spinach pesto turkey sandwich

dear emily,

i have really been trying to replace bad fats and sugars with good fat
and VEGETABLES.   aaargh.   i just can't make myself eat enough
of those nutrient rich foods, so i've had to be creative.   for instance,
instead of slathering mayo and mustard on my sandwich today, i made
a spinach pesto with coconut oil.

think that sounds gross?  well, you're wrong.   it was delicious and full
of good fat and green veggies.   "i'm dreaming of a" whole grain pasta
and vine ripened tomatoes drizzled with this yummy pesto.

while i wrote those two puny paragraphs, my husband just ate half of
my sandwich.   here's the super easy recipe:

an entire package of baby spinach
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup parmesan
1 t. dry mustard
1 t. apple cider vinegar
1 T. honey
ground pepper
1/4 c. coconut oil
tiny dribble of olive oil as a token to normal pesto

squoosh it into your food processor and season to taste.

you're gonna' love it,
lea

"the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof."  psalm 24:1

PG-snake

dear emily,

several weeks ago, a good friend and i were hiking around turkey
mountain.   in our neck of the woods, you don't really hike UP
anything, because everything is so flat.   we rounded one bend and
stepped over a grass snake.   i felt obligated to scream like a school
girl, since i did go to school once.

my friend said, "don't worry about it, it was just a grass snake."  i
thought, "is there really such a thing as 'just'  a ANY snake?"

i lost all the endorphins i had gathered from the hike and put the last
of my energy into scanning back and forth along the trail like a drone
searching for terrorist snakes.

sure enough, we ran into another harmless grass snake.

"he is more afraid of us than we are of him." (friend)

"really?   well, why is he staring us down like he wants to make the
first strike?"  now, a spoiled princess, i begged to turn around and
go home.   "that was a bad grASS snake."

love,
lea

"now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field."
genesis 3:1

struck down but not forsaken

dear emily,

a week ago our state faced the military grade assault of an F-5 tornado.   the
loss of life, possessions of life, and way of life can not be measured.   those
who endured the battle will count their days as BT and AT, before and after
tornado.

our children have a friend who is a firefighter and first responder.  he didn't
come home for five days and will most likely suffer from the same post
traumatic stress as our finest marines.

the question, "why?" has been fired at the heavens like puny artillery.

i don't deny anyone the right to "why?" and have felt it bubbling up in my
own heart, as well.   the response i keep hearing is, "why not?"

so stark, harsh, and cruel, that.

this earth is a hostile place, doling out earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes,
diseases, war, and tornadoes.  Jesus spoke about a tower that fell on 18
men, admonishing us to be greatful that it did not fall on us.

"we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;  perplexed, but not in
despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned;  struck down, but not destroyed."
2 corinthians 4: 8,9

love,
lea

make way for goslings

dear samara,

several weeks ago a gaggle of geese descended upon the 'island' by
our lagoon.   their graceful long necks and soft grey feathers were
beautiful.   i thought that surely swans could not be lovelier and was
sad when they flew away.   hans said that he wouldn't miss all the
honking.

we were strolling along the grounds last night and noticed two of the
geese had remained with a surprise.   six surprises!   can you guess?
yep, six fluffy grey goslings.   they reminded me of your baby chicks
but with longer necks, and i haven't heard any chirping.

google image

today they walked up the big hill and around all ten acres.   can you
imagine?   their little legs must have been so tired.   i followed them
down to the lagoon, while the goose (mommy) and the gander (daddy)
took turns watching me.   i wished you were with me to see how cute
the goslings were, imitating everything their mom and dad did.

i hope that if i visit them a few times each day and leave them a present
of bread crumbs, then maybe they will let me get closer.   what if the
geese return every year?   then i might call myself a grandgoose.

miss you,
lea

"the birds of the sky nest by the waters . . . "  psalm 104:12

just do it.

dear emily,

i'm preaching to the choir here, because you are the 'fittest' person i
know, but you will look up someday and be 20 years older.    that's
when you will thank yourself for keeping your body in shape.

speaking of shape, my trainer (and great friend) was bemoaning how
many women our age have just let themselves evolve into a 'soft' pear
or apple shape.   fruit should only be smooshy in a pie.

it is harder to work out now, i admit.   sometimes my hip or back
aches, but that's no excuse.    there is always something i can do to
get my heart rate up and my muscles working.

someday, i want to be the grandma who throws a football to her
grandson and plays on the floor with her granddaughter.    how can i
do that if i don't strengthen my arms and legs now?

i will sit in the rocking chair with my great-grandbabies.

love,
lea

"therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees."   hebrews 12:12

dear emily,

one of our evangelist friends likes to tell a story about the dearest little,
old lady in his congregation.   she is his example of kindness, goodness, and
generosity.

google image

he said to her, "aunt minnie, you never say an unkind thing about anyone.
why,  i bet you even have something nice to say about the devil."

she smiled fondly at the young evangelist and replied, "well, honey, he sure
does try hard."

love,
lea

ps.   "let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how to answer everyone."  colossians 4:6

"how can the Christ come from galilee?"

dear emily,

when did you last have your theology messed up?  you know, when it feels like
someone has roughed up your hair and smudged around your makeup, only it's
your heart?   can you imagine how the jewish people must have felt when Jesus
said, "if anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink."  what?  were they
even allowed to drink that sort of thing?

about like some republicans.   you mean Jesus isn't a conservative?

Jesus isn't confined to any of our shallow classifications, because He
supercedes them.   the huffington report recently featured an article intended
to encourage christendom.   one of the chief points emphasized that we need
to go a little easy on our Jesus talk.   Jesus seems to cause terrible offense
when we raise the subject.

i was huffed that someone would tell me when i can and can't speak the Name
above all other names.   but then, i pondered the matter.   maybe we are
guilty of saying, "Jesus" flippantly.   it is one of the quagmires of the kingdom
that while Jesus is the sweetest name we know, and we have been urged to
call Him 'friend,' He remains the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

who ever was allowed to call any other king by his first name?  "good
morning, henry."

anyway, i thought of some loose Jesus talk boundaries:  baby christians
could limit it to 'please and thank you' until they know Him better.  the rest
of us could use His name sparingly unless in reverence or cases of extreme
need, obsessive devotion, ecstatic gratitude, hopeless affection, hilarious
joy, delightful adoration . . .

love,
lea