The Blue Valley Creamery

Several months ago, around the end of September this was, Aunt LeeDel, Uncle Butch, and Uncle Marvin all came for a visit. Aside from getting to spend some time with my family, the highlight of their visit was when Uncle Butch presented me with a very special gift. It was an old, old cream can with a small label plate attached to it. The plate said:

Return to Louis Brandt
Gibbon, Nebr
U.P.
In case of loss notify
Blue Valley Creamery Co.

I should mention here that before I went blind I spent several years researching my family history. Also, Louis Brandt was my great-great-grandfather.

So many questions! Where did this time-traveling cream can come from? How did my mother’s brother end up with such a priceless relic from my father’s family? How old is the cream can really?

Well, I meant to do a little research on this and then present an article here on my blog, but a couple of weeks later I found out I would be getting surgery on my eye pretty soon. The cream can got put on the back burner for a while, but I recently got back to it. My research, such as it is, is complete and here’s what I found out.

The Blue Valley Creamery was founded on May 1, 1900. The headquarters was set up in Chicago with the first creamery popping up in St Joseph, Missouri. Before long, the Blue Valley Creamery had operations going all over the place, primarily in the upper Midwest, but stretching as far east as New York City and, as I discovered later, down to West Virginia and all the way down in Texas. And yes, there was a Blue Valley Creamery right here in Nebraska, just a little bit east of here. A creamery opened for business in Hastings, Nebraska in 1911. Apparently Blue Valley also owned the Topaz Dairy in Hastings. I searched the internet but never found much about the creamery in Hastings, only about Blue Valley in general. The photo here is not the Blue Valley Creamery in Hastings, but one in Louisville, Kentucky, circa 1946.

I did, however, find that Blue Valley Creamery was bought out by Beatrice Creamery Company in 1939. Beatrice was, in turn, acquired by a group of investors who purchased the company and then sold it off piece by piece, the last piece going to ConAgra sometime around 1990.

The cans themselves were owned by the farmers, not the creamery, and were typically shipped by railroad. That makes sense because there’s a very busy stretch of Union Pacific railroad that runs directly from Gibbon to Hastings. Blue Valley Creamery commonly attached labels to the cans bearing delivery instructions as pictured here.

In my internet searches I also came across several other pages mentioning cream cans with this same type of label attached. From the descriptions, and a few pictures, they sound identical to mine except for the name and town of the owner. The ones I found were from Memphis Nebraska, McCracken Kansas, Lavernia Texas, DeValls Bluff Arkansas, Dieterich Illinois, and Alderson West Virginia. I also noticed one other difference: the label on my can has a U.P. on it, which I assume stands for Union Pacific Railroad, while the one from Memphis has BURL, probably Burlington Northern, or maybe they were just Burlington back then. The one from West Virginia has C&O on it, Chesapeake & Ohio. One other has what looks like CXI&P. I couldn’t find a match for that, but I did find a CRI&P, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. This was the Arkansas can and the CRI&P did run through Arkansas. The others didn’t mention the railroad identifier.















So as to my questions: Uncle Butch told me that he and my aunt, in the early days of their marriage back in the early 70’s, frequently visited auctions around their home in Crete, Nebraska. He doesn’t remember specifically but assumes that the cream can was probably acquired at one of these. He told me that he brought the cream can around to see if anyone had any interest in it, but at the time no one did. I was born in 1970 and so would have been just a baby. So he took it back to his home where it sat around for about 40 years. My aunt and uncle recently sold their old house, which prompted Uncle Butch to bring it around again, as he did with several other items that he would no longer have room for in the new house. I am now just over 40 years of age and have become very interested in old items like this, especially ones that are from my own family. So in other words, it was pure and simple fate that brought my great-great-grandfather’s cream can to me at a time in my life when I am old enough to appreciate what a priceless heirloom it truly is.

My final question was, “How old is the can really?” Well, let’s see if we can deduce an approximate age. The Blue Valley Creamery in Hastings opened in 1911 and was bought out by Beatrice Creamery in 1939. That gives us a pretty narrow window already assuming that no more labels with Blue Valley Creamery on them were attached to any cans after the buyout.

