Saturday, March 31, 2012

Journal Entry in March

...12:30...light breezes, sunny with clouds (the big, puffy kind!) and LOTS of doves calling today!...have to laugh when some of the sparrows go to feed on the ground...from the tree limbs, they fold their wings close to their bodies and drop straight down!...it's a wonder their little beaks don't get smashed flat against their faces!...THOSE little guys have FOCUS!

...it's about 70degrees and beautiful out here today...I feel beautiful...and strong...and confident...God is watching over me and I feel so GOOD!

...saw a little yellow butterfly yesterday and was reminded once again of God's voice whispering in the midst of trials, "It'll be okay.You're going to be okay."...I'm thankful for little yellow butterflies

...guess my general mood right now is optimistic...how can one not feel optimistic when there is an explosion of Life going on all around them?!...guess I'll fold my wings against me and dive right into a focus of new surroundings, new circumstances, new beginnings

...read a good quote the other day...don't remember the author:
"It is the Life in all that has value,
and the quality of the Life that determines the value."

...well, considering that the Life in me is Jesus, there's no arguing with that saying!

Friday, March 30, 2012

Makeit Simple! - Creamy Chicken and Noodles


2 cups sliced carrots
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup sliced celery
2 Tbsp. snipped parsley
bay leaf
3 chicken legs and thighs (about 2 lbs.), skin removed
2  10-3/4 oz. cans cream of chicken soup (fat-free, reduced sodium)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup peas
8 oz. wide noodles, cooked

1.  Place carrots, onion, celery, parsley, and bay leaf in bottom of slow cooker.
2.  Place chicken on top of vegetables.
3.  Combine soup, water, thyme, salt and pepper.  Pour over chicken and vegetables.
4.  Cover.  Cook on low 8-9 hours, or on High 4-4 1/2 hours.
5.  Remove chicken from slow cooker.  Cool slightly.  Remove from bones, cut into bite-sized pieces, and return to slow cooker.
6.  Remove and discard bay leaf.7.  Stir peas into mixture in slow cooker.  Allow to cook for 5-10 more minutes.
8.  Pour over cooked noodles.  Toss gently to combine.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

It Has Been A LONG Four-and-a-half Months!


Mid-November of last year, I had to have all (except for eight!) teeth pulled.  The drug I was taking for my Multiple Sclerosis destroyed my teeth.

I put off the decision for as long as I could.  Who WANTS dentures?  But teeth were breaking every time I opened my mouth (it seemed!). 

Sooooo, I talked with my dentist.  Fortunately, he was familiar with MS and scheduled me with some oral surgeons.  He was also upfront and truthful with me.  “I will make dentures for you, but I will NOT put them in your mouth right away.  With your MS and medical history, I want you to HEAL first.  You’ll be without teeth for a minimum of three months.  Now, if you don’t want to do that, that’s fine.  But then you’ll need to find another dentist.”

I agreed, but there were times I half-wished I hadn’t.  I was without teeth for my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s….

Well, yesterday was The Day!  I still have to go in for adjustments, but at least I can SMILE again!  For me, that's pretty important.  In fact, I never realized just how MUCH I smiled at people.  I smile to say "Hi", smile to encourage, smile to share joy, smile to express thanks, so much more.  

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.  ~Mother Teresa


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Gifts Outside My Window


That little girl was maybe six to eight years old.  During the week of Christmas, I saw her as she hurried along the sidewalk, carrying a white teddy bear almost a big as she!  Being that time of year, I’m pretty sure the white bear with the red ribbon tied around its neck was a special present to her.  The happiness on her face almost outshone the sun!

Now, even with new leaves appearing on the trees, that memory is still vivid in my mind.  I can still visualize that little girl outside my window and my heart can still share in her delight.  The week of Christmas, though, seems so long ago with its gifts and presents, family and friends, festivities and other joys of the Season.

Thankfully, one gift is not saved for any special date on the calendar.  One father does not wait for a certain time of year to visit.  One celebration can be marked each and every day for the rest of our lives.

Our Father in heaven does not wait only for Christmas, and extends His awesome gift to anyone, any time of the year.  With the acceptance of that gift, we have reason for jubilant celebration from that day forward into eternity!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith ... and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God ...  Ephesians 2:8

Monday, March 26, 2012

I'm Back....


I’m sorry that I haven’t kept up with this blog.  I received some challenging news last week.  My doctor told me that I am Diabetic.  AND have hypothyroidism. 

So, after some moping around and feeding my discouragement, I’m now ready to research these two conditions about which I know NOTHING.  Research, and lace up my boxing gloves AGAIN.  When you’re completely ignorant, it’s difficult to ask questions and EASY to get blind-sided.

