22 May 1825 Fox River, White County, Illinois
As I work outside in the garden, I do some of my deepest thinking. Just as I do a physical digging, hoeing, and planting, I do the same with my mental thoughts. How in the name of the Lord’s Providence am I going to weed out all the unthinkable that will come our way? I have little recourse. I have little powers as a mother and a woman. I have little abilities that can save us.
This is the third summer my husband Daniel is not here. In that time, I have learned that I am entitled to one third of the farm as Daniel left no will. All the goods in the house do belong to me. Who doesn’t belong to me is our children…my precious son and daughter. The children are the property of their father. Without his protection, my son can and probably will be taken from me to be bonded out to a farmer as an apprentice. My boy Amos is only 7 years old…how could this happen? In the meanwhile, my adult stepsons have promised on their word that they will help out.
Each swipe of the hoe on the earth is like a silent prayer being prayed. Each planting of a seed is like asking God to plant strength and resilience inside me. Like the promise of a good yield in the garden, I feel the promise of an unexpected faith and strength to subside me and my family. As I brush my hands together as I end my work, I place the hoe back by the cabin. The hands together are like a silent Amen as I finish my prayer of petition. “Lord, give me unexpected strength to meet this trial.”
~Rhoda Howell Boultinghouse
Note: Rhoda was my second great grandmother. With the death of her husband Daniel in 1823, she had to face many trials alone. Her fears of her son being taken from her were realized on 27 July 1835 when he was bounded out to Benjamin McCallister in Christian County, Kentucky. From Illinois to Kentucky…where will the Boultinghouse story lead next?
