“Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).
Cookie?
Today, let’s all try to Bee positive!
… even if the world stings, honey, life can still taste sweet if you work toward the good of the hive, pollenating those around you with the fragrance of goodness gifted you by the Master Bee Charmer, himself…
Ummm… well? You know, if I were to take a guess, seeings as I’m only just having TODAY’s first cup of tea, I’m going with waking up as my answer to this mornings prompt about tomorrow mornings activities.
Sometimes, WordPress, you ask the silliest questions. By all rights, I shouldn’t, but due to my having such a charitable disposition this morning, I’ll allow you to share in the cookies… but, just this once!
Don’t make a habit of it…
While this may not be a Christian song, per say, it sure captures the trait that’s kept me alive, thus far… in a round-a-bout sort of way. God will out, in the end!
Just sayin!
Want a cookie?
Many will say that my choices of Love, Life, and Laughter, aren’t really jobs. Some will say that my answers are more emotions instead of careers. Well, let’s think on that for a moment…
Take love, for instance! If you’re the one pursuing love from another, I bet you’d argue that money comes into play! Don’t get me started on the average cost of a wedding! As a woman, I’ll be the first to admit that if money were no matter, my wedding would be over the top! Just sayin.
After Love comes Life…
Children have to be some of the most expensive things on the planet, aside from a space shuttle, maybe. There are hospital bills, college funds, and 18+ years of financial responsibility. I haven’t even begun to touch on the cost of feeding said passel of hungry mouths, nor have I had a chance to expound on the amount of cleaning, teaching, disciplining and raising up of those little beans.
This is where the Laughter arrives! How many can say that their careers bring them joy, like holding one’s baby for the first time, or watching their prodigy butcher a musical piece of Mozart at a piano recital. Both activities bring forth joy and laughter that cannot be bought with gold or silver!
The careers of Loving, Living, and Laughing are quite far away from being free, nor inexpensive, but oh so worth it! I’ve given over 35 years to loving, living, and laughing. I sacrificed the money, time, energy, emotions, blood, sweat, and tears to fulfill those three careers, with few regrets… and none of them were my loved ones!
Don’t forget your cookies…
I was conceived in wickedness, born in the midst of evil, and have been a wanderer all my 56 years of existence.
No one claims me, my bloodline, nor my destiny!
I was cursed with death before I took my first breath.
The me that was born into that life held no value, to anyone, aside for the men who helped themselves to that which was not theirs to take. My mother was so consumed with her own trauma and grief that she failed to protect any of her children, eventually dying of severe Dementia before I was able to tell her that I understood.
Perhaps this question would have been more valuable, were I to have the memories and life lessons handed down from a healthy, normal background and cultural heritage. But, I don’t. Therefore, this prompt might be considered a waste of time to answer.
By grace, mercy, providence, and purpose, you don’t have to accept the prompt response of the me that died, some time ago, in fact.
This is the me that was brought from death to life, and who stands before you now…
I know who I am
I am a child of God
The kingdom of heaven is my culture, my eternal heritage
I am born again
Chosen
Set apart
Written in the Book of Life
Bought
Paid for
I am free…
You better not forget your cookies! I worked all morning on them…
Brands, that is…
Ah, the good ole days…
Once, there was time when a girl could eat whatever she wanted, with reckless abandon. She wasn’t tied down to just any old brand. And she never had to worry over what brands she chose to associate.
There was a time when she loved to celebrate with her closest associate, Mr. Folgers…
Alas, those days are gone.
There were the days of joyful indulgences with her most frequent of associates… you may know them. Folks used to call them the Tillamook Gang, but to me, they were my friends. I think I miss Cheddar the most, as she was most often in the kitchen…
Well, as I mentioned at the beginning of this, you are like those you associate with! Unfortunately, they weren’t the best influence, so I had to give them up.
Now, after learning to let go of that which is a bad influence, I cleaned up my kitchen and now have a new circle of brands to hang out with… the healthier kind!
At first, it wasn’t so easy. Meeting new brands that behaved far differently than my old brands was difficult for a time. Strange names and unusual characteristics made me feel very self-conscious and intimidated, not to mention a bit scared. Change is never easy, but for the sake of healthy associations with brands… it had to be done!