It’s also time to start looking at some recipes for Diabetics.  Hmmm….  Let’s see….  For the MS, I look for easy recipes that Makeit Simple in the kitchen.  What can we do for Diabetes?  I’m completely blank, so if you have any suggestions, please send them to me!

 

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Makeit Simple! -- Mesir Wat

I receive a newsletter about Ethiopia where my sponsored child lives.  The last one featured a recipe for a lentil stew that is common in her area.  I decided to try making it and then to write her about it.  So here is the recipe for Mesir Wat, an Ethiopian lentil stew.


2 medium onions
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. minced ginger root
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. paprika
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb. red lentils
4 c. water
salt & pepper

Place onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor or blender and puree.  Add a little water if needed.  Sauté onion puree in a large saucepan over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates and onion loses its raw aroma—about 5 to 10 minutes.  Be careful not to allow the mixture to burn.  Add oil, mix with the puree and sauté.  Add turmeric, paprika and cayenne pepper.  Stir rapidly for about 10 minutes.  Add lentils and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until lentils are cooked through, adding water as needed—about 30 to 40 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Snow in March in Arizona?!

I feel like I'm back in PA!  Or even Iowa!  We had snow showers yesterday...weird!  And the temperatures dropped below 30 degrees last night.  Again, weird!  Now it's "weird" mainly because, two days ago, I was wearing Capri's and a t-shirt, and tooling around in bare feet!
My kidz were unimpressed.  Maybe because the ground wasn't really cold enough to lay, so everything just looked wet instead of white.

Max gave a perfunctory look out the window....
...and Mia never even got off the couch!
Well, let's see what happens today.

And, yes!  You guessed it!  I had NO idea what to write about!  Sorry.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Gifts Outside My Window


Spring is here and the trees are dressed with fresh foliage, already becoming lush and providing shade from the sun. From my window I can see that, even now, birds are flying to the cooler spots to look for seeds and insects. Delicate flowers begin to carefully poke their heads through those protected patches, almost as if they know that there they will escape the full intensity of summer heat.

I think of all the elements of nature - sunlight, darkness, cold, warmth, wetness, dryness - and realize the importance of balance in relationship to growth and survival. Too much of any one can cause distress or even death.

There are times when I need a balance of protection from prolonged sun exposure or intense heat. Too much can be harmful to my physical body, and I will look for the coolness of shade. Sometimes my soul, also, needs to find shade despite the season of the year. Pressures, frustrations and other breakings of the heart can leave me panting and weary for relief.

I am thankful that God, Who is already aware of my limits -- physically, emotionally and spiritually -- is a constant source of shade within my deserts. All I need to do is go to Him, and there I find protection.


You have been . . . a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.   Isaiah 25:4

Friday, March 16, 2012

Poetry Pause -- Prelude

I bit into a pear--
it tasted of lilacs
and I caught the juice at my wrist
with my tongue.
Legs up, settled into
the corner of a weathered-wood porch swing,
the close summer evening
was heavy with touchable stars.
Fireflies lit,a slow marriage with the night,
and drifted lazily
amidst the arms of a rhododendron tree
which carried pink and purple flower bouquets
as bridesmaids at the wedding.
Sweet perfume sang
from a tangle of honeysuckle,
the swing creaked gently
but I could not match my body
to the rhythm of cicadas
hidden somewhere in the shadows.
So, I lay back my head,
thinking of nothing,
and swam with eyes closed
along thiis fringe of tomorrow.

by Pandora

Echoes
Volume 3, Number 4, Issue 15

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Makeit Simple! -- CrockPotting

I LOVE to use my crock pot!!!  Even when just throwing food in it to cook and blend together, rarely does it come out “icky!”  That encourages me to be even more creative…and bold.

For example, I decided to crock pot my two skinless, boneless chicken breasts.  There they were.  In the crock pot, cooking from a frozen state.  Pale and…well…lifeless.  Which, in retrospect, is good for those times when you’re cooking something…don’t want anything flopping around in there – “Let me out!  Let me out”  But I digress….

How to spruce up my chicken?  I was going for the spice cabinet, but I always use the same old spices in the same old way.  Hmmmmmmmmmm…?

Well, hey, I’ve been freezing pulp from my juicer.  Rummaged through the freezer and found a few small bags.  Hmmm…this is a dark red…wonder what it is.  Opened the bag and took a taste…hmmmm…no clue.  But it has to be pulp from some kind of fruit…into the crock pot it went.