I came across another interesting bit of Blue Valley history that, I believe, will narrow this window even further. Originally, Blue Valley affixed labels which read “When full ship to Blue Valley Creamery Co.” In 1925, the Federal Trade Commission ruled that these labels were an unfair practice, making it difficult or impossible for farmer’s to ship their milk or cream to a competitor of Blue Valley. Grandpa Louis’ can has the “newer” form of the label, “In case of loss notify Blue Valley Creamery”, so that would place it sometime between 1925 and 1939 when Blue Valley was bought out by Beatrice. This certainly fits great-great-grandpa Louis’ lifespan; he was born in 1863 and died in 1947.

So there you have it. That’s everything I was able to learn about the mysterious cream can. I took an old tooth brush and a little vinegar to polish up the brass name plate a little and it shined up pretty good. I really can’t tell you how happy I am to have it, and it was a lot of fun researching the Blue Valley Creamery as history has become more and more interesting to me. Something else that has become very interesting to me of late is the different ways God works in our lives. For 80 years, God sent that cream can from place to place, only to have it end up here. Maybe He did it to please me, or maybe He did it to remind that He is always in control, even of the little things. I like to think it was a little of both.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ESV

Psalms 139:16 "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." ESV

Journal - May Events

It occurred to me the other day that the last week or so has been rather eventful for my family.
On Saturday the 14th, we had a graduation. Elliott is the youngest son of my sister’s husband, and it was his high school graduation. Joni, Adam, and I didn’t go to the graduation ceremony at the school, but went over to Bobbi an Mike’s house later in the afternoon for the reception. Mike had cooked up some pork on his new smoker and it was delicious. There was also lots of salads and plenty of cake. Aunt LeeDel came down from Sioux Falls and it was nice to visit with her a little. Uncle Butch was planning to come as well, but he broke his ankle last week and couldn’t make it.
Monday the 16th was the 25th wedding anniversary of my brother and his wife. That’s a pretty amazing accomplishment. Hard to believe I was just a freshman in high school when they got married. The 16th also marks an anniversary for Joni and I, as that was the day we met, eight years ago.
May 20th was my sister’s birthday. I’m not sure but I think she’s 39 this year, it’s so hard to keep track. Also on that day, the state track meet began in Omaha, in which my niece Kylie competed. Mom and Bobbi drove there to watch her, and from what I heard, they all got rained on.
It seems like there was something else I was going to mention, but I can’t remember now. Memorial weekend usually marks the time when Mom’s three siblings all come to visit for a few days. This year, they decided to put it off to a later time when Uncle Butch will be more mobile. I’ll be looking forward to that.

Psalms 145:3-4 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.

Colossians 3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

News - Success With Synthetic Corneas

For the first time, doctors in Canada and Sweden have used artificial corneas to restore vision to the blind. In an initial study in Sweden, ten patients were given artificial cornea implants in one eye. After two years, doctors found that the synthetic cornea implants worked at least as well as natural transplants from human donors.

This is significant for a couple of reasons. In the United States, there are more than 42,000 cornea transplants performed every year. While there is little problem getting corneas here in the US, that is not the case in other countries around the world where there are fewer donors. The United States actually exports around 10,000 corneas every year.

In addition, artificial corneas may even prove to be better than natural donated tissue in the long run. Our corneas are made up of multiple layers of collagen. Collagen is a protein that occurs naturally in our bodies, and is often referred to as the glue that holds our bodies together. Collagen is what holds our bones, tendons, muscle, and ligaments together. These new artificial corneas are made from a synthetic collagen which very closely matches the protein in our bodies. In the ten test subjects, doctors found that the cells and nerves of the eye began to grow into the cornea implants, until they very closely resembled a natural, healthy cornea, eventually becoming sensitive to touch, and allowing natural tears to form. For this reason, the risk of infection or rejection is greatly reduced, and no anti-rejection drugs are required.

With the success of this first test, the doctors involved in the study are planning a second test phase involving 25 patients. It may be some time yet before this new technology is available to everyone, but this is exciting news for patients with corneal scarring or keratoconus. No more waiting for a donated cornea, and no more worries of the transplant being rejected. I have experienced both of these worries first-hand, and I can tell you that this is a huge leap forward.

