Posted in Uplifting

One in Ten

I  enjoy the holiday season with all the extra special songs, movies, cooking, baking and family time plus I like playing secret Santa but with all the fun of this season I also at times feel like Charlie Brown with the commercialism that this time of year can bring.

In years past when my children were small and I had the in-laws to contend with. They were under the impression that it was all about what was under the tree. This always drove me nuts and at times I would allow that to upset me and steal away the joy of the season. I wanted to share in the season with my children and show them in was not in the monetary things.

I am very proud of my children who understand it is better to give than receive. Now they give back not only in monetary means but of themselves and are grateful with what they have or receive.

With that said, I have been hearing a lot lately of the story in the new testament of Jesus healing ten men with leprosy.

Luke 17:11-19New International Version (NIV)

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Growing up I would hear/read this and think who would be so ungrateful and not go back and say thank you for such a life changing gift. I would almost get on my soap box thinking at least I would go back, or would I?

I realized the other day reading this that I can be like the lepers that didn’t go back. I can get so wrapped up in the excitement of getting something I give a quick thank you or sometimes none at all. I can get so caught up with life that I don’t give thanks to the one that gave me a new life.

I have so much to be thankful.  I don’t have room to write it down but I forget to be the one in ten to say thank you to God for the small gifts and then there is the best gift of all. I have a new life just like the lepers because of Jesus, so Merry Christmas aka happy birthday to Jesus.

It is up to me to embrace the Charlie Brown attitude or to be Linus seeing the real meaning behind Christmas and be the one in ten.

Posted in Uplifting

Fire

I was watching the news a few days ago and as I watched video after video of the fires overtaking parts of Los Angeles I thought how scary, my heart went out to those touched by the fires. I have been in that situation with fire on each side of a freeway in California years ago, it is scary, overwhelming and you realize just  how small a person really is.

As I watched the flames and the aftermath I got to thinking how fire with all the destructiveness it causes can bring comfort, enjoyment, warmth and many other great emotions. I think of a nice warm fireplace and how wonderful it is to curl up on a cold night enjoying its warmth, the sight of flames and sound of the crackle as I read by it. Or how fun a bomb fire is to roast marshmallows over. No camping or summer evening are quite the same with out fire. Then there are the BBQ’s that bring people together, all because of fire.

Our words are just like fire, one spark can cause such destruction and get out of control with in seconds causing so much pain that even to rebuild after the inferno it can still show the scars of that fire but yet words can bring such happiness and empowerment that those feelings are also never forgotten.

I think about this even more with the holidays here. People are in a rush to have the perfect holiday. I know that my fuse can run a little short this time of year as well but I want to use that fuse to light a bomb fire that is full of happy memories instead of using it to cause a wildfire.

Proverbs 15:4
“A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”

Proverbs 18:21
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits”

Posted in Recipes

Christmas Snacks

Every Christmas I enjoy baking special treats and giving them as presents. I would bake with my mom when I was little and carried on that tradition with my own children. My daughter who would leave me to do the cooking became my shadow with baking and my son who enjoyed cooking with me would leave to go play, coming in only as things came out of the oven or to steal a taste from the bowl.

Today I was thinking of a recipe I make every year, it is from my mom. I am not sure where she got it and I have had some versions from other people but this recipe I make with such great memories of baking this simple recipe with her.

I am the queen of the wing it and not measure, this recipe is made yearly passed down so please remember this is a guide for the amounts you may need to adjust them to suit your needs.

Christmas Snacks:

2 cups of graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of melted butter

1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips ( 10oz bag)

1 14oz of sweetened condensed milk

1 to 1 1/2 cup of shredded coconut

1 to 1 1/2 chopped walnuts

Pour graham cracker crumbs in bowl add sugar stir together add melted butter mix together then pour into bottom of 13×9 pan patting down to make a crust. Pour chocolate chips on top of graham cracker crust then add coconut and walnuts. Finally pour the sweetened condensed milk on top. Bake in oven at 350 for about 30 minutes.