Something to Think About

That heart/ mind connection thing!

Picture Credit

The way to the girl's heart

P.S. A post script at the very top of my post. Now how weird is that. But I'm getting it out of the way right away. For whatever reason, blogger has decided it won't let me into "Edit Html" and it's doing weird things like adding a ton of blockquote thingys at the end of my post. So my pretty post is now not so pretty and I can't fix it. Does anyone know how to break into the html? So please bear with me the crazy looks of my posts until they or I figure it out. Now onto my real post!

The clock is ticking and it is 4 days counting down. On Monday we will be driving Kay, my 17 year old daughter, to a bus depot and putting her by herself, on a 6 1/2 hour bus ride that will take her away from us for 3 weeks. Emotionally, I feel like I'm on one of those big swinging boat rides at the fair, the one's that swing back and forth, back and forth. And with each swing there is that pause, that hover, at the top of the back swing, where I hang with that specific emotion before I go plunging , with hair whipping speed back the other way and my emotions are hovering on the opposite end. Back and forth, great happiness and anticipation of what God will do in her life to dread of what I will ever do without her here to thoughts and prayers for her safety to letting go. Back and forth, back and forth. I'm getting whiplash of the emotions from all this.



This last week I've been busy making some of her favorite meals, at her request. So we've had taco salad one night, soft tacos another. We're yet to have perogies, and then nachos the next night. Hmmmm, I see a definite pattern of cheese and sour cream here. A girl after my own heart.



I've said before how I love to cook, but dislike baking. Well, Monday saw me whipping up a batch of her favorite brownies. A lucscious two layer blend of chocolate on the bottom, and butterscotch on top and this time I iced it for her, which I usually skip, with penuchie icing. That was one of my "I need to show her her how much I love her before she goes" moments. It was worth the effort. I got a hug. A hug. From a 17 year old.



As I was putting the ingrediants in the bowl for the brownies, I was struck with how amazing baking actually is. Here was a bunch of different ingrediants being dumped together into a bowl. Unrelated ingrediants, some of which that on their own, are totally unpalatable, bitter and unenjoyable. Some are sweet or pleasant tasting and linger on the tastebuds. They are all being blended together. And put together they still aren't a great thing. Wet and fairly unpleasant tasting. But when they are put in the oven, when heat is applied for a designated amount of time, ahhhh. Out comes a totally delectable, mouth watering creation.



Life is like that, our Christian walk is like that. Our circumstances, be they sweet, bitter, salty, spicey or basically unnoticeable, they are blended together in our lives. The ingrediants of our experiences. It's a bit of a mish mash. They might seem totally unrelated. But then the Lord puts a little heat to them. Let's us go through a few things. Let's us be uncomfortable for a bit. And if we trust Him, trust that He knows what He is making, and trust that He knows the exact amount of heat, and the exact length of time to let us experience that heat, then our lives to can come out of that heat as something wonderful. Something appealing and to be desired.

"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 NIV

Blonde and Brunette Brownies

Brunette Layer:

2 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1 pinch of salt, 1/4 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup butter or margarine

Melt the butter and cocoa together over low heat either in the microwave or in saucepan on the stove. Beat eggs until foamy. Add all other ingrediants and blend well. In a greased 9x13 pan, spread the batter. Set aside

Blonde Layer:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a clean bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Stir in flour, salt and nuts. Batter will be thick. Drop by large spoonfuls on top of the chocolate layer in baking pan. Spread as best as you can without pushing two hard as you don't want the two flavors to mix. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Brownies will start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool in pan.

Ice if desired.

Now I need to go help my baby, I mean, young lady pack.

Mama Bear Steps Back

Oh my young one. Mom is so sorry for your cut from the badminton team. Not being into sports so much as is your big sister, I was quite surprised when you said you wanted to try out. When you made the first round of cuts I was excited for you. I thought maybe this would be a sports thing you would really enjoy doing. Unfortunately there was a round of second cuts. And I know that hurt and I know it especially hurt the way the teacher/coach did it in front on everybody, instead of just posting the team on the glass cases the next morning. Not making the team was a hard pill to swallow but being singled out and told in front of peers was a hard, hard thing for your sensitive heart. The mama bear in me just wanted to phone that coach up and give him a piece of my mind concerning his insensitivity. But alas my little one, I have to let you learn from this.

I have to let you learn that life is not always fair, but your Lord God is always there for you and wants to hear of not only of the fun, good things that happen but also the hard things.

I have to let you learn that people are people and won't always be in tune to your sensitive heart, but God always is.

I have to let you learn that people won't always want to listen, but God always has His arms open wide and wants to hear what's on your heart.

I have to let you learn that maybe there are reasons that some things just don't go your way, but that God wants you to trust Him with the direction of your life.

I have to let you learn to forgive when you've been hurt and not just when you feel like it but right away, because God forgives you.

So even though I want to run in there and "fix" things for you, I have to let you experience this. But, my little one, know that your mom is always here ready to pray with you, dispense a big hug, with plenty of "I love you's" and an occasional cookie or ice cream. So I pray you grow from it, that you run to the Lord with it, that your faith grows from it. Because in life, it is not what team you made, what school you go to, or what job you get, but how close to your Jesus you can get that is the most important thing and determines who you really are.

Burning Bright

I had an angel appear at my door yesterday and his name was "Mr. Gas Man". How do I know he was an angel? Because he showed up within the hour of me calling the gas company when the girl on the line told me it could be up to 24 hours. I was never so happy to see a person in uniform, I tell ya. The thought of no heat for 24 hours made me just a touch panicky. If it was just me and my family where my kids are all teens didn't bother me so much. After all we could foist ourselves upon good hearted relatives who showed any inkling of feeling sorry for us. But it was the thought of the kids in the dayhome being in a progressively colder and colder house that was worrying me. But all is well now. Mr. Gas Man had it fixed in 10 minutes.



The cause of all the frigid cold shoulder from the furnace? The filter was so full it shut down the furnace. Now how embarassing was that. And to make it worse, ours is a newer type furnace that does not have a pilot light you light. (No wonder I couldn't find it!) It has an electronic starter. And because the filter was so plugged, the limiter just heaved a sigh and said "I refuse to overwork and I might be broken now". But it wasn't. Mr. Gas Man gave him a good rap on his top and it started to work again. He cleaned a few parts so he wouldn't have to come back for a couple years, and with a cheery "So Long" he was gone. Just like that.



And as I thought about the whole incident, I thought, my heart is sorta like that old filter. If I don't check on it on a regular basis and make sure it is clean, it can get all clogged up just like the furnace filter. Not with house dust, but with stuff that makes my relationship with the Lord and others chug and shut down. Things like bitterness, anger, jealousy, covetousness, resentment, idolatry, apathy. Just to name a few.



I need to get in there with the Holy Spirit and just clean that heart out so that the fire of the Lord can burn in my heart, bright and clear, and the warmth of that will generate out of my life to touch others for the Lord.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You."
Psalm 51:10 - 13

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Photo Credit: hagit M., Israel