Mary and Martha

The first Christian, non-fiction manuscript I wrote was called On the Road to Jericho. It's an account of Jesus' last journey from Galilee to Jerusalem where he will be crucified and the teachings He shared along the way. Here is a condensed excerpt from one of the chapters:

(Read Luke 10:38-42)

            Jesus came to Bethany, where He liked to stop. Not only was it in a convenient location, not too far from Jerusalem, but He could stay with His good friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

Martha welcomed Him into her home and began preparing a meal. While Martha worried and worked in the kitchen to make things special for her guests, Mary, her sister, sat close to Jesus to hear what he had to say.

            Martha approached Jesus and asked, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me” (Luke 10:40).

            I have struggled with this story in the past, because I can understand where Martha was coming from. She wanted to give Jesus and His disciples a good meal, and she was stressing over trying to get everything done, while her sister sat with the guests. I’m sure many of you can emphasize with Martha, too. Over the years, I've learned that fellowship and enjoying the company is more important than trying to have all the details right. It might even be the sin of pride making us try so hard. We may want to be known as a good cook or good hostess. If so, we are seeking worldly recognition instead of seeking God’s favor.

            Martha wanted Mary to get up and help her, so the work would be finished sooner, and Martha and Mary could then both join Jesus. Martha must have felt alone and isolated at this time. She felt she was being treated unfairly, but was she?   

            Martha had chosen her isolation in the kitchen. She’d chosen to prepare an elaborate meal, instead of doing something simple, so she could sit with Jesus too. Martha had emphasized the trivial rather than the vital.

            How many times do we get caught up in relatively trivial matters, and fail to give time to our Lord. There’s no excuse for being “too busy” and neglecting devotions, Bible study, prayer, or worship. If you kept a log of your schedule each day, I’m sure you’d see where you could make time for what’s most important in your life. Could you watch a little less television, shave some time given to that special hobby of yours, limit your time on the computer, or not pick up that cell phone quite so often?

            My husband says if you’re too busy to come to church and worship God, then you’re too busy.  The crux of the issue is whether or not you put God first in your life. Is He really more important to you than anything else? How do your choices reflect that?

            Jesus answered Martha and said, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful; and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).

            Focusing on serving Jesus is a good thing. But sometimes we can become so involved in doing good, we may miss out on the best. We need to take care how we manage our time and set our priorities so we have a close relationship with Him, hear His calls, and follow where He leads.

            Both Martha and Mary had made their choices. Martha had chosen the trivial, earthly choice instead of the longer lasting growing of her faith. It’s a matter of priorities. Where do your priorities lie?

  Martha’s choice of taking care of Jesus’ earthly needs wasn't wrong, but Mary’s choice of taking care of spiritual matters was better. We normally have time to do both, but if there comes a time when you must make this choice, what will you choose? Do you choose certain earthly things over your opportunities to learn more and grow in faith? What is really important to you? Do you truly put God above everything else in your life? Do your choices reflect this?  Pray about it:

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Educating Boys and Girls in the Colonies

After learning to read and write at home or in a Dame School in what we would call "early childhood education" today, most girls discontinued any schooling. Their mothers would teach them household skills at home now. Most boys, however, went on to another school or received more education at home, either by a parent or a tutor they hired. 

It wasn't long before many of the colonies had laws, something to the effect that any town of more than fifty residents had to provide a school for boys. These were not schools as we know them today, though. Most were uncomfortable with hard benches and only one fireplace. Each boy had to provide his share of the wood to burn. Those who brought the most sat closest to the fire. Each family also had to pay the schoolmaster, but most paid in bartered goods.

The schoolmaster usually kept strict discipline by using switches to whip students who misbehaved or didn't know their lesson. It was also common to embarrass the student who didn't follow the rules by having him wear signs declaring what he did wrong, wearing a dunce cap, etc. 

Paper was scarce and expensive, and students might have to write on birch bark. They used either a lump of lead or a goose quill pen dipped in homemade ink. Spelling wasn't standardized, and The New England Primer was a commonly used textbook. Other sources might include The Bible, Aesop's Fables, and Robinson Crusoe (after 1719).

When the boys finished the coursework here, most went to work or to learn a trade, but a few continued their education. Some of the wealthier families chose to send their sons back to England to be educated.

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Early Education in the Colonies


Early education varied greatly in the colonies. There were no early public schools, and families sometimes educated their own children. Others didn't consider education important in their farming communities.

The schools that were established were private ones, and many were church related. The Quakers started a school in Pennsylvania as early as 1689, and they taught both Quaker and non-Quaker students. Churches usually felt people needed to be literate in order to read and understand the Bible.

Dame Schools also taught young children in some colonies. The children would go to a woman's home, where she would teach them to read and write for a fee. Often the teacher would use a hornbook, a piece of wood with a page of writing on each side. When a child could read, understand, and write everything on the hornbook, they were finished with the Dame School. After Dame School, boys might go on to enroll in another school, but the girls would stay home to learn homemaking skills.