Special thanks to Uncle Butch for alerting me to this story.

Useful Tools

Whew! I was getting worried there. As I mentioned in my last post, I realized that my blog had strayed from the purpose that God intended for it. Upon that realization, I promised to get things back on track and start writing the things that God wanted me to write again. For the last several days since then, I’ve been waiting for God to tell me what to write about. For several days I waited, and I was beginning to worry. But today, He finally put something on my heart..

I received an email from Uncle Butch a couple of days ago in which he was talking about Nebraska joining the Big 10 conference. I wrote about that quite a bit while it was happening a month or two ago and Uncle Butch was sharing his views on the subject. It was while I was thinking about my response to him that God flicked on the little light bulb that floats over my head. What, you don't have one?

In regards to the big move for Nebraska, I was totally against it. Not because I felt it would be a bad move for the University of Nebraska, but simply because I don't like it when things change. Even changes for the better are difficult for me because I just don't like change. In my life, I have spent years at lousy jobs that I hated simply because it was easier to stay than to go to the trouble of finding a new job. It's part of my obsessive/compulsive nature.

I like routine. This sounds dumb to a lot of people, but I like waking up each morning knowing exactly what I’m going to do that day, and when I’m going to do it. When I went blind, it took me months and months to develop a new routine around my blindness, but I did it. It’s something that I really struggle with.

I struggle with it because I know that God doesn’t want us to be so rigid in our lives. I really feel that the more flexible we are, the more useful we will be to Him. I mean, let’s face it, a can-opener is useful, but only when you want to open a can. But if you had a combination can-opener, bottle opener, glass-cutter, hack-saw, jack-hammer, how much more useful would that be? That’s a bad analogy because really the jack-hammer attachment would serve all of those purposes, but you get the point, right?

It’s pretty natural to resist change in our lives, to remain in our daily routines. I resisted the notion of Nebraska being a Big 10 school, but now that it’s a done deal I can see that it’s probably a better deal. If someone had asked me if I wanted to be blind I would have resisted very strenuously, but I have to admit that I am a better person because of it. Turns out God knew what He was doing after all.

I’m going to try to be more flexible from now on. I think it’s okay to have a routine, as long as I don't get so caught up in it that I miss out on some new opportunity that God has for me. I’ve probably missed out on lots of things for that very reason, but God never gives up on us does He? He’ll just hold onto those good things until we are ready for them, and that's a pretty comforting thought.

Genesis 12:1-2 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

Mark 1:17-18 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed Him.

Journal - May Wrap-up

Well, May is over already. I had a few things that I wanted to write about during the month but I kept putting it off. Now I’m not sure if I can remember what they were.

I’m pretty sure I already mentioned Brenna’s violin recital back in April. In May she had a singing concert at the school. I’m trying to remember what day that was, but I can’t. I think it was on a Monday. Brenna didn’t sing a solo so I couldn't really pick out her voice from the others, but I'm willing to bet she sounded great. This summer she is playing softball. Two games so far and her team won both. I haven’t been able to go to one of her games yet, but I’ll make it to some before she’s done. She said that she plays catcher sometimes. I wish I could see that. In a couple of weeks she will be in a play over in Amherst. She’s supposed to sing a solo and play a solo on her violin so I’m really looking forward to that.

On Sunday we all got together at Bobbi and Mike’s house. Uncle Marvin from Dallas, Uncle Butch from Crete, and Aunt LeeDel from Sioux Falls are all here for Memorial weekend. Brenna got to come for the day too. I was glad she could come because I don’t think she's seen any of the aunts and uncles for a long time. We’re all getting together again on Tuesday. Brenna can't come this time, but Brad and his family will be there. Oh, Kylie won’t be there because her school band is taking a trip to Chicago and they leave that morning. Maybe the rest of us will get some cucumbers for a change!

A couple of weeks ago, Joni and I bought a ceiling fan to put in our bedroom. We had one in our apartment in Carrollton and I’ve sure been missing that. We were going to have Mike put it up for us since he’s very handy with just about everything, but he works in the agriculture industry and is super-busy this time of year. So we decided to try hanging the fan ourselves. It actually wasn’t very hard to do. We got it up without too much trouble, and it actually works! We put it up just in time because we’ve had some very warm nights recently.

And that’s about all I can think of right now.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Gift Horses

Here’s something that Uncle Butch emailed to me the other day. I kind of got a kick out of this, and as it turned out, it got me thinking about things and it soon became clear to me why God wanted me to see it.

A man was driving to an important meeting and was running late. He finally pulled into the parking lot only to find that it was completely full. He began to pray, “Please God, please let me find a parking spot!” He continued to pray fervently as he searched the lot, until he rounded a corner and there, right in front of him, was an empty spot. “Never mind God,” he said as he parked his car, “I found one.”

I got a good chuckle out of that, but it’s like Uncle Butch said, it’s a joke, but it’s not really a joke. I guess this would be like me praying for God to restore my sight, and then saying “Never mind God, I got this insurance policy to take care of it.” Maybe God wants me to get an insurance policy and have surgery. I struggled with that concept for a long time. I felt like pursuing an insurance policy was showing a lack of faith in God. And maybe it is. To tell you the truth, I’m still struggling with it. What I finally decided is that there’s no real harm in trying to get the insurance, as long as I remember to keep my faith in God, where it belongs. If God wants me to see again, then I will see again. Getting some insurance so I can have a surgery might be the way God chooses to do it. Who am I to say?

How often does God try to answer our prayers and we don't even realize it? Maybe God prompts a family member to offer us money in a tight spot, and we are too proud to accept. Or maybe He provides an opportunity to get some overtime at work, but we are too lazy, or think we are too busy. Maybe a friend shows an interest in our baseball card collection, but we are too attached to our possessions. God is trying to help us all the time. Sometimes we just don't like His suggestions.

I’m reminded of another story. Hold on, let me see if I can find a copy of it.

Well, I found a copy, but it was really long and wordy so I’m going to paraphrase:

A minister was caught in his church by a flood. He climbed to the roof of the building to escape the rising waters. Soon, one of his parishioners came by in a rowboat.
“Hop in, Pastor, and we’ll get to safety.”
“Go on ahead, my son. The Lord will save me.”
The flood waters continued to rise and soon were all the way up to the roof of the church. A police motorboat came by.
“We’ll throw you a line and get you to safety!”
“No thank you, the Lord will save me when the time is right."
The waters rose higher and higher and the minister was forced to climb up into the church’s bell tower to escape the flood. A coast guard helicopter spotted him.
“Don't panic, we'll lower a basket and lift you out of there!”
“Please help someone else, the Lord promised to protect me if I kept my faith in Him.”
The waters continued to rise and eventually swept the minister away.

The punch line of the story is that the minister went to heaven and askd God, “I kept my faith, why didn’t you save me?”

We’ve all heard the old saying, “Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.” Examining a horse’s teeth can tell you a lot about the age and condition of the horse. It’s a good idea to check if you are buying one, but if someone gives you a horse as a gift, it's better to just be thankful for the gift and not try to judge the gift’s value. I guess the same holds true with God. We don’t know what His plan is, and you just never know when that horse might be a gift from God.

Psalms 34:17-18 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Song of the Blind Plowman

Hi friends. I got an email from Uncle Butch the other day, and he shared something with me that I wanted to pass along. He told me that this is a song he sang when he was in high school, for a musical competition. He couldn’t remember all the words, but he gave me enough so that I was able to find the whole song on the internet. Here are the lyrics:

Song of the Blind Plowman

Set my hands upon the plow,
My feet upon the sod.
Turn my face towards the east,
and praise be to God!

Ev’ry year the rains do fall,
the seeds they stir and spring;
Ev’ry year the spreading trees
shelter birds that sing.

From the shelter of your heart,
brother drive out sin.
Let the little birds of faith
come and nest therein

God has made His sun to shine
on both you and me;
God, who took away my eyes,
that my soul might see.

