When I was a kid, we went shopping every two weeks, when my dad got paid. We went to the same market, Adams Market on the corner of Appoline and Warren. No coupons, just a corner market. My dad basically cooked dinner every night M-Fri except in the spring when we went down to the marina after work to get the boat ready for summer. Pork chops, steak, spaghetti, fried chicken, boxed cheese potatoes, mashed tatoes, canned spaghetti sauce. Towards the end of the two weeks meals sometimes had to get a little "creative" based on what was in our cupboards. Also when I got old enough, I made dinner too. Although some may look at my life and think it was hard, but God uses those moments. It was just me and my dad. And (gasp!) we ate dinner in front of the TV on TV trays. Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mash, & Hogan's Heroes. Those were our dinner guests. And if you really must know, we sit on the couch and watch TV while we eat (I know, I am an awful mother!)
Also, when I was a kid, my Aunt Dee and Uncle Ed moved to Niles, MI and I would get to spend the summers there. My Aunt Dee taught me about cooking from real ingredients, homemade soup, cooking with what's left over, making food last, and oh let me not forget the introduction of the tomato sandwich, and the cucumber sandwich. YUM!
Let's talk about where i am now. My dad taught me how to cook and gave me the freedom to throw something away if it was gross. I was never afraid to try because I was never going to get in trouble if I messed it up. Cooking is freeing and relaxing to me.
The other day I had a dear friend who could have been benefited from a meal. So I quickly whipped up a pasta dish (I called it fake lasagna - all the ingredients of lasagna, but rotini noodles instead of lasagna noodles), cooked up some potatoes with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper... and purchased some fried chicken from Meijer, and whipped up a dessert of yellow cake mix & punkin, and homemade punkin spice.
I feel like sometimes my gifts aren't that glamourous (remember my post from yesterday) and that's how i like it. Just something that fills a need and I am thankful for that.
My friend (and her family) were thankful for the dinner that I dropped off but I have to confess something to you. Making that food, loving something did something so sweet for my spirit. Since I have been back from Haiti, I have had good moments and some that were not so good. I've struggled with missing Haiti and it's people (this is what I missed most! Sweating through my clothes is kind of annoying LOL). Something about making those meals for someone I love, set my heart straight. It reminded me that even though I know God has long term plans (I WISH HE'D JUST GIVE ME THE TIMELINE!!!!) for me, that I am called to love right where I am at.
I never could have known that all the things in my past would have helped me to get my heart back on course, but God knew.
He works it all out, doesn't He. Especially when we turn our hearts and lives over to Him.
Romans 8:26-28 (Msg) 26-28 Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
Also, when I was a kid, my Aunt Dee and Uncle Ed moved to Niles, MI and I would get to spend the summers there. My Aunt Dee taught me about cooking from real ingredients, homemade soup, cooking with what's left over, making food last, and oh let me not forget the introduction of the tomato sandwich, and the cucumber sandwich. YUM!
Let's talk about where i am now. My dad taught me how to cook and gave me the freedom to throw something away if it was gross. I was never afraid to try because I was never going to get in trouble if I messed it up. Cooking is freeing and relaxing to me.
The other day I had a dear friend who could have been benefited from a meal. So I quickly whipped up a pasta dish (I called it fake lasagna - all the ingredients of lasagna, but rotini noodles instead of lasagna noodles), cooked up some potatoes with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper... and purchased some fried chicken from Meijer, and whipped up a dessert of yellow cake mix & punkin, and homemade punkin spice.
I feel like sometimes my gifts aren't that glamourous (remember my post from yesterday) and that's how i like it. Just something that fills a need and I am thankful for that.
My friend (and her family) were thankful for the dinner that I dropped off but I have to confess something to you. Making that food, loving something did something so sweet for my spirit. Since I have been back from Haiti, I have had good moments and some that were not so good. I've struggled with missing Haiti and it's people (this is what I missed most! Sweating through my clothes is kind of annoying LOL). Something about making those meals for someone I love, set my heart straight. It reminded me that even though I know God has long term plans (I WISH HE'D JUST GIVE ME THE TIMELINE!!!!) for me, that I am called to love right where I am at.
I never could have known that all the things in my past would have helped me to get my heart back on course, but God knew.
He works it all out, doesn't He. Especially when we turn our hearts and lives over to Him.
Romans 8:26-28 (Msg) 26-28 Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
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