Come what may . . .

"Today upon a bus, I saw
a lovely maid with golden hair;
I envied her - she seemed so gay -
and wished that I were as fair,
When suddenly she rose to leave,
I saw her hobble down the aisle;
She had one foot and wore a crutch,
but as she passed, a smile;
Oh God, forgive me when I whine;
I have two feet . . . the world is mine.

And then I stopped to buy some sweets.
I talked with him - he said to me:
"It's nice to talk with folks like you."
"You see," he said, "I'm blind."
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;
I have two eyes . . . the world is mine.

Then walking down the street, I saw
a child with eyes of blue.
He stood and watched the others play;
it seemed he knew
not what to do.
I stopped for a moment, then I said:
"Why don't you join the others dear?"
He looked at me without a word,
and then I knew - he could not hear.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;
I have two ears . . . the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I'd go,
With eyes to see the sunset's glow,
With ears to hear what I would know,
Oh God, forgive me when I whine.
I'm blessed indeed; the world is mine."
~unknown

Life, it seems, is full of little dramas . . . highs and lows . . . the good and the bad. I thank God for the lows, for without them I would never see and appreciate the highs. I also thank him for the bad because it helps me to appreciate the good.



Oh yes , it is sometimes hard to do so, and it may not be until afterwards that the real appreciation comes, and I am oftimes tempted to say . . . why me Lord? But then again . . . I stop and think, why not me? Who am I to think that I should be immune to all the rocks that life would sling? The Lord trys those whom he loves.

My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. ~Proverbs 3: 11-13

Something to think about the next time troubles knock on your door. An exercise to strengthen your faith and to grow in an unimaginable way can truly be a gift from above . . . if we but choose to see it as such. My mother always said, that, "God never closes a doorway, without opening a window first."



I had an e-mail from my oldest son yesterday. I had not heard from him in a while and had mailed him to see if all was ok. It appears my fears were not unfounded, for indeed he is in a spot of trouble. I knew he had had a sore eye a few weeks back, and had joked with us about needing to wear a Pirates patch. He had blood tests this past Tuesday as his Doctor was afraid that he might have uveitis, which is an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye, and is the leading cause of blindness in 10% of the population. He was not supposed to go back for an appointment until next Friday, but they have called him back today. I would ask for some prayers for him, if possible . . . his name is Anthony. Please pray that if it is the worst, that they will have caught it soon enough so as not to have caused too much damage, and that my son will be able to cope with whatever the outcome should be. Thanks so very much.



Life is filled with ups and downs . . . highs and lows . . . good and bad . . . I am ever thankful of a Saviour who has entreated me to rest my cares upon His shoulders. His yoke is easy and His burden is light, and I have enough faith to know that He can carry me wherever I may need to go.

I made these lovely brown bread muffins the other night to go along with some homebaked beans. Oh my but they were good.



*Brown Bread Muffins*
Makes 18

These delightful muffins contain a combination of cornmeal, two kinds of flours and delightfully sticky raisins. Moist, flavourful and very nutritious, they go wonderfuly with all sorts . . . Baked Beans, Ham and Pea Soup . . . hearty Pot Roast, macaroni and cheese . . . (No, I did not leave out the egg. There is no egg required in this tasty recipe!)

1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal (polenta)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup dark molasses
(If you cannot get molasses, you may use
a combination of equal parts of golden syrup
and dark treacle)
4 TBS cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups milk
2 TBS butter, melted
1 cup raisins



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Grease 18 muffin tins and set aside.

Whisk the flours, cornmeal, baking soda and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Stir the molasses, vinegar, milk and butter together in a large beaker. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and stir briskly to blend. Stir in the raisins. Spoon into the muffin tins, filling them 3/4 full.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and serve warm with butter.

*Note* These freeze really well, so no worries about there being so many.