Leader Enterprise - February 4, 2015 - Love, Forgiveness & Chocolate

Crockpot Hot Fudge (Peanut Butter) Cake

Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday of the year. I truly believe that love is a not a noun, it's a verb--an action word. So whether it be a sibling, a child, a parent, or a friend -let someone know you love them. I was so blessed and tickled when recently I missed hearing my 9-yr old grandson, Caden, tell me he loved me, so when I didn't respond, he then said I was suppose to tell him back, because that's 'what you do'. YES! We don't want to miss those kinds of opportunities.

I've opted to re-share a story from A Second Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul. It seems we are surrounded by sickness and death,and we need reminders to live life to the fullest. May it be a sweet reminder that life is short and we don't have the promise of tomorrow, so don't hesitate to do today what needs done!

DO IT NOW! "If we discovered that we had only five minutes left to say all that we wanted to say, every telephone booth would be occupied by people calling other people to stammer that they loved them"- Christopher Morley

In a class I teach for adults, I recently did the 'unpardonable.' I gave the class homework! The assignment was to go to someone you love within the next week and tell them you love them. It has to be someone you have never said those words to before or at least haven't shared those words with for a long time.

At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when they told someone they loved them. I fully expected one of the women to volunteer, as was usually the case,but on this evening one of the men raised his hand. He appeared quite moved and a bit shaken.

As he unfolded out of his chair (all 6'2"of him), he began by saying "Dennis, I was quite angry with you last week when you gave us this assignment. I didn't feel that I had anyone to say those words to, and besides, who were you to tell me to do something that personal? But as I began driving home my conscience started talking to me. It was telling me that I knew exactly who I needed to say "I love you"to. You see, five years ago, my father and I had a vicious disagreement and really never resolved it since that time. We avoided seeing each other unless we absolutely had to at Christmas or other family gatherings. But even then, we hardly spoke to each other. So,last Tuesday by the time I got home I had convinced myself I was going to tell my father I loved him.

"It's weird, but just making that decision seemed to lift a heavy load off my chest. When I got home, I rushed into the house to tell my wife what I was going to do. She was already in bed, but I woke her up anyway. When I told her, she didn't just get out of bed, she catapulted out and hugged me, and for the first time in our married life, she saw me cry. We stayed up half the night drinking coffee and talking. It was great! The next morning I was up bright and early. I was so excited I could hardly sleep. I got to the office early and accomplished more in two hours than I had the whole day before.

At 9:00 I called my dad to see if I could come over after work. When he answered the phone, I just said, 'Dad, can I come over after work tonight? I have something to tell you.' My dad responded with a grumpy,'Now what?' I assured him it wouldn't take long, so he finally agreed. At 5:30, I was at my parents' house ringing the doorbell, praying that dad would answer the door. I was afraid if mom answered that I would chicken out and tell her instead. But as luck would have it, dad did answer the door.

I didn't waste any time - I took one step in the door and said 'Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you.'

"It was as if a transformation came over my dad. Before my eyes his face softened, the wrinkles seemed to disappear and he began to cry. He reached out and hugged me and said 'I love you too, son, but I've never been able to say it.' It was such a precious moment I didn't want to move. Mom walked by with tears in her eyes. I just waved and blew her a kiss. Dad and I hugged for a moment longer and then I left. I hadn't felt that great in a long time.

"But that's not even my point. Two days after that visit, my dad, who had heart problems but didn't tell me, had an attack and ended up in the hospital, unconscious. I don't know if he'll make it.

"So my message to all of you in this class is this: Don't wait to do the things you know need to be done. What if I had waited to tell my dad - maybe I will never get the chance again! Take the time to do what you need to do and do it now!

-Author, Dennis E. Mannering

A favorite quote to ponder-'Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and discover the prisoner was you'.

This luscious and moist cake makes enough for a family so celebrate your love with chocolate.

