"America For Me"

Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933)

                      

    'TIS fine to see the Old World, and travel up and down
    Among the famous palaces and cities of renown,
    To admire the crumbly castles and the statues of the kings,—
    But now I think I've had enough of antiquated things.

           So it's home again, and home again, America for me!
           My heart is turning home again, and there I long to be,
           In the land of youth and freedom beyond the ocean bars,
           Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars!

    Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air;
    And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;
    And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;
    But when it comes to living there is no place like home.

    

    I like the German fir-woods, in green battalions drilled;
    I like the gardens of Versailles with flashing fountains filled;
    But, oh, to take your hand, my dear, and ramble for a day
    In the friendly western woodland where Nature has her way!

   

    I know that Europe's wonderful, yet something seems to lack:
    The Past is too much with her, and the people looking back.
    But the glory of the Present is to make the Future free,—
    We love our land for what she is and what she is to be.

           Oh, it's home again, and home again, America for me!
           I want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea,
           To the bléssed Land of Room Enough beyond the ocean bars,
           Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars

Something Great

I’ve been thinking... Everyone is born with the desire to do something great. Right? This is a natural response to the fact that we are created by a loving God who has a specific purpose for each one of us. However, sin turned our original inclination to be great for Him into an aspiration to want to do something great for our own benefit. Now we believe greatness is about who we are, what we have and where we go with our lives. Greatness is based off personal success. Fame, fortune, position, power... 

How do we decide what is great? Who defines it? The world would say this depends on the individual and their talents. Each person chooses a career they deem most honorable and most rewarding. This, more or less, is how we seek to fulfill our inborn determination to be great. But why be great? Because deep within every person questions stir. Why am I here? Where am I going? Who am I? By having a meaningful vocation we believe we are giving something to society. This makes us accepted, appreciated... even needed! It makes us more than just another person. 

At nineteen I am constantly being asked, “Now what are you doing?”

“College.” 

“Oh, for what? What are you going to do?” 

What am I going to do? I don’t know. Oh God, I don’t know what I’m going to do! I’m nineteen! What will I do? Pleeeease help me figure this out. I’m ninteeen. 

Yeah, I’m nineteen and I don’t have a specific occupation picked out. Is it too late for me to be great? Some people act like it is. But don’t worry... Because I’m not worried about gaining position, possession or pleasures! What I want is to discover my God-given purpose in this life and carry it out. The reason I was created. When I achieve this I will experience real joy and fulfillment. 

Have you ever met a person who has discovered their God-given purpose? They are marked by determination and confidence in knowing who they are, what they are doing now, and where they will end up. This is what I want. 

So what I have to do now is not ask, what to be, but who to be. I have to better understand the value of time and how today will effect tomorrow. I need to be relentless in pursuit of God and His will for my life. 

Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God before ordained so we might walk in them.” I think this must mean before I was born He designated a series of works for ME to carry out. And I “walk in them.” Meaning as I finish one, the next opens up. I just have to trust Him.  Trust Him to open doors and open my eyes to see the open doors. 

I don’t want to set goals for my life with out God. I think when we do we set goals too low. Goals we know we can reach. I want goals I can’t reach without God. I want to always live completely dependent on Him because He promises that if I do He will give me the strength I need to get the job done. Yes please. 

Saint Francis of Assisi pretty well says it, “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury; pardon. Where there is doubt; faith. Where there is despair; hope. Where there is darkness; light. And where there is sadness; joy.” 

Just how? As I walk in Him daily, I pray and trust He will reveal. 

This is where I am. 

A Little Too Good Mac 'n' Cheese

60 degrees out. Shel and I decided today was a mac ‘n’ cheese day. “Cold-cut-sandwiches-or-salads-for-lunch-season” is out. Bring on the hot lunches, baby! What was going to be just plain jane homemade milk mac ‘n’ cheese turned into a dream come true... or a calorie nightmare. Jillian here I come! (for those of you who really know me, you’ll understand.) Hehe! Anyway, if you’re needing some inspiration for lunch today you should try this one out. Shel gave me “two thumbs and two big toes up!” 

