amazing child was born into the family of humble ordinary people, should speak to us all. That the Savior of humanity was first revealed to common shepherds, should show God’s openness for our access as well. That when later the child is acknowledged by kings, speaks of the grandness of God’s plan.

Christmas is about love! The love that stitches the universe together. The greatest power that can exist. For as I said before, love is at the center of God’s gift to us. For God so loved the world...

In a world that sets one against the other. In a world “where I am right and you are wrong” seems to be at the focus of so many people’s thoughts. In a world where “tit for tat” has come to be the norm. In a world filled with fear and hate, love gets lost, or in the least shoved to the wayside. Anger and bitterness surround us. It is too easy for us to lash back at comments made or what we feel are cruel actions directed our way.

Perhaps we will love them tomorrow...when it’s easier...or when they deserve it.

Yet we rely, with confidence, on God’s loves for us, as undeserving as we are. Isn’t that the whole point of Christmas? I find myself humbled by the simple fact that God did so much to prove His love for me. That is what Christmas means to me. And in that context, I am driven to try my best to love others as well.

So this month’s newsletter is different than those I have shared with you, dear friends, in the past. It is my deepest hope that your home is filled with Christmas...the real...the living Christmas. That the coming year brings you blessings, and health, but above all else...love. Love which comes to you and those you hold near, and a love you would gladly share to the world.

Merry Christmas,

John

Author of Misty Creek and Elizabeth’s Journey

 

p.s.

I must add a bit of writing news. I have finished the first revise of the third book of the Misty Creek Saga. Next month the manuscript goes to my editor and friend. So things continue onward. During these weeks I hope to finish a draft titled Severed Ties a standalone novel. So that’s where this writer guy finds himself at the moment. Hope to have more to tell you next month.

JV

 

Where Does Christmas Find You?

 

Where Does Christmas Find you?

By John W. Vander Velden

        Each of us move about our lives. We face challenges and obstacles. We have achieved successes and found unexpected blessings. We have dealt with failures and loss. We might be among those we love most or find ourselves staring at empty furniture. Three hundred and sixty-five days of living each year, how do we face one set apart from the others the way Christmas is?

Too many focus on what cannot be, unable to see the grandness of each day. Yet Christmas comes to us all, those ready for the tinsel and lights and those that are not. But Christmas is grander than holiday specials, perfectly cooked meals, stockings, and ho-ho-hos. It is more than the lights on trees inside and out, or glowing inflated snowmen. Christmas is not limited to December 25^th.

Christmas is the firm proof of GOD, and the binding HE has with each of us. For on that night long ago CHRIST was born, Emanuel, GOD with us, born for you and me. CHRIST is the proof, the solid definition of love and shows us just how far GOD is willing to go on our behalf. Christmas comes each year to remind us of that infinite love. That love is not fixed to a particular date. That love isn’t fastened to a holiday. GOD’s love is broader...it is bolder.

Christmas comes to find you where you are even when you are most vulnerable...or at your weakest. Christmas comes to find you where you are especially those times you feel broken...shattered...beaten down. Christmas comes when everything seems to be going wonderfully, but it also arrives when your world seems to unravel.

Christmas finds you no matter where you are in your life.

For GOD so loved the world...that means you...that means me...that means your neighbor...that means the stranger on the street...that means the one that wishes to be your enemy...GOD loves us all.

That he sent HIS SON...that is a child born under the humblest of circumstances to ordinary people that act in extraordinary ways. Jesus was born in Bethlehem...the angels proclaimed HIS birth to humble herdsmen of the field. Common folk of sweat and toil. Later grand men of wisdom came following heavenly signs. From the poor to the wealthy all are welcome to meet the CHRIST.

That whoever believes in HIM...recognizes that JESUS is, was, and always will be, the SON of the MOST HIGH...GOD in human form...

Shall have everlasting life...Jesus saves...can save...will save. Life everlasting is not some “pie in the sky” someday thing...for those that truly believe, it has already begun...and will never end...

Is your heart open to Christmas when it comes? Will you recognize the grandness of GOD’s love for you?

So I ask...where does Christmas find you?

 

 

12-24-2020 (465 Words)

 

Christmas 2020

 

Christmas 2020

By John W. Vander Velden

 

We have endured a year like none we have ever experienced before. COVID has had an effect on nearly every aspect of our lives. Now, as the numbers of those that suffer from the disease rise to new heights, we understand the need to gather differently this year. For most of us the season normally offers opportunities we can share with the special people of our lives. Often those who live miles away and make the effort to travel to join in the festivities.

Saddened that many of us will not be able to take part in activities that have long been part of our lives, we may feel that Christmas isn’t what it was...or what it should be. And I can tell you that, this year, we will be missing many opportunities to gather as family and friends. Yet it does not feel, in this household in any case, a burden beyond our abilities to bear. For our view is broader than the brief disappointment of crushed plans. We understand that these are difficult times and the needs of the world far outweigh our own personal desires.

