Lighting Up The Woman Within

“My business is not to remake myself,
But to make the absolute best of what God made.”
~Robert Browning


It’s not always easy making the best of ourselves. It can be quite an enjoyable pursuit, but it also requires lots of patience, persistence and perseverance. I believe it is the reason we were sent here to earth and born, to become the very best selves that we can possibly become. This is a journey that requires a lot of prayer. It’s much easier to learn to live by our own lights when we turn to the Lord to help illuminate our pathway. It’s kind of like accessing “Spiritual Electricity” from a Higher Source of Power . . . a source of power that won't go out when it gets hit by lightening, or knocked over by a runaway car . . .

It’s easy to ask for help when you are desperately in need. Take for instance, those times when you have no where else to turn, when all on earth has let you down and you have let yourself down. Most of the time though, we try to do things on our own steam, with no extra help at all. That’s kind of like living in a house with electricity, but only turning the lights on when it’s so dark you are stumbling around and falling over obstacles in your way. No wonder we fall down so often or so frequently bump into things . . . we're stumbling around in the dark!



Prayer is a very big part of my daily life. When I am in daily communication with my Heavenly Father, I can walk in the light . . . with Him, as my constant companion. When I am not in daily communication with Him, I am in the dark and on my own. Where there is light, I can see clearly and with clarity. Where there is dark, I am lost and fumbling around. The clarity we see with when we walk in the light, and when we look deep within ourselves, is the Soul made visible . . . the woman within, or who we really are. (or the man as it were)

Our lives are truly wasted if we spend them trying to make ourselves into something we just aren’t or cannot be. How much better it is to just try making the best out of what God made. That starts with nurturing our souls and that journey begins with turning on the light . . .



I had a lovely e-mail yesterday from a reader I have had for a long time. She never leaves comments on my journal, but every once in a while she will shoot me a little e-mail. My face always brightens when I see her name. She mentioned that my entries are always calming and delicious, although she knows that there must be pressures in my life that I don't always talk about . . .

I guess, like anyone, I have my down moments, and no . . . everything in my life doesn't always run smoothly. I miss my family a great deal and often . . . I need to lose a bazillion pounds . . . my feet hurt quite badly somedays after being on them all day at work . . . my pay cheque often doesn't stretch far enough from one pay day to the next . . .

I try not to dwell on the negative things in life though . . . after all, everybody has them, and some have more than their fair share! I find it's much better to dwell upon the good things, the many blessings I have which are abundant and overflowing. I guess what it boils down to is this . I know God has a plan, for me . . . for you . . . for everyone . . . I know that wherever I am, whatever I am doing . . . right now . . . it's what He wants for me. I trust in that and I accept that and I just make the most of whatever opportunity comes my way from one day to the next. Life is good.



Here's something else that's good! Don’t you just love the salad days of summer? By that, I don’t mean endless days of eating nothing but lettuces and tomatoes, I mean making the most of all the glorious bounty that summer gives us to enjoy. One of my favourite vegetables are green beans and this is a lovely way to prepare them.



*Green Bean, Olive and Pine Nut Salad*
Serves 4

I could eat this salad until it comes out my ears and never tire of it! It combines many of my favourite flavours … crisp and summery green beans, sweet and tangy sun dried tomatoes, salty black olives and Parmesan cheese, all topped off with the nutty crunch of freshly toasted pine nuts. What’s not to like!!!

50 grams pitted black olives (I like to use the dry cured ones)
2 sun dried tomatoes marinated in oil, drained well
25 grams of good quality Parmesan Reggiano, coarsely grated
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
300 grams fine green beans, trimmed and cut in half
50 grams pine nuts
A few whole olives to garnish

Take the olives and sun dried tomatoes and finely chop. Put them into a bowl along with the grated cheese, olive oil and the vinegar.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the green beans. Bring it back to the boil and cook them for three to four minutes, or until just tender. Drain them well and run some cold water over them for a few minutes to stop them from cooking any further. Drain well again and then add them to the bowl.

Heat a small frying pan and dry toast the pine nuts in this until they are golden brown. Add to the bean salad and toss all together well. Garnish with the whole olives and serve immediately.