Those are beautiful lyrics, and the last two lines in particular are very poignant. There’s nothing like going blind, for opening your eyes. God is so good to us and he always knows just exactly what we need, even if we ourselves don’t know. In fact, it seems like we hardly ever know what is best for us.

I am reminded of a story Pastor Mike told us one Sunday. Mike grew up on a sheep farm and he was telling us how stupid sheep are; how they will blindly follow each other, getting themselves into all kinds of trouble. I can’t remember everything he said, but he really had us all laughing at his stories about the sheep. Of course, the moral of his story was that the sheep are fine as long as they are penned up and someone keeps an eye on them, but if they get out of the pen, they head straight for the alfalfa which is deadly poisonous to them.. The sheep don’t care though, they like the taste, so they eat it, and they die. We are a lot smarter than sheep, but we still go straight for the things that are harmful to us, regardless of the consequences.

While I was looking for the lyrics to "Song of the Blind Plowman" I also tried to find out who wrote the song, but I found conflicting information. The web page that had these lyrics named the author as Robert Coningsby Clarke, but I found another page that credited authorship to Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall. The sources that list Clarke seem a little more reliable to me, however, so I’m going with him.

Anyway, I found the lyrics here, and was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of links to actual recordings of the song. Most notably, there is one recording done by Paul Robeson who was a world renowned baritone vocalist until his death in 1976. It’s worth a listen.

Psalms 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

Ezekiel 34:11-12 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

Poem - Christmas Chime

Yep, I’m up late again, and on Christmas eve, no less. The last couple of nights, I was up late because I was feeling kind of sad and depressed, but tonight I am up for a happier reason. I was laying in bed, listening to Grandpa’s wind-chime, (yes, it’s still very windy,) and a few verses of a poem started circling in my head. As the verses took shape, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I got them out of there. And this is what came out.

The old man in the poem, is of course, my Grandpa, an his son is Uncle Butch. I took a fair amount of creative license withboth of their wives, however, and neither of them resemble Grandma Howard or Aunt Ann in the least. Trust me on that.

If you are a lover of fine poetry, stop now, as what you find below is likely to turn your stomach. As I said before, I’m really not very good at this. It’s just something I do sometimes to cheer myself up a little. For the rest of you, enjoy!

Christmas Chime
By Steven Brandt
December 24, 2009

The old man looked with critical gaze,
Upon the creation he’d worked on for days.
A wind-chime, made with loving care
From bits of junk he found here and there.

He showed it to his wife with pride.
“It’s dirty,” she said, “don’t bring it inside!
Why would you make such an ugly bug?”
“God told me to.” He said with a shrug.

So in the back yard he hung it that day.
Beneath it’s clear notes, his grandson would play.
Year after year it chimed out its song,
Until the boy grew, and one day was gone.

The wind-chime played the part that was cast,
‘Til finally, the old man breathed his last.
His things were packed and carted away.
His son found the chime that sad, sad day.

He showed it to his wife with pride.
“It’s dirty,” she said, “don’t bring it inside!
Why would you keep such an ugly bug?”
“God told me to.” He said with a shrug.

The chime was put in a box, then and there.
And stored in the basement, stacked ‘neath the stair.
There it remained for uncountable days,
Never feeling the wind or singing its praise.

Retirement age soon brought the son down,
The big, old house too much for him now.
His things were packed and carted away.
He found the chime, where he’d stored it away.

“Well there you are, I'd nearly forgot,
But I know of someone who will love you a lot.”
His nephew lived not too far away,
So he gave him the chime on Christmas day.

The nephew, of course, was the very same one,
Who had played ‘neath the chime and heard its bright song,
And though he’d been blind now many a year,
The familiar old sound filled him with cheer.

“It’s beautiful,” he said, “please bring it inside.
I remember when Grandpa made this!” he cried.
As mem’ries returned from over the years,
His sightless eyes ran over with tears.

He showed it to his wife with pride,
They hung it from a branch outside.
“Who brought this gift? I’ll give him a hug.”
“it’s a gift from God.” He said with a shrug.

Copyright 2009 Steven Brandt

I Still Have

Well, here I am again, still feeling blue. I shouldn’t say 'still', it's not like I’ve been in a constant state of depression all week. I actually felt pretty normal today, but when I go to bed at night, all those thoughts that I keep suppressed during the day start bobbing to the surface.