CROCKPOT HOT FUDGE CHOCOLATE(PEANUT BUTTER) CAKE

1-1/2 c.packed brown sugar,divided

1 c. all purpose flour

6 TB. baking cocoa,divided

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. milk

2 TB.butter, melted

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1-1/2 c. semisweet chocolate (or peanut butter) chips

1-3/4 c. boiling water

vanilla ice cream for serving

Coat a 3-qt. crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine 1 c.brown sugar, flour, 3 Tb.cocoa, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine milk, butter and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Spread evenly into prepared crockpot. Sprinkle with chocolate(or peanut butter) chips. In a bowl, combine remaining brown sugar (1/2 c.) and baking cocoa (3 TB.); stir in boiling water. Pour over batter; DO NOT STIR.Cover and cook on high for about 4 hours or until a toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean. Allow to set 15 minutes, covered,before serving. Serve warm with ice cream. Yield: 6-8 servings(Hint:lay a couple of paper towels over top of crockpot before placing on lid to catch any moisture).

Leader Enterprise - June 19, 2013 - A Wedding Story - Recipe for preserving fresh cut flowers

I'm sure your summer schedule is filling up quickly, as mine is. I will be out of town 4 days this month serving in a college kitchen feeding teens being trained as summer missionaries to children, and am working hard to submit my second cookbook for publishing. This wedding story seemed appropriate for this month. May it encourage you to be reminded that we are all needed, by someone, somewhere. Enjoy your summer!

MAGNOLIAS - Author Edna Ellison - Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul

I was getting ready for my daughter June's wedding which was taking place in a church about forty miles away, and felt loaded with responsibilities as I watched my budget dwindle...So many details, so many bills, and so little time.

My son Jack said he would walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of his dad who had died a few years before. He teased Patsy, saying he'd wanted to give her away since she was about three years old!

To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy - white blooms and slick green leaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church.

The big day arrived-the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiancé Tim walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check.  When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died.

I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding and I certainly didn't have extra money to buy a new set from the florist in town.

Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements. 'I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall to put on his cuff links.

Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed,' please help me. I don't know anyone in this town.Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry! 'I scurried out praying for the blessing of white magnolias.

As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance. I approached a house...no dog in sight..knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good. No shotgun. When I stated my plea the man beamed and said...'I'd be happy to!'

He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me. Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.'

No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what's happening here.'

'What?' I asked.

'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday.....He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He looked away. 'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday - yesterday - my children left.'

I nodded.

'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody!' I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!'

About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you.'

I stood with my mouth open. He asked, 'Are you an angel? I assured him I was no angel.

He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?'

'No.'

'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why,I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!'

I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.'

But God found a way. Through dead flowers. 'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.'

This recipe for preserving fresh cut flowers, found at www.thekitchn.com has proven to be amazing. I was impressed at how long the peonies kept on my countertop! Try these tips for keeping your flowers looking fresher longer.

• Make homemade plant food: Flowers need food, water,and a clean environment. So their water should have a little food, like sugar, and some bleach to slow fungi and bacteria growth. Here's a basic home recipe: Mix together 2 c.water, 1 Tb. lemon juice, 1-1/2 tsp. sugar and 1/4 teaspoon bleach.

• Trim stems: You want to open the stems up to the water, so cut off the dried bottoms at an angle to let them take up as much water as possible. Trim the ends every three or four days to keep them fresh longer.

• Remove leaves: Leaves left on the stems below the water level will quickly deteriorate and promote mold. Remove all leaves from the stems below the waterline.

---

Leader Enterprise - Dec. 21, 2011

I got hooked on Chicken Soup for the Soul a few years ago. I would pick one up with the intention of reading a couple of stories - because they are short - and lay the book down an hour later. Such inspiration and encouragement can be gleaned from reading the stories of folks who see the glass as 'half full'.

This special story grabbed ahold of me in a big way. Mostly because I too, begin drawing Social Security in the new year. But also because I'd love to leave a legacy for my grandkids for being known as a generous Nana.

This story comes from Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul and is authored by Patti Lawson.