For Jackie and I, it has long been our aspiration to understand what our household can do to be helpful to others. To see a broader observation of reality than our own pinhole prick view. A willingness to care about others as well as ourselves.

Isn’t this the perfect season for us to do just a little more...care a bit deeper. For wasn’t Christ sent to live among humanity, not for his own benefit but ours. Didn’t HE at last give up his life...a sacrifice for the very people that drove the nails into his precious body?

So as we dwell on what will not be part of Christmas 2020, let us not forget what the season means. For Christmas comes, COVID or not! Christmas is so much more than shared meals, more than gifts given and received, more than parties, more than ugly sweaters. It is the joyous celebration that reminds us that GOD so loved the world (us) that HE sent HIS SON to be born. To be born in the most humble places, to become human in the same way that you and I began our lives. That GOD revealed HIS SON to the humble shepherds and later to grand kings. These are the things that make up Jackie’s and my Christmas. It is our hope that it is the very foundation stones of your Christmas as well.

So we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

For Christmas comes...no matter what!

Blessings,

John

 

(434 Words) 12-18-2020

 

November Open Spaces

 

Open Spaces

Vol. 20.11

By John W. Vander Velden

November 27, 2020

 

By the time you get these words Thanksgiving Day will be a memory. It is my hope that during these unprecedented days that among those recollections are happy thoughts. COVID-19 has thrust much of the county into a situation that you and I have never faced before. The tremendous rise of cases in our area force us to make changes we did not wish to make...changes we hated.

Those changes were not driven by fear...though we, like everyone do not want to become victims of the disease. No, the choices we made were motivated by concerns for others. Plans would have led us an hour and fifteen minutes south. It would have given us the first opportunity to see our son since February. For he had planned to make the long drive up from Kentucky.

But the changing situation and our worries about the health of others that would be there, for among them were those of extreme vulnerability, fueled our decision. Should not Jackie and I set aside our own longings, if to do so would reduce their risk?

So this Vander Velden household had a private dinner of amazing food in a quiet home.

But Thanksgiving is not about over eating...well not really anyway. It should be, first and foremost, a time to be grateful. To be grateful for all the things we take for granted most of the time. We may not be able, this year, to hug out son, yet we are grateful for the young man he has become.

Out of sight is not out of mind!  

And we have SO many things to be thankful for, a home with a roof that doesn’t leak and a furnace that heats it, our health that makes it possible to accomplish the things we are to do, automobiles that start when we want them to, tasks that give us purpose and a reason to get up each morning, family that we love, and certainly not least, the love of our GOD and the gift of grace He has given.

So as 2020 moves ever closer to its conclusion, I am a very grateful man. It is my hope that vaccines will bring us closer to the normal life we knew just ten months ago. Yet each of us should not abandon the simple things we have been doing, practice social distancing, washing and sanitizing our hands, and wearing a mask. Simple things that show that we are doing our part. For together we can defeat this pandemic, but it will take all of us!

By now you have heard enough about the election, so I will not give it more mention than this. Let us ALL support whoever is president in the coming years.

Now for just a bit of writing news.

I have been tugged away from my primary writing projects off and on these last weeks. All the same I am very near to the point of sending off the manuscript to my editor and friend.

You hear that Kristina...it’s coming your way soon.

I am nearing the end of a large step and preparing for larger task, the first round of editorial changes. But I am yet ahead of where I expected to be...another thing to be thankful for.

I’ve crossed five hundred words on this letter again, so let me draw this correspondence to a close. Dear friends know that the one thing that holds EVERYTHING together isn’t money...not fame either. It’s LOVE. The love you share with your family and friends. The love you feel for others as well. Love shown when you act to benefit others. The few dollars you put in the Red Kettle, your donation to a local food pantry, showing your patience when you shop or while behind the wheel of your automobile. Yes, it is LOVE that keeps this world from flying apart at the seams. And I know the source of all that love...GOD. I pray you know that source as well.

Wishing you a grateful heart...filled with love,

John

Add caption

October Open Spaces Vol. 20.10

 

Open Spaces

Vol.: 20.10

October 30, 2020

By John W. Vander Velden

 

Where does the time go? It seems that as my years add up to an intimidating quantity, months pass at an alarming rate. Wasn’t it August just yesterday? No, John, it was not. It wasn’t September either.

The summer of 2020 is just a memory. For some, not the most pleasant memory, but a memory all the same. A month into autumn and my world is racing toward the year’s ending. For Jackie and me, and for many of you as well, we will long remember THIS year.

Yet, when we have at last passed the COVID-19 crisis, and we will, I hope that each of us will have memories of the good things that came our way in spite of it. Yes, we like most of you, have had to change our plans because of the pandemic. But those changes offered different experiences we would never have considered before.

