Amazing Grace

“This man doesn’t have much of earthly goods, but he has more than most people because he has a thankful heart.” Eric Enstrom

                       

 Have you come across this piece of art? Perhaps this picture was on the wall at your Grandparent’s house.  You might even have the picture displayed in your own home. I would appreciate hearing from you, if you have come across it. Apparently it is one of the most reproduced pictures of the 20th Century.

 And I was inspired to write a post about it.

 Every few years our colony hosts a garage sale, with all proceeds going to the various charities we support. 2022 was one of those years. The sale was a huge success and it brought us much joy putting it on, especially knowing that it will help with our efforts in providing basic needs to people here and abroad. We couldn’t do it so successfully without the help of other communities and individuals who donated stuff for the cause: clothes, collectables, furniture, picture frames, books, games, puzzles, household items, sports equipment and so much more! With aisles and aisles of items there really was something for everyone. 

One of the treasures I found is something I’ve wanted for years, after seeing it grace the walls of a few homes. It’s a picture frame of an elderly man sitting at a table, his head bowed in grateful prayer for the simple meal before him. The reverence, gratitude, serenity and simplicity captured in the picture always touched me. Furthermore, each time I saw the picture, the man reminded me of a Hutterite Grandpa of bygone years.

I didn’t know who donated this item to our garage sale, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it was going home with me. After finding a place to hang it, I stood back to admire it and wondered where the original painting came from. I was compelled to do a little research to see what I can learn. I found this fascinating website and learned that Grace was actually the painting’s title and the story behind it:

 In 1918, a silver-haired gentleman, who happened to be a foot scraper peddler, visited Eric Enstrom’s photography studio in Bovey, Minnesota, a small mining town in Itasca County. It is part of Minnesota’s Iron Range.

 The visitor was Charles Wilden. At the time of the visit, Enstrom was preparing pictures to display at a convention of the Minnesota Photographer’s Association. His theme was portraying people who during the war lived on less and still maintained grateful hearts. He asked the elderly peddler to pose with his head bowed in prayer at the table he had set up with a book, spectacles, a bowl of gruel, a loaf of bread and a knife. Wilden agreed and the photographer soon saw that prayer was part of the peddler’s character and every daily life, and not merely a pose.

 “There was something about the old gentleman’s face that immediately impressed me. I saw that he had a kind face… there weren’t any harsh lines in it,” Enstrom said in recalling the 1918 visit of Charles Wilden to his studio.

 When Enstrom studied his photo, he knew he had captured something special, it seemed to convey, “This man doesn’t have much of earthly goods, but he has more than most people because he has a thankful heart.”

The first pictures were printed in black and white or sepia. Rhoda Nyberg, Enstrom’s daughter later began painting them in oils, which increased the sales.

According to the Grace website, Enstrom remembers that his best customers for the picture in the early 1920’s were people traveling through Bovey, Minnesota who saw the picture in his studio window. As soon as one framed print was sold, he’d make another to take its place.

After nearly a half-century as a professional photographer, a career dating back to 1900 in Minneapolis and to 1907 in Bovey, Minnesota, Enstrom listed Grace as the best of the thousands of pictures he has taken.

In 2002 “Grace” was adopted as the state photograph; a copy of it is on displayed in the secretary of state’s office in St. Paul. The Enstrom family took part in this exciting event:

Generations of Enstrom’s family — his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren — traveled down to St. Paul to celebrate as a piece of family history became a piece of state history. Enstrom’s photo depicts the humbleness and grace of Wilden, with his hands folded and his head lowered, praying over a loaf of bread.

It likely never occurred to Charles Wilden, a door-to-door peddler in Bovey trying to sell shoe-scrapers in 1918, that a picture of him would be seen in many place around the world.

Someone in the US armed forces remembered seeing a copy the picture in Afghanistan and Rhoda Nyberg said she’s read letters from people in Europe who saw her father’s work there.

This prayer was written by a friend of Eric Enstrom soon after the masterpiece was created:

Lord, there may be many homes that are larger than mine. There may be tables groaning with food and drink in abundance. There may be riches in supplies and appointments. There may be conveniences on every hand and there may be physical assurance that tomorrow will bring still more. But, Lord, You have been with me unto this and supplied my necessary requirements. On that assurance I rest my belief that you will bless my efforts, if I apply them to the best of my ability, to carry on. I AM CONTENT. Amen

As we gather ‘round our festive tables with family and friends this Yuletide, may we remember it’s not what’s on the table that matters, it’s the people around it. I hope you feel – in abundant measure – the love, joy and peace that Jesus brought on that first Christmas. May you always treasure and thank God for these wondrous gifts and find ways to share them with others daily.

Advent and Christmas Blessings from our home to yours!