PEN ART AND THIS IS FALL

AND THIS IS FALL

(Writing and photography by 

Sheila Gail Landgraf)

"It is the summer's great last heat, 
It is the fall's first chill:
They meet."  
(Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt)

This old favorite verse of poetry reminds me that we are officially beginning the  Fall Season.   This lovely season always feels just a bit too short.  

I never grow tired of enjoying the time and every day feels like a fresh new gift from God. 

 Fall is my favorite season. 

The Irish love to say “Autumn days come quickly, like the running of a hound on the moor.”  

It is so true; one day you are standing in the heat of summer, and a few days later you begin to hear the snapping and cracking of the trees as they adjust to the cold and say hello to autumn.   You know it will not be long before “the frost is on the pumpkin.”   

Even the rain changes to a soaking kind of wet instead of a blowing pounding kind of wet.  Autumn rains can be soothing falling on the rooftops at night.  

You begin to smell smoke from wood stoves and fireplaces burning off the chill of their owner's houses.  

The sky becomes busier with the sights and sounds of birds migrating to a warmer place for the winter.  If you live in one spot long enough you will come to recognize the birds that have fall flight patterns through your area.  They light in ponds to rest and you know it is a sign of Fall.  So is the apple harvest, with its lovely rolling hillsides full of apple crates just brimming over with luscious fruit.        

It seems as if the trees enjoy taking turns changing their colors.  

The poplars like to go first, then the maples, then the others follow suit until they all stand vividly together, as if dressed for some elaborate banquet that we all have suddenly stumbled upon.  They  wave and invite us to their dance and we feel so honored to be their guest.  

Delicious fall recipes are spread on tables across the land, using the bountiful pumpkins, nuts, maple sugar and apples.  It is a feast for the table and a feast for the eyes as well.  Everything has a festive flavor.

Local fall customs come out to play.  Football teams and small town festivals and carnivals.  

Do you have a favorite thing about Fall that you find yourself doing or seeing or looking forward to that let’s you know for sure the season has truly arrived in your heart as well as the calendar?  

My list is full of so many things; I doubt I could even name them all.  

The fall foliage color tops my list of favorite things. My camera will get no rest during this season.  Fall is heaven to a photographer.  I love capturing the color and I love capturing the festive community events.  Each festival seems to bring a new work of art, a fresh way to recognize the beauty of the local people against the landscapes they call "home."  

My artistic soul is captured by the way the sun shines this time of the year. Technically this is called the Autumnal Equinox, but I would rather have the same 'kindred spirit' as Anne Shirley from Ann of Green Gables and make up a much better name.  I want to label this lovely autumn sunshine “The Dance of The Sun Through A Swirling Pool of Colors.”   Even those words seem not justified by the actual beauty presented.  

The word equinox comes from the Latin words “equal night.”  I like to turn that definition toward the positive in my mind and think of this season as a time of “equal light.”  At any rate, the slanted sun crosses the celestial equator and the temperatures begin to drop.  Slowly the days start to get shorter than the nights, but the hours of slanted sun daylight that we do have to enjoy are dazzling with vivid and brilliant colors and delightfully crisp air.   This all tends to make the earlier evenings seem more peaceful and relaxing.  

Fall is especially beautiful in the South as the sprawling mountainous landscapes silently explode with red, yellow and orange flames.  The leaves begin to jump off the trees and from your car windows you see people raking their yards.  Children take turns jumping into the leaf piles, until their parents take note and begin to teach them how to rake too.  

Football season totally occupies the locals of the land, and college towns create and cater to all types of personalities that best present their beloved teams.   Enthusiasm runs rampant.  Whole towns are dressed in team colors on certain days.   People bring out their sweaters and hoodies and warm socks.  They roast marshmallows and tail-gate and carve pumpkins and fill vases with flowers of rust, yellow, purple and orange.  Door fronts across the nation become much friendlier.  Friendly scarecrows appear everywhere.  Yards are full of busy squirrels scampering around trying to hurry up and finish storing their food for the winter.  If you simply watch the behavior of the animals and the plants, you will know that Fall is in progress.

Poetic love songs tend to happen during this season more than other seasons.  Tired poets are refreshed and inspired again.   Artists bring their canvases out of storage, to capture the beauty of the moments that will quickly fade and never be again.  Chefs inventing new soups are glad of the chance to turn from the challenging meals of summer to the more creative yet traditional meals of Fall.  School children suddenly seem to be on display everywhere you go, with their books and lunch pails and hair ribbons and flannel shirts.  Yellow buses bring traffic to a creeping halt as if to say “step aside, this is our season.”   Goblins and ghouls roam the streets evidently looking for food and are soon favored with sweet sticky candy apples and candy corn and chocolate. 

It is a time of great thankfulness and a time to share the bounty of the gifts that God grants to us in abundance.  It is a time for families to gather together and share the harvest that comes from loving one another.

The magic is everywhere. 

This is Fall. 

PEN ART - A POEM FOR FALL

LIVING IN AWE
A Poem that doesn't rhyme:

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

The crisp sharp sunlight filters down through my bedroom window.

It nudges me awake from warm and cozy sleeping.

The air is cool as I regretfully leave the comfort of warm quilts and grab my robe.

Bare feet against wooden floors whisper that winter is coming soon.

The air feels fresher; almost as if a cool rain has fallen through the night,

Leaving only cheerful sunlight behind.

Everything is brighter and cleaner today.

I take deeper breaths. 

The air feels good and fresh in my lungs.

I breathe in Fall and all of its wonderfulness.

Morning coffee just has a better flavor in this season,

I add cinnamon for fun.

I sip slowly as I linger in the slanted light, wishing I were more carefree.

Finally I step out into the morning and see the trees have put on their annual fashion show.

They parade all around me in their vivid deep colors,

Those long, lean, graceful trees that understand the art of modeling better than any human,

I pass between them on my way,

Feeling small and insignificant in their midst;

My eyes noting how each tree characteristically paints the sky behind it with a unique individual flair.

Their swirling leaves dance on the side of the road as I travel on toward the mundane destinations of the day,

Those messy trees leave their fashion in a trail all over the earth’s floor,

like a teen-aged girl who has over-shopped.

I drink in the colors of lovely leaves,

Waving at me,

dancing in the wind as if they were next door neighbors calling out for me to stop and say hello.

The pumpkins at the curb market smile toothy smiles 

as I venture on down the road.

I resist the urge to stop and pick one for my front porch.

I know I would be late for nothing important;

So I move on.

With the magic of God’s creation surrounding me as I go,

I proclaim out loud to no one in particular that it is a shame I must continue with my boring usualness.

On such a day, it simply isn’t fair!

And it just doesn’t seem right not to stop a bit in the Fall and move a little slower.

I feel as if the whole world should just stand still for at least a day

And absorb the returning of this lovely season’s beauty.

It is the beginning of Fall

And I am completely in awe.

OH THE PLACES WE SHOULD GO - TAKING A FALL TRAIN RIDE AT THE HEART OF DIXIE RAILROAD MUSEUM

(Writing and photography by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

A perfect excursion in the fall is to take a little train ride. 

It is a wonderful way to admire the beautiful changing colors of the landscape that now paints the autumn sky. 

I can't imagine a fall without some kind of train ride.  Our family has kept this tradition as often as possible for years now. I enjoy coming up with new and different places to accomplish another scenic train ride each season. There are lots of good choices of old trains to visit in the South.

One great place is The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, Alabama. We went there with our daughter, Erin a few years ago and had a blast.  Not only will you get to ride the train through some very pretty woods; you also get to tour a fantastic museum, full of antique Alabama trains and train equipment.  This very informative museum features operating standard gauge and narrow gauged trains from Alabama. 

There are two restored depots full of lots of railroad history and memorabilia. 

You can also go outside and climb in and out of many old box cars, locomotives and cabooses.  These have been collected over the years from a bunch of train lovers who originally stored them in Birmingham, then brought them to Calera and formed this fantastic little museum and train station.   