Now that I’ve taken the time to get more familiar with her, Chiquita has become a very loyal brand, faithfully supplying me with a better association with potassium, and the like…
Chiquita was so genuinely helpful and giving, she actually introduced me to the Foster Farm Girls…
You know, associating with them has done wonders for my health, seriously!
There is, however, one brand that has been my friend since my earliest days. My mother actually introduced me to them, first. I was only about five years old, when my mother bought me an Easy-Bake Oven. I’d never made cookies before. I’d only ever seen my mother do it, but she was now handing over the spatula, so to speak!
I was placed upon a stool that had been stacked with several Yellow Page telephone books. Before me sat my brand new oven, all the little trays, sprays, spoons, and such. But the world turned on it’s axis, when my mother handed me a large bowl filled with cookie dough! It wasn’t just any cookie do, however, but the original recipe from Nestle Toll House Morsels package… that was all it took!
From that little oven, came some of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted! Now, perhaps it was the sugar rush that kicked in, or even the bit of caffeine from the chocolate chips, hitting the bloodstream. The point is, I was hooked… not just on cookies, but on the Toll House brand!
I’ve had occasion to use other brands, but I always come back to Toll House! Whenever I see their packages, I’m immediately transported back to my childhood days… the good ones, though they be few. Thank you, Toll House!
I bet you guys are glad I kept this brand. I wouldn’t serve you anything less than wonderful… hugs
I wanted to say “Eat, Pray, Love” but Julia Roberts already took that one. No fair!
Well, I can still tell you that I could be eating more, as I just got off the phone with my nutritionist, and she’s concerned that I’m not eating enough calories.
And, I can attest that we all should be doing more praying, of late.
Also, there is never enough love to go around, these days.
Now do you see why I wanted to use that title so badly? It was just perfect, but I’m not one to steal from another, so Julia wins this time.
Hmmmmm… I could have used Shake, Rattle, and Roll, possibly. Then there’s Live, Love, and Laugh, or maybe even Take a Walk on the Wild Side, but they just don’t sound the same, you know?
Maybe, I should just bake more cookies…
Ya, I think I’ll do that!
Honestly, some of the biggest obstacles in my life have been those of my own making, due to my overthinking brain! Making mountains out of mole hills, and the like. I’m not exactly sure when, or even who I heard say this old adage. But, I know with certainty that it has to come from somewhere in the archives of my existence.
Maybe my mother said it. Or, perhaps it came from a teacher in school… who knows. Somehow, though, it has stuck with me all my life. Did it help me back then? No!
In fact, it has taken most of my many years of life to practice the old adage, and I still don’t get it right all the time. Here’s another good one… Old habits die hard, as they say.
Being in my mid 50’s, it’s taken a substantial amount of highs and lows, up’s and downs, and a boatload of endurance runs to really help this advice sink in to my stubborn brain. To give credit where credit is due, I think that “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” was probably the catalyst that began to disrupt my late night overthinker’s anonymous group that met in my head most nights.
Currently, I only make random guest appearances, for the sake of the group, of course. Like I said, I’m not there yet, but gimme time.
Til then, enjoy the cookies…
In this day and age, I think it’s safe to say that social media, television, and Google have done their due diligence in overloading our brains. We inundate our own minds with far more information than is good for us!
Now, WordPress wants me to add to the list of useless information, what I happen to think I want to be more informed about? I won’t waste my time, nor yours, complaining about this prompt’s phishy vibes, as I’ve beaten that dead horse for years, now. So, with that being said, I’m off to the kitchen to inform myself how to bake a gluten free cake for this afternoon. My daughter and son-in-law are visiting our apartment for the first time, so I want to make it special!
Cookies?
We’re not even going to entertain these thoughts, WordPress! Shame on you!
Honestly, I don’t even want to imagine what a loss it would be, having no music in the world… sheesh!
I suggest we all just look away from such a bleak existence, and focus on something more uplifting, like cookies…
Journey With Me! 