Be kind

Just a gentle reminder (to myself) that we are blessed with more opportunities to serve each day than we will ever fully realize...

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile. ~ Mother Teresa

Why not make a difference in the lives of others today?  Be kind.

A bowl of soup

A bowl of soup with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.  

Proverbs 15:17 (NLT) 

I've been crazy busy in the kitchen these days.  Trying to get ahead of the appetites in our household is part of what is spurring me on, but the other piece of motivation is my own innate desire to be creative.  In truth this desire keeps my heart literally overwhelmed with ideas and opportunities from knitting to embroidery, gardening, storytelling, decorating, journaling, teaching, singing, writing, seeing friends and the list is endless.  In recent weeks as I've been attempting to gain a little focus with all my ideas, the thought occurred to me that perhaps I could apply my creative desires to a need.  And our household is in a season where the need for food is at an all time high. But not just any food mind you - good, wholesome, nourishing food prepared with care and thought, delight and love.  Here's today's creation, with my adaptations.  In a word - satisfying.   You might find you need some too.

Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup

from Keep it Seasonal by Anne Wayte

1 T olive oil
1/2 lb high quality well seasoned pork, beef or lamb sausage (I used Aidells Italian Style Chicken Sausage - oh, my!! - good stuff.)
1 large white onion, cut into 1/2" dice
1 clove garlic (I used 3 cloves.)
3/4 lb baking potatoes, cut into 1" pieces
1 T chopped fresh sage, rosemary or thyme (I used 1/3 tsp. dried sage.)
4 C chicken or vegetable stock (I made a batch of stock a couple of days ago. I didn't think it was up to par with my usual stock, but it worked for this soup and after I added the kale I decided to add 2 more cups of stock for a total of 6 cups.)
salt and fresh ground black pepper
large handful of kale, trimmed and sliced into thin strips ( I used 2 large handfuls of kale.)

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over med heat. Add the sausage and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside. Discard all but 1 generous tablespoon of the fat remaining in the pan.

Place the pan back on the heat and add the onions. Stir well and saute' until translucent, approzimately 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to saute for another minute. Add the potatoes stir well and then add the sage and stock. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Slice the sausages into bite-size pieces and add them to the soup. Continue to simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and have started to collapse, approximately 10 minutes. Add the kale and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, until cooked through. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Serve piping hot and with lots of love.

A Word

I thought it might be inspiring if our family had a word for the new year, something that might define us, guide us, challenge us in our choices and our journey.  So, I offered the idea to my clan.  I explained the  intent and their minds began to ponder the possibilities.  I threw some words of my own on the table to get us started - freedom, caring, love, friendship, generosity, hospitality.  They were not impressed.  After careful thought the boys seemed to catch on and offered their best idea.  The 15 year old led the charge - food. The 13 year old had a better idea - feast.  Someone said something about - eating.  They finally agreed on - buffet. They were pleased, buoyed in fact, by their insights. I'm re-thinking this idea. Maybe we don't need a word after all?

Aroma

Just outside my family room window is a wonderfully fragrant shrub. It blooms in early spring and its potent scent can catch you by surprise when you walk up to my front door. You find yourself wondering - where is that aroma coming from? But it doesn't take a curious person long to discover the source.

When people see you, hear you, watch you do they wonder - where is that coming from? What is the source of your thoughts, actions, and daily pursuits? How long would it take someone to discover Whose you are?

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." 2 Corinthians 2:15

Mountaintops

A dear friend of mine, recently moved from the gentle, low-lying land of the Tidewater Region to the rugged landscape of the Alleghenies. The words of the Psalmist speak to her in this place, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains- where does my help come from?" Reminding her, "My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1-2)

How blessed she is to have such a poignant reminder that the Lord is close at hand! How is the Lord speaking to you today? Can you see Him?

Story time

A few Fridays a month my daughters and I attend story time at our local library.  It's a brief twenty minute experience that includes a couple of songs, a finger-play, several stories and a craft.  But what is really interesting about story time are the people who come. There's Shane who brings a bag of Duplos and dumps them on the floor, so he can throw them around while he listens.  There's the twin sisters who sit quietly snuggled on their mother's lap.  And there's soon-to-be three-year old Sophie who tells everyone where to sit and if you are lucky, she'll hold your hand.