A Little Too Good Mac ‘n’ Cheese

2 T. butter (I actually used bacon grease, better flavor)

4 T. flour

1 c. evaporated milk

1 c. 1% milk (or whatever you prefer)

2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 c. jack cheese, grated

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. taco season mix 

1/2 t. garlic powder

1 onion, diced

4 c. your pasta of choice, prepared

In a saucepan combine, butter, flour, milks and seasonings. Bring to a slow boil and stir until thick. Melt in the cheeses. Set aside. Sautee onion in EVOO or butter to your liking. Add to sauce. Finally toss in the pasta. I had some sausage to use so I tossed in some of that - which was amazing! That’s up to you tho. ENJOY! And happy fall!

Do You Remember?

September 11, 2001

In Billings, Montana the sky was grey and there was a cool breeze. I could finally wear my favorite long sleeve shirt. As I pulled over my head, I hoped my best friend would wear her's too - we'd match. 

The telephone rang. I crunched Chex with honey. 

"Hi..." my mom's bright smile melted, "What? Oh Jesus... Ok, I'm going to turn it on. Oh Jesus.. Just a minute."

I watched her turn the TV on. Her brow was furrowed. The phone was still pressed to her ear, but neither her or my aunt (who was on the other side of the line) said anything. She just stood there watching. Slowly, I made my way to her. 

Even the commentators on the news were quiet as we watched the live footage of the second plane fly into the second tower. 

I saw it. Evil. 

In the class room everyone was quiet. The lights were off. Miss Bloom, pressed folded hands to her lips as she listened to the radio on her desk. 

Cecily was not wearing the matching shirt. Jessie, who sat next to me, drew shapes on his desk with an eraser. 

The radio clicked off. Miss Bloom came to the front of the classroom and without any additional words, began to pray. And pray...  

That's all we could do. 

Pray.

Miss Bloom's voice quivered as she prayed. And my eyes filled with tears.

I was too young to fully comprehend what had just happened, but I remember understanding three things:

1) Someone had done this on purpose, killing himself in the process. Why? I wondered. This was real, not a movie or something. Why? Who would do that? Someone who didn't love Jesus, I thought.
2) It was real. . . There were tons of people dead and many of them probably didn't know Jesus. This realization rocked me. My little heart hurt.
3) George W. Bush, who my family had been so excited to have in office, would have a much bigger job on his hands than he had probably expected. I felt sorry for him.

This is history. This is in American history books. We pull through.

I am proud to be an American. But every 9/11 makes me so thankful for the promise I have in Christ. The hope. This world needs hope. We need Jesus. 

Forget, Move On

Look, look, look at the moon 

Don't stop talking

Spin around and plunge to the grass

Laughter rises and fades with a brush

A look, a dimple, becoming unhinged 

Fear and suspense 

It drives away, run away

The night makes love fanciful 

Is there a way to tell it no?

Shade, shade, shade your eyes

The sun has peeked up over the hill

Now to the mines, to work, to sweat

Groaning and strain, dust and grime

To the field, to pull and pick

Swelter and sting, cut and burn

Day forgets night 

And I forget you

SEPTEMBER SOUP

I love September. I love soup. So, today I celebrated both! 


SEPTEMBER SOUP
2 cups quinoa
4 cups water 
In a large saucepan bring quinoa to a boil (salt water lightly), cover and let simmer until water is fully absorbed. About 15 minutes. Burner off.


1 large onion, diced
1 large (or 2 small) zucchini, chunked small
3 stalks celery, diced
1 green pepper, diced
In skillet saute onion, zucchini, celery  and pepper to your taste in EVOO. I like mine a bit crunchy, 3-5 minutes. For softer veggies, 5-10 minutes.


1 can (16oz.) blackbeans
1 can (16oz.) corn 
3 cups chicken broth
Add sauteed vegetables, blackbeans, corn and broth to quinoa, stir on low. 


5 large tomatoes, chunked
2 garlic cloves, minced
pepper to taste (I like ALOT)
In the same skillet you sauteed the veggies in, saute tomatoes, garlic and pepper for about 10 minutes. Mix into soup.


1 to 2 cups milk (2 cups if: 2% or whole, 1 cup if half and half or cream.) 
3 Tbs. fresh, minced basil
salt and pepper to taste
Add milk, basil, salt and pepper very last. Serve with shredded cheese on top! ENJOY! 


Love, Monica