The Super Taster and the Contrite Heart

Wow!  It's been a while!  The last couple weeks have been filled with much physical and mental activity.  I am still swirling about.  I really want to blog regularly, but that will probably be a challenge until summer.

Today, I would like to introduce the Super Taster.  This is my son, Evan.  He is 16!  I can't believe it!  Isn't he  handsome?  I wish you could see the amazing eyelashes on this guy!  The boys always get them, don't they?

For much of his life, we have carried on the great battle of Diet.  He likes what we call the yellow food group-- bananas, bread, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, cheese slices, applesauce, corn, and plain vanilla ice cream.  Add pizza, plain cheeseburgers, milk chocolate, pudding, and Oreos for a little variety.  That about sums it up.  Bland!  Pair that with a couple of parents who eat just about anything, have no qualms about trying new food, and desperately want their children to eat healthfully, and you have some serious opposition.  I am just being honest when I tell you there have been tears, yelling, warnings against malnutrition, and even groundings.  Our latest threat was a trip to a nutritionist and psychologist for help in overcoming whatever issue might really lie behind this problem.  There is only one other person than my son that I have ever seen with such a violent gag reaction and attitude toward condiments--my father.  Then suddenly, last week it clicked.  And in a conversation with my father, the light bulb turned on.  Recently, my father learned he is a super taster.  And guess what?  My son is apparently a super taster too!  (About 25%  of the population is.)  We are awaiting one more little test to confirm it, but everything else indicates it.  He can't really help it, he was made to like bland food and be overwhelmed by strong flavors.

I can tell you that my son is thrilled that we are no longer threatening and fussing.  The stress level at the dinner table has fallen.  But I must admit that I am still a little worried about his nutrition, so we are insisting he take vitamins.  What I was feeling was pretty lousy and contrite after all these years of battle!  My husband and I both slept poorly the night we made the discovery--oh, the guilt!  Had I put two and two together sooner, well...  I am grateful that my children are both so forgiving of our parental mistakes!

Sometimes I think we find it most difficult to walk in the shoes of those closest to us.  Our loved ones can be the hardest to understand because we have an expectation that they are like us and they think like us.   I pray I don't give my children too much to be frustrated by, and that they will always know they are loved.  Even in our differences and, especially, because of our individuality.

Receiving the Pearls

I've been finding it difficult to write a post about The Pearl Event on Saturday.  I want to capture it with my words, but I can't rightly do so.  I think the best approach is  to write about part of my take-away experience. I will try to give it some of the justice it deserves.  There was much to be gained from what was shared, and everyone who attended walked away with their own set of pearls (literally and figuratively).

Friday night was the night to informally meet and talk with the speakers, three of which are my favorite bloggers.  Sibi, is just warmth, grace, sparkles, sweetness, and beauty wrapped up into one.  She's a true pearl, whose testimony will leave you stunned and full of hope.  Paige is one lady I have loved from the moment I read her blog.  She's so gorgeous, hip, down-to-earth, creative, and full of life. Paige made me feel loved!  I wish we lived closer, because I feel a special connection to her. She and Sibi hug me the way I love to be hugged-- completely enveloped and long-lasting.  And Edie-- superwoman-- energetic, intellectual yet not intimidating, stylish,  awesome decorator, warm, and funny.  Who could not love this woman?  I want to be in her circle of close friends!

Saturday was the actual Event.  Five wonderful speakers, each with a special story to tell.  Each brought tears to my eyes.  When I tried to reflect on the experience to my husband, I realized some major lessons that I felt the Holy Spirit was bringing to me through these women.   Most of these were tied very clearly to the points that Paige made in her message.  Find my voice and tell my story now, even though I may feel insignificant and my story may still not be fully written.  Share even when I am still walking through the fire. God is writing my story.  He has the perfect plan; He is the perfect author.  Trust in Him. Jane Matthews shared a quote from Bill Johnson that applies here (I hope I got this down right): "Sometimes the willingness to do what I am not qualified to do, qualifies me."

 Edie shared that we should not be afraid to "live on the edge" through suffering, trials, and risking our vulnerability to others.  "Suffering causes us to live on the edge in real life."  God wants us living on the edge.  I felt she was saying that our vulnerability leads others to vulnerability and opens us all to the love and grace of God.  (This day was possible because Sibi, Jane, Sarah, Paige, and Edie were willing to allow God to speak through their vulnerabilities.)   Edie also talked about how being vulnerable through her blogging was a form of living life on the edge.  That really spoke to me, because it is one of the goals that I have for blogging.  I feel the need to answer this call in my face-to-face life too.  (There's a blog post  or 90 million being written in my mind to follow.) As if in confirmation, the devotional I started this year, Jesus Calling: Seeking Peace in His Presence, offered me this the following morning:  "If you live your life too safely, you will never know the thrill of seeing Me work through you.  When I gave you My Spirit, I empowered you to live beyond your natural ability and strength."

