What Makes Us Happy?

 

I’ve decided to combine pictures from an evening with Mike’s family in Hawaii with a review of the documentary HAPPY and my own thoughts on happiness,  because I think Michael and Grace have one of the happiest families I know, and  the pictures are pretty self-explanatory. All you need to know is that after Michael got done with his work for the day, we did what they usually do: We took a trip to the beach for some fun and then went home for dinner! 🙂 Have you seen the 2011 documentary called HAPPY? As its own advertizement  explains, “HAPPY combines powerful human stories from around the world with cutting edge science to give us a deeper understanding of our most valued emotion.” We watched it a few nights ago, and I really appreciated what it had to  teach. They interviewed people from around the world and uncovered some very  profound stories, such as a man from the slums of India who was found to be as  happy as the average American, and the beautiful debutant who was run over by  a truck and disfigured for life but is—believe it or not—even happier than she  was before her accident. The researchers discovered that happy, close family  relationships far outweigh economic status. Although there is a big difference in  satisfaction between Americans making $5,000 and $50,000 per year, there is  no perceptible difference in happiness between those who earn $50,000 and  $500,000, so making a lot of money is not the answer! Research indicates that although 50% of “happiness” is a genetic disposition, only a pretty insignificant 10% is related to circumstances beyond our control, leaving a whooping 40% up to us, our own attitudes and how we manage life. What the producers of HAPPY found dovetail nicely with what much of what my  father always taught comprised the “good life.” He said the “good life” is “Varied.” Indeed, variety is the spice of life, so enjoy new experiences! “Integrated.” Your life flows as a connected whole; you have true integrity. “Productive.” Hard work building and creating good stuff makes people happy!Physical activity is also huge…anything where you get lost in the flow of life.“Social.” Family unites tend to be the happiest, although even people living in  community with others tend to be happier than people who live alone.   As one who loves mnemonic devices to help me remember,  the first letters of these words form the acronym  VIPS: Varied, Integrated, Productive, and Social. From the  video on happiness, I’d like to add “Intensely Interesting” (“in the flow”) to the “I” and “Physically active” to the “P.” From what I’ve learned about happiness over the years, I would also add “Spiritual” to the “S,” and I think we’d have a  really great recipe for happiness! “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God” (Psalm 146:5).

Hawaii’s Fascinating Pacific Aviation Museum

If you’ve seen any movies from World War 2 such as Pearl Harbor, then you’ve  seen pictures from the Pacific Aviation Museum. When I was trying to think of the best adjective to use in the title, “fascinating” emerged, but I will say that it’s most fascinating for people who love all things mechanical, like my beloved husband, who as a kid made model airplanes for many of the World War 2  planes that we saw at the museum. This particular museum is somewhat unique because it wasn’t built to house  artifacts. Rather, many of the displays and exhibits are housed in the original hangers that were in Pearl Harbor at the time it was bombed. In fact, not all of the windows have been repaired to this day, just as one of many ways of authenticating the events and making visitors more acutely aware of what all transpired during World War 2. Alan and I decided to visit after grabbing a bite to eat with Michael and Grace. Of course, we’d no sooner sat down to enjoy our  masterpieces than Mike got called away. Sad…but we all understood. Not only is  Michael medical like his dad, he’s in the army…so when they call, he goes! One of the most touching things to me about the museum is the close connection they maintain with the Japanese…who must be among the most frequent visitorssince most of the signs are printed in both English and Japanese. As I mentioned on my July 17 post featuring the Pearl Harbor Memorial (“Remembering the  Remembrance”), the Japanese are still very involved in reconciliation and cordiality. In fact, some of the displays are manned by young Japanese soldiers. Oh, that we might develop peaceable relationships with every nation! Beyond the impressive collection of aircraft and historical narrative, there were accounts highlighting some of the courageous people who sacrificed to maintain  our freedom, among them George H.W. Bush, who was the youngest U.S. Naval aviator at that time and later became the 41st president of the United States.  We were able to look right into the cockpit of a plane such as Bush flew! Visitors can walk right into the belly of an airplane and imagine just how terrifying it might have been to be a paratrooper waiting to drop out of the sky  behind enemy lines. My uncle was a paratrooper behind enemy lines in Germany during World War 2. He survived the war but committed suicide after he came  home. The war was terrible for everyone. My mother thought Uncle Art had been totally devastated by the evil he encountered and the inhumane actions that were required of him as a soldier. She spent her life trying to encourage reconciliation between Americans and other nations, starting a People-to-People “sister-city” exchange with Japan. I think it’s critical for all of us to remember war’s terrible  devastation so that we make every effort to avert such disasters in the future.I am deeply grateful for every brave soldier who defends the freedoms of our nation, but I also pray every day for peace & long for the day when war will cease. May “thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” Mark 6:10

Do Good People Go to Heaven?