"My grandmother's Social Security check was the highlight of her life. Everything depended on the arrival of her check. To this day, I have no idea how much it was,but she performed miracles with it. No matter what I wanted, she'd promise it to me'when I get my check'.

Her visits to our house were timed with its arrival. She could never come empty-handed. No sir, she came with delightful treats purchased with the money from that check. My dad would drive to Pittsburgh to bring her to our house two hours north. She'd emerge from the car laden with red licorice, cookies, chipped ham, potato chips, pop and her small blue suitcase. There was a small present for each of us, including my parents. After distributing her gifts, she'd take out of her pocket a list of things yet to be purchased with the remaining money.


These items always were the same, but she made the list anyway.Pond's face cream, hairnets, Jergen's hand lotion, support hose, chocolate-covered raisins, writing paper and envelopes, and some 'good cheese'. My dad would drive us into our small town with my grandmother sitting happily in the front seat clutching her pocketbook and my brother and sister and me in the back. Our destination was the G.C.Murphy store where, instead of just looking at things, we would be leaving with treasures.

Grammie, as we called her, loved these trips. She took her time examining the support hose, the hairnets and the cold creams. We hung by her side as she made her decisions..always choosing the same items. Then we were free to pick out something. I always got a book, my brother a car of some sort and my sister usually got chocolate candy. Grammie would then pick out something for our other sister, too little yet to go on these magical shopping trips.

Next we'd go to the grocery store and she'd load the cart with anything we wanted..all the things my mother never bought. I can still hear her urging our dad to get something. 'Go ahead,Buddy, I have enough to pay for it'. We laughed at hearing him called by his childhood name.

I never saw my grandmother buy a new dress for herself, but she gave me money for my high school graduation dress. I never saw her buy new shoes or even a coat. She was always 'making do' with her own things, but spending generously on those she loved.

The only month of the year she did not follow this ritual was December. She saved that check for Christmas presents. Each December she made yet another list..the list of what we wanted for Christmas. We had to give her three or four ideas so she could surprise us with one. Christmas was wonderful with the arrival of Grammie and all her mysterious, oddly wrapped packages.

Time moved on and I went off to college. By this time there were seven children in my family and some of my cousins now had children of their own. Grammie's check had to be stretched even further. The first letter she sent me at college read: Dear Patti Jo: My check came yesterday and I wanted to send you something, but I guess you have all the books you need there at college. Here are a few dollars so you can go out and have something nice to eat with your new friends.

Inside the folded sheets of the familiar writing paper I had watched her purchase time after time were three carefully folded dollar bills. This was the first of many such letter I received at college. Each letter during that first year contained folded dollar bills..my grandmother's love reaching across the miles..her check stretching very far.

And then I got the last one. She sent me a $5 bill, a list of what I should get with it and instructions to save some too. The list was long. I laughed, knowing that it would never cover all that Grammie wanted me to have.

Before the next letter arrived, the news came that she was in the hospital. By the time I got to Pittsburgh, she had slipped into a coma. Sitting by her intensive care bed, I was besieged with grief, realizing that I would never talk to her again..never witness her generosity and appreciation for the smallest things.

My grandmother had no will, no bequests, nothing to leave anyone. She gave it all away to those she loved while she lived.

Not too long ago, I was out to dinner with my parents and I offered to pay. "You're just like my mother," Dad said.

I've never ever received a nicer compliment. Grammie left me more than I ever realized."

This is a wonderful soup recipe from Gooseberry Patch. Of course, you can eat it any time of the year, but it's especially tasty on Christmas Eve. Enjoy a wonderful and blessed Merry CHRISTMAS as we celebrate the REASON for the Season!


CHRISTMAS EVE SOUP

2 c. potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 c. carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/4 c. chopped onion

2 c. water

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 c. cubed cooked ham or turkey

1/4 c. margarine

1/4 c. flour

2 c. milk

8 ozs. pkg. shredded cheddar cheese

Combine veggies, water, salt & pepper in large soup pot. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until veggies are tender. Stir in meat; set aside. In separate saucepan, melt margarine; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted; add to veggies and heat through.