The list is here! It was requested and now it is here: "HOW TO STOCK A KITCHEN WITH COOKING INGREDIENTS NECESSARY FOR MEALS" - this has been a labor of love - for the one that asked, and for all of you that wait for it. IT IS ATTACHED TO THE SIDE AS AN ADD ON PAGE! Let me know what you think!!! For years I have been asked, "How do you know what to keep in your cabinet or pantry to be able to cook just good, ordinary food?" That is hard for me --- when I first got married and went to the grocery store the very first time - that little store had never even heard of some of the stuff on my list tonight -- as great as it is - it may not have been invented; Garlic has been here forever, but I'd never heard of it -- my love and dependency on it developed in the last 10 years of a 47 year marriage - YES - I WAS A CHILD BRIDE - I WISH! I have developed a list for you - yes - there are things there that you may not need for years and I may use weekly - but take the list - think about what you cook, (and maybe the recipes I've given you - and choose prudently what will work for you.) Honestly - I could double the list - just looking at my cabinet -- but I want this to be something you can use and grow from experience! GOOD LUCK.
I think I have given you some awesome recipes in the past few days - I hope you will try some of them and report back to me. You need to try some and let me know how they worked out. Tonight I am going to close with a rather lengthy story - but one everyone should read -- yes - I am prejudice - because if you know me - you know I have a precious and beautiful (inside and out) "handicap" daughter - even though she has more poise, more sense of style , more love, more innocence,and more knowledge than most of us will have in a lifetime; she just can't always communicate it back to us. So - dear sweet daughter - this story brought tears to my eyes - even after a lifetime with you - !!!
Tonight I want to share with you a story that came to me on the internet -- it brought me to tears and had I been at home it would have brought me "to my knees!" I think this father speaks for all of us with a "special" child that does not meet "society's idea" - but is God's creation and has a purpose that many don't understand and only those lucky enough to be blessed by their presense hopes to understands!
TWO CHOICES
What would you do? -- You make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice? (THIS IS AN EMAIL THAT HAS BEEN AROUND BEFORE - I ask - why hasn't it disappeared as most others do -- maybe because God intends for it to make a difference!!)
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilites, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.
Yet my son, Shay cannot learn things as other children do ..He cannot understand things as other children do! Where is the natural order of things in my son? The audience was stilled by the question. The father continued. " I believe that when a child like Shay., who was mentally and physically disabled comes into this world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child. Then he told the following story: "Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?" I knew that most of the boys would not want soneone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, I would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spike of his candicaps. I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the nineth inning. Shaw strugged over to the team's bench and with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted. In the bottom of the the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the nineth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the nineth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay run to first, Run to first." Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the base line, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, grinning, and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. The smallest boy on their team who now had his chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third basemans's head. Shay ran toward third base diliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the base toward home. All were screaming, Shay, Shay, Shay, all the way Shay." Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base and shouted "Run to third!" Shay, run to third."
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, "Shay, run home. Run home!"
Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team! "That day,", said the father slowly with tears now rollling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world."
Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
And now a little footnote to this story: We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the "natural order of things" I BEG TO ARGUE ABOUT ONE THING: NATURE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH SHAY OR MICHELLE OR JIMMY -- GOD PUT THEM HERE AND THOSE WHO KNOW THEM- KNOW LOVE AND PURITY and HE chose who would care for them!!!!
As a mother of a child ,that perhaps never had an opportuntity like Shay, has accomplished so much in her life - even though many times she has been taken advantage of -- I must ask -- "What would your choice have been?" I pray it would be: LET'S MAKE IT A SHAY (OR MICHELLE, OR JIMMY OR MARK OR LIBBY) DAY!!!
God bless - " , have a blessed night and look forward to some great recipes tomorrow!
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