Do good anyway

"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous,
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world your best and it may never be enough;
Give the world your best anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway."

Mother Teresa

"Whodat"

One Saturday morning a while back, I went on my walk and ran into a lady looking around frantically and calling “Whodat, Whodat”. My first inclination was that she was a tad mad, but in actuality, Whodat was her pet yorky. She asked if I had seen it, but I hadn’t. I asked where she lived and told her I would keep my eye out. She lives one street over and a block down from us. A couple hours later, my husband left for the store running into (actually over) Whodat just down our street. The dog was killed instantly. He had darted out suddenly and my husband didn’t even see him. He heard the thunk as he rolled over the poor thing and thought he’d hit a squirrel. When he stopped to retrieve the dead squirrel (to take home for Penny, our dog) he discovered it was a dog. Witnesses saw the whole thing and pronounced my husband completely innocent of any culpability. The dog had no collar or tags, so he left his phone number at the home nearest the scene of the accident and lifted the corpse onto the grass under a tree. He phoned me to tell me about it. I actually wasn’t sure it was Whodat, seeing as how neither of us were quite sure what a yorky looks like. So when Hannah (our resident dog expert) got home, we visited the scene and she confirmed my suspicions, yorky all right. The three of us walked to the lady’s house and I began by asking if she had found her dog yet (I still had hopes). Then my husband interrupted me (cut me off from disclosing the true circumstances of his demise) to say, “We think he was hit by a car. He’s dead.” Way to fess up… We told her where to find him then we came home. She retrieved the body and obviously the phone number, for we got a call from her asking about the circumstances. My husband was very apologetic at first, but as the lady got more upset, he got more defensive and before we knew it threats were flying back and forth between the two of them and Hannah and I were beginning to wonder if he was GLAD he’d killed her dog. She never did make the connection that the kind people who told her about the dog were the same people who had caused its death. But perhaps it is better that way; some people don’t know that “vengeance is mine, saith the Lord”.

Jane Ann

Jane Ann is my Dad's sister, younger by almost two years. My middle name is Jane, after her. My daughter and grand-daughter also share that middle name. My first memory of her is attending a stage production of South Pacific where she had the starring role of Nellie. I was very young. I think we were seated in the balcony. I remember trying so hard to stay awake, but finally falling asleep sometime after she washed that man right out of her hair. I am so glad I have that memory, for she died Sunday. She was in her early seventies. Her life had been hard and now she has relief. I will always think of her young, glamorous, beautiful. I will remember her singing. I imagine she is singing once again.

fifty states

To celebrate Independence Day this year my children and I decided to honor our nation throughout the year by having a "state" dinner each Monday night. We draw the name of a state randomly from a jar then have a meal featuring foods and traditional dishes from that state. It has been great fun researching the states, their foods and history (so much of the food culture is tied up in the history). We are amazed at the diversity of our great nation from the Mexican influence of the southwest (we had chile rellenos and refried beans for New Mexico) to prairie fair (we had rabbit stew and cornbread for Oklahoma but not to worry, the neighborhood rabbits are alive and well, we got our rabbit from a meat market). Tonight we celebrate Michigan, birthplace of the coney dog! Pass along suggestions/recipes from your state; we'd love to hear from you!

jammin'

The fall fruit is on and it’s the perfect time to make some jam. My family’s favorite is this peach jam. I make several batches every fall to share as Thanksgiving gifts and make sure we have enough to last until the next season.

PEACH JAM

5 Cups ground peaches (peel, then mash with potato masher)

5 Cups sugar

1 Cup crushed pineapple

12 maraschino cherries, diced

Mix together, boil 15 minutes. Turn off stove and stir in 1 sm. Pkg. orange Jell-O. Stir 5 minutes. Pour into hot jars and cap. Do not process; jars will seal as they cool.

*VARIATION: for PLUM jam: omit cherries, use raspberry Jell-O.

A clerk at Albertsons shared this rhubarb version with me. It’s past the rhubarb season here, but perhaps it’s still growing where you are!

RHUBARB JAM

5 Cups fresh rhubarb, cut in ½” pieces

1 C. crushed pineapple, drained

3 C. sugar

3 oz. pkg. Jell-O (raspberry, strawberry, or cherry)

In large, heavy pot mix rhubarb and sugar, let stand 10 minutes. Add pineapple and stir. Bring to a boil and boil 12 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, add Jell-O and mix well. Put in hot jars and cap. Do not process; jars will seal as they cool.

*to heat jars and lids, simmer in hot water for a few minutes.

"Our deepest fear..."

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous" Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people won't feel insecure around you. We are born to manifest God's glory within us. It's not in just some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." Nelson Mandela (inaugural speech)

Israeli Salad

Don't let the summer pass by without trying this fabulously easy and delicious salad. Now, with the gardens giving us their fresh produce, is the perfect time.

ISRAELI SALAD

Mix together:

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 cucumber, peeled & chopped

4 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Serve immediately.