October is almost here! We are approaching one of my favorite times of the year. The changing of the trees, the colorful mums and bright pumpkins, the sight of combines chewing their way through the harvest-ready fields – they are all things that I enjoy.

For several years, we have assembled in our yard a corn shock and scarecrow display in the fall, complete with a square bale of hay and mums and pumpkins at the feet of the scarecrow. The grandkids dubbed the scarecrow the “silly man” years ago, and the title has stuck! It has been a great spot for grandkid pictures each year.

God is so good to us, to give us a beautiful variety of weather to enjoy.  He similarly gives us different joys at different stages of our lives.  He who made us definitely knows how to bless us!

In my book, “To Comfort a King,” Abishag repeatedly witnessed the simple, yet so intense, passion that King David and Bathsheba shared. On the king’s good days, the two of them enjoyed just sitting together and chatting quietly about the events of the day. They sometimes reminisced about favorite memories from their past. Even when the king was not able to respond to her, Bathsheba affectionately stroked his white hair, or kissed his dry lips, or cupped his wrinkled face with her own aged palm. And sometimes, they just were together silently, each taking comfort in the mere presence of the other.

In many ways, the aged population in our society is considered “worthless.” Perhaps it is that group of people who truly know how to love. The brash urgency of young passion has been replaced by a tender patience whose purpose is to please and uplift one’s partner. They understand the importance of a warm quilt of lovely memories shared with their loved one. They have a matured sense of the brevity of life and are determined to make their moments together count.

If you have been blessed to observe an older couple in your family or your church congregation, learn from their example! Honor and serve your life partner or your dearest friend with a greater appreciation for the joys you can share as you create memories to keep you warm in your old age.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

Have you found yourself in a place where you wonder, How can God use THIS to prosper me? In my book, “To Comfort a King,” Abishag begins to question God’s goodness in placing her in the king’s service. She suffers many personal losses as well as scorn from some in the palace. Will she grow bitter toward God?

Those of us who grew up in church know the words of Romans 8:28, promising that all things will work together for the good of those who love the Lord. Knowing the words and experiencing the promise are two very different things! Claiming God’s grace as we work through sorrows and disappointments in life is not an easy thing. Human nature would foster bitterness, anger and discontent in those situations. Graciously accepting the circumstances that God puts in our paths can happen only as a result of the confidence we can find in Jeremiah 29:11.

Hasn’t everyone held a baby and felt his tiny fingers curl tightly around one of their own? Babies seem to crave human touching. Often they can be hushed immediately by the familiar touch of their mother. Many mothers know how to soothe a crying child by softly patting his back, or smoothing a fingertip across his eyebrow, or rubbing a thumb across his cheek.

Do we outgrow the need for human touch? When my youngest child was 11, he still sat on my lap occasionally. I remember thinking to myself: I hope he never gets too old to do this. But, he did. In only another year, it was no longer cool to relate to his mother that way. When the children are small, it is so natural to hug them, and kiss them, and tell them how much we love them. Why does it get so difficult when they get older?

In my book “To Comfort a King,” much of the comfort Abishag provides the king is through touch. She massages his aching arms and legs and shoulders. She washes his hair for him. She applies lotions following the baths. She tucks warm blankets close to him.

What happens when the king returns that comfort and touches Abishag? It completes the circle of their friendship, and it becomes a very precious part of their relationship. Is there someone you love who needs your touch?

The Bible tells us in I Kings 1 that Abishag was chosen simply for her beauty from all the women of Israel as a companion for King David in his last days. Evidently, those who were in charge of the selection hoped that the physical attraction of a beautiful young virgin would be enough to keep the king warm.  That was not at all the result of the relationship between Abishag and King David.

In my book, “To Comfort a King,” Bathsheba puts a further requirement on the position:  She must be able to play the harp.  King David belittles the girl’s asset of beauty – “What have I to do with beauty at my age?” he asks.  After he hears Abishag play his harp, however, he acknowledges that she does have comfort to offer him.

Would he have given a homely woman the same opportunity to comfort him?  Was it Abishag’s outer beauty that endeared her to the king?  Hardly!  By that time in his life, King David had gained an appreciation for inner beauty.  Abishag’s gift of playing the harp formed an immediate bond between them.  It was a joy they could and would share, regardless of how beautiful – or homely — Abishag might have been.

Abishag wisely took no credit for her beauty.  She perhaps even considered it a hindrance.  It had, after all, interrupted her life and postponed her marriage.  She did not want to be valued simply for her appearance.  She longed for someone to love her for all the reasons no eyes could see.  Would that need be fulfilled by anyone at the palace?

Somewhere I read the following: The sweetest sound made by two voices is not a song in perfectly matched unison, but the lovely sound of two distinct voices blended into perfect harmony. (If a reader knows to whom I should credit that bit of wisdom, please respond!)

This applies to so much more than just music! We all have our own preconceived notions of “perfection.” The “perfect” friend, the “perfect” job, the “perfect” place to live. And on and on. What a colorless world this would be if perfection were the same for everyone! We would all want to live in the same place. We would all want the same job.

It has often been said, “Celebrate the differences!” In my book, “To Comfort a King,” Abishag and King David were two of the most unlikely people to end up as dear friends. Abishag came from a tiny village where she had lived all her life. King David ruled the entire nation of Israel. What could they have in common?

They discovered a mutual passion for music from their harps. Making music together was their way of relating intimately. At first, Abishag tried to anticipate and match the king’s next fingering on the strings, and was frustrated with her inability to do so. Eventually, she chose to simply harmonize with his music. The resulting music carried them both to indescribable heights of pleasure.

Do we often discount possible relationships based on apparent differences in personality or interests? Do we hesitate to open ourselves to someone who is different from us? What pleasures we thereby deny ourselves!

“What Is a Friend?  A single soul shared by two people.”  Aristotle

My high school English teacher was also a Life Teacher.  He was not content to know that we could tell a verb from a noun, or to know that we had been exposed to some of history’s great literature, or that we knew how to organize and present an interesting speech.  His desire as a teacher was that his students learn how to THINK and how to verbalize those thoughts.  Even beyond that, he wanted us to learn how to apply the wisdom of others to our own lives.

One assignment in sophomore English that lasted the entire school year was journaling.  Most of my fellow students very much disliked that assignment.  In contrast, that was my favorite part of English class.  I was a shy young woman with no self-confidence, and Mr. Wilkins made it his personal responsibility to cultivate some “inner arrogance” within me.  Every Monday morning when the journals were returned to us, I looked for some place where I could go to be alone to read the red-inked responses that had been written in the page margins for me to consider.  My journals were dialogues between the two of us that became the foundation for our lifelong friendship.

Mr. Wilkins often offered journaling suggestions for the benefit of those who claimed, “I don’t have anything to write about!”  Occasionally, those “suggestions” were assignments, to further prod the reluctant ones.  One such assignment was to select a quotation and write about how it could be applied to my life.  Oh, my!  I doubt that even Mr. Wilkins would ever have dreamed that my fascination with quotations would become so life-consuming.

I remember telling Mr. Wilkins that I wished I could have a book of quotations similar to one he often lent me.  On April 17, 1972, I had scratched together enough money from babysitting and summer jobs to purchase “The International Dictionary of Thoughts,” an encyclopedia of quotations from every age for every occasion.  It was an 1145-page volume of wisdom at my fingertips.  And it still is.  I have it on my desk for ready reference.

One of the quotations I found early was the one that begins this entry:  “What is a friend?  A single soul shared by two people.”  That explains King David and Abishag.

March 2, 2014