Then I thought about the small red potatoes I have in the refrigerator.  Grabbed a few, washed, halved and threw ‘em in the crock pot.  Carrots?  Sure!  Why not?  There are three Roma tomatoes just sitting in the crisper.  Removed those “cores” where the stem attaches and added them…didn’t cut them up, just put them in whole.  Don’t know whether that will work or not…we’ll see!

Now, I’m big on getting a lot of fresh veggies and then freezing them.  I found a bag of frozen onion pieces and green pepper “hunks.”  Ever since passing 50 years of age, I have difficulty eating green peppers in food.  I love them, but my body doesn’t.  So I compromise.  The veggie “chunks” are for the flavor, but I don’t have to eat them.  Crock pot!

Okay!  I’m starting to loosen up here and my freezer door is open!  Frozen asparagus spears!  Frozen broccoli!  AH!  A hunk of frozen pineapple from the ones I use to make morning smoothies!  FROZEN BANANAS!  Nah…bananas are a little over-the-top, even for me!

Herbs.  I usually have a small herb garden on my patio.  Last time, I dried basil and parsley when the season was over.  Took some of both, pulverized between my fingers, and sprinkled it in.

One of the big pluses about this is that it is Gluten-free.  There seems to be more and more research tying MS (and other diseases) to Gluten.  I truly do feel better when I can cut out the Gluten, but that's not an easy task.  Read labels--it's in EVERYTHING!  But that subject is for another blog on another day!

Now to let the whole Megillah* cook and simmer and blend.  I don’t want to be premature, but it smells heavenly so far!
(*in honor of Purim last week!)


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

The Playing Field Has Changed


I have no idea what brought this to my mind this morning.  I started to think about the playground at elementary school, and recess, and the games we would play as kids.  Kick ball, tag, all of those.  All of those “team games”   Where two “cool kids” would use a process of elimination to choose their teams, working from best to worse…and I was usually one of the last kids picked.  I have no idea what brought that memory to mind.  I thought I had sufficiently buried it and its associated pain.

No, upon thinking about it, I DO know why I remembered it.  Jesus was using it, something from pre-junior high that made a huge impression, to teach me, even then.  He uses the lessons even NOW.  He is teaching me compassion.  He teaches me love, even when someone didn’t seem very loveable.  (I confess, I’m still trying to grasp that sometimes!  I can be a slow learn!)

I have to make myself remember the hurt of being the last one chosen.  Especially when I really couldn’t tell anyone about it.  I couldn’t tell anyone that I felt so inadequate.

Now, I’m thinking about kids today.  The playing field has changed.  We’re no longer talking about kickball.  I think of the issues that plague kids of all ages today…loneliness, morality, jealousy, teasing or bullying (I’ve been told that cyber-bullying is a major issue for kids, sometimes resulting in suicide), worry about everything from school grades to family life, anger, violence, drugs and alcohol, cutting, sex....

I don’t have children so I’m removed from the face-to-face aspect., but I would imagine that parents get blind-sided all the time.  I know I can only answer for me.  And I am only able to help in limited ways.  For instance, I mentor online.  That often seems so insignificant when faced with a wall of  troubled young people, but that mentoring and general awareness are a vast improvement from just leaving the room and ignoring the problem.

May I suggest using your favorite search engine and type in “organizations that help children/teens” and you can target a search for what you can best give – money, time, clothing, food, etc.  I don’t have a concrete answer, so maybe this is a good place to start reaching out to kids.


Monday, March 12, 2012

Photograph


She was washing dishes at the sink in her Mother’s house when she saw the shell.  Just a simple seashell, blushed with pink around the edges, sitting on the window ledge.  Years that had gone past suddenly tumbled and tripped over each other until she was back in 1965….   She saw it, almost as a photograph, could almost see the white border spinning around Kodak paper….

Miles in the distance, the sun glistens white dapples across the quiet sea-blue surface.  Waves pile in a froth against the shoreline.

Two people play alone on the beach, an adult and a ten-year old child, in the midst of a network of their own criss-crossing footprints.

The adult is a much younger image of Mother with dark hair, wearing a pair of cat-eye sunglasses.  She bends over, reaches toward the sand with one hand, holding a small paper bag with the other.  Her crisp shirt and beige skirt are comfortable and cool in the morning heat of August and, just like a child herself, her shoes are nowhere to be seen.

The ten-year old girl, on hands and knees, digs for shells to help fill Mother’s bag, an elaborate process to relish the warm pleasure of sand.  Young skinny legs show from her shorts, and tousled wind-swept blond hair almost obscures her face as she concentrates on her search.