There are lots of special excursions offered according to the season of the year.  The Fall excursion is called The Pumpkin Patch Express.  It would be a great adventure to enjoy with your grandchildren.  The Pumpkin Patch Express takes place in October most years.  You can visit The Great Pumpkin, take a hayride, bounce in the jump-station, enjoy good old fashioned boiled peanuts, and pick out the perfect jack o'lantern.  Who could ask for more?
There's also an event called "A Day Out With Thomas" if your child or grandchild loves Thomas The Train, you don't want to miss it.  Find the information here: http://thomasthetrain.net/index.php/pages/heart-of-dixie-railroad-museum.html 

There are also Christmas events where the kiddies can ride The North Pole Express and visit with Santa.  Check out this website for all the details: https://www.hodrrm.org/Events/NorthPoleExpress/tabid/121 

If you want a more adult experience, make a reservation on the dinner car that rolls through the Ozan Vinyards and stops there for a wine tasting.  I've put this on my bucket list and keep hoping that my husband will read it!   Here is the information you would need to know:http://www.ozanvineyardtrain.com/

Or maybe you would just like to take an ordinary Saturday afternoon train ride, each event is special.  Just check their home website at:  http://www.hodrrm.org

I highly recommend a day visiting The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum and love the fact that most of their workers are made up of enthusiastic train lovers who have generously volunteered their time to helping others enjoy the gifts that the Alabama trains have blessed us with over the years.

All Aboard?

See you at the station! 

  

  

OH THE PLACES WE SHOULD GO ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF OCTOBER

(Writing and photography by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

There's something special happening every October in Harpersville, Alabama  at 
Baker Farm's Fall Festival.

  

All through the month of October people are milling in and out of Baker's Farm and enjoying some wonderful Fall events. 

School kids get the week day mornings at the farm all by themselves (except for their teachers); so unless you are with a school group, you would do well to go on Saturday or Sunday afternoons when everything opens up to the general public.  

You really do not want to miss this! 

There is no better way to enjoy an outdoor fall adventure.   

The festival is for all ages.  You will enter from the parking lot through an amazing collection of old antique tractors, each one unique in its own way, and each one with a historical story from the owner. 

A tractor parade is held each year.

 

You will soon find yourself stepping into an outdoor market place of vivid colors, delicious smells and the unique surprises.  
There are lots of booths with authentically dressed exhibitors selling their original works of art and wonderful homemade food.  
You can watch the blacksmith work in his trade, or see how brooms are made by hand, or experience the weaving of a basket, or watch the making of homemade soap.  
Vendors and exhibitors come from all over the south for this event.  
You're bound to do some Christmas shopping here.  
There is something for everyone on your list.

If you get tired of shopping you can take a walk through the corn maze. 

 Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones who arrives on the other side, eventually.  
You might want to join the crowd picking cotton.  
There is a story to tell here at this large cotton patch by the owner of the farm.  
You can take what you pick home with you.

If you get tired, just sit down in front of the old barn 

and hear some good ole bluegrass music.  

You might hear a little gospel too. 

Please don't miss the hayride!  
You will get a detailed tour of the farm, plus you will make a stop at the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin for your own front porch. 

There are trail rides if you are a horseman, 
and if you want you can help your child to a guided pony ride.  

Be sure to visit the Indian Village. 
 There is a lot of history to learn here.  
Watch them do their native dances and hear their stories.   

 There is a very realistic Civil War reenactment happening at this farm.  
Walk through the camp and learn the military drills.  
Experience the stories of the flags and learn the history of the south. 

Fiddlers and banjo pickers are everywhere, both young and old. 

There are livestock in the pens and plenty of them want to be petted by the children.  
There are bunnies, turtles, lambs, goats, cows, horses and pigs, and pretty much any other animals you can think of.  If you look hard enough you will see Charlotte's Web somewhere on the property. 

Should you work up an appetite, there are tasty treats around every corner.  
You will not leave hungry, but you might gain a few pounds.

Different weekends of the month have different themes.  
During the Cowboy Weekends you can come dressed as a cowboy and just blend into the landscape that will be filled with gun slingers and shootouts in the street.   
Your very likely to meet some famous outlaws in the crowd.   
Western music abounds on these days, 
and Hay Mountain becomes a busy place. 