Yesterday was very traumatic for me. Alan and I drove to the other side of the state after church to visit a friend in Beaumont’s cardiac intensive care unit. I will call her Melissa, although that’s not her name. Melissa married Alan’s college roommate, so that means we’ve been friends pretty much forever, although we hadn’t seen her for a long time. Melissa has suffered from scleroderma for 30 years, but this past January her condition worsened and she developed pulmonary hypertension. The doctors at U.M. started her on an experimental medication, but it isn’t working. She’s grown steadily worse, weighs only about 100 pounds now, and has a very poor prognosis. She was very alert (even with tubes everywhere in her body), calm, and gracious…as always!

Melissa is the type of person that everybody enjoys and admires. Her two bouncy, bright, and highly successful 20-something kids were there too, and Alan and I felt deeply grateful to get to spend a little time with them. Their father was a true and loyal friend to both Alan and me, an outstanding lawyer, and an avid fly fisherman. He died of a sudden, massive heart attack while on an adventure hiking in the Appalachian Mountains with his 10-year-old son and their boy scout troop. That was nearly 20 years ago. Due to good insurance, Melissa was left a wealthy woman, but she never moved out of their modest home. In fact, Melissa never remarried, and her daughter told me that all their father’s fishing books are still on the shelves in their living room. Melissa continued working as an occupational therapist and devoted her life to being a good mother and a good person. In every way, I think of her as a model human being. If anybody deserves to get to heaven by being good, I think Melissa will get in.

Yet, what will happen to Melissa when she dies? The Bible teaches unequivocally that we no human being is “good enough” to get to heaven based on their personal perfection. Some religions try to get around the sin problem by saying that we can spend some time in purgatory after we die paying penance for past sins, or that we will be reincarnated again and again until we “get it right” (which is only ever theoretically possible). Christianity alone offers a “once for all” answer to the sin problem and tells us that there is a way to get to heaven… a “free” way…but that it isn’t by having “good works” that outweigh “bad works” on the balance of life. It’s through faith in Christ, who did all the “good works” for us and died in our place to pay for our sins…the greatest “cultural exchange” of all time: “For our sake he [God] has made him [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:11). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

I do not know what will happen to Melissa, because I do not really know what she believes. Although I had lively discussions about faith and Christ with her husband (whom Alan and I knew for 10 years before they married), Melissa kept her religious views strictly (and politely) to herself. She was from a Christian background, but that’s all she was ever willing to divulge.

Yesterday it was very hard for her to talk. She mostly whispered. I hope I get to see her again before she passes from this life to the next, but in the meantime…I’ve decided to bite the bullet and write her a letter just to share the gospel. If she’s a believer, it will make her happy. If she’s not a believer…well, perhaps it will at least cause her to stop and consider. What does a person stand to lose? If there is no God, then death is the end of everything. If Jesus is right, then the believer stands to gain an eternal life of happiness in heaven! Why not choose the hope of life over the dread of death?

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)

Rise Up, My Love (43): Leaping and Skipping

Song of Solomon 2:8 “The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.”  Although the bride may have been the last to drift off to sleep, it is the bridegroom who is the first to awaken!  It is he who was as silent as the doe in not disturbing her rest when he slipped out of their house to drink in the morning, but now he returns to awaken her so that she can join him in his joyful pursuit of life.  How like our Lord this is, who declared, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

“The voice of my beloved!”  This is one of very few times in the Scripture where an exclamation mark is used in the KJV. “The voice of my beloved!” Did it awaken her out of a sound sleep?  Had she been dreaming of dwelling—like Peter—forever on a mountaintop with her Lord? Had she been sleeping so deeply, like the church at the end times, that she wasn’t dreaming at all? “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Pro. 29:18).  Had she been lulled into such a contented rest that she was in danger of lethargy? “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14).