She could smell the salt air, hear the soft wash of gentle surf and cries of gulls scolding the summer, taste the wetness on her lips….

Wetness.  The kitchen pulled her back to the present as huge drops of rain splattered against the window screen and sprayed her face with kisses.  She closed the window against the sudden storm, and drew in her breath.  The shell on the sill, coated with a mist of drops, looked as it did when freshly picked from the ocean waves, still holding spray from the sea.  And, suddenly, Mother was there.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

A Psalm -- Why, O Lord?

I know You are in control
of all things ...
and of me ....

I know You have a perfect plan,
that You love and protect
Your sons and daughters.

I know this world is not my home,
it is but a breath of starlight
in the face of eternity.

But, Lord,
why can't I walk?
I know I will in heaven ...
but this is Here.
This is Now.
What could You possibly be teaching
through this power chair?

Lord,
why does this disease
have to plague my body
with unrelenting fatigue?
What can You be showing me
when I'm weak as a kitten?

Lord,
why is my brain
sometimes filled with confusion and clouds
that alter my thoughts
and emotions?
Why do I feel anger
over trivial things,
and cry when tears
are not necessary,
and laugh at the wrong time?
What could You have for me to learn
when I'm not even able
to properly process these concepts?

Lord,
why can't I remember things?
Oh, I can remember the camping trip
when I was seven years old,
but I can't remember
to pay bills,
what I came into this room for,
what day this is,
did I talk on the phone with this person?
What truth can be revealed
through this?

Ah, Lord God ...

It hurts my head.

People - friends and family -
don't understand.
They get angry and frustrated
at me. With me.
They don't believe me.
I don't "look" sick.
At times,
I feel that they don't love me
anymore.

But, then there are times
when You change all that ...
when someone tries to understand,
when someone believes,
when a friend weeps with me,
when someone offers help.

You're always with me,
Here and Now,
and I remember Your promise:
that I'll never be alone.

Thank You for not forsaking me,
that You don't push me aside
for someone "better."
I praise You that You knew me,
that You chose me,
before I was ever born ...
that You knew these things
would happen to me
and You loved me anyway!

Maybe that's one of the things
You want me to learn.
You don't love as the world loves.
Your love goes deeper,
is richer, holy and pure.
Your love sees the goodness,
Your love lasts forever!
I praise You for loving me!
And, Lord God, I love You too!

by Pandora

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Gifts Outside My Window


Both my neighbor and I feed the birds.  I hang a hummingbird feeders from the edges of my ramada, and she suspends ones with seeds from the sides of her back porch.  Of course, her bird friends are much more vocal than my little hummers.  Especially, when my window is open, I can hear them as they have their breakfast, loudly singing and chattering with one another.

I hear those birds, I know they are there, but I can’t see them.

It’s much the same with God.  I can’t see His face as I see the faces of family and friends, but I know He’s here.  He gives me evidence of His presence in so many ways.  I see proof of Him in His creation, even looking only as far as outside my window – sunlight, mountains, trees, even those hungry birds as they fly to and from my neighbor’s feeder.  I hear His voice in the thunder and the wind and the rains.

I can’t see Him as a physical being, but I know he’s here and that He’s with me all the time.  All I need to do is look outside through my window.

… I will never leave you nor forsake you. 
Joshua 1:5b

Friday, March 9, 2012

Makeit Simple! - Beef Lentil Soup

(I LOVE lentils!!!)

1 lb. hamburger
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped or minced
1 4-oz. can mushroom stems & pieces
1 16-oz can stewed tomatoes
1/2 c. sliced celery
3/4 c. chopped carrot
1 c. dried lentils
3 c. water
1/4 c. red wine (optional)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp parsley (2 T. fresh)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp beef bouillon
1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook hamburger, onion and garlic; drain.  Transfer to a pot, stir in mushrooms (with liquid) and remaining ingredients.  (If I have leaves on my celery, I also add them and remove before serving.)  Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.  40 minutes.  (May take longer to get carrots tender.)

 

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Poetry Pause -- He Loved Trains

I can now only remember
bits and pieces of his face
as if a jigsaw puzzle
had been turned upside down
and there! on the floor
his crooked-tooth smile,
a pair of blue eyes with pale lashes,
a thatch of hair
the color of blond strawberries....

It's difficult, though,
to put the puzzle back together,
as if Time and my memory
conspire to fade
the only mental portrait of my brother
that I have.

Oh, I could pll out
any one of a hundred photos,
but it seems that Kodak is cheating
not to have mementoed the power of his stance,
the strength of arms which held love,
his splay-footed walk....

