THE CALL

I had a restless night last night. Sleep did not overtake me until 3:00 a.m. The call of the Wild One perhaps, whispering in my ear.




“Winter Solstice” by Rebecca Parker
Perhaps
for a moment…
the wheels stop rolling,
the computers desist from computing,
and a hush will fall over the city.
For an instant, in the stillness,
the chiming of celestial spheres will be heard
as earth hangs poised
in the crystalline darkness, and then
tilts.
Let there be a season
when holiness is heard, and
the splendor of living is revealed.
Stunned to stillness by beauty
we remember who we are and why we are here.
There are inexplicable mysteries.
We are not alone.
In the universe there moves a Wild One
whose gestures alter earth’s axis
toward love.
In the immense darkness
everything spins with joy.
The cosmos enfolds us.
We are caught in a web of stars,
cradled in a swaying embrace,
rocked by the holy night,
babes of the universe.
Let this be the time
we wake to life,
like spring wakes in the moment
of winter solstice.

JUST FOR TODAY......

1.  Just for today I will be happy.  This assumes that what Abraham Lincoln said is true , that "most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."  Happiness is from within; it is not a matter of externals.

2.  Just for today I will try to adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires.  I will take my family, my business, and my luck as they come and fit myself to them.

3.  Just for today I will take care of my body.  I will exercise it, care for it, nourish it, not abuse nor neglect it, so that it will be a perfect machine for my bidding.

4.  Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind.  I will learn something useful.  I will not be a mental loafer.  I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

5.  Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways;   I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out.  I will do at least two things I don't want to do as William James suggests, just for exercise.

6.  Just for today I will be agreeable.  I will look as well as I can, dress as becomingly as possible, talk low, act courteously, be liberal with praise, criticize not at all, nor fault with anything and not try to regulate nor improve anyone.

7.  Just for today I will try to live through this day only, not to tackle my whole life problem at once.  I can do things for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to keep them up for a lifetime.

8.  Just for today I will have a program.  I will write down what I expect to do every hour.  I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it.  It will eliminate two pests, hurry and indecision.

9.  Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax.  In this half hour sometimes I will think of God, so as to get a little more perspective into my life.

10.  Just for today I will be unafraid, especially I will not be afraid to be happy, to enjoy what is beautiful, to love, and to believe that those I love, love me.

If we want to develop a mental attitude that will bring us peace and happiness, here is Rule #1:

Think and act cheerfully, and you will feel cheerful.

 

Written by Sybyl F Partridge in 1916 and printed in
"How To Stop Worrying, And Start Living" by Dale Carnegie, 1951

LET THE BAKING BEGIN......

Nothing lifts my spirits, like something baking in the oven. That being said, the recipe search is beginning early this year.

This one is so easy you have to try it.    I haven't baked it yet, but I will.......

The World's Best Fruitcake

By CaramelPie on May 31, 2005

Photo by Lorrie in Montreal

5 Reviews

• 
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 1 1/2 hrs
• Serves: 48, Yield: 2 loaves

About This Recipe

"My dad started making this fruitcake about 30 years ago. Everyone who hates fruitcake likes this, and everyone who likes fruitcