Blog

Snickerdoodles

by monicainga

It was a moment worthy of an I Love Lucy episode. I was making snickerdoodles to take to my support group meeting. Instead of spooning out snickerdoodle dough or rolling it out, the way to shape snickerdoodles is to roll the dough into a ball and then roll the ball into a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Only, my dough wouldn’t roll into a ball.

As I put my hands into the dough to gather it up and roll it into a ball, the dough just coated my hands. I looked like I was wearing baseball mitts made out of snickerdoodles dough. More flour was added to the dough until it was able to be rolled into balls. The cookies turned out great!

The next day, I set out to make snickerdoodles again. It’s a long-standing rule of the house that when I prepare a dish for a meeting, a bake sale, or a covered dish supper, I need to make another one for my household to enjoy. As I prepared my mise en place for the second batch of snickerdoodles, I noticed that the amount of flour that was written in the recipe was more than I had measured out the day before.

What happened? What didn’t I do earlier? The difference is that on the second day, I wore my reading glasses while getting the ingredients together. That’s right! I couldn’t see the correct amount in the recipe because I didn’t put on the glasses. When did the numbers in the cookbooks get so small, anyways?

A lesson was learned. In the future, I need to have my reading glasses close by, just in case. Baking after middle age is not for the faint of heart or short of sight, without compensating for the new challenges.

This is true of all things in life, not just baking. As ages and stages of life change, it’s important to make adjustments to the process. “The way things have always been done” is a mindset that may lead to something more damaging than wet cookie dough. In all things, evaluate the situation as though it were the first time, instead of the hundred and first!

Verse of the Day: April 9, 2024

by monicainga

bible.com/bible/1588/ezk.36.26.AMP

I am slowly but surely climbing out of the pit that I found myself in following the latest surgical procedure. I am better able to express myself, because I am not distracted by pain or dulled by painkillers. I am not fully functioning yet, but when I read this verse of the day, I was moved to start writing, again.

When I read this verse about a heart of stone being taken away and replaced with a heart of flesh, questions come to mind. One is the idea of a heart of stone. Another is a heart of flesh. What are they? What do they look like in people? What does a heart of stone look like today? What does a heart of flesh look like today? Why would I want a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone? How do I get a heart of flesh?

About an hour or so from my house is the world’s largest exposed piece of granite. This rock, also known as Stone Mountain, has been around for hundreds of years. I have pictures of my grandmother on this rock as a young lady with my mother as a toddler. Stone Mountain looks today, much as it did 70+ years ago when my mother visited it. It’s been a part of the landscape for years, but other than erosion or weathering, Stone Mountain is unchanged. It does not expand or grow. It does not produce anything. Stone Mountain is simply there. It occupies space in the landscape without giving back or changing.

A heart of stone is a physical representation of a heart of flesh. It looks the same as a heart of flesh, but that’s where the similarities end. A heart of stone is one that is cold, like most rocks. It’s as uncaring, unfeeling, and immovable as a boulder. A heart of stone is alive as much as a rock is alive. A heart of stone doesn’t grow with compassion or empathy for others. A heart of stone doesn’t feel love, sadness, anger, or happiness. It simply is there – cold, lifeless, and unfeeling.

Today, if a person has a heart of stone, we may call them stoic. They aren’t moved to act by emotions or compassion. A stone-hearted person may give, but they don’t give joyfully or out of any sense of caring. It’s a duty or an obligation. Much in the way that Stone Mountain is part of the landscape, a person who has a heart of stone is a part of the world, but they don’t involve themselves in the world around them.

A heart of flesh is the opposite of a heart of stone. It’s vibrant and living. A heart of flesh pumps blood and supports the functioning of the body which houses it. Without a beating heart, a person simply stops living.

Today, a person who has a heart of flesh may be called generous, or empathetic, or compassionate, or dynamic. A person who has a heart of flesh doesn’t simply exist, they live. They live by making a difference in the lives of people that surround them. They are moved to action by situations that anger them or grieve them. A person who has a heart of flesh doesn’t speak out about the good things that they do. Others who notice the activity of a flesh-hearted person will do that. A person who has a heart of flesh will say things like, “What can I do to make a better world for others?”

After looking at the differences of a person who has a stony heart versus a person who has a fleshy heart, I want to have a fleshy one. I want to care about things other than myself – people, animals, plants, the environment- the list can go on and on. But, is a fleshy heart in the cards for me? After living for more than half a century, is change possible?

The answer to both questions is a resounding, “yes.” How is it possible to change from existing to living? Change is possible when a person becomes friends with and maintains a relationship with God. It’s impossible to walk away from an encounter with God and not be changed.

When people allow God to work on their behalf, then these people will notice others. The changed people will discover ways to help, ways to alleviate suffering, ways to love others, and ways to reflect the joy that God has put in these vital, beating, and living hearts of flesh. To quote the song, Pass it On, “That’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it. You spread his love to ev’ryone. You want to pass it on.” Let your heart of flesh beat and act in your world. Your actions, done out of love, will be contagious.