But worse,
the sound of his voice
and his laugh--these are growing still.
They are almost
as quiet as ashes scattered
along railroad tracks
in Virginia.

by Pandora
Mirage 2000
Literary & Arts magazine

This is a poem I wrote about my oldest brother, Rick.  Born October 18, 1942 and died November 4, 1996.  He passed away from lung cancer.  I so much looked up to him...I wonder if he ever knew how much.  Rick, I loved you then, and I love you now.  We all do.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Who Am I?


I am a writer, a poet.

I am a Greyhound Mom, a Feathered Friend’s Mom.

I am a daughter, a sister, a godmother, a good friend.

I am a child of God.

I am an intelligent, creative Woman of Worth.

I am a person with a physical disability.

So often I hear (and from those who love me) that “you can’t do ‘this and such’,” and “you shouldn’t try” and “you may hurt yourself.”

Discouragement spoken in love.  Protection.  I understand and can see that the intents of those hearts are only for good.

But what is “good?”  For whom?  Who am I?  I am not a disability.  I am a woman, dependent on others, who holds on viciously to what independence she has.

In my weakness, I have strength of character.

In my neediness, I encourage and support others.

During my most vulnerable moments, I fall into the arms of Jesus.

Who am I?  I am still, basically, the same person I was when healthy.  I now have many more physical limitations and am in a constant state of learning how to cope, compromise and accept.  I am learning to discern that which cannot be changed, and improve on that which may be changed.

I am ME.


Monday, March 5, 2012

Gifts Outside My Window


Many people don’t like the wind.  “It messes up my hair.”  “It blows dirt in my eyes.”  Many people don’t like it, but I love the wind!

Breezes coax beautiful music from my wind chimes.  Birds simply hold out their wings and soar on currents, and I imagine what it feels like to fly.  Wind brings bits of the world to me as it pelts raindrops from the mountain against my window, or fills my home with fresh scents of springtime, or even as it shares with me the aroma of a neighbor’s breakfast bacon.

But the wind is unpredictable.  I never really know from where it came, how strong it’s going to be, how long it will last.  I don’t worry about it, nor spend time trying to foretell its direction, destination and results.  I only sit back and enjoy it.

I am reminded that the Holy Spirit, in His sovereignty, is a lot like the wind.  He works as He pleases with results I can’t predict, in ways I don’t understand.  Sometimes He is a gentle breeze, sometimes a mountain storm.  And with Him, my soul can soar higher than those birds in the air.

The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.  John 3:8

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Pass the Peas, Please


Ow.  The after-effects of my last tumble are taking hold.  My arms hurt where the paramedics pulled me out of the way.  I did something to my foot with this second fall...there’s a black-n-blue “band” across my ankle.  I think I may have twisted it.  Etcetera.  Time to get out the frozen peas to "ice" it.

Go to a doctor?  Not at this time.  Nothing is broken.  Basically, what I really need to do is rest.  Preferably in bed with this foot elevated.

I’m not too good with bed rest.  Unless I can sleep soundly, I just mentally ping off the walls with grand plans of what I think I need to do, ideas to implement, and “stuff” in general.

I can’t read in bed anymore.  I did that all the time when I was younger.  But now when I read, I prefer to have my book/Kindle on a table and underline/highlight or make notes.

Maybe this is the time to pop in the audiobook I have on The Pilgrim’s Progress (John Bunyan).  I have a  CD player beside my bed, so I’ll just settle in for 10+ hours!  Pass the peas, please!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Makeit Simple - *M*'s Pasta

I will preface this recipe with a little story of how I ended up trying it.  My friend back home, *M*, is Italian.  Her father made this dish every Friday night for dinner in the "Old Country."  She invited me over for dinner and said that, if I didn't like it, she had another meal ready to pop in the oven for me.  Puzzled, I asked her why I wouldn't like it?  "It is made with anchovies."

"Put the other food in the oven!"

It took quite a bit of cajoling.  I argued that I HATED anchovies.  Detested.  Despised.  Abhorred.  It was only because she almost pleaded with me to try it, and because I loved her as a friend, that I gave in.

I was stunned when it immediately became one of my favorites! 

Take 2 cloves of garlic.  Use a fork to crush them in a small saucepan.  Add 1/4 cup butter, add a scant 1/4 cup olive oil, then add 2 cans of anchovies.  (Do not drain.)  Turn heat to medium low, cover with a lid and simmer together 5 - 10 minutes.  In a large bowl, mix into cooked angel hair pasta or capellini.  Serve with warm Italian bread and salad.

You will enjoy!