Sharing

For your consideration…

I love today’s easy message. It has cliches attached to it like, “sharing is caring,” “pass it on,” “don’t assume.”

We are all learners and sometimes we forget that we are also teachers. We are all a wealth of knowledge. We have all learned “tricks of the trade” to make our life easier and better. Why make others “reinvent the wheel?” Share and trade these tips, recipess, etc.

Let me give some examples.

Recipes…If people did not want good recipes shared the internet would not be flooded with them. Many people have become famous for websites devoted to quick, easy, delicious, hard to find, etc. recipes. If you find one you especially like, share it with your friends and family.

I love to cook. And I love to take cooking classes. Of course you get good recipes but also you get good techniques. I often say, if I get one good tip from the class that I can use forever, it was worth the money. Francesca, my Italian teacher, taught us to tightly role up paper towel and tie it around the brim of olive oil to catch the drips. Fold up paper towel and put it on top of a container of cheese to keep if from molding. In a Sur La Table class I learned that yeast never dies if you keep it in the freezer. Go ahead and buy those big bags of it at Sams Club. Share it in a baggie. Just pull it out when you need some and put it back in the freezer. It will last your entire life or until its gone. No more buying yeast from the store and then it not activating. I have never had a bad experience since this class. And I have not bought yeast in years.

My friend Jackie shared a recipe for granite counter tops to clean and make them shine. I have it taped to the inside of a cupboard. I also have one for stain removal taped there. Both are better than anything you can buy.

Another friend, Lisa, told me about crumbling up a piece of tin foil and putting someplace in your dishwasher where it will stay like the silverware container or nestled in the top shelf. It makes your silverware come out like it has bee polished.

How about this tip, “know when to hold them.” Know when to listen and know when to speak.

We all have tips to share that make our lives easier. Share them.

That is the HOPE. And so it is.

Bit by bit, piece by piece, HOPE by HOPE action steps anyone can take…

-Affirm…“I am loved.”

-Remember…You are the keeper of the light. Wherever you go, there can be no darkness.

-Drink lots of water.

-Get outdoors and take in at least 10 deep breaths.

-Meditate/pray…ask…”What is my next step for my highest good and the highest good of all?”

-Share tip that make life easier.

What made me smile yesterday…

-It was a rainy day,. Internet was down. I finally posted from my phone last night. I felt satisfied to learning that there is “more than one way to skin a cat.”

-A walk in the rain with Louie to get a couple of things included an ice cream bar.

-This place is rustic…sort of like camping. I have been so hungry for scalloped potatoes and ham. I got the stuff but there is no oven or crock pot here. I decided to make it on top of the stove with the burner turned low. I got the pot all made up and discovered there was no lid that fit it. Aluminum foil has become my savior here. I fitted it on top and put a frying pan on top. It worked like a charm and was delicious.

-It is the same thing with the coffee pot. It comes on but does not drip through creating just a mess to clean up. I hadn’t had a cup of coffee since Jan. 15th. I go the brainstorm to pull the filter out, put in in a coffee cup with the grounds in it, boil hot water, and pour it over. Wahoo.

-Catching up with Jody, Vickie, Lisa, and Lori.

-I posted a Facebook message on Utila buy and Sell asking if anyone knew of a place to watch the Lions game today. I go responses of a place to watch the “Buccanners” game.

-Realizing how truly blessed I am.

Love, Blessings, and Gratitude,

Rev. Chris