But the one who really intrigues me is Sophie's grandmother.  She's 71 and looks as if she's in her fifties.  This past Friday we were sitting together working on our Dr. Seuss puppets to commemorate the Seuss fellows birthday when Sophie's grandmother began to admire my daughter's long, brown hair.   "I want to tell you a story,"  she said softly.  And then she began.

When Sophie's grandmother was 9 years old she had long hair -  hair so long she could sit on it.  Her father had died when she was only twenty-eight months old leaving her mother to care for two young daughters.  Over the years her mother had made ends meet by doing bead work and sewing projects for people.  But this particular year as Christmas drew close, the family's resources were quite low.  One day her mother sat her young daughter -  with hair so long you could sit on it -  down on a stool, braided that beautiful long hair and then cut it off just behind her ears.  When she was done she wrapped that braid in tissue paper and took it to down-town Richmond to the doll shop where she sold it for $58.  "It was premium hair," said Sophie's grandmother.  "My mother was able to pay the electric bill, buy my sister a coat, a pair of shoes for me, a coat for herself, get 2 Christmas presents for each of us, and a turkey...all with the money she made from my hair."  
 
Sometimes love requires so much of us.  What is love requiring of you today? 

"Love each other as I have loved you."  John 15:12

Bread

She journeyed 1,000 miles to visit me in the peak of summer when the tomatoes were ripe and full, butter beans popping their hulls, and corn fresh and sweet.  I had learned so much from her as a child -  how to use my hands, how to sew, cook, wash a dish and set a table.  It was a special treat having her for a meal.  And every thought had been given to its preparation - homemade chicken pot pie, fresh cucumber pickle, locally grown tomatoes, butter beans, corn.  I checked the table one last time and then I called her, "Grandmother, dinner is ready." 

She came slowly - her 80 plus years adjusting her pace.  When she was finally situated at the table she took one long look at the feast set before her.  Without hesitating she turned her eyes toward me and said, "Where's the bread?"

"The bread?"  I responded.  "But, Grandmother there's crust on the chicken pie and starch in the beans and the corn..." 

She cut me off.  And with a steady eye she looked at me and stated, "You always should have bread."  Bread?  Yes, bread.  I knew that.  How could I have forgotten?  Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35)

Rejoice!

It's a simple thing.  Really.  Most nights before we climb the stairs for an evening's rest we gather together as a family and share our joys.  We've been doing this for as long as I can remember.  And most nights the joys are quite demure -  chocolate chip pancakes, a game won, a good test grade,  a friend to play.  I'm thankful for this moment.  It's simply one more way we rejoice in this gift called life.  I hope you are finding ways to rejoice, to celebrate the oh-so-extraordinary journey God has given you.

Reach Out

Not so long ago, I found myself feeling out of sorts with a new acquaintance. I hadn't heard from her and the deadline for the event we were working on had come and gone. It was her turn to step into the conversation, but she was silent. My mind began racing with all sorts of ideas about what had gone wrong. But thank goodness the Lord helped me quickly move beyond that and urged me to make a move and touch base with her. I did. I sent her an email and left her a phone message to which she responded with these words, "Thank you for reaching out to me." Those 7 words made a big impression on me as I began to ponder how often I might have missed the opportunity to reach out to someone. Maybe there's an opportunity for you today. Why not reach out?

Ashes...

I have a vivid memories from my childhood in the Mississippi Delta of the sight and smell of ashes, of looking  out across open fields and seeing flames and smoke in the distance, of running my bare hand over the hood of a car and picking-up ash.  My father and other farmers in the area would once a year burn their fields to clear the remainder of the old crop and destroy any weeds or seeds.  It was an economical and efficient way to prepare the ground for new growth.  

What if ashes meant for us preparation for something new?    What if ashes meant that we were ready to burn, to get rid of the old junk in our lives, so we could begin fresh?  What if ashes were a sign that we were getting ready for our Lord to claim new ground?