Inspirational Articles
by
Bonnie Wheat

Bonnie Wheat is a pastor's wife, author, and Christian counselor. A former teacher, Bonnie has a Ph.D. in psychology and Christian counseling. She is the author of "God Gives a Song: Walking with God through a Crisis." She has also written for several publications including "Mature Living," "Texas Baptist," "The Upper Room," and a Guidepost devotional series. Bonnie writes a weekly article for the church page of her local newspaper, "The Big Spring Herald." She and her husband, Dwayne, live in Big Spring, Texas where they minister at Berea Baptist Church.

You may contact her at:
101 Washington Blvd., Big Spring, TX 79720
Tel. 915-714-4306 • E-mail her at brwheat@suddenlink.net

Just Searching for an Old Bumbershoot
By Bonnie Wheat

It has been so long since I used my bumbershoot that I can’t even remember where it is or what it looked like. I think it was black and had a plastic handle, and it seems like I may have seen it in the top of a closet or in the trunk of my car. Wherever it was, it was in a safe place so that it wouldn’t get wet in case of rain.

Actually, I had never even heard of a bumbershoot until near the end of my teaching career a story about a little boy who had an umbrella and a grandfather who had a bumbershoot was published in a first-grade textbook. My six-year-old students were fascinated with the word, and I tucked it away somewhere in my memory.

While I have never claimed to be a history buff, I think bumbershoots may have become so dated that they had to be reinvented as umbrellas. They may have gone completely out of style when the haberdashers closed and the mercantile stores went out of business.

Although I don’t recall ever hearing the word “bumbershoot” roll off anyone’s tongue in a conversation, I was surprised to see it in print recently. In an effort to restore a few antiquated English words into usage, the Reader’s Digest included the ear-pricking word in their Word Power feature recently. I was delighted to see at least one word on the page that I recognized. It was almost like meeting an old friend in an unexpected place.

In the Scripture, Jesus promised His disciples that they would have a similar experience of more significance: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26 NASB).

When we place ourselves under the protection of God’s umbrella, we can be assured that He will bring encouraging words to our minds at the exact time we need to remember them.

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