Mrs. Blackburn made the most delicious skillet popcorn, salted and buttered just right, served warm, right out of the pan, with lots of smiles and laughter, and a glass of lemonade in the Summer, or cup of hot cocoa in the Winter. Miss Bonny was a neighbor on our cul-de-sac on Fox Chase Lane with a long straight uphill driveway, so she could see all who entered the cul-de-sac. The driveway up to this lookout was built where an old wagon trail had traversed the neighborhood a hundred years before. She was quite a golfer, who loved to coach teenage girls to play the links, some of whom went on to play in college. Though her husband, Henry, was kind of sickly and ill, she was gregarious and very social. She loved to host my sister and me for impromptu snacks when she saw us playing or riding our bikes around the end of the street circle. The cul-de-sac oval, with four houses, had a little patch of grass inside the asphalt loop, a perfect place to play “rolly bat" or find 4 leaf clovers, but watch out for the bees! Miss Bonny would come out her front door, see us playing, smile and wave us up to her house. We knew that meant a delightful snack was coming. One particular day, my sister decided to ride her bike by herself around the circle, on our little hill in Lakemoore Hills. She was gone for a long time, but when she returned, she was talking a mile a minute, eyebrows up, and smelling like hot buttered popcorn. We knew where she had been. She explained that she had run over a black snake that was so long, it stretched all the way across the driveway. She was so scared that she didn’t stop pedaling until she got to the top of Miss Bonny’s drive. She knocked on the door and Miss Bonnie welcomed her, fixed her the wonderful skillet corn, and later sent her home after making sure the snake was gone. Whenever we heard the 1972 international hit, a cool Moog synthesizer instrumental song, “Hot Butter - Popcorn,” we were reminded of sitting in Miss Bonny’s kitchen watching her pour the oil into the large skillet, waiting for the test kernels to pop, pouring in the rest of the kernels, then shaking the pan like crazy it until the last pops sounded, dumping the steamy white mushroomed puffs into a bowl, drenching them with melted butter and generously sprinkled salt, then putting them in little bowls for each of us. Though I don’t remember her being an overly religious person, Miss Bonny acted like Jesus, welcoming people, protecting them from scary things, offering warm hospitality, and feeding them puffy delicious grains with salty melty butter. More of us need to be like Miss Bonny, a safe, caring, fun, friend to those who are in the cul-de-sacs of our lives.
Before Moses died, he wanted to bless and encourage God’s people, reminding them of His kind protection, provision, and care. God had used him to bring them out of Egypt, he had been with them in their desert wanderings, and rescued them many times from danger. He knew there would be more difficulties to come, but he also knew Yahweh’s arms were not weak. God had already brought them through many trials. Moses told the children of Israel, “There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor. The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you; he cries out, ‘Destroy them!’ So Israel will live in safety, prosperous Jacob in security, in a land of grain and new wine, while the heavens drop down dew. How blessed you are, O Israel! Who else is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your protecting shield and your triumphant sword! Your enemies will cringe before you, and you will stomp on their backs!”(Deuteronomy 33:26–29 NLT-SE) Hymn writer A.J. Showalter was encouraging some of his former students who had just experienced tremendous loss with these verses. He reminds them, “What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning on the everlasting arms; What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, Leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.” We can take comfort in God’s care and great love for us, but we also need to give that comfort to others in real, tangible ways, just like Miss Bonny Blackburn. It's a great excuse to make hot buttered popcorn for some friends! (Oh and you are welcome for putting these two songs in your head today!)
Hang in there people! God is glad to be with us! I’m praying for us all!