From One Generation to the Next . . . by June Faust

At the end of a long country lane in southern Ohio stands a stately old farmhouse with a porch across the front.

A rusty windmill by the back porch creaks as it whirls in the wind. On one side of the house grows a garden filled with rows and rows of vegetables. As a little girl I followed my grandmother to the garden to pick huckleberries. What mouth-watering pie she would make with them!

On the western side of the house you could see trees in the orchard filled with red apples and juicy peaches, and grapes turning purple on the vines. In late summer my grandfather would pick and carry this fruit into the kitchen for my mother and grandmother to can. He would shovel coal into the large black stove where Grandmother cooked. We canned hundreds of quarts of fruit and jelly and carried them to the basement for safe-keeping until winter.

My young mind was being nurtured by my grandparents' example. After a long day's work, Grandfather would lead us to the sitting room. Quietly he would sit in his big chair by the library table. When we were all seated, he would open the Bible. After slowly reading a few verses of Scripture, he would offer a prayer of thanksgiving. Then—off to bed! My brother and I were learning to be still and know that God is God.

The Growing Cycle

These special grandparents instilled in me a love and respect for our Creator. In turn, I have tried to transfer this love to our three sons.

Because my husband Paul and I made our living by farming, our three sons grew up knowing about the "growing cycle."

We would plant the seed, then wait for God to water it. In late summer, the plants would be ready for harvest. Some years we would reap an abundant crop, while in other years we endured times of drought and harvested only a small crop.

This is God's plan. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to uproot" (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2).

Many years ago Paul's grandmother Addie planted hyacinth and narcissus bulbs around her house. Over the years, whenever we have moved to a different home, we have transplanted the bulbs from house to house. Today, when the warm rays of sunshine penetrate these bulbs, beautiful plants still spring forth—and I remember Addie's love for her family.

We transfer our love from one generation to another. Romans 12:12 says, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Our family continues to rejoice amid our everyday trials. We are learning to be patient when life's problems appear. When they do, we keep praying . . . and praying . . . and praying!

A Faithful Servant

As I approach another Mother's Day, I ask myself, Have I been diligent in passing God's love to our children? To our grandchildren? And to our great-grandchildren? By example, do I show God's love to those around me?

After this life leaves my body, will I hear Jesus' words, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things . . . now enter into the joy of your Lord"? I wonder . . .

June Faust is the mother of The Lookout's Executive Editor, David Faust. Next month, she and her husband Paul will celebrate their 59th wedding anniversary. They live in Pricetown, Ohio.