Earlier in the week, I was looking at my sadness as just the normal let-down after a big event; such as our party on Saturday, but as I lay in bed earlier tonight, I began to realize that it goes a little deeper than that. I think what it all comes down to is that this is my first Christmas blind. I guess that should have been pretty obvious, but it honestly didn’t occur to me before.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. More than that, it’s always felt magical to me. The music, the decorations, the lights, people’s attitudes toward one another. The whole world just feels different at Christmas time.

I used to love going out on a cold evening after work to find presents for my loved ones. Hustling from the car into a warm store, seeing the beautiful Christmas displays, the corny music on the muzak system. Then hustling back to the car, maybe with packages, maybe not, and cranking up the heater. And if it was snowy and a little slippery, so much the better! I always loved a white Christmas.

And the lights! Lights and lights, everywhere! In my small home town, there was one little street where every single house would be totally outlined in colorful strings of lights. And we always knew the good neighborhoods to visit in nearby Kearney as well. In Texas, there’s a place called Santa Land. It’s a wooded area, just off the interstate, where they have cut a path through the trees, wide enough to drive through. And there are thousands and thousands of Christmas lights strung everywhere. Not just lights, either, but little displays set up here and there; wooden cut-outs of elves in workshops, children ice- skating, Santa and his reindeer. At one point, you pass by a small pond, and there are three crosses outlined in white lights on the other side. You can see the crosses, and also the reflections in the still water, and it’s so beautiful. In another place, they put the strings of lights high in the trees and just let them hang straight down all around you as you drive through. You cannot possibly visit this place and leave feeling unhappy.

This year, I have none of that. No driving on snowy streets, no decorations, no lights. We have snow, our first white Christmas in years, but I can’t see it. I can’t even see my own Christmas tree. And I’m sad.

I know those things are not what Christmas is about, but how do I cope with the loss of all that beauty? Well, I guess I have to focus on the things I still have.

Sounds. There are still the sounds. It was windy when I went to bed earlier. I mentioned once before how I always liked listening to the wind on a cold snowy night. And I could hear Grandpa's wind chime outside too. I wonder if Uncle Butch knew what a blessing that would be to me.

Sounds. I still have music, and thank God for that. I think going deaf would have been much more devastating to me than going blind. I still have music. And that reminds me, I was listening to a Trans Siberian Orchestra cd today and noticed something a little bit amazing. I’ve had the cd for a couple of years, but since I only listen to it at Christmas, I don’t know every song by heart yet. I noticed one song today that slipped by me before. It sounded like a boys’ choir and a lot of the words were hard to make out, but I caught a repeating phrase at the end; falling snow, falling snow, falling snow. It made me think of my friend Ro and the choir concert she had not too long ago. She mentioned a song called “Falling Snow" and I couldn't help but wonder if this was the same song. I really think it is because it sounds just the way she described it in her blog. And it was just as beautiful as she said it was.

So I still have music. Did God know how much that would mean to me, when he gave it to me? Well, of course He did. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating; God knew exactly what I would need to get me through this part of mylife. What an amazing God He is.

And, speaking of things God gave me, I have the most wonderful family a person could ask for. Some of them I’ve known all my life, some just a few years, but they are all precious to me, and I’m so thankful that we will all be together on Christmas day. Thanks again, God.

Well, what do you know, I’m feeling a little better. I guess maybe God knew I would need this blog too. I started it with grand visions of God using it to help people. I didn’t know that one of those people would be me.

Thank you for reading, whoever you may be. Thank you for being witness to what God is doing in my life. To you and yours, I wish all the peace and good will that God may bring. Merry Christmas!

Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Memories - Grandpa Howard

Okay, for a few weeks now I’ve really been wanting to write something about my Grandpa. Grandpa Howard, that is, who was Mom’s dad. I think he’s been on my mind because his birthday was December 11, close to my own. I never got around to it because there’s just been too many other things to write about lately. Then, right before Thanksgiving, Uncle Butch brought the wind-chime. I mentioned that briefly in an earlier post, but really wanted to tell more about it. The two things are closely related, though, so I can cover both with one blog. I kind of think Grandpa would have appreciated the efficiency in that. Read on!