Whatever her sleep, and whatever her danger, her precious husband returns to her and awakens her with the sound of his voice!  “The voice of my beloved!” Exclamation mark! Hearing and recognizing his voice is the thrill of her life, and she is instantly awake.What a voice it is!  His voice thunders (Job 40:9), and at the sound of his voice, flames of fire divide, the hinds calve, the wilderness shakes, and the earth melts (Psalm  29:7-9; 46:6).  His voice is “as the sound of many waters” (Revelation 1:15). His voice called Adam, confounded the scholars, condemned the Pharisees, calmed the sea, cast out demons, and comforted weeping Mary at the tomb. It is the music of heaven and our hearts.  No other voice resonates so richly  with all the chords of mercy, grace, and every holy perfection to produce this song of love…this matchless song of songs…and all for us, his beloved ones.  May our hearts be as thrilled and awakened by his voice of love as was the heart of the bride!To “leap” is “to spring forward swiftly… bound…the distance covered by a jump” (Webster, 833).  Our beloved comes to us, bounding swiftly across the mountains like a graceful deer—leaping over each mountain in a single jump!  See his power and energy.  See his eagerness and grace.  No mountain is too high: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Praise God that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us!” (Romans 8:37-39). Nothing, nothing… no physical mountain nor spiritual obstacle is too great for our Lord to overcome as he leaps over the mountains to join us to himself. “Leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.” To “skip” is to “spring lightly…gaily…to pass over without noticing…a gait in which hops and steps are alternated” (Webster, 1367). Our Lord leaped over each mountain in a single bound, but he skipped across the hills gaily, without noticing…hopping and stepping, effortlessly and with delight.  “Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever” (Psalm 68:16).

God leaps and skips, and he causes his creation to leap for joy as well. Are there mountains and hills of adversity in your life?  Do not despair.  Can you see? God desires to dwell in them; they are his and there by his design, but he will come flying across them to you.  Oh, awaken my soul, and lift up your eyes to behold your king, leaping across the rugged terrain to be with you! “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber” (Psalm 121:1-3).

No, our heavenly keeper will not slumber, even though we may think he is asleep.  Instead, we are aroused by his voice, only to find that He has been out, busy about his Father’s business.  And, as our eyes begin to search the horizon, we see him coming to us, leaping and skipping across the wild, mountainous terrain of the world about us, eager to join us to himself!

The Armstrong Archives (43): Inspiring Parents

January 3, 1978  “The Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised…” Deut. 15:6

Dear Mom and Dad, What a wonderful Christmas! There’s such a list of things to thank you for, I’m sure to forget a dozen or so! We had a delicious beef stew last night made in your pressure cooker—my first attempt. It only took thirty minutes to cook and tasted just great. Thanks also for the key puzzle, the legos, the beads for Michael (which I can’t find! Did I leave them at your house accidentally? Save them and Michael will enjoy them in May), the old National Geographics, and our subscription for Aaron, the books for all of us, the key chain and key case, all the Christmas festivities—tree, decorations, stockings (yummy), meals, cashews, having Danny over, all the work in preparing for us, taking care of us, and cleaning up after us, the delicious candy which takes so many hours to make, baby sitting (and the book for baby sitters), the fantastic lunch you sent home with us, and most of all for the chance to be with you and talk. Hopefully we can come back in May and have more leisure for talking. We had such a great time and really appreciated your having us. [Fun to read this 35 years later as a grandmother, trying to do the same sorts of things for my kids. My mother was a most inspiring example!]Thursday, January 12, 1978 It’s really snowy here! We got home late from prayer meeting last night, and my two little ones have decided to sleep in…so who am I to complain?!!

Alan’s back in school doing a pediatric rotation at Children’s Hospital. He walks to work every day (about seven blocks), so he says the snow can come as long as we have heat and food…Last time we had a bad storm it took him one and a half hours to drive home three miles because Detroit becomes just about immobilized by heavy snows.

