Lite

The Lite and Luscious that I made for dessert recently is not “lite” in the traditional sense.  Now, I’m not complaining.  It was delicious.  The final result is sort of like an orange meringue pie, with the Cool Whip serving in the place of the beaten egg whites.  Still, if I had to name it I would call it heavy and luscious or maybe rich and luscious.  Its title seems to fall into place with a culture that is taken with thinness, so much so that “lite” is considered to be an unquestionably good description.

But light doesn’t have to refer to a number of calories or the digits we see when we stand on the scale.  While health concerns do plague us in our time, being light has been on my mind in more ways than just what can be expressed in pounds.  What I am thinking of has to do with another common metaphor we use, that of “baggage.”  While many of us carry excess bulk on our bodies, we may well carry far more weight in our hearts.

The heaviness that we carry may come from memories and past experience.  Though invisible, they can drag us down more than a garment bag filled with marbles.  We are shaped by these experiences.  If we are forced to bend double with the weight, we may find it hard to straighten back up again.

It would be nice to set our memories down like a suitcase.   We could walk away from them and they wouldn’t follow us.  The choice, once made, would be final.  But memories are not so easy.  They have legs and can catch up to us from great distances.  Leaving them behind is much harder and takes a lot more work.

So in order to heal from past sadness or wounds, ongoing effort is required.  Each morning, we choose to look ahead rather than behind.  Each hour, we decide to forgive.  We cry when we need to.  We grieve what is lost.  When we feel our chest tighten up, or our hands inexplicably making fists, then we take a deep breath and turn our attention to the sunlight that we feel here and now.

It is much better to travel light.  To move through the world with eyes and hearts open completely to experience the world in the present moment.  Better this than being weighed down, with our attention continually pulled back to what can no longer be changed.  There is too much light in the world not to enjoy it.

Blessed eating!

Lite and Luscious

Crust:

1 ¼ c. plain flour                                                           ¼ t. salt

1 sm pkg. coconut cream instant pudding             ½ c. Crisco

2 T. soft margarine                                                     1 egg

Mix above ingredients until moist.  Press into 12” pizza pan.  Bake 15 minutes at 350^o. 

Filling:

6 oz. sr. cream                   1 can Eagle Brand milk

½ c. Tang orange drink mix (save ¼ g. for top)

Mix above until blended.  Spread on cooled crust.

Topping:

Spread 8 oz. Cool Whip on above.  Place 1 can mandarin orange slices on top and sprinkle with ¼ t. reserved Tang. – Ann Bass