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Tag: Family
Morning Praise
#Bible https://HashtagBible.app
Morning Praise
#Bible https://HashtagBible.app
Soup! Because I Love You
I truly enjoy cooking! Not to the level of opening a restaurant or a cafe, but to the level that I want to cook the best food that I can for those that I love. Fortunately, it’s something that I get to do everyday for my most favorite people on this planet, my children. Today was no different.
Much like many other areas in the country at the moment, we experienced a bit of unusually cold weather, for northwest Georgia. The low this morning was about 27 degrees Fahrenheit with a few snow flurries. It was so cold that my sliding doors on my minivan would not open until it was sufficiently warmed up. I believe the high was a sunny but cold 33 or 34 degrees. Yikes!
With the temperature hovering so low, it only made sense that our dinner would be some type of soup. Let me just say that soup, is my love language. I could absolutely eat soup year round! But what I love around this time of the year is the memories of my childhood that come flooding back when I am in the kitchen. I reminisce on how good it felt to eat at my grandmothers’ tables. I can almost smell all the smells and the joy I felt to when I was in their kitchens.
Both of my grandmothers were wonderful cooks. My dad’s mother, was more of an Iron Chef type cook. That woman could make the most amazing meals and so to us it was always a treat to eat at her home because you knew, no matter what it was, it would be delicious!! My Nana (my mother’s mother) on the other hand was a bit more straight forward with her cooking, her one signature dish was fried chicken. But her hugs and conversation was what drew you in. It saddens me that my children, have never experienced those moments. Perhaps one day, when I become a grandmother, I’ll be able to create in my grandchildren’s lives abundant and colorful memories of love.
Tonight, in honor of serving and all things winter, I decided to make my version of a minestrone soup minus the pasta and beans. What emerged was a flavorful burst of summer squash, chicken sausage, chopped tomatoes and a mixture of herbs that not only make the soup taste delicious, but are also good for you as well. Think, any boost I can give to my immune system, I am in!
The one drawback here is that I am not good about writing things down, because I never really know what is going to come together when I start, but today was an exception. Here is what I used:
One pound of mild chicken sausage (gluten free) with casing removed. One medium yellow onion, five cloves of garlic (fresh), three sticks of celery, and three carrots peeled and chopped. I sautéed that mixture together in my Instant Pot and once cooked through, I started layering in the spices.
Two teaspoons dried oregano, one teaspoon of thyme, one teaspoon of garlic powder, one half teaspoon of dried rosemary, one teaspoon of dried basil and one teaspoon of dried parsley. I then added in a box of chopped tomatoes, a bag of frozen yellow squash and two fresh peeled and chopped zucchini followed by two boxes of chicken broth. Salt and pepper to taste! I then put on the lid and let it cook at pressure for about 20 minutes. It was a hit! And we still have plenty for lunch tomorrow.
If you find cooking challenging, start with soup. It’s probably the one meal that you can make that will turn out well, even when you don’t know what you’re doing. But more than that, you will create some lasting memories for the ones you love when you take the lid off that (instant) pot!
With love and soup!
AngelaChristine
I Don’t Have to Live in Fear
I could say, that the fear is completely gone. But, if I did, I’d be lying. There was a period of time when the seizures weren’t here. It was the space between my dad’s wedding and the move to Georgia, but then they returned or perhaps they never left….
I often think, that seizures are like a wound that just refuses to close. It’s like it closes with medication and then something happens or maybe it doesn’t and the wound begins to weep again. The pus flows out into our lives just as we are beginning to accept that we’re in a good space until we’re not and once again, I recognize that it’s not under my control. I am not control.
In his ten short years of life, he has probably seen the inside of an ambulance more times than I have in my entire fifty years. My heart breaks, each time we have had to take that ride. Each time, it’s the same questions, it’s the same answer, “his doctor needs to increase his medication and that will stop the breakthrough seizures,” well until it doesn’t. Why continue to throw medication until it sticks without asking why? Why are they happening what is the root cause for the seizures? The answer, “sometimes, we just don’t know.” But we can run some tests? Perhaps that will give us a clue. “Sure, I say, let’s run more tests, perhaps there is something we missed in the nine thousand other tests.”
When the tests come back normal, the answer is once again “we just don’t know, but we have still more medication options should we need to go that route.” How can we be so dependent on a system with so few answers about keeping us healthy? Perhaps, keeping us healthy isn’t the objective at all and so they run tests and remain vague just to give us enough hope to keep going back for more medication and the “it’s just inevitable.”
This morning, we worshipped online, because the seizures came and my son was of course in no condition to get up and going. It’s in those moments that I realize how not normal my life really is. You see, just when we think that seizures are in our rear view mirror and we begin to feel as though we can live normally, they come and we adapt again. Again.
