A good name for a good horse. Okay, we can’t debate forever on what her name will be — besides, there is a new puppy joining our farm in the near future that would also deserve a name. We were still hanging in the balance; there really were too many options.
Then one night we had a family over for dinner. They have become close to our family. The Amish lifestyle was never a part of their lives, but somehow we just clicked. Whenever they’d come down from Chicago they’d stop by; while Daniel was still with us, he and Mr. Dave would talk for hours about hunting, maintenance that would need to be done on their vacation home, or simply about life. Daniel enjoyed those times. How well I recall those first times they would come by our house and Mrs. Michelle would come to the door with her little son and daughter. Little did I imagine where our relationship would take us. When Mr. Dave’s uncle was drawing close to the finish line of life on earth, Daniel went down to his log home and spent precious time with him. After his passing, we as a family were honored to join family members for a memorial ceremony on the dock of his lake, where we would sometimes go to swim or fish. I can still see those flower petals floating gently over the water as we sprinkled them on the ripples. It was a beautiful day; together we were reminded of the brevity that life holds. We do not know what the next moment will hold for any of us. A year later there was the heart-rending reality of breaking the news that Daniel was hurt... and went home to be with Jesus.
Now when they came to see us, there were dimensions we never expected to brave together. Their support was real. Mrs. Michelle would come by with food dishes or offer to come help me with any needed projects. Sometimes we’d just sit together, share tea, and discuss motherhood. That first time Mr. Dave came after Daniel was gone, I was quite curious when I saw them carrying a long, flat package. “Whatever could it be?” I wondered. Upon opening it, I was amazed. It was a green road sign, just like you would see on the corner of a street. This is what it said: Daniel Yoder Way. Precious.
Now that Daniel is no longer here, I find comfort in still connecting with some of his friends. When Dave’s family recently came to the area for a week and a half, we had the honor of hosting them for supper. It was refreshing, and I treasured the time together. After supper the older boys wanted to go look for deer. Us ladies decided to take the open wagon and bring the children along for a drive to see how many deer we could find in the neighboring fields. My children were especially pleased to take their two children along. Their daughter Lucy, who is 16, has an amazing knack for having fun with children and staying in charge in a good way without getting them too rowdy. Wyatt, who is 13, has helped Austin in numerous ways — getting him geared up for hunting or passing on a bicycle or other items he had outgrown. Most of all, when there is a praying mother, there is a special touch on growing children who leave behind a strength that blesses others.
So on this summer evening we all piled on, that is, besides Mr. Dave, who had another appointment after supper. As we started down the dirt road we were talking about the latest name we were tossing around for the new horse. “We’ve been thinking about Selah,” I said. I went on to tell of some of the verses in Psalms that end with the word “Selah,” such as Psalm 3:4, which says, “I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.” The word “Selah” instructs us to pause and meditate. In the same way, as we think of her name, we are prompted to pause and meditate on the wonder of God’s provision — how He gave us a horse for Father’s Day when we missed our faithful old horse, and how He never short-changes us, even when He takes away what is near and dear to us!
Imagine how silly it felt when we were discussing her name and Selah stopped right there on the road. “Does she know what her name means?” we laughed.
Was she trying to put it into practice?! After a bit it wasn’t so funny anymore. She would not move. I tried this, I tried that — she’d go a little, then stop abruptly. She even stopped while going down a curvy blacktop hill. “Why, it’s not even safe,” I told myself.
She would not go. I don’t profess to be the greatest horse lady, but I do like my horse, and she always does anything I ask her to do. What was going on? At one point we decided to see if we could get her turned around and head home. It was a chore, but we got ‘er done. At about that point she found her gears once more and clipped down the road. Okay, of all things , what does that tell us?!
“Maybe you just need to change her name!” quipped Lucy. We brainstormed over what name would really motivate her to go for it. “Cheetah!” she said. “Go, Cheetah, go!” Together we laughed as we clipped on toward home.
Thankfully, with just a bit of extra teaching, she now takes us whenever and wherever we need to go, even with her new name, Selah!
I’ll be passing on Mrs. Michelle’s ice cream cookie recipe. Enjoy making it with some youngsters!
Ice Cream Cookies
1 cup butter softened
2 cups flour
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup blueberry or strawberry preserves (or another favorite flavor)
Mix softened butter and flour, then add ice cream. (If you have little ones helping you, you’ll be sure to get giggles from this part!). Chill until dough is slightly firm. Form into balls and place on cookie sheet. Flatten slightly and press a thumb print on top. Fill center with your choice of preserves.Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Gloria Yoder is an Amish house-wife in rural Illinois. She is the third writer of The Amish Cook column since its inception in 1991. Yoder can be reached by writing: The Amish Cook, P.O. Box 157, Middletown, Ohio 45042.