The first thing that always comes to mind when I think of Grandpa, is the bucket. He had this plastic, bluish-green bucket, nothing special. The bucket had split all the way down one side and about halfway across the bottom. Instead of just throwing it away, he actually stitched it back together. Yes, I said stitched. He punched holes all the way along both sides of the split, then used little pieces of wire to fasten the two halves together. I can't imagine how much time he must have spent on that bucket, and I don't know what he used the bucket for after that. Obviously it wouldn’t hold water anymore. I’m sure he found a use for it though. All that work for a bucket that probably cost less than a dollar. That's the kind of guy he was.

Which brings me to the wind-chime. Grandpa Howard made the wind-chime himself. And he made it out of junk, hahaha. Seriously, though, he started with the metal rim of a paint can to suspend the chimes from. I can't remember what the clapper part was made from, but the wind-catcher part was just a flat piece of tin suspended from a rusty bit of chain. The chimes themselves were made from old shock-absorbers. He cut them to different lengths to give them different tones. The whole thing is held together by pieces of baling wire. An the coolest part is, that it really has a nice sound to it. Who would have guessed that old shock-absorbers could sound so nice. Anyway, I remember the chime hanging on the back of Grandma and Grandpa's house when I was very young, so that's what makes it so special to me. And the way he took all that junk and put it together into something that sounds so beautiful speaks volumes about the man.

Let me see, what else? Mom told me about his coveralls one time. He would wear these coveralls when he was working in his shop or around the yard. Mom told me that when they got a hole, he would patch them up. He would patch them and patch them, until they were nothing but patches. When he finally got a new pair, he would save the old ones to make patches out of. Wow, if only more people were like that. So many things in our lives have become disposable.

Are you starting to get a feel for what kind of man he was? God wants us to be goodand faithful stewards with the things He gives us, and Grandpa Howard is one of the best examples of this I have ever encountered. And he didn't do it because he was cheap or stingy, he did it because it was the right thing to do.

Grandpa Howard died in June of 1982, when I was only 11, making him the first of my four grandparents to pass. I was at church camp when it happened. Mom sent both of my brothers along with a family friend to BRING ME HOME. I remember my counselor walking me up to the dining hall at Camp Merrill, telling me that I had some visitors. That was odd because you didn't typically get visitors at camp, and when we got there I was pleased to see my brothers. I looked to Kevin right away and said "What are you doing here?" But it was Brad, the oldest, who took me aside. He leaned over with hands on knees and said, “Grandpa died last night; Grandpa Howard, and we're here to take you home.” As soon as he said the word “Grandpa”, I was thinking Grandpa Pete, (who was actually great Grandpa Pete, and quite old), but Brad clarified right away leaving me pretty stunned. I had always believed Grandpa Howard to be in very good shape for an old person, and he would have been my last guess. Anyway, I gathered up my things and we left. Mom knew what she was doing. She sent Brad to be the one to break the news, and she sent Kevin because she knew he could make me laugh. Which he did, all the way home. It was kind of a long drive. She also sent family friend, Dan, who was a pretty fun guy. I remember stopping for lunch at Pizza Hut on the way home.

When we finally arrived at Grandma’s house, Grandma said “Oh Steven, come here.” I went and sat on her lap, the only time I ever remember doing that in my whole life. I remember being afraid that I might hurt her because I was too heavy. My cousin Christopher, just a baby of 6 months, was crying and I remember Grandma saying, “I think babies can sense when something is wrong.”

And Christopher is the last part of the story. Of course, I didn’t know at the time, but have learned since how important it was to Grandpa for the Howard name to be carried on. Grandpa had two sons. One has never married to this day, the other married but waited until much later in life than usual to have children. My mother had four kids, but of course our names were not Howard. Anyway, little Christopher was finally born in January of 1982. Just six months before Grandpa died. I truly believe that was Grandpa’s reward for being such a good and faithful steward. He got to stay on earth just long enough to know his grandson a little bit.

