Am I the only one who liked the snow? The recent snowfall events – that are not so
terribly uncommon to the south – have been spoken of as if they were natural
disasters. They have been given exaggerated
and punny names: “Snowpocalypse,” “Snowmaggedon,” “Snowjam” and now “Iceolation”
and “Snoverdose.” No one seems to
comment on its loveliness, or its capacity for fun. You would think those fluffy white crystals
were aliens from outer space, invading our planet with evil intentions to stop
our traffic.
Maybe it is easy for me to view it positively. I didn’t spend the night in my Ford Focus, enduring
the freezing temperatures. I didn’t hike
for miles on icy roads or through the slush.
I haven’t even lost power. So I
don’t mean to make light of the fact that real hardship resulted for many. Still, the snow is not quite a hurricane or
earthquake. And, for myself, I am
grateful to have been able to enjoy it.
We took out the cake mold a good friend gave to us and
finally made the giant cupcake that had been on my To-Do list for months. I got lazy and used cake mix instead of
making one from scratch, but everyone had a great time applying icing and
coating it with sprinkles.
There was no lack of activities, or at the very least movies
and TV to watch. But like probably every
other family prevented by the snow from leaving home, we got cabin fever. We got grumpy, irritable and cranky, tired of
looking at each other and tired of looking at our four walls. This is where the rubber meets the road in
terms of good relations. At times like
this, we need to exercise our tolerance.
We need to get creative in our persistent efforts at calm, and to
stretch our patience to make it more durable.
To me, it feels a lot like church.
God gave us the gift of church – our faith community – for a
lot of good reasons. Our Christian
brothers and sisters support us on our journey.
They walk alongside, sharing experience and advice. They give us a hand
up when we trip. They also get grumpy,
cranky and irritable. They can be hard
to get along with; they disagree with our best ideas; step on our toes. And so do we.
The gift of the church is the building up of our
getting-along-with-others muscles. Through
this continual workout – if we don’t give
up – we will find the many blessings
that come from sharing God’s love with our neighbors.
2 T. vinegar 5 c. pl. flour
1 ½ t. soda ½ t. salt
1 T. ginger 1 t. each cinnamon & cloves
Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg, molasses, and vinegar. Sift in remaining ingredients. Mix well. Chill 3 hours. Roll thin on a floured surface. Cut into shapes and place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375o for 5-6 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. – Laura Taylor
Just like the snow, there is beauty and challenge in every
gift from God. It requires persistence
and patience to root it out, but the effort is always worth it.
Blessed eating!
Nancy
Gingerbread Cookies
1 c. shortening 1
c. sugar
1 egg 1
c. molasses2 T. vinegar 5 c. pl. flour
1 ½ t. soda ½ t. salt
1 T. ginger 1 t. each cinnamon & cloves
Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg, molasses, and vinegar. Sift in remaining ingredients. Mix well. Chill 3 hours. Roll thin on a floured surface. Cut into shapes and place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375o for 5-6 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. – Laura Taylor
