Too Much Pie

I started out the morning with a good breakfast: oatmeal with raisins and walnuts, an almond peanut butter sandwich with a mix of greens, and coffee.

After that, it went downhill.

My husband was hungry for potpie. So, I popped one in the oven for lunch. We finished with a slice of apple pie I had made the day before. Pie and Pie: why not!

Earlier that morning I made a pumpkin pie to serve some friends who were coming in the afternoon. After all, it was the first day of fall and pumpkin seemed appropriate. We ate it that afternoon with kool-whip.

We had an evening meeting at our church, so I pulled out left over pizza late in the afternoon for our supper. I had only a small piece of pumpkin pie in the afternoon so finished my pizza with a second slice of pumpkin pie.

Potpie. Apple pie. Pumpkin pie. Pizza Pie.  Each filled with sugar, fat, salt. I should say “ugh,” but I can’t honestly express this as I enjoyed each serving.

It is bedtime, and I don’t want another slice of any kind of pie for a long time—.... Too much of anything is not good.

Too much water, too much food, too much work-- too much fun is even tiresome.

There is only one thing you cannot have too much of: God’s love.

Psalm 136:26 reads, “Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Ask for it. Then, ask for more. …. Because…

“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

 

Bucket List

My husband and I recently completed a National Parks Tour. Riding on a bus with 40 strangers on a 3000 mile trip has its ups and downs. Viewing the depths of the Grand Canyon, looking up the heights of Zion, peering at Lake Tahoe's deep blue, viewing the falls of Yosemite, and finishing the trip with curiosity-- how could anything live in Death Valley? Those were the "ups."

Lake Tahoe

The "downs"? You can't travel with 40 strangers in an enclosed bus for fourteen days and not have someone get sick, or impatient, or frustrated. However, as we got to know each other, we discovered  fun, joy, or something charming in each person.

Before the end of the trip, most wanted to exchange emails and addresses so that pictures and experiences could be shared.

We can check off "National Parks Tour" from our bucket list. But, I'm going to add something: take more time to get to know others.

The Bible is all about relationships, connections--God's love for us; His desire for us to love and care for others. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us, Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. and Galatians 6:10, So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people... 

No "checking off" needed for this item on my bucket list.

Pot Luck: Friends and Food

I’m not sure the younger generation is even familiar with the term, "pot-luck.”  We don’t do a lot of it anymore; it’s easier to eat-out, order-in, or pull something prepared from the freezer.

I googled the term to read, ...a situation in which one must take a chance that whatever is available will prove to be good or acceptable.  Also—a meal or party to which each of the guests contribute a dish.

Note the blessing of a double-yoke egg...

Recently, I experienced a spontaneous pot-luck that was one of the most enjoyable and healthiest meals I’ve eaten in some time. A friend emailed with, “Come to my house, bring what you have, we’ll do potluck.”

I went to the refrigerator and pulled out a peach and tomato. I tossed together some kale, onion, cranberries, and nuts for a salad. I arrived at her house with my goodies. She provided a salad blessed with hard-boiled eggs and other veggies, cottage cheese, warm sweet potato, a sliver of salmon, and warm, mixed vegetables. A few pretzels added crunch and a little salt.

Her friend from another state and a long-ago time joined us. We ate, commented on the freshness of the food, spoke of connections and memories. Yes, whatever was available (including companionship and food) was good and acceptable. We felt blessed.

One of us commented, “eating out is over-rated.” That day, eating-in and pot-lucking was a joy. Most of the time, it seems that it is the simple things in life that bring us the most joy.