Love . . .

If you are loved by someone,
be grateful and be glad.
Fling off every mood that tends to
make you glum or sad.
You are Fortune's darling
and richer than a king . . .
having the greatest blessing
that life can ever bring . . .
Love is a tender flower,
so keep it fresh and fair . . .
Water it with kindness,
and cherish it with care.
Hold it if you have it,
for it's God's own gift to you.
A wonderful possession
is a love that's warm and true . . .
If you are loved, speak softly.
Let gentle things be said.
No bitter word be spoken,
to spoil the years ahead.
~Patience Strong

A gentle reminder for us from Patience Strong to value the love we are given, and not abuse it. I think that is what anyone in the world wants . . . to be loved. All the money in the world can't buy it. Power doesn't attract it, neither does fame. It is a simple gift and free. It flows from many places . . . the human heart, a loyal pet, our Heavenly Father, a close and dear friend . . . It is the gift that, when given in sincerity, always gives back! The gift that always fits. It is at once so simple . . . and yet it can be very complicated. No wonder the Greek have so many words for it! agápe, éros, philía, and storgē.



Agápe - Sacrificial love. A deep sense of true love. Agape is also used in ancient texts to denote feelings for a good meal, one's children, and the feelings for a spouse. It can be described as the feeling of being content or holding one in high regard.

éros - A passionate love with sensual desire and longing. This can be felt when dating or in a marriage. It does not have to be sexual in nature.

Although eros is initially felt for a person, with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or even becomes appreciation of beauty itself. ~Plato

Philía - means friendship in modern Greek. It is a dispassionate virtuous love. It includes loyalty to friends, family, and community . . . and requires virtue, equality and familiarity.

Storgē - This is natural affection, like that of a parent for their children. I would think that this would be the most natural loves of all . . .



I just know that I love. I love my husband, my family, my friends, my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, Mitzie . . . mankind in general. It comes as natural to me as breathing . . . Christ admonished us to love our enemies and to pray for those that despitefully use us. It works . . . it's very difficult to have bad feelings for someone you are praying for. We cannot help the way other's act or feel . . . but we can control how we feel ourselves and our own actions.

I am feeling a bit better this morning, although I did have a coughing fit during the night, and was up several times. My ear is still blocked up as well, sigh . . . I have made a Doctor's Appointment for Monday afternoon, so that if it is not better I can have a Doctor's advice. If it is better, then I'll just cancel the appointment.

I did go for a walk with Todd and Mitzie later in the day yesterday and it felt nice to be out in the fresh air and moving. All your prayers and get well wishes are very much appreciated!



To all my friends and family back home in Canada, a very Happy Thanksgiving! For the past seven years it is not a holiday I have been able to celebrate as I was usually cooking up at the Manor House, but this year I am going to cook Todd and myself a little Thanksgiving dinner. I can't wait! We have so much to be thankful for!

Because I have not been doing a lot of cooking, I hope you will forgive me for sharing a recipe with you this morning from my archives. I first posted this over on AOL Journals when they existed. I am gradually moving all my recipes into here. This is a delicious vegetarian lasagne. I think I like a good vegetarian Lasagne best of all!



*Roasted Vegetable Lasagne*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This delicious version of lasagne is so good you won’t even miss the meat! I love the sweetness of the roasted vegetables and the richness of the Bechamel topping. Together they are heavenly.

For the roasted Vegetable Sauce:
½ pounds of red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 medium courgettes, cut into half moons
1 aubergine, cut into cubes
1 red onion, peeled and chopped
1 tsp of olive oil with a dash of toasted sesame oil
1 tsp basil
Cracked black pepper to taste
8 cloves of garlic, peeled and wrapped in foil
One jar of really good quality tomato pasta sauce (cheating I know)

For the spinach layer:
½ tsp olive oil
8 medium mushrooms, cut thick
½ pound raw spinach, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper

For the Bechamel sauce:
1 TBS butter
2 1/2 TBS plain flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk, heated together with a bay leaf
½ tsp salt
Freshly grated nutmeg

To finish:
9 non-cook lasagna verde noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Lay out the vegetables onto a baking sheet and toss with the oils. Lay the foil wrapped garlic alongside. Bake for 30 minutes and then stir. Bake 15 min more. Remove and transfer to a large bowl. Squeeze baked garlic into the vegetables and stir well. Add the tomato sauce and mix well. Set aside while you make the béchamel.

Melt the butter over medium low heat in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and let the two cook together for about one minute. Strain the milk into the pan slowly, stirring the whole time. Cook, stirring until the mixture is thickened. Season to taste with the salt and freshly grated nutmeg. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To cook the spinach, pour the oil into a large frying pan or wok on medium heat and fry the mushrooms until they start to brown. Add the spinach and seasonings and cook until spinach wilts. Add a TBS of water, if needed, to help steam the spinach down. Transfer to a sieve to drain excess moisture.

To assemble, Put a quantity of the vegetable sauce in the bottom of a nine inch square baking dish. Cover with 3 of the noodles. Cover with 1/3 of the remaining tomato vegetable sauce, the mushrooms and the spinach, 1/3 of the mozzarella, add a sprinkle of Parmesan. Cover with three more noodles, 1/3 roasted vegetable sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella, and another sprinkle of Parmesan. Cover with last 3 noodles, the remaining sauce and Parmesan and the mozzarella. Pour the béchamel on top evenly. Bake at 400 F for 30 to 45 minutes, until the noodles are cooked and tender and the top is nicely browned. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.



If lasagne doesn't quite do it for you, over in The English Kitchen I am cooking up a delicious Salmon and Broccoli Crumble!