Another weekend involves Living History Days where you can meet living historians who will tell you their tales of The Civil War.  
You can participate in the infantry marching drills, or meet the cavalry, 
or learn how to make soap.  
You have a realistic glimpse into what a soldier's life was really like during these times. 

 

This is simply a lot of old fashioned down home fun for the whole family. 

I hope to see you there!
1041 Farmingdale Road, Harpersville, AL
205-672-7209

SEASONS AT-ONE-MENT

CHRISTIANS OBSERVING THE DAY OF ATONEMENT
(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood,

and I have given it for you on the altar to atone for your souls,

for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.  (Lev. 17:11)

At sunset on Tuesday, October 11, 2016,  we will come to the holiest day of the sacred year, Yom Kippur, or The Day of Atonement. 

One of the scriptures that compells me to observe this day is found in Leviticus 23:27-32.  

Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.   And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.   For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.  And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.   Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.  It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.

As Christians and faithful followers of Jesus Christ, we serve a God who was willing to give up His kingly status and become like us.  He loved us so much that He was even willing to die for us.  What other god out there in all of the religions of mankind has ever done such a thing?  This is evidence that The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is The One True God. 

So how does this tie in with Yom Kippur traditions? 

Isn’t the Passover more symbolic of Atonement? 

In some ways, for the Christian, the answer is yes, Passover is more about Atonement for sins, but Yom Kippur is more about realizing that time is drawing short for everyone to receive that atonement. 

Passover is more about our individual sins, and Yom Kippur is more about the sins of our nation and the world as a whole. Has there ever been a more urgent time for this?

Passover is more about mercy and forgiveness, Yom Kippur is more of a statement that Judgment Day is coming, and a warning sound to help us to get ready. 

The Lord is going to return soon!  

There are many out there who do not know Him.  They do not yet have atonement; not because it is not available and freely offered to them, but simply because they have not believed that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and repented of their sins.  This is especially true of our nation, America.  

Satan has been very busy deceiving people because He too has a clue that the time is short.  He is on his usual favorite subject; himself.  He is worried that his time is coming to be put away forever.  He enjoys being loose and wrecking havoc on our world.  He has deceived the world with materialism, false doctrine, churches that want to entertain instead of worship, and “buy” their congregations, luke-warm worship, false worship, evil, death and lust.  His tools are always the same.  He rarely changes his techniques,

 yet the world falls for his tricks constantly. 

In the traditions of the Fall Holy Days it is said that on Rosh Hashanah the doors of heaven are opened.  This is God communicating with mankind saying, “Come closer to me.” 

In order to come closer to God you must be clean.  Those of us who have The Holy Spirit working in us are continually being led to come before God and confess our sins.  We have long ago repented and turned, trying to imitate Him more and more.  We have the good sense to realize and be constantly aware that we are not perfect, and that Jesus must keep us covered with His righteousness.  Yet, there are those who have not yet repented.  I am continuously shocked these days to find those who have never been taught the basics of repentance.  God is listening for them, waiting on them to begin a conversation, waiting on them to say “I repent of my sins, please blot them out of your book.” 

As a Christian I know my sins have been blotted out.  I totally understand that Christ died on the cross once for all.  But this is a time period when I am praying more for the souls of those who have not yet repented.  

As the ordinary priests, ordained after the Order of Melchizedek when we came to Christ, we Christians, as a holy nation and a divine priesthood, have the opportunity, just as the Old Testament Levitical priests did, to intercede for the sins of our people and our nation daily. 

The ordinary priests took the sacrifices of the people daily and offered them up to God.   Once a year the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies and offered up the sacrifice for the sins of the whole nation.  Our High Priest, Jesus Christ STILL carries these intercessions into The Holy of Holies for us and God hears and receives our prayers.  Unlike the high priests of Levitical descent, our High Priest, Jesus Christ, is perfect in every way. 

So can you see how I have come to relate that Yom Kippur should be a strong time of intercession by Christians for the souls of the world?  