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Hats On

Today is national hat day. Men have worn hats to cover their heads for a long time. The first record of a hat comes from ancient artwork in a tomb in Thebes from about 3200 BC. We know men also wore hats in ancient Greece and Rome.

In Medieval times, hats marked the social status of the wearer, as well as denote certain groups. For example, the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215 required that all Jews wear a special hat to signify they were Jewish. Anti-Semitism began well before the Inquisition or Hitler.

The 1700's saw bicornes and tricornes, with some sporting large plumes. Then, London society made the top hat

popular for a time and this drove the fur trade in America. Some famous hatters also came out of London. Two were James Lock and Company and Sharp & Davis. Hat collectors still look for these.

For years, English society drove hat styles in America. However, after the Civil War, the western hat became popular in the States. The first cowboy hat was worn in Texas, but other Western regions adapted their own versions. The cowboy curled his wide brim or rolled it up on the sides to make it less likely to blow off in the wind. Stetson began producing their western hats after most of the style changes had

been made. To this day, the name "Stetson" is synonymous with the cowboy hat.

The baseball cap type is probably the most popular style of hat today. No doubt the future holds others to add to their long history.

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Highland Village

One of the best excursions I found in Nova Scotia turned out to be the Highland Village. Perhaps it's because it reminded me so much of Appalachia. Since a large group of Scots-Irish settled in the Appalachian Mountains, even the culture looked familiar. 

Like houses in Scotland at the time

The Highland Village Museum at Clachan Gaidhealach celebrates this culture. It begins with the earliest type of dwelling and continues through time to give visitors a glimpse of what life was like along the way. I loved it! I could have spend much more than a few hours there.

Tens of thousands of Gaelic speaking Scots poured into Nova Scotia between the mid 1700's and the late 1800's. As most immigrants, they came to find a better life where they could live in freedom. Although they found a rich land teeming in resources, the rugged, untamed land held new challenges. But with the tenacity of the ancient Scots, they worked together and carved a new way of life that reflected the old.

They settled in communities of similar backgrounds based on families and religion. These became close-knit communities where neighbors helped each other. To this day Gaelic ancestors reside in towns like Iona, New Glascow, and Inverness. If you ever get a chance, don't pass up the chance to step through the ages and visit the Scots of Nova                                                                   Scotia at Highland Village.

                                                       

                                                        

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Early Furnishings

The earliest settlers made their own furniture. This is what had happened with Uncle Roy in my historical novel, CLEARED FOR PLANTING. The pieces ended up being crude or well-made, depending on the skill of their maker. This continued in the rural areas, although town dwellers might eventually go to a cabinetmaker, sometimes called a "joiner," or some other craftsman. 

Fathers, especially those of German descent, made a dower chest to give to their daughters. Cupboards were commonly built in two sections. Sometimes they had panes of glass, if the owner could afford it. Straight chairs and deacon's benches often provided seating.

Almost all beds were double ones. They were most often made from poplar or pine, but some came from walnut, maple, or cherry. Beds were rarely decorated beyond the initial design. A trundle bed might be pushed under the double bed for children. Ropes were strung to hold a shuck or feather mattress, and there was a tool to tighten the ropes when they began to sag.

The kitchen would have a table, and smaller tables might dot other rooms to hold candles and other items. People had less furniture than we think necessary today. Pegs often dotted the wall to hold clothing and other items. 

As some of the colonists became more affluent, the furnishings became more elaborate. The old homes we tour today usually display these furnishings, because they're what have survived. Most of the simpler pieces either wore out or was not saved by later generations.

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A Cuppa Tea

January is national hot tea month. Now I'm American enough to love a good glass of ice tea (or iced, depending on where you are), especially on a hot summer day. But I must have quite a bit of British running through my bloodstream, because I also enjoy a cup of hot tea, especially on a cold, wintry day. Yet, it's not uncommon for me to have one mid-afternoon in the summer, too (in air conditioning, of course).

At one time, people thought tea had little food value. New research, however, is proving this wrong:

Green tea - may prevent bladder, breast, lung, stomach, bladder, pancreatic, and colon cancers; clogging arteries; fat deposits; certain stress on the brain; reduce the risk of Alzheiner's, Parkinson's, and stroke; and lower cholesterol. 

Black tea- may help protect the lungs and reduce the risk of strokes.

White tea - has the most cancer inhibiting ingredients of any tea and may help with the signs of aging.

Oolong tea - lowers cholesterol levels and some varieties, like Wuyi, may help in weight loss.

Herbal teas - 
     Chamomile - may help with diabetes complications, cancer, and sleep disorders
     Echinacea - may help with the common cold
     Hibiscus - may help lower blood pressure
     Rooibos (red tea) - may help fight cancer

More research is needed on most of these. And, as with anything used for health, always consult with your doctor first. Still, it doesn't stop me from drinking a good cup of hot tea for enjoyment.

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