Meant To Be Shared

“We share our happiness with each other --
And it becomes greater.
We share our troubles with each other --
And they become smaller.
We share one another’s grief’s and burdens --
And their weight becomes possible to bear.”
~Unknown

"One of the very first things my mother taught me in life was, “How To Share.” I learned very early on that you have to share your toys with others, your candies, your cookies . . . life is all about sharing.

Sharing is all about making life better . . . richer . . . fuller. It’s a good lesson to learn. What good is having all the toys, if you have nobody to play with after all. And a gorgeously decadent cake only tastes better if you have someone to share all the oooh’s and aaah’s with. Not so easy to understand as a child, but my mother taught me well, and as an adult I have come to recognize the wisdom and value of a lesson well learnt.



I’ve been a sharer all my life. What an empty life I would have led, had I not been taught this simple lesson. Being able to share has brought many good friends and loves into my life that I may have missed, and in sharing with them, it has made my friendships and relationships much fuller and a lot stronger.

How much worse my troubles would have been in life, had I tucked them deep into my heart and not allowed myself to share them with others, not to mention been able to benefit from their wisdom and advice. How much worse they would have been had I not been able to share them with my Master in prayer, and then listen to His still small voice guiding me through them.



When I have been sad or felt bereaved, how wonderful it has been to be able to reach out in my sorrow and grief, and to hang onto someone who cares and is willing to share that sorrow and grief with me, and, even better yet, help carry me through it.

They say misery loves company . . . I say so does joy . . . for joy greedily kept to oneself ends up not feeling like joy at all. What good is a kiss or a hug, without someone to share them with? A joke, or a story or a laugh . . . all better with sharing . . . pretty empty without.



I would never be a good poker player for all my emotions play across my face. It also makes me a very bad liar. (Not that I really want to lie!) If people have hurt me or annoyed me, it is immediately apparent from my face. I just can’t hide it. It is the same when I am happy about something or excited. It shows up like a beacon! I just can’t help sharing my feelings with others.


I share with you all on here each day. In that process, I have made a lot of good and wonderful friends, be they only invisible friends . . . but the sharing makes the friendships tangible and in some ways even better than “real life” friends, if you know what I mean . . . and if you are a blogger yourself, I know that you do!

Sharing pays off in big dividends, most of them being far greater than the item you chose to share in the first place. In sharing pieces of yourself and your bounty with others, you help them many times over, and in turn are blessed yourself. I reckon it’s probably one of the greatest lessons my mother ever taught me. Life was just meant to be . . . shared.

It’s quite simply . . . a very good thing."



This was a piece I originally wrote on my "Muses" back in November of last year. Just thought it would be a good thing to "share" it with you on here this morning . . . hope you don't mind!

I see that "Morning Glory Muffins" was the big winner in my Make Me Bake Poll this week! Yummy! They are my favourites so look for the recipe here real soon. In the meantime I shall put up another poll . . . hmmm . . . I wonder what you will make me bake next?

We enjoyed some lovely warm and sunny weather here yesterday. In England you learn to grab the sun while you can, for you never know when it's going to disappear again, and so we ate our tea out in the garden at the picnic table last evening. It was quite nice sitting there in the sunshine, with the birds serenading us and bunnies rustling in the grass beneath the hedges . . . I reckon if you could replicate that in a restaurant, you would be booked to the hilt every night of the week! Makes, even the simplest of fare, taste truly gourmet!



*Stuffed Frankfurters*
Serves 4

This is a delicious dish I often made my children when they were growing up. It just goes to prove that cheap and economical doesn't have to be bland or boring. You wouldn't want to eat this every night of the week, but once in a while it makes a delicious treat! Another one from the big blue binder . . .

1 1/2 cups cut macaroni
3/4 cup evaporated milk (I use no fat Carnation milk)
1 1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
a dash of tabasco sauce
2 1/2 cups medium cheddar cheese, grated and divided
4 fat deli style frankfurters

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the macaroni in this until tender, according to the package directions. Drain well and then rinse in hot water. Set aside and keep warm.

Combine the milk, mustard, salt, black pepper and 2 cups of the cheddar cheese in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring until the cheddar is melted and the sauce is smooth. Add a few dashes of tabasco sauce and then stir in the macaroni, blending it in well.

Split the frankfurters lengthwise almost all the way through and then open them up like a book. I always like to brown them a bit in a heated skillet before proceeding, but it's up to you and not necessary.

Put half of the macaroni in a lightly greased shallow casserole dish. Lay the frankfurters on top of this, still opened up. Spoon the remaining macaroni mixture over top filling them up. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes until nice and bubbly and beginning to brown. Serve hot.

This goes great with a salad or a green vegetable on the side. Delicious!