Judgment Day is coming.  

It is said that after Yom Kippur the doors of heaven are closed.  On Yom Kippur whatever God has written for the year is sealed.  It is finished.  It is done.  You will either be a sheep or a goat when you enter into judgment after the final seal is sealed.  

If you know Christ, you are covered by the blood of the atonement.  You are separated into the fold of the sheep; and you will be allowed to go into the Marriage Supper of The Lamb.  

If you do not heed God's call and believe on the name of Jesus and repent, you will be separated into the group called the goats.  You will not be allowed to go into the marriage feast, because you are not “covered” by the blood atonement of Jesus.  You will be sentenced to eternity in hell.  The DOOR WILL BE SHUT, and anyone without a wedding garment will not be allowed inside.  

Do not let the doors of heaven close on you.  

Repent and be saved by the blood of Jesus.

In the traditions of Yom Kippur the “books” of God are often discussed.  The tradition is that the destiny of the righteous is written down into The Book of Life.  

The destiny of the eternally wicked is written down in The Book of Death.  

If you have come to Jesus Christ and accepted His blood atonement to cover your sins, you are written in The Book of Life.  Every sin you have ever committed will be blotted out of the heavenly records.  It is His blood that covers the sins.

It is ONLY all that Jesus did that allows you to stand clean before God on The Last Day.  It is nothing that you have done.  

There is a period of 10 days during The Days of Awe, from Rosh Hashanah until the end of Yom Kippur where you can be reassured (by talking to God) that your sins have been covered and you can pray for those that you love that do not have this blessing.  

The tradition says that many people are not yet written into either of the books of heaven.  This is because God gives us free-will and many have not yet made a final decision.  

You can plead with God for them, to do whatever it is that will change their hearts, open their eyes, help them to see the truth.  Our Jewish brothers and sisters fall into this category, but God has promised that many of them will one day wake up and believe.  There will come a day when their eyes will be opened and they will mourn for the One they have pierced.  This tells me they will repent and turn to Christ as The Messiah. 

Our prayers of intercession are important for everyone who has not made a decision to follow Christ.  This is an important time of intercession.  

The 10 Days of Awe are comparable to the period of grace that the church is living in today.  There will come an end to these times.  Judgement Day will arrive, whether the world is ready or not.  Yom Kippur is all about getting ready for Judgement Day.  It is a time to be purchasing oil for your lamp.   

Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, is returning to this earth.  When He does, there will be a great battle.  It is our place, as Christians to be ready to join in with Him.  All Christians will be right there with Him, riding on white horses into battle, riding by the side of our Groom.  We must be ready and prepared for that battle.  Yom Kippur is a reminder of this fact.  

When the last person that is going to repent has done so, the doors of heaven will be closed.  The writing in the books will be finished.  Christ will return for the final battle that will destroy all evil and usher in His 1000 year reign on earth. 

Are you ready? 

So many of my Christian friends are saying we MUST heed II Chronicles 7:14: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 

Isn’t it ironic that we speak these words continuously in our congregations and sermons.  We clearly know the answers; yet many Christian churches still turn away from acknowledging or observing Yom Kippur, the very holy day that God, Himself set aside for all nations to do the very things that we are always so loudly proclaiming should be done?  

God doesn’t change.  He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  If He said it to the nation of Israel, He meant it for everyone.  He isn’t just the God for the Israelites, He is God of ALL.  

If every Christian church in America would put aside their politics of the world for the period of time called The Day of Atonement and devote that time to prayer and fasting and intercession, as is the tradition for Yom Kippur, and begin praying for our nation and praying for the deliverance of our brothers and sisters who are still living in sin; we would fulfill the commandments of God.  

God would hear us, for this is the time that He has proclaimed that He will be listening with attention and deciding.  He would save us from ourselves and heal our land, just as He promised.

God says what He means and means what He says.

He always keeps His promises. 

As fall brings it's beautiful red covering to the trees across our land, it is my earnest prayer that  the people of our nation turn to Jesus and receive His precious atonement covering. 

May God heal our land and bring peace to the earth.

G’mar Chatimah Tovah!