Aaron took a big chip out of a front tooth the other day when he fell backwards over his tricycle. Poor guy! I’m just thankful he doesn’t have his permanent teeth yet. He’s also getting two-year molars—two buds showing through— which has made him even more of a “Be Held by Mama Bunny.”Michael continues to delight us with coos and smiles. He’s starting to blow bubbles and reach for things like my fork and plate! (He often likes to sit on my lap during supper.) People comment every once in a while that they think he looks like me, and I eat it right up. Funny how ego-oriented we people are!

The name To Love and Chasten for your book has grown on me. Somehow it sounds more sophisticated than A Home Is Where You Find It, but it certainly is catchy. Unfortunately, I find myself emotionally involved and not too objective. I would delight in reading anything Mom writes. You’re “lucky” (fortunate, or whatever—blessed?) to have a professional writing professor and critic for a husband—especially one who’s willing to help you!! Hope you get some time to write now. Dad, have you made any decisions about when you’re going to retire? [This is also interesting to me, since Alan is now trying to decide when to retire! Time flies and the generations roll over so quickly…in retrospect! :)]

Lots of love, XOXOXOXO, Us

What’s More Fun at the Zoo: Watching Critters or Kids?

I hope wherever you live, there’s a zoo not too far awaybecause visiting the zoo is just such a fun thing to do! In fairness, though, I have to say that watching the kids and grand kids is every bit as fun for me as watching the animals! We took a day to visit the John Ball Zoo here in GR. It was a bright, sunny day, and the critters were just as curious about us as we were about them! The penguins would follow Reuben’s fingers,and even old Mr. Tortoise came slowly over for a closer look! Some of the creatures were pretty scary looking, and then we were glad there was a strong glass between us! Some of the displays were totally captivating and highly educational,  but we kept a tight grip on the kidssince—after all—nobody should really go swimming with a grizzly bear. But, most of the creatures were totally harmless, and exciting even for babies! Besides all the fascinating animals, there were friendly volunteers who taught us about the animals. Even along the pathways astute little mindsnoticed some of God’s beautifully crafted butterflies and flowers. Since we knew it was going to be a big day,we took a mid-morning break with the reptiles to enjoy a little smackerel of apples. With more fuel in the tanks we were ready to press on…feeling quite a bit more lively than the chimps! Actually, the kids had no shortage of energy for most of the day, although I identified more with these wart hogs… and rather envied the flamingos, who could dip in a shady pool. Ah, but here’s something the animals couldn’t do: Sit at a shady table sipping lemonade and sharing ice cream! The critters only got to peck at the crumbs that fell from our table. There were some things that even baby boys were too small to do. (Notice that Joel is wearing Giles’ hat. Giles kept pulling it off, & we were afraid of losing it!) You have to be a very big boy to go for a camel ride with Grandma…and a pretty big boy to ride with Mama. (Of course, we were being led by a trainer, but let’s not tell anybody.) The John Ball Zoo has a great petting farm where you can feed and groom little goats. Giles wasn’t too small for the petting zoo…but he was too sleepy! Our last stop was the aviary. For $1 you could buy a stick with millet and bird seeds on it and help serve up a birdy afternoon snack. The kids didn’t think it looked as good as ice cream, but the bird brains did. After that, we left for home with our hearts full of happy memories…glad to be alive, and full of wonder at God’s creativity!

“It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to your name, O most High; to show forth your loving kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night…for you, LORD, have made me glad through your work..how great are your works!” (Psalm 92:1-5)

Do Babies Really Like Meijer Gardens?