Perhaps the average person, would give up and curse God. There have been times that I have contemplated those two things, but then somehow God reminds me of all of the times, He has kept his promises and brought the people and resources into my life when I couldn’t see how whatever it was would work out. Each and every time! By His divine authority it has come together for our good. I weep with gratitude.
As Christians, it often pains us to see the suffering around us and to not get caught up in what the world may say about God and His existence because of all of the devastation. But then I am reminded that Jesus bore it ALL. Not some of it, all of it. Every tear, every sin, every pain, every seizure, Jesus bore all of it.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. I Corinthians 10:13
I am not without help, I am loved, my Ethan is loved and He is providing for us, so I will continue to trust in Him. And I hope that you can too.
Agape!
AngelaChristine
Separation
Spoiler alert! What I am about to write here is not going to be easy. In fact, I am almost reluctant to write this post because the topic that I am about to write about makes me vulnerable and lays bare my heart for all the world to see.. literally.
You see, my life was not supposed to be this way. I had a wonderful childhood, Christian upbringing. My parents were married until the day my mother died twelve years ago. They collectively raised us to believe in the Bible and to put God first. Going to worship on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s was expected. To my parents, nothing outside of an illness or an act of God, should keep you from service. Even when I went off to college, I maintained the same habits because well it was expected and trying to explain to my godly parents why I didn’t attend worship was just not an option of consideration.
Fast forward a couple of decades later and here I am divorced with the responsibility of raising two children, who happen to need both parents on my own. I’m not going to complain because it was my choice to marry the person that I did, without understanding the ramifications of unequally yoked when I said, I do. First, mistake.
Well, it wasn’t all bad because over the course of “the marriage”, I was blessed to give birth to two beautiful children. But didn’t realize how significantly different our child rearing philosophies were until, rearing was needed. Second mistake.
But it wasn’t until the day that my son had his first seizure that I truly began to understand how deep the fissure was in my marriage and very likely could not be repaired. But luckily for everyone I was taught that divorce or separation was not an option. So I stayed and I stayed. We even relocated to a different state with the hope that we could make it work. Third mistake.
But when he decided that he had enough and did not want to spend another second in wedded bliss, it became abundantly clear that staying all those years had lasting perhaps permanent effects on my children. My daughter, in particular.
My daughter turned 12 this past Saturday, officially a pre-teen. But what does that even mean, when you’re squished between wanting to have a tiny bit more freedom and having to be your mother’s helper? Because your younger brother has extra needs and complaining and be ungrateful would be mean spirited to your mother, whose plate is on the verge of shattering!
Tonight, I felt it! My daughter sobbed in my lap, not for any particular reason, but for one very important reason, her mother’s attention! All of the behaviors and push back was a little girl crying out against separation and feeling unworthy because her parents aren’t together. Feeling out of place because she can’t share the typical brother and sister stuff with a brother that is broken. All she knows is that she only gets a piece of her mother, just like everyone else that she has to fit into the nooks and crannies of her life.
You see, I can’t relate to the divorce. I can relate to separation in the context of the death of my mother. I can’t relate to not having my grandparents around because both sets were Big in my life, my Nana in particular. She was my mother’s mother. I can’t relate to being unable to travel to see the one person that treated my daughter like royalty when she would go to her home for visits because of Covid-19. This is uncharted territory for me. Because well, my life wasn’t supposed to be this way. My children’s lives were not supposed to be this way.
Separation in any form is very likely devastating, but this kind of change all at once is crushing. While I was honest with my daughter tonight and explained to her that I don’t have all of the answers, I do know the one who does. I know the one who can carry all of our burdens, I know the one who came to give us abundant life, if we make his will and his way our priority. He is the only one who can make our lives different.
I asked her if she could trust me as I trust Him. I also told her to start crying out to Jesus, when it feels like it’s too much to handle. I too need to do a bit more of that myself. Though the road ahead is not easy, two very important lessons emerged, one, my daughter is watching me and two, she needs more of the real messy, mustard see faith me to guide her to Jesus. There is nothing more urgent than that!
Growing in faith with grace,
AngelaChristine
Creating Home
It’s the twenty first century and almost everywhere I look, there is a magazine or blog or website devoted to the idea of homesteading. What is going on? Why is this lifestyle so appealing to so many? With a point and a click we have convenience at our fingertips… literally, yet there is a growing group of Americans seeking to create a life of early America.
So, I decided to do a little research of my own to find out why this lifestyle is making a comeback and to determine if perhaps this recently divorced mother of two, could handle the “simple life” too.
