I Ate One Thing At A Time

As a kid, I would frustrate my family when the food was passed at supper time. I would wait for the item I wanted to eat first, put it on my plate, finish it, sometimes rinse off my plate, come back to the table and asked to be passed the next item. This was after all of the dishes had been passed and everyone else but me would put everything on their plate, finish everything and then maybe ask to be passed the dish of the item of which they wished to have seconds. It was less intrusive than my practice of interrupting the others while they were eating. I don't know how the habit started, but I know it had everything to do with not wanting to blend my food together on my plate. The statement, "What does it matter, it all ends up blended together in your stomach anyway?", didn't work for me. I have since moved beyond that practice. However, I will not put dessert on the same plate on which I ate my meal without rinsing it off first. You can't blend those two taste sensations. Turkey gravy and apple pie, do not mix! I guess I started to grow out of it when I would go to family reunions and go through the food line. Too much trouble to go back through multiple times for each item when there are multiple items of which I want to partake. That, and it's kind of rude to interrupt a conversation with a relative I haven't seen in awhile just so I can go back to the food table again and again.

And that is where I am at this writing. The last two years, I was on my "sabbatical" and an annual tradition of mine got set aside. I hesitate to speak of the tradition because I may disappoint you in that I may not get a chance to share the tradition with you this year. But....if I do disappoint you, let me know and I will do my best to make you part of it this year. Honest!

The tradition....I make apple butter from my own recipe. I've even branded it. It is called , "Angus Fraser's Applebutter." I make a couple different variations of it. One is the regular flavor, another is labeled, "Rum/Raisin," (you can figure out why) and the last one is ,"Not For The Wee Ones." Guess what that's about.

I almost did not resume the tradition this year because I'm lazy. However, one of the caregivers from my (Pause here while I listen to one of my favorite Christimas songs...by The Carpenters. If you can correctly guess what it is, you will win a free half-pint of Angus Fraser's Applebutter.) "sabbatical" told me that I needed to do so. I am proud to say that I have finished and canned one batch and another batch will probably follow over New Years. The initial reviews are that Angus Fraser is back and better than ever.

Today, I took some to the folks who were not part of the tradition prior to my "sabbatical," but were a large part of the reason I was able to resume the tradition. It felt odd to do so. I associate visiting them this time of year with going in for treatment. But now, we have a new thing to associate with this time frame.

Even though all of the dramatic stuff is over for me, it still occupies space in me. I know that it always will. However, it will not be the driver of the car. Just some stuff in the trunk that rattles around every so often that will eventually get tossed out some day. It will take time, but it will happen over time.

I reckon it's part of the process of learning to put multiple and varied items on the same plate at one time.

Behavior changes with affirmations. Stuff comes along to get your attention. Look at the title of my last post. I've was asked to read Isaiah 60:1-6 in church on January 2.

Wow.

May you not just enjoy the Holidays. May they affirm and confirm the goodness that resides in you and the rest of us.

Let it shine.

Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.    -Gaelic rune