Lesson Learned

Don't cook naked!
Almost all chefs wear those heavy duty cloth coats, with long sleeves, when they work. Do you know why? Well, duh! Because cooking requires the use of a hot stove and other appliances that give off heat and are capable of burning human skin.
Enter one older woman, namely me, who got in a hurry on Thanksgiving morning, took her shower, got partially dressed (no, I was not completely naked), and decided to check on the progress of the roasting turkey.
When I pulled back the aluminum foil, which covered the turkey, steam burned my hand, so I  jerked my arm back and promptly burned a big spot on the big fatty part of my inner arm. Ouch. No permanent damage done. A little Vitamen E Oil, is all it needed, but my arm will be tender, for quite a while. Lesson learned.
I'm embarassed mostly. How could I have been so stupid?


Great and all powerful Lord. We need your strength and wisdom. Keep a watch over us and lead us to good choices. We magnify your Holy Name.

Could you repeat that?????

While in high school, I had the opportunity to study a foreign language. Students in our small town's public school had three language choices.... Latin, French or Spanish. I don't know what prompted me to opt for French, but I ended up taking two years of High School French and one semester of College French. Conversational French, as it turned out, never was one of my academic strong points.  Let's just say, I passed. And, to tell you the truth, today, I would have one heck of a time having a meaningful conversation in French. However, I can read a menu and my pitiful knowledge of French helps me to read the Spanish Language Labels on most of the stuff I buy. I'm glad I had the opportunity to study French.
That was a little over 50 years ago.
My mother and father were high school students in the late nineteen thirties. They both were required to study Latin. They never had the opportunity to speak Latin (and probably didn't want to). But, Latin is always useful for understanding all of the Romance Languages.
Our four children studied French and German, in school. I suppose they have found it useful, but we haven't discussed their youthful academics for years.
All of this brings me to our grandchildren. We have two high school aged grand kids. One is currently studying Japanese and the other is learning Arabic. Our middle school granddaughter is taking a class in Mandarin Chinese.
I find that amazing. When I was studying French, 50 years ago, I am not sure that I was even aware of those languages. Now, I have family members speaking them!

Great creator of the entire Universe. We praise you Holy Name and marvel the diversity of this planet.
We are thankful.

Thanks for the Memories.

Today, I had the honor  of serving breakfast to some very special people. Today was our annual Veterans Day Breakfast. It was a great event. We were honoring men and women who had served in all of the various branches of our U. S. Military. Most of our honorees were World War II Veterans (and yes, all of them were over 90), but there were a few Korean Conflict Vets, and even a couple of Vietnam Era Veterans. Also, in attendance, were several women veterans, including a Marine and a cadet nurse.
It is hard to put into words, the debt of gratitude that we, as American Citizens, owe these folks. They are very, very special citizens. They survived something most of us have never and will never have to endure. We owe them our very existence and a great deal of thanks.
It is hard for me to imagine what it must have been like 70 years ago, to be sent away from a safe home, in the United States, to fight a war in Europe or Asia. How crazy it must have been to be only nineteen or twenty years old and stare down the barrel of a gun or shoot at cities from the belly of an aircraft.
From the stories I heard today, those young women and men still remember what it was like. They are amazing heroes and survivors.

Great God, We thank You for our lives. We are blessed by your presence in our lives and by the knowledge that You watch over us, forever. Thank you for giving our veterans strength and courage.

Tell Me A Story, Grandma.

I belong to a literary organization. The group is known, by members, as JASNA. Formally, we are members of the Jane Austen Society of North America. I enjoy being a member of the group and we meet several times a year to celebrate all that is Jane Austen...her books, her life, the culture and society to which she belonged and the food she ate. I know where she lived, where she wrote, what she wrote, what she wore and where she died.
My knowledge of Jane Austen has grown immensely, in the years that I have become active in JASNA. In fact, I know more about Jane Austen, than I know about my own family. Seriously, do you know anything about your family's history between 1775 and  1819? I certainly don't. I can name my great grandparents on both sides and that's about all I know about my family tree. That's a little sad, I think.
So,  I tell you what. Write it down folks.
Buy a little notebook or type away, but, write it down. Write your life story.
Sometime in the future, (Probably not your own kids, because what do they care about you? You're just mom and dad.) your descendants will be doing some research and they will want to know all about you.Your life is important.
So write it down.

Dear God. We only live once. Our lifespans are short, but as Your children, we know that we are important to You. You love each and every one of us. We count. Help us to make the best of our short time here, We are here to honor You. Bless us.