For many it’s the idea of connecting with nature. Having control over where their food is coming from and knowing that if income is reduced or lost, sustainable food may be steps away. In this article, the author gives several reasons, why one might take the leap. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/homesteading-self-sufficiency-lifestyle/
For anyone seriously considering, moving from urban or suburban to rural, take a look at this website before you head down to your local Tractor Supply store. Research and planning is important, but not to the point of paralysis. Make the plans and arrangements and then go for it!!https://homesteadersofamerica.com/why-homesteading-awesome-lifestyle/
If I could boil my research down to one theme or two, I’d say that connection and self reliance resonate across a broad swath of people. It’s quite apparent that more and more people want food security particularly after this past year. I can certainly appreciate that!
While I am not yet ready to dive full steam into homesteading, I am certainly ready to begin the preparations. I envision myself and the kids starting our day digging in the dirt followed by breakfast, Bible study and books ( we homeschool), I see so much joy, laughter, gathering of friends and family and overflowing peace. I can totally see our little farmhouse surrounded by flowers, dogs, cats, chickens and maybe a couple of goats, just because.
Just writing about homesteading makes me happy, perhaps it’s because of the memories of summers spent in the country, picking cucumbers, green beans and zucchini from my great aunt’s garden or perhaps it’s the memory of the fresh mint that grew alongside the path that led to my grandmother’s back door. Or just maybe, it’s the memory of my father coming home at the end of a long day of work, taking off his suit to go and spend an hour or so working in our backyard garden before coming in to eat dinner.
Whatever it is, I believe that it will be wonderful!
With love,
AngelaChristine
Walk Humbly with God
I started this blog, sort of as a way to make sense of my life following my divorce, but I think it has now become my place to write commentary on what is happening in the world, the United States in particular and how it relates to my Christian walk.
Writing about current events has never been my plan, but it seems it’s pretty much the only way I can express how utterly disappointed, I am in how easily and eagerly, the American people have begun to bow down to Baal.
Let’s be clear, this downward spiral, didn’t begin four years ago. It began much earlier. It began when the country decided to replace God with whatever idol suited them. Sure, I know we have freedom of religion in our country, but there used to be a set morals and values that we were all united under. We knew right from wrong. In 2021, righteousness is frowned upon. Clinging to identity and socio-economic status are everything.
Even Christians have fallen victim to being Social Justice Warriors.
I don’t know about you, but these past nine to ten months have weighed so heavily on me, not so much because of the virus itself, but because of the lack of discernment about it. No one questions the narrative put out by our government or the media. It is just expected that every American will accept the dogma without question. The average American still believes that this virus is killing people in unprecedented numbers. All you have to do is look at the data to know that in fact is not true. https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/09/25/cdc-data-shows-high-virus-survival-rate-99-plus-for-ages-69-and-younger-94-6-for-older/
Alas, fear has taken hold and time marches on. Small businesses have to alter how they do business or close, churches are afraid to resume services, friends are afraid to spend time together and god forbid that family’s should gather to celebrate the holiday season or just to visit. And for what, to slow the spread of a virus? Where is the science to prove that is even possible? We are only just beginning to see the long term implications of such draconian measures.
There is so much more that I could cover here, but that really isn’t the point of this post. At the core of this, it’s about finding peace in the midst of this terrible. This is about doing justly, loving kindness and walking humbly with God.
When we turn away from evil, and return to the will of God, our nation can be restored. It is possible! Remember, God is patient, not wanting anyone to perish but requires us to all come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.
God is waiting on us to become His nation once more. Are you ready, are you willing to cast aside the idols that have pulled us to this place? It’s not too late.
In Christ!
Angela
Health Bites to Start Your Day- Intentional Eating
I could spend hours writing about food and nutrition, if given the chance, but that is not the purpose of this post.
This post is about being intentional with the food you eat. Keep in mind that the food you consume does matter. You are either contributing to health or disease by what you consume.
The process of digestion begins in the brain, which instructs the release of certain enzymes needed to breakdown the food once it is ingested.
But what if, we took a bit more time to be intentional about our meals? For example, setting aside time to eat with the family instead of eating on the go or in shifts.
Incorporating these small steps into your routine, may make meals much more enjoyable and nutritious for the entire family.
1. Set aside a specific time for every meal. This gives the family a time to look forward to and anticipate.
2. Show gratitude for you are about to receive. In my home, we give thanks to God for each meal. Regardless of your religious persuasion, giving thanks for the food before you sets an intention of appreciation that is beneficial too in the digestive process.
3. Consider mealtime as an opportunity to reconnect with family in a meaningful way. Actually discuss the day, laugh and savor the time you are spending together as a family.
4. Clean away the dishes as a family to continue the conversations. Slowing down and being appreciative allows your body to better utilize the nutrition provided.
5. Finally, just be still. Your body is much more efficient in a calm relaxed state.
How will you be intentional with your meals?
With joyous intention!💖
AngelaChristine
One Mom Growing in her Faith with Grace 