As I had mentioned in other newsletters, work’s obligations and safety considerations, have forced us to stay “close to home”. But staying close to home does not mean we did not live. A trip to a state park that had long been put off, is one example. We have gone to restaurants that have, in our opinion, taken seriously the need of social distancing. We attend our church services. No, we did not “hole up” in our basement since March!

Of course we grow weary of wearing our masks. But because we willingly do our part we WILL continue to do so. The discomfort is a small price to pay as we, all of us TOGTHER, face the dangers the disease brings.

If I say any single thing of importance within these few words...let it be that we...all of us...are in this crisis TOGETHER! And if we all do OUR part...take responsibility for ourselves, and take the actions that CAN help those around us...we will...TOGETHER...overcome the COVID obstacle.

Whether we like it or not, friends, we are interconnected. Perhaps it is time we act like it.

Time to step off my soap box...

For a bit of writing news. I have finished the first pass of the first review of the manuscript of the book I am preparing for publication. That’s a mouth full isn’t it? The book tentatively titled, House on the Lake’s Shore, is well underway, but the finish line is many laps ahead of me.

Am I pleased with the story, so far? Much more satisfied than I expected to be. Fact is, I felt concerned that I would find the story lacking in some major area. I had never written a draft where I knew...beforehand...both ends of the tale. I feared that I would fail creating a worthwhile story filling in the middle, so to speak. But reading through the draft twice has eased those fears...for now.

Even so my mind is rushing ahead creating plotlines for future stories. I hope my brain can shift back and forth between projects. I believe it can.

Though revisions fill most of my writing time, being so near the end of another draft temps me. I add a few pages each week to that story, Severed Ties, a standalone novel.

So you can see I am moving forward on my writing front, and am hopeful that you, my reading friends, will be satisfied when at last House on the Lake’s Shore is published. The third book, which falls within the Misty Creek Saga, is my primary focus at this time, and it is the project to which I give the most energy.

It seems that once again I have run long. So my friends, let me leave you with just a few additional words. Because we know the absolute power of GOD. Because we know that JESUS saves us. Because we know the HOLY SPIRIT is always near. We are able to live with confidence...today...and all the tomorrows that are before us. Let that, even in these unsettling times, bring us stability and strength to face EVERYTHING that lies ahead.

May GOD bless you and yours,

John

 

Add caption

 

Soil in My Blood

 

Soil in My Blood                    

By John W. Vander Velden

 

This is the fourth crop Justin has raised on my farm, yet it feels odd when I climb into the combine cab. I accept the training seat, or buddy seat, or whatever you call the extra place all newer combines have within their cabs. He asked if I wanted to drive the massive machine. Perhaps there was a day I would have gratefully taken the controls.

That day has passed.

It’s not that I couldn’t, with a bit of coaching, manage tolerably, but rather I recognize the quantum leap of technology that has found its way into harvesting equipment since my machine. Perhaps it’s my age, for my years at the controls are in my rearview mirror, and that’s OK.

But after more than forty years at the helm of one combine or another, it feels odd being a spectator. Though I recognize it is the natural way of things...yes, I MENTALLY understand...yet I feel unbalanced a bit as I watch the grand machine devour acres.

Though I might feel out of place sitting next to the controller of the machine, I do not yearn for the life-clock to be turned back. No, I have had my time and I have freely passed the baton to my nephew...perhaps gladly even. For me it is a joy to see the quality of farmer I have entrusted the soil that my parents gave their all to acquire. The farm where I too poured out more than sweat without complaint...for I also have given blood and the largest part of my life to those few acres.

I suspect that Justin too feels much the same about the personal investment DEMANDED upon anyone that is brave enough, or fool enough, to pick up the chalice and tread through mud, or dust, through long days of heat and cold, and willing to continue long after the sun has gone to its rest. Farming is a life commitment. It is not something that can be explained. It is impossible to understand until you have twenty or more years in the seat of tractors or harvesters. It is a life unimaginable by those that drive by on US Highway 6. It is a life very different that the one that those that envied me at the task I had chosen, believe. It is a life I have never regretted.

Farming is HARD.

Yes, I have turned over Sunrise Acres, my parent’s farm, and the two farms I added to it, to Justin. But my mind is filled with the memories of all the years I served the land. I will never forget the GREAT years. I will try not to remember the awful ones. The years of attempting to survive, and doing so by the skin on my teeth. The times when I was certain I had failed, destroyed by low prices, or unforgiving weather, or my errors of my decisions.

In the end I came out on top. Reached a place I never expected. In the end I succeeded, might even say I prospered. The good outweighed the bad only because I, as my parents before me, didn’t give up. There is something to be said for persevering.

So now I write books. And though I have yet to put together my story...my personal battle with weeds, weather, difficult to work land, with cattle, with cantankerous feeding equipment, my cracked hands, and throbbing feet. Stories of how I have fought mud and equipment breakdowns. I have been changed by the experiences that farming has thrown my direction. Perhaps one day I will write that story...but not now.

You see I may be an author, but I will always have soil in my blood!  

(617 Words) 10-23-2020