i think… i may need to have my wisdom teeth taken out.  and they’re all impacted.  rats.

as a daughter, there are certain items that your mom has that you know you simply must have in your own home one day. for me, this item has always been my mom’s Betty Crocker cookbook.

now, this cookbook definitely isn’t the hippest, newest thing out there. it certainly doesn’t adhere to all of the latest nutritional and health standards. but it has all the basics that a young girl needs – everything from how to create a lattice-top pie to the different cuts of beef and pork to all things Thanksgiving dinner. like i said – priceless.

don’t let the “new and revised edition” line fool you.  this book was published in 1983 (with photography straight out of 1978). now while this may not quite classify it as an antique, 1983 edition does however translate as “difficult to find at the drop of a hat when the time comes to own this invaluable book.”

but difficult is a walk in the park to my mom. see, my mom shops at this special store that is an utter treasure trove of goods. this store is called Savers. it is a thrift store. and there is simply no end to the amazing finds that my mom discovers there.

i’m sure you can see where this is going now.

yup. today, my mom found it. the book! absolutely brand new, never been used (the tab dividers were still in the back!), and all of $2.99! so being the fabulous mother that she is, and knowing of my deep longing to have this book (i’d resorted to informing her that i was just going to take hers with me when i got married), she bought the book on the spot and brought it home to me as a pwesent. and a very wonderful pwesent it was.

i think my life has been made. 🙂

i’m the king of new york!

this just made my day.

“She also inspired a generation of teenage girls to wear their hair half-up in a bun.”  i thought i was going to die laughing.

and really pretty jewelry, albeit ridiculously expensive. 

i was driving to my english 101 class my freshman year of college.

where were you?

rules for eating a chili dog:

1.  the hotdog, bun, and chili are to be the only items on the plate.  sides and desserts come later.  if you can fit sides and a dessert on the plate, you don’t have enough chili.
2.  chili dogs are to be eaten with a fork and a knife.  if you can eat it with your hands, you don’t have enough chili.  (plus, chili dogs eaten with ones hands generally don’t bless those observing in the immediate vicinity.)
3.  chili dogs do not have to be eaten with ketchup, mustard, onions or relish.  these additional toppings are allowed, but are not required.  chili is enough.
4.  chili for chili dogs should not be the “vegetable” version.  meat and beans only.
5.  eating of a chili dog should involve using the whole plate.  once finished, discard plate for a new one and then begin on sides and dessert.  if, after consuming the chili dog, you find your self still hungry for sides and dessert, then you didn’t have enough chili. 

happy labor day!  hope all your chili dog dreams came true.

“I was hungry and you gave me food…” Matthew 25:35

This morning my parents and I went and served food to the poor and homeless in downtown Mesa.  It was a really neat experience.  Although I should confess, I didn’t initially want to go and serve.  It was a holiday and wanted to be selfish with it.  I wanted to spend my morning my way doing what I wanted to do.  Praise God for the grace that overruled my sinful heart.  

Something about interacting with people so much worse off than yourself really provokes thought…  I wondered what each person’s story was…  why were they here?  How long had it been since they last ate?  

There were those who were sincerely grateful, accepting the cup of milk I handed them with a smile and replying “thank you.” They would meet your eye and say “God bless” or crack a joke or make some sweet comment that showed you just how excited they were to eat this morning.  Some said thank you in a way that sounded like it was merely out of politeness.  Others didn’t even bother, dropping their cup on the counter and refusing to make eye contact.    

Some looked bitter and resentful, angry at what life had dealt them.  They resented the fact that there were people better off than they were giving out free food.  Yet, for all that resentment, their hunger pains drove them to accept it anyway.  

Several came back for more.  One man I observed came through the line 3 full times, cleaning his plate each time.  I filled the cup of another man with milk at least 12 times.

For many, this was probably their only meal of the day.  Or at least the only meal they were guaranteed of today.  

I struggled with feelings of deep compassion mixed with guarded skepticism.  How many of these people were truly poor and helpless?  Hungry and homeless?  How many just knew how to work the system and get a free meal?  For many, their external appearance was a clear indication of the condition of their life.  For others, I wasn’t so sure.  

What really broke my heart were the kids.  Despite the fact that some of them didn’t exactly look like they were starving, I was still sad as I realized that they didn’t choose this life – whatever it was.  It wasn’t as if they were driven to accept free meals as a result of poor choices or as the consequences of poor life decisions.  They were born into this life and unless there is some exceptional parenting or a life-changing intervention, they will probably die not much better off than the life they were born into…

I found myself frustrated with the welfare system that allowed people to be lazy and still get by ok…  that has allowed the church to shirk its responsibility to look after the poor and homeless, orphans and widows…

And what about the fine line between “giving a man a fish” and “teaching him to fish”?  Am I really helping anyone by just participating in a free handout?  

Many of these questions rolled through my mind.  The answers are not all easily obtained nor are the solutions.  

But when I looked into the eyes of the men and women and children that walked through the food line, I smiled at them and for the moment I didn’t need to ask all the questions or have all the answers.  This morning I contented myself with remembering Christ.

“I was hungry and you gave me food…”