Sunday thoughts . . . food for the soul

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Who can find a virtuous woman; for her price is far above rubies . . . She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
~Proverbs 31:10

What pushes all of your buttons and threatens to push you over the edge?? Telemarketers? Lasy teens? The price of petrol? People who are inconsiderate? Tardiness? The snarl of traffic? Being put on hold once too often???

I remember driving in the car one time and having another driver become seemingly infuriated with me because he had perceived that I shouldn't have eased into his lane of traffice, even though it was completely safe for me to do so and there was a ton of room. The driver sped up until he was right behind me and then repeatedly tried to force me off the road. Then he pulled in front of me and slammed on his brakes. It was quite scarey. Thankfully after that he drove off, leaving me more than a little bit shaken.

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I am ashamed to admit that I have emotionally slammed my brakes of frustration on in front of loved ones from time to time, especially when I had a house full of seemingly lazy teens. It can take a lifetime to correct that kind of tire-screeching approach . . . leaving skid marks on people's spirits. They become self protective and look for the nearest exit . . . nothing is solved.

The scriptures guide us towards more dignified resolutions . . . ones which get results, leaving everyone intact. When we put our words and actions through the filters of kindness . . . anger loses it's control and ability to exact a greater price from everyone involved. If our motives are to achieve results and reconcile differences without offending our offender, or proving them wrong . . . then we will have a heart resolve that in the end, leaves us feeling settled, with everything, and our relationships just the way they should be. What would the Saviour do . . . say . . . feel???

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If we choose to garner our feelings, thoughts and actions with His love . . . miracles can happen, and often do.

May your day be blessed and enriched, and may you feel the Saviour's love surrounding you all the day through . . . that is my wish for you today . . . and always.



Cooking in The English Kitchen today, a deliciously Simple Stew of Lamb.

Poetry Saturday . . . Two Temples

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A builder builded a temple,
He wrought it with grace and skill;
Pillars and groins and arches
All fashioned to work his will.
Men said, as they saw its beauty,
"It shall never know decay;
Great is thy skill, O builder!
Thy fame shall endure for aye."

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A mother builded a temple
With loving and infinite care,
Planning each arch with patience,
Laying each stone with prayer,
None praised her unceasing efforts,
None knew of her wondrous plan,
For the temple the mother builded
Was unseen by the eyes of man.

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Gone is the builder's temple,
Crumpled into the dust;
Low lies each stately pillar,
Food for consuming rust.
But the temple the mother builded
Will last while the ages roll,
For that beautiful unseen temple
Was a child's immortal soul.
~Hattie Vose Hall



Tomorrow it's Mothering Sunday over here in the UK, so I thought I would share a poem about motherhood here this morning. I love my mom . . . she's one of my best friends. I know that she will always love me no matter what and whilst I may disappoint her from time to time, the love she has for me will never change. It is steady and as sure as the sun which comes up every morning and goes down every night. I am ever grateful for all the sacrifice and care she has given me every day of my life. I can never repay her for this . . . it is priceless and treasured beyond measure.

Motherhood is . . .
The purest joy the heart can feel,
The strongest bond that love can seal,
The deepest truth that life can teach,
The greatest height the soul can reach . . .
~Flora S Horne



Cooking in The English Kitchen today, An Irish Soda Farl, for St Patrick's Day.

Giving and Receiving . . .

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I saw this story recently and thought I would like to share it with you. I hope that you are able to get something out of it.

Once upon a time there was a little girl who went to school, and over a period of time her teacher noticed that she was having problems reading in her reading class. It was something about the way she held the book which made the teacher realize that there was a problem with the little girl's eyes, and so she arranged for an eye examination at her own oculist, not as a charity case but as the girl's friend. Indeed, the child did not really know what was happening, but saw it as merely a fun activity . . . until the day the teacher presented her with a brand new pair of eye glasses at school.

The child looked at her teacher . . . "I can't take them. I can't pay for them." was her response, embarassed by her own poverty.

The teacher replied. "When I was a child, a neighbor bought glasses for me. She said I should pay for them someday by getting eye glasses for some other little girl. So, you see, the glasses were paid for before you were born."

And then came the most welcome words ever . . . "Someday you will buy glasses for some other little girl."

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That statement made all the difference in the world . . . it took away the shame of having to take charity and turned the receiver into a giver. It helped to make the little girl responsible. With that one giving action and beautiful statement, the teacher showed the little girl that she believed that one day this child would have something to offer someone else. That little girl walked out of the room, clutching the eye glasses feeling not as a recipient of charity, but as a trusted courier.

When my marriage first broke up all those years ago, I found myself living on a very limited income in a rented bedroom in a stranger's house. Things were very, very tight for me. One day I opened the back door to see a friend from church standing on the doorstep. She clutched several bags of groceries in her hands. Inside was a variety of beautiful food for me to eat . . . fruit, vegetables, etc. She had noticed, I guess, that I was not able to eat much more than pot noodles etc. on my very limited budget. I was somewhat embarassed by this . . . I am a prideful person, but she very lovingly explained to me that she believed that sometime down the road I would find myself in the position to do a similar act of kindness for another friend and that to deprive her of this action meant to deprive her of the blessings one receives from being able to share with and serve another. This made all the difference in the world to me . . . it truly did.

I have since then had many opportunities myself to do similar acts of service for others, and I always do so in a way that the recipient sees it as an opportunity to be able to pass the same service on to some other soul, somewhere down the road . . . the circumstances we may find ourselves in today, are not always the circumstances we will always find ourselves in. Life ebs and flows, the path we're all following being sometimes an easy path to trod and at other times, a more difficult path to circumnavigate . . . When we find ourselves blessed with having received service from others, we must accept it with grace . . . knowing in our hearts that one day we, too, will have a similar opportunity to serve. We are only the trusted couriers of all that we may receive . . .

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I am beginning the Step by Step program again today. This is a program over here from the NHS that promotes healthy eating and exercise. This is the same program that I took last year. I had to stop because I missed 3 weeks in a row, two due to holidays and one due to illness. If you miss 3 weeks, you are off the program and have to wait six months to get back on. It's a great program and has free exercise classes. I wish that I didn't have to always battle my weight . . . but alas, it is clear to me that I always will! At least this is a step in the right direction.

I do try to be good . . . I really do. My biggest problem is my arthritis and the way that it limits my movement. That and the fact that I really love food . . . cooking and eating.



Cooking in The English Kitchen today, delicious Long Boy Burgers.