What a shining example of how rich and full our lives can be, if we only put God first. I really didn’t know Grandpa Howard very long, and I was too young to appreciate the man he was, but he sure made an impact on my life. I wish I could have known him better, but I’m thankful for the time I had with him.

Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

Matthew 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Journal - Busy Week

Whew! It’s been quite a week, so I thought I would take a few minutes to describe it. This probably won’t be very interesting to read, this is mostly for me. Someday, I will enjoy reading back over these posts to see what was happening in my life when I was blind. So here’s a recap:

Saturday, November 21: Joni, Adam, and I rode to Kearney, (pronounced car-nee), with Mom to watch Brenna play volleyball. Her grade doesn’t play against other schools yet, it’s really more of a practice with a short scrimmage at the end. I’m discovering that my daughter is kind of shy. That will present a challenge because I’m not very talkative either. I got to talking to Mom about how I’m finding it hard to get any exercise and found out she had an exercise bike in her basement that she wasn’t using. So when we got back, Joni and I loaded it up and took it home. I found out how much out of shape I am because the next day I was sore just from carrying that darn thing.

Sunday, November 22: Went to church today as usual. Pastor Mike gave a really good sermon about being thankful. It’s so easy to get caught up with all the things we want or the things we wish we could do, that we forget to be thankful for what we have. It’s always good to get that reminder. Also, Kylie, (my sister Bobbi’s daughter), turned 15 on Saturday so today was her “family party.” We went over for a little while and had cake and ice cream.

Monday, November 23: We didn’t have anywhere to go today, so Joni spent the morning and early afternoon cleaning. We aren’t expecting any company, but she always gives the house a thorough cleaning for the holidays. I’m not much help with that so I played the saxophone for her while she worked. I got in the mood early this year so I’ve been working on some Christmas music. Later on, I took a short spin on the bike. It's one of those that you can work with your legs or your arms so it will be a good workout.

Tuesday, November 24: Back to Mom’s today. Aunt LeeDel came down from Sioux Falls on Monday, and Uncle Butch drove over from Crete just for the day. We always enjoy their visits, and today was our only day to see them since Butch only came for the day and LeeDel drove back home Wednesday morning. Also, Kevin and family arrived from Arizona at around 6pm. We all had supper together then went over to the school to watch Kylie’s play. It was a one-act of Alice in Wonderland and Kylie played three different parts. She’s so talented!

Wednesday, November 25: Went to Mom’s yet again! Today was our big gathering with all four of us kids, spouses, and all the grandchildren. The house was so crowded! It was a little intimidating because I knew I couldn’t move around through the house without tripping over everybody, so I mostly stayed in one chair all day. I had fun though and Brenna was there so I got to talk to her a little bit. After supper we went over to the church to take family pictures. There just wasn’t room in the house to do that. Mom got her picture of us four kids, the first one in 22 years. It was such a special day but I was totally exhausted when we got home at around 8pm. It’s kind of hard work to listen to so many people all at once!

Thanksgiving Day: Today we stayed home and had our traditional holiday with just the three of us. Joni’s turkey was delicious as always and everything else was great too. We had so many things to be thankful for this year that we hardly knew where to begin. God has been very good to us, fulfilling all of our needs just as He promised He would, and then some! After the kitchen was cleaned up we all just lazed around the house and watched a little football. It was really a nice, relaxing day.

Friday, November 27: Well, another Thanksgiving come and gone. Things are returning to normal, which means it was a pretty quiet day. Had turkey sandwiches for lunch, (one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving), then I took a spin on the bike. I’m up to 30 minute workouts already and no sore muscles. After that, it was time for the Nebraska vs. Colorado game. It was on TV today, but I still prefer the radio because they’re better at explaining what’s going on. And Nebraska won! Go Huskers!

So that was our big holiday week! It sure was great spending some time with the family, but I’m glad the holidays only come around once a year! Seriously though, I am so thankful for all that God has given me. I hope that you are too, and I hope you'll take some time this holiday season to remember those who don't have families, or homes, or turkey dinners. You may not be in a position to help them financially, but we can always pray for them.

Look out Christmas, here we come!

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.