Mejier Gardens is a world-class botanical garden  and one of the most beautiful places in Grand Rapids, but is it a place where you really want to take your kids and grand kids…or is it more appropriate as a romantic garden setting for adults and lovers? Most of the attractions are intended to bend your mind but not be touched, although an inquisitive touch now & then probably doesn’t really hurt anything. Actually, Alan and I love Meijer Gardens so well that we get annual passes with guest and grandchild privileges, because we know that our entire family—even toddling babies—love Meijer Garden! 🙂 So, when Aaron brought his family to visit not long ago, we took them to Meijer.   The day before,  Alan ruptured a calf muscle trying to catch one of Grandson Rueben’s fly balls and couldn’t walk very far, but the kids were delighted with the privilege of sitting on Grandpa’s lap while their dad pushed everybody, and Aaron seemed to take special pleasure in helping his dad. (Adult children are truly wonderful! Also, Alan’s walking fine again. Thank you, Divine Healer!) Besides all the splendid flowers and sculptures that are universally appealing Meijer Gardens has some special places just for kids, like this interactive play area where children (yes, even babies!) can design their own sculpture park. In the conservatory, there are not only wondrous plants and waterways,there are exotic birds to watch,  and no end of fascinating places one might wish to explore…if only allowed…There is so much for everyone to see and learn at the garden, and it’s the perfect place to teach babies gentleness and respect for living things. Although most of the 132-acre botanical garden & sculpture park is for viewing, there is an entire garden area dedicated to kids & designed to be touchable  and delightful for children! The Lena Meijer Children’s Garden has a special entrance for the wee folk, although adults are welcome too. One of the things our grand kids love best on warm summer days is to sail boats through the cleverly designed “Great Lakes”-shaped pools. (See Niagara Falls?) Even the shortest sailors can manage their boats on Lake Erie. 🙂 Lena Meijer’s Children’s Garden is filled with whimsical topiaries such as this frog prince and this young maiden. The kids had a super time playing with all the interactive critters,exploring castaway huts and clubhouses,making daring crossings of swinging rope bridges to reach the tree house,& feeling on top of the world sitting in the Eagle’s Nest…(er…on robin eggs)…and nary a soul could resist stopping for a tea party after a big day of adventures. I would say that for young and old—even babies—Meijer Gardens is irresistible!

When I was in China some years ago, the government did not allow anyone under 18 to attend their “three-self patriotic churches,” which are the only Protestant churches sanctioned by the communist government. Just as Meijer Garden is perhaps most fully appreciated by adults, I’m sure Christianity is most fully understood by adults. HOWEVER, just as even very small children can learn and grow by exposure to beauty, I believe no one is too young to learn about the majesty and wonder of God, his love for us, and his amazing gospel! May we bring our children to God and let them learn about Him!

“But when Jesus saw it, he was very displeased, and said to them, ‘Allow the little children to come to me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God’.” (Mark 10:14)

Pig Talk: Just What Kind of Pig in a Blanket are YOU?

At the Ionia County Fair, we were totally taken with the way pigs sleep. I mean, they’re very companionable, but they sleep every which way. So, I thought I’d share a few choice porky shots and let you think about whether or not you have anything in common with these plump pals. Is your favorite sleeping style:Piggy Back?Pigtangular Not too pigtugular Piggy Pillow Talker Solo Piggalo Spoon-fashioned/aka Pig Fashioned Moon over Myhami Pork Bellies Upside DownyPigtacular! (’cause you’ve got your back covered)

“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).

Mystery at Chinaman’s Hat

If you’re ever in Oahu looking for adventure, secluded beaches, sea caves, and  spectacular views of the majestic Koolau Mountains think about visiting Chinaman’s Hat (aka “Mokolii),  a small island off the windward coast of Oahu at the north end of Kaneohe Bay,  just offshore (and part of) Kualoa Regional Beach Park.  If you come about 25 minutes before low tide on a calm day, they say an adult can walk the 1,477 ft.to Chinaman’s Hat in 45 mins. without the water  getting more than 4 ft deep (on the west side, to the left of the bricks), although I’ve heard you should wear some type of foot protection, take a guide  for tides (so you don’t get stranded by strong currents and high tides)…and  frankly, if you’re not keen on traversing hammerhead shark breeding grounds,  you might prefer taking a boat or kayak, the 20-minute climb to the top for some stunning views, a walk around the island, and then head home.      Or, you can do what we did: just stay ashore and have fun looking! Michael and Grace took us all for a picnic there one evening. Chinaman’s Hat is so named because the 206-foot basalt peak looks like the straw hat that a Chinese man might wear. From the island’s peak, you can also enjoy vistas of picturesque Mokapu Peninsula, which houses a marine base. We arrived on a cloudy June evening in time to walk on the beach, play in the sand, look for shells, and go for a swim. Grace and I watched the kids, and Alan watched Michael master-minding a grand supper of brats and beans with specially marinated zucchini that would beat french fries for me any day! While we were on the beach, Judah kept noticing helicoptersand planes flying overhead, and round and round Chinaman’s Hat, but we didn’t think much of it, because we knew it was a marine base. But, after 2 and sometimes 3 helicopters would be buzzing about overhead, sometimes so low that it created a windstorm, we definitely began to wonder if something was amiss. The girls finished their swim and dragged their driftwood up to our picnic spot. Judah was delighted!  The girls wrapped up in towels  to get warm and dry  while they waited for Michael to finish grilling dinner. The sunset was spectacular as the sun slipped behind the mountains. We ate a yummy dinner all the while watching the helicopters sweeping back and forth overhead, and all up and down the coast and around Chinaman’s Hat  in the gathering gloom of night. What were they looking for? What had happened? Had someone drowned or disappeared? We strained our eyes but couldn’t see anyone in the water or on the island. 