The Lenten Journey Day 34

by monicainga

“This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.2.4-14.NIV

Lord God,

You created a world to provide all the things needed to sustain life. But, there was no rain until You were so fed up with the wickedness of people, You sent rains to flood the world. I am sorry that You were so upset that You thought that a flood was necessary. But, I am thankful for rain.

I am especially thankful for the rain now. Here in Atlanta, the tree pollen count is consistently high. Soon, there will be a yellow haze in the air as the pine pollen goes everywhere. I am thankful that the rain will temporarily clear the air of the pollen, because I’m allergic to tree pollen. When it rains, I get a temporary reprieve from my allergy symptoms and I can breathe.

Rain also feels like a gift to me. Going outside and walking in the gentle rains is pleasant. The smell of the air is different. When I smell the rain in the air, I am reminded of the renewal of life. Rain waters the plants, giving them what they need to grow. Rain also keeps the water levels up enough where fish and other water dwellers have plenty of room to swim.

Thank You for the rain and the life that abounds because of it.

Amen

Post – procedure

by monicainga

More pain than I anticipated – hopefully things will calm down soon. Moving around is supposed to help. Tomorrow, I will do a walking routine similar to what I did for Jake when he developed arthritis.

Picture of Jake included – I really miss him. When I had a more involved kidney stone operation, after coming home from the hospital the next day, he wouldn’t leave my side.

Jake insisted that I needed him on my blanket more than he needed to be on his blanket, which is visible just past my feet.

Something

by monicainga

I am writing this after I have gotten ready for bed. When I started blogging regularly I promised myself that I would write something every day, even if it was only one word. With my preparation for my appointment tomorrow, I forgot to write earlier. So, here it is… something.

Health Update

by monicainga

This is a brief update on my family’s health. I will catch up with the Lenten prayers before Easter, I promise. But, I wanted to share that child #3 and I will each be admitted for outpatient procedures next week. We’re not feeling great, but we are extremely thankful to have each inherited a high pain tolerance from my father’s family. We will be at separate hospitals, but we will recover in the same house. Prayers are appreciated for complication-free procedures and rapid healing. Thank you for reading and caring!

Late Post

by monicainga

Today’s scheduled blog post has been temporarily interrupted by another episode of “Adventures in Homeownership”. Please tune in tomorrow for your regularly scheduled programming.

The Lenten Journey Day 33

by monicainga

”Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.“
‭‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.19.1-6.NIV

What would I do if You invited Yourself into my house? Would I go around tidying up the clutter and put stuff into closets and drawers? Or, would I simply invite You into my house and let You see the worst of my clutter – evidence of an undisciplined life? I don’t have an answer. I know that I need You. But, I don’t want it to look like I need You as much as I do. I want to think that I could do most of the housework, like sweeping, taking out the trash, and doing the dishes. I would leave the more challenging things for You – like cleaning the gutters. But, that’s not the way things work.

If I allow You to come into my house, You want to do all of it. Yes, You will take care of the gutters, but You will also do the dishes. You’re not content with doing some of the chores. You want it all. Am I willing to invite You in? Am I willing to be that vulnerable with You? What kind of host allows a guest to clean? The host that realizes that they don’t actually own the house.

The house is a rental. The landlord is asking for an invitation to go inside the house that they own. The landlord has the right to enter the house at any time for any reason, but doesn’t. Instead, the landlord waits to be invited.

The tenant may not feel worthy of having the landlord as a guest. But, that’s the only way the landlord will go inside of the house. It doesn’t matter what the invitation looks like. It doesn’t need to be something fancy from an engraver. If the tenant is receptive in any fashion to the landlord, that’s invitation enough.

There’s no need to tidy things. The landlord cares about how the house is being maintained. Most importantly, though, the landlord cares for the tenants. Do the tenants like the neighborhood? How is their cell reception? Is the HOA too much of a burden for the tenants?

As the tenants share with the landlord, they discover that instead of being shocked by clutter and chaos, the landlord simply picks up a broom and gets to work. The tenants find themselves drying and putting away the dishes that the landlord washes. Finally, the house is clean and tidy. An agreement is reached between the landlord and the tenants.

The landlord is going to move into the house and live with the tenants. The tenants will need to move out of the master suite. But, it’s not a problem, because it’s not the tenants’ house. It never really was. But, the tenants forgot that they aren’t actually the owner.

The tenants don’t mind moving into the guest bedroom. As a result, their rent is lowered dramatically. This lower rent is locked into a lease that says that the rent will never increase as long as the landlord remains with them, living in the master suite.

The tenants upkeep on the house is altered as well. The landlord pays the mortgage and utilities while he lives in the house, as the owner, mind you, not as a guest. Whoever heard of a guest paying the bills? That’s what the tenants are now, guests. Any work that they do around the house is at the request of the landlord. Would the tenants mind setting the table for dinner while the landlord cooks? Would the tenants like to listen to the landlord read aloud or watch television together? The landlord wants the tenants to stay as long as they will, as long as they help keep the house in order.

What would I say if You asked to come inside of my house?