Filled

 

Hello everyone. I hope everyone is ok. Christmas creeps ever closer. I'm sorry but it is. We have started the Christmas Raffle at work and everything. I'm toying with the idea of just giving in and starting to plan things and buy things and get organised. I wonder if I use more energy holding Christmas back and refusing to engage and if giving in a bit would be more helpful, than just getting on with my life. How early do you start? 

Ignoring all that and moving on to my exciting life. I made a new meal from a new cookbook this week. I'm not the greatest cook. I'm ok - a fairly decent family cook in my time but often these days, I come home from work and I'm goosed so I'm not really up for peeling and mashing potatoes or putting a pie together from scratch. I know  - lightweight. HOH sometimes puts a lasagne together but, other than that, midweek tends to be risotto, stir-frys, beans on toast and, quite often on a Friday, ham, egg and chips which is a favourite. Don't condemn me (I don't care if you condemn me). 

I have a bit more of a go at the weekend, although I must make it clear that I have not peeled, boiled and mashed a potato since I worked out how to use the microwave. (That took a while, to be frank). One thing I have never got around to making is Macaroni Cheese. White sauce usually makes me want to have a lie-down. However, this week, I made a highly successful macaroni cheese with the base sauce made from butternut squash cooked in the slow cooker. And it was really nice! I even took a photo - see above. (I often have rocket on my pasta dishes because it kind of breaks the taste up which I would otherwise have to do through the medium of eight pieces of bread). Anyway, I wouldn't normally have the cheek to recommend a cookbook but this is full of slow-cooker recipes which are low effort and easy to put vegetables and things in so you can be a bit healthier. Having said that, there are also cake recipes including a banoffee pie with melted caramel sweets in it that probably should be against the law. 

Obviously, when I say healthier food choices, it's a sliding scale and my scale definitely slides towards mint chocolate buttons rather than kale. We have been watching a series on Netflix called Live to 100 - Secrets of the Blue Zones. We are watching a bit more on Netflix now we are actually having to pay for it rather than leech it through our daughter's account. Do not judge me. Well, judge me if you like. Anyway, this programme is about areas in the world where there are lots of people who are not just living to 100 but living healthily to 100 which is more important I think. There are no surprises - exercise but in day-to-day movements rather than working out, build community - faith-built communities scored especially well and eat well - cooking from scratch and next to no meat. I personally wonder if God had meant us to be vegetarians, would he have invented the bacon barm? (Compassionately farmed pigs obvs). I am being a hypocrite here because, if I had to do the killing, I would be the Queen of the Vegans.

There is, I suppose, a question about whether we should want to live to be 100. Paul didn't seem that fussed either way.

Alive, I’m Christ’s messenger; dead, I’m his prize. Life versus even more life! I can’t lose.

Philippians 1:21

When I was a little girl and had been blackmailed by chocolate buttons into going to watch my dad preach so Aged Parent had a couple of hours family-free, he used to do this thing where he would shout "Who wants to go to Heaven?' Everyone's hand shot up. Then he would say "Who wants to go now?" Nearly all the hands went down and we all had a good laugh. We knew how to live. Actually, I'm not one hundred per cent sure what the point of that was now I think about it.  I suppose it's that, with some obvious exceptions, most of us want to stay alive, be here, and achieve what we are meant to be doing. I'm not sure I have what Paul had  - complete assurance about his future and total conviction that my life is as fulfilled as it should be. This is in no way me having a go at you lot. Your life is your business. Some of you could be running small empires as far as I know.  And plenty of people are achieving loads by just getting through the day. I'm probably having a bit of a go at me and sometimes I don't think that is entirely a bad thing. 

We have just been asked to take on a bit of a leadership role at church - nothing mind-blowing, I will probably fill you in next week but, if you have been reading this blog for any length of time you will know that, in our past, we got a severe burn from leadership and every fibre of my being is saying Noooooo. Stay on the settee. You've got enough on. It's all hard enough as it is. (And it is hard enough for most of us I think). But, we seem to have a Pastor who says - Take your time - at your own pace - put it down if you think it's not right. So, we are dipping our toes in the water and seeing what develops. Because time is passing really quickly. It'll soon be Christmas don't you know. Have a good week.