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{Heart Touchers} *Harvest Moon* 10/1/01
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We had a wonderful camping trip, but it is good to be
back with all of you! Today we start off our week of stories
about farming. I could think of no better story to begin with
than "Harvest Moon" By Kenneth L. Pierpont. For those of
you who aren't aware of it, we are supposed to have a harvest
moon for the next night or two...
May all of you have a great week and thank you for
being a part of Heart Touchers!
From my family to yours,
Michael
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Harvest Moon
By Kenneth L. Pierpont
He was a farmer, a factory laborer, and a country
pastor. He worked hard and lived simply and loved
his family. He could be a good neighbor, too. He
farmed a small hill-farm and raised beef and some
grain for feed. In the summer his grandchildren
would come and they would bail hay, fish the pond
and eat sweet corn and garden-ripe tomatoes.
When harvest-time came he would piece
together his old one-row corn picker and oil it
up for the season. It had seen many seasons.
He pulled it behind a little Ford 9-N and hooked
a wagon on the back. It was a noisy contraption
unlike these huge modern green monsters you
see shaving the grain off wide, flat fields in wide
gulps these days.
His whole operation was like that. Basic. His life
was like that, too. He worked hard, helped others
and you could count on him keep his promises.
That's what made it so hard one autumn when time
and responsibilities and difficult circumstances
closed in on him. He needed to harvest a few acres
of his own corn. He also promised to harvest a
few ribbons of corn that wound around the hills
on a friend's farm, too. Problems came. First
equipment trouble. Usually he was able to
fabricate something or rig the equipment so the
job could be done but after he had harvested his
own corn his little corn picker coughed, sputtered
and quit. It was out of use until a special part
came from distant lands and that would be too
late to help his year. Then the equipment problem
was followed by a time problem. The factory had
orders to fill and began to require overtime. He was
leaving the farm before light and arriving home after dark.
He sat at the kitchen table and nursed a cup
of awful coffee while he wondered aloud what to
do. His wife said that there was simply nothing he
could do. He would have to tell his friend that he
couldn't help with his corn. He thought long and
the idea didn't set well with him. His friend was
depending on him. "If you don't have the
equipment, you just can't do it," his wife said.
"Well, I could do it the way we used to do it. I
could harvest it by hand." "You don't have time
to do that with the overtime, besides it would be dark."
He consulted the Farmer's Almanac. Late in
October there would be another full moon. It is
called the harvest moon because it gives farmers
more light and increases their harvest time. If
the Lord gives us clear weather, I think I can do it.
And he did. The weather was cold and clear and
the moon was brilliant. After work he made his way
to the field and his wife met him in the truck with
dinner and a thermos of more of the awful, strong,
black coffee. Then he worked through the night to
keep his word.
Late one autumn in 1958 he had a grandson. He
and his wife got in their car and drove across the
state to see him. They would share the same name.
Kenneth Pierpont.
I know this story well, because the farmer was
my grandfather. I'm proud to have the same
name as he did. I've spent hours on the fender
of the tractor with my grandpa. I've even suffered
through some of that same awful coffee. But I had
never heard about this incident until I was having
a talk with my grandmother one day about
values she and grandpa believed very deeply in.
Hard work, and keeping your promises.
My grandpa did work hard and keep his promises.
He also loved his family. I am proud to have his
name. Sometimes, when I am tempted to cut
corners or defer responsibilities, I think of my
grandfather out under the harvest moon bending
low and swinging his sharp corn-knife in a wide
arch. I can hear the thump of ears of corn hitting
the floor of the wagon and the music of geese
honking their way across the cold October sky
against the brilliance of the harvest moon.
In the dark early hours of the morning, when his
work was done He crawled his tired body up in to
the seat of the old tractor and made his way home.
Behind him in the pale moonlight, I can see row
after row of corn shocks standing at attention in
respect for a man who keeps his word.
Kenneth L. Pierpont
ken@kenpierpont.com
Write Kenneth and let him know what you thought of his story!
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Ken Pierpont is a pastor and communicator who
lives in Fremont, Michigan with his wife of twenty-two
years and their eight children. You can read
more of his writing and meet his family on his web site:
http://kenpierpont.com . He send a free e-mail
newsletter each Monday morning called the
Stonebridge Newsletter. You can contact him at
ken@kenpierpont.com .
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"All sunshine makes a desert.
--Arabian Proverb
Verse for the Day:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you
face trials of many kinds, because you know that
the testing of your faith develops perseverance."
James 1:2,3
Kid's Thought For The Day:
"Ten minutes is short if it's a recess and long
if it's a punishment."
Parent's Thought For The Day
"No need to worry about your teenagers when
they're not at home. A national survey revealed
that they all go to the same place -'out'- and they
all do the same thing -'nothing'." --Bruce Lansky
Coach's Thought For The Day
"You cannot attain and maintain physical condition
unless you are morally and mentally conditioned.
And it is impossible to be in moral condition unless
you are spiritually conditioned. I always told my
players that our team condition depended on two
factors -- how hard they worked on the floor during
practice and how well they behaved between practices..."
--John Wooden, College Basketball's all-time winningest coach
Deep Thought For The Day:
"Mankind is divided into two classes: those who
earn their living by the sweat of their brow, and
those who sell them handkerchiefs, cold drinks,
and electric fans."
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REQUESTS:
I would like to request prayer for my mother. She is a walking miracle, but is having knee replacement surgery today, and I always wonder if this will be the time that God chooses to take her to Himself. She had cancer ten years ago, and was not expected to live at all, but if the surgery she had succeeded, she MIGHT live up to five years. As you can see, she beat those odds and many, many more. She is 76 and the most lovable little lady who loves to laugh and had her heart's desire come true on Labor Day weekend when her entire family all met together for a reunion. There are only 35 of us now! She has five daughters, ten grandchildren and three great grandchildren, so there are many people who would love to see her triumph once again over this hurdle. Your prayers would be appreciated that she will have a swift recovery and will have as little pain as possible since she has had a life of physical pain already.
Thank you for being there, it is great to know I can ask this list and that people will act!
Anne Jones
D A J SB@aol.com
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_
/_/\/\ MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ / HeartTouchers@aol.com
/_/ \ "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no
\_\/\ \ longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I
\_\/ live in the body I live for the Son of God, who
loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galatians 2:20
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My mom mentioned how the songs were perfect
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