Just pencils...

This sweet parable was sent to me so I thought I would share it with you. If anyone knows the author, please let me know. I would like to thank this wise person.

"A pencil maker told the pencil 5 important lessons just before putting it in the box:

1) Everything you do will always leave a mark.

2) You can always correct the mistakes you make.

3) What is important is what is inside of you.

4) In life, you will undergo painful sharpening, which will only make you better.

5) To be the best pencil, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

We all need to be constantly sharpened. This parable may encourage you to know that you are a special person, with unique God-given talents and abilities. Only you can fulfill the purpose which you were born to accomplish. Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot be changed and, like the pencil, always remember that the most important part of who you are is what's inside of you."

Star Pie...

When I was a little girl, I absolutely hated leftovers. However, my mother thought leftovers were wonderful. Now that I have grown up, I understand why. The best thing I have ever created using left overs is a "Star Pie".

Following a dinner of a 'Mediterranean' pot roast, which had been cooked in the slow cooker, there was some wonderful left over beef.

I rolled out a rectangle of puff pastry. Then on one side, I placed pieces of the roast beef, roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes, and some fresh spinach. Next, I folded the puff pastry in half and pinched the edges closed. After brushing with a bit of egg yolk, I placed cut out puff pastry stars on top and gave them a little brush with the egg. The 'star pie' was then cooked in a medium hot oven for about 30 minutes, or until browned.

The results were spectacular! Flaky crust, savoury beef, plenty of green spinach with the sophistication of the sundried tomatoes and roasted garlic…. dare I say it was heavenly?!

If you haven't tried puff pastry, be brave, roll it out and get creative!
This is one 'leftover' dish that has become a 'star' in my cooking repertoire!

Less is more...

The issue of ‘stuff’ has been discussed between my husband and myself quite a lot lately as we are dealing with some end of life issues with my mother who is very ill, but currently stabilized.

We recently visited her where she lives in a nursing home. She shares a room with another resident. Over the past 10 years in various assisted living arrangements, and then nursing homes, she (or rather we) have helped her pare down to the bare essentials. It is amazing that when it gets to the later stages of chronic illness, stuff has little relevance.

Currently, her possessions are the following:

* collection of family photos in frames set along the windowsill (5 in total)
* wall clock which chimes the time of day with a little ‘bird call’ sound
* painting of two brightly coloured parrots (she is legally blind in one eye; other eye was removed years ago)
* personal care items (lotion, toothpaste, comb, etc.) which fit into one drawer
* two drawers which hold her nightgowns
* 1 robe and 3 sweaters
* Kindle Fire (avid Scrabble freak)
* compact DVD player (like small laptop) for listening to audiobooks from local library
* bird feeder outside her window so she can watch the birds
* 1 pair of headphones

She owns no underwear, no shoes, no coat, and no other items. When the time comes, it will take no more than 2 boxes to clear out her room.

We enter the world with nothing and, when we depart, we need nothing.

It was a humbling visit. She is bed-ridden but can feed herself and play Scrabble. She seems happy and at peace. She has finally arrived at a place where less is more. She seems to only ask for two things: chocolate pudding and Oreos. A simple request and we indulge her. Her strength and dignity shine through and she makes a point to make us feel at ease with her smile and her words.

We all go through life growing, dreaming, accumulating, down-sizing, dying. It all just depends where on the “Wheel of Life” you are at any given moment.

Not a judgement, just an observation.

Dancing Stars...



No matter what happens during any given day...

No matter how many clouds obscure the sun...

No matter how heavy my heart may feel…

It brings me immense comfort knowing there are ten million stars dancing in the sky…

Thank you, God.

Jelly Belly

Bought my first bag of Jelly Belly's is ages. Ate the entire bag in one sitting. It contained an assortment of 20 flavours. Jalepeno pepper, strawberry daiquiri, lemon, chocolate, tutti-frutti, toasted marshmallow, buttered popcorn, coconut. Need I say more?

But I shall.

On my one-hour train ride home from the big city to my tiny little town, I sat and enjoyed every last little bean of Jelly Belly goodness. I ate them s-l-o-w-l-y. I savoured each morsel of tasty goodness. Each explosion of flavour filled my mouth, awakening my senses. And to think this was all done in public! The people sitting next to me were bone-tired, nodding off, heads flopping forward, backward, and sometimes sideward in rhythm to the movement of the train. I sat there enchanted with my little bag of jellied treasures.

It was a moment in 'moving meditation'. As the train sped northward, carrying me home at the end of long day, I focused my attention on the flavours of the little gems I was steadily devouring. And each one was absolutely, perfectly delicious.

My favourite combination was chocolate + toasted marshmallow… tasted a bit like chocolate cream pie. Followed by peach, cherry, and liquorice.

Hard to believe I ate the entire bag and you know what? I don't feel the least bit guilty.

The night and I are often at odds. Some nights march slowly toward the endless and infinite reaches of the sky. The distance to the dawn is unbearable. There is a depth and breadth about the night that overwhelms me as I lie in my bed, feeling so small and insignificant.

The pearl-bright moon bathes the world in silver, but I shut out her light and stare into the darkness, seeking elusive Sleep. Hiding in some unfathomable place, beyond my reach, always taunting me, but she never gives me that most longed-for kiss. This leaves me feeling a sense of hunger, like a vagrant seeking a warm meal or a derelict dying for a drink.

Last night Sleep became lazy and careless, covering me with her veil, transporting me to another plane. And while in her care, I became a mermaid.

The ocean was as deep as the night itself. The water was neither cold, nor salty. It was inert, yet supportive. I swam without effort or strain, as if I had always been a mermaid. I felt light, ethereal, and free. I held no worry or want. I swam with a strength I did not know I possessed. Everything seemed possible.

Exploring my watery world brought me a profound sense of peace. I felt confident and sure of myself. It was as if I had been given a secret power with no conditions attached. There was a certain provocativeness about all of this. So much was given to me in this watery, otherworldly plane.

When I awoke, I was quite astonished. There was such a strong sense of well-being that I could hardly believed I had slept though the night. I felt as if I had won some strange battle, waking at dawn feeling calm and rested.

My hope is to carry this mermaid spirit with me during my waking hours. My fantasy is to become the mermaid once again should Sleep provide me the chance. It was a most magical experience.

Summer Stars

Bend low again, night of summer stars.
So near you are, sky of summer stars,
So near, a long arm man can pick off stars,
Pick off what he wants in the sky bowl,
So near you are, summer stars,
So near, strumming, strumming,
So lazy and hum-strumming.

~Carl Sandburg