Michael prayed with us, asking the Lord to protect anyone who was at risk and save them from harm. Then, we left for home, and the kids were all fast asleep in minutes. We never did figure out what happened, but it was quite eery and unsettling to know some mysterious, secret thing was doubtless afoot. Hopefully nobody died. If anybody reading this knows what happened there on the night of June 18, 2013, please let us know! Meanwhile, it made me think of all the times in life when there’s something that makes me anxious, but I really don’t understand what’s going on. My spiritual mom, “Mommu,” shared a verse with me that I always think of at such times: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

A Free Peek at the Ionia Free Fair

Ionia, Michigan, hosts what is said to be the world’s largest free-admission fair,and so we went last Saturday—a perfectly gorgeous day—to check it out! Their midway has almost 50 rides and attractions, and the possibilities for eating Americana fun food…  seem practically endless!! There were so many fascinating things to see and do that I took 341 photos! So, I can’t begin to share it all, because the 9/10ths cannot be shown, but I’ll try to give you a little taste, and maybe if you like it, you’ll come to the fair yourself! There are some special exhibits, like the rare white Bengal tigers.There are very few left in the world, mostly in India, although conservationists are trying hard to breed more and hopefully re-introduce them into the wild. On Saturday there was a parade and a circus performance, but there are lots of  special activities going on daily. (The program schedules are on line.) There are numerous stalls for shopping, & you can buy a zillion different things, but we were personally more interested in the animal barns and shows. Believe it or not, when I asked a lady at one of the shopping areas where the horses and pigs were, she responded, “You mean imprinted on the blankets?  I don’t think there are any living farm animals at the fair anymore.”  I was incredulous! But, thankfully… she was completely wrong! For us, the real heart of the fair was away from all the hubbub of the carnival atmosphere and back to the basics of county country life.County fairs to us are all about country kids joining 4-H clubs, taking initiative, working hard, learning responsibility, and raising prize-winning animals that they show  (and sell) at the county fair! County fairs are the places where craftsmen can make unique items to sell and where home-spun industries can still find a market for their wares…where folks take pride in what they do and joy in telling you how it’s done! A county fair should have incredibly intricate quilts prize-winning jams & cakes, & mouth-watering pies for sale (just $1.50 a slice). We really had an awesome time admiring all the handsome cocks, and noticed that sometimes human cocks are pretty flamboyant too. 🙂We enjoyed watching the people’s curiosity about the animals… and the animals’ curiosity about people! Finally, we were so hungry that we decided we’d better stop to eat…but what?? We all agreed that we wanted some of their amazing, fresh-squeezed lemonade. But after than…well Alan wanted a throw-back to childhood, so he ordered french fries and a foot-long hotdog “with the works.” Stephen and Joel decided to go Greek (but there were many other choices too). I mooched off Alan in order to save room for a funnel cake for dessert. (Note the hand in the foreground. The cake was big enough for all four of us to share!) 🙂During lunch we tapped our toes along with one of their many bands and then took in an antique car show. Some of the old cars were just GR-RRREAT!  There are all sorts of carnival rides for the young and old,and for the die-hard thrill-rider, $22 will buy you an all-day pass. However, a spin on the Ferris wheel was delight enough for us, and then we were all ready to head home.

I hope this overview of the Ionia Free Fair was fun for you! Does it inspire you to want to go to a fair yourself? There is something even better than a free fair…a place where the food is more delicious, where there is infinitely more to see and do, and where and the atmosphere is even more thrilling yet peaceful at the same time. It is also a place where the admission is free. It is entering into the life of Christ and becoming a part of the family of God. Have you found this place of joy and peace yet? God tells us: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant” (Isaiah 55:1-3).