a verse, an epiphony and a recipe in that order
Ecclesiastes 3:7: a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
As I sit here in late afternoon of Friday, I am aware of something. It is more stressful to tear down and break apart than it is to mend, and build up. This is true of our conversations, of our relationships, and of our homes.
About 10 days ago, a storm caused a huge tree to fall on the fence of our yard. About 60 feet of fence fell in and much of our landscaping, and the little kids' playhouse crumbled. It was devastating to see.....and it is taking a long time to mend. Insurance adjusters are difficult. Weather prevents the project from moving forward. Our busy lives and our financial burden add stress.....and then there are the dogs. The little, older dog loves the freedom of exploring the yards beyond ours. The big one is confined to a chain, a leash, and a locked up house....and so she has to do her business inside most of the time.....and it smells....so....bad. It is stressful for her and for me.
There is a time to tear apart and a time to mend. That time is not my decision or my choice. I really, really don't like that I cannot control time. My very smart and able husband has exercised his time to be silent when I was venting and crying and cursing.....and he took our oldest son to buy the wood, and then he and the older 2 boys dug the post holes and mixed the concrete and did the work of preparing for a new fence these last 10 days....and I cleaned up dog poo and tried to be silent.......
My husband is teaching our sons valuable things. I am sitting here, watching them. He is teaching precision and endurance and patience and how to use power tools. He and Isaac are standing face to face all day long and talking some and laughing a bit and getting this daggum fence built. Jeremiah and Claire left this morning on a weekend mission trip to Omaha, Ne. They will give and serve and pour out there....and I will do so here. Precious and Josiah.....fight and play and laugh and cry......my mission this weekend is to parent and clean and buy food and offer a cold bottle of water and snacks to the men.
The day the crew came to cut up that huge half a tree was a hard day. My stomach felt sick. Today, I feel great. Hopeful. Purposeful. Building feels much better than tearing down.
I think, in our daily lives, there are opportunities to build and not tear down. Make a meal for someone. Write a note of encouragement. Give a hug. Smile at the lady checking you out at the store. Build up and build up and build up every chance possible. Tearing down needs to happen......the laws of chance and circumstance demand it....but the building up? Well. That is totally within our power.
I am including a recipe for what's for dinner here tonight. I have made it for others and am always asked for the recipe so maybe it will inspire someone out there to bless someone with a meal soon and be part of the building up.
Chicken (or Turkey) Divane:
3-4 cups shredded cooked poultry
20 oz broccoli steamed
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayo
1-2 T lemon juice
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 -1 cup buttered bread crumbs.
Place steamed broccoli in casserole pan. lay pieces of chicken/turkey over the broccoli. Mix the soup, mayo and lemon juice. Spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for aobut 30 min or until lightly browned and bubbly.
I serve with either rice or cooked spaghetti noodles.....
and tonight I am adding a wilted spinach salad with bacon and red onion cuz the guys ( or maybe I) deserve a treat.
Blessed to be a blessing day after day.
As I sit here in late afternoon of Friday, I am aware of something. It is more stressful to tear down and break apart than it is to mend, and build up. This is true of our conversations, of our relationships, and of our homes.
About 10 days ago, a storm caused a huge tree to fall on the fence of our yard. About 60 feet of fence fell in and much of our landscaping, and the little kids' playhouse crumbled. It was devastating to see.....and it is taking a long time to mend. Insurance adjusters are difficult. Weather prevents the project from moving forward. Our busy lives and our financial burden add stress.....and then there are the dogs. The little, older dog loves the freedom of exploring the yards beyond ours. The big one is confined to a chain, a leash, and a locked up house....and so she has to do her business inside most of the time.....and it smells....so....bad. It is stressful for her and for me.
There is a time to tear apart and a time to mend. That time is not my decision or my choice. I really, really don't like that I cannot control time. My very smart and able husband has exercised his time to be silent when I was venting and crying and cursing.....and he took our oldest son to buy the wood, and then he and the older 2 boys dug the post holes and mixed the concrete and did the work of preparing for a new fence these last 10 days....and I cleaned up dog poo and tried to be silent.......
My husband is teaching our sons valuable things. I am sitting here, watching them. He is teaching precision and endurance and patience and how to use power tools. He and Isaac are standing face to face all day long and talking some and laughing a bit and getting this daggum fence built. Jeremiah and Claire left this morning on a weekend mission trip to Omaha, Ne. They will give and serve and pour out there....and I will do so here. Precious and Josiah.....fight and play and laugh and cry......my mission this weekend is to parent and clean and buy food and offer a cold bottle of water and snacks to the men.
The day the crew came to cut up that huge half a tree was a hard day. My stomach felt sick. Today, I feel great. Hopeful. Purposeful. Building feels much better than tearing down.
I think, in our daily lives, there are opportunities to build and not tear down. Make a meal for someone. Write a note of encouragement. Give a hug. Smile at the lady checking you out at the store. Build up and build up and build up every chance possible. Tearing down needs to happen......the laws of chance and circumstance demand it....but the building up? Well. That is totally within our power.
I am including a recipe for what's for dinner here tonight. I have made it for others and am always asked for the recipe so maybe it will inspire someone out there to bless someone with a meal soon and be part of the building up.
Chicken (or Turkey) Divane:
3-4 cups shredded cooked poultry
20 oz broccoli steamed
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayo
1-2 T lemon juice
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 -1 cup buttered bread crumbs.
Place steamed broccoli in casserole pan. lay pieces of chicken/turkey over the broccoli. Mix the soup, mayo and lemon juice. Spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for aobut 30 min or until lightly browned and bubbly.
I serve with either rice or cooked spaghetti noodles.....
and tonight I am adding a wilted spinach salad with bacon and red onion cuz the guys ( or maybe I) deserve a treat.
Blessed to be a blessing day after day.
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