One universal theme throughout the Event was the need to lay all at His feet.  If there is anything that we feel we can't live without, that is our idol.  Each of these women have seen the thing they thought they couldn't survive without taken from them in one form or another: death, disease, fire, rejection, abandonment.  Each, not only survived, but with the grace of God, have emerged as His beautiful Pearls!  I must confess this is a tender subject.  I don't like to think too much about what my idols may be, and I think I am not alone.  But as I sat listening to Edie speak about watching her beloved home being swallowed by fire, I felt a sense of peace about the laying down of some of my own idols.  For about four years, I suffered terrible anxiety about the potential loss of two idols.  In recent months, I have lain these things at the feet of Jesus (sometimes daily).  At
that moment on Saturday, I shed tears of relief and release.  Although these things have not been taken from me, I know that God is in control and I will more than survive if they are taken away tomorrow.

The lightning and thunder are rolling in now, and I fear I might lose all this if I don't make haste and post this.  And I should probably unplug this computer to keep it from a potential zapping.  Before I go, I want to encourage you today, no matter what storm you might be in the midst of, to reach out--whether it's to help, or  to ask for help.  Be vulnerable to God and to others.

Big, warm hugs!
Mary

Catching Up and a Dessert Recipe

I am back from The Pearl Event, and WOW!, it was awesome!  I am still processing all I heard and learned, and I am contemplating the ways the Holy Spirit spoke to me through the ladies who shared.  What wonderful, beautiful women the speakers are!  I will share more in the days to come once I have caught up here at home, and I am able to do it some justice.  Believe me, I could go on for days!  I am so grateful for the opportunity to have gone to Nashville for The Pearl Event!

In the meantime, here's a little treat we like at our house.  It's a super easy chocolate pastry.

1/2 package puff pastry-- I use Pepperidge Farm from the freezer section

Thaw according to package, then divide into 9 sections

Semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

Place as many chocolate pieces as you like in the center of the pastry, then fold the pastry over almost halfway, leaving about an inch to fold over and seal the end closed.  Pinch the sides down to seal.
Place the pastries on a greased or sprayed baking sheet, fold side down.
Beat one egg with one tablespoon water and brush over the top of each pastry.
Bake for 22-25 in a 425 degree oven.
When the pastries have cooled for about 5 minutes, melt 1/4 cup of chocolate pieces and a dab of shortening in the microwave.  Stir together and using a spoon, drizzle the chocolate over the top of the pastries.

Enjoy!

Storm Clouds and the Promise of Pearls

My path today is overshadowed by storm clouds, both literally and figuratively.  It is a gloomy, rainy day here as I struggle with my faith.  The doubts creep in darkening my thoughts and dampening my spirit.  They're nothing extraordinary or even foreign, but they are there all the same.  I miss my husband who's been home no more than 15 days since the year started.  I am lonely because I straddle two worlds-- part-time work and stay-at-home mom--and can't really nurture friendships with all the responsibility I carry.  I worry about retirement, finances, and the future.  I wonder when we are going to get out of this holding pattern and begin living the life we see just out of our grasp. Sometimes  it's hard to keep my chin up and carry on.  Yet I know that these troubles pale in comparison to the struggles that some are facing and even to some of the other trials God has carried me through in the past.  I also know that it is all only temporary-- my emotions are fickle and will soon change. And I know what I need to do.  This time I spend alone, I am not really alone.  I use these times to talk God about it all.  We have nearly all day, and He is faithful.

As I write this, I feel the clouds breaking.  I am so excited for tomorrow and Saturday: The Pearl Event!  I (and 199 other women) am about to blessed with the beautiful ladies who will open their hearts, offer their love, and share their souls to inspire and encourage us!  I am so ready for the hugs, laughter, and squeals of delight to come!  

Don't forget to wear your pearls!!

Chic Shot

While driving today, I spotted this chic fellow.  He immediately caught my eye, and I thought momentarily I was in Paris!  The sneakily shot photo doesn't do him justice.  He is wearing a fashionable hat, pea coat, black Converse (see yesterday's post), carries a messenger bag, and walks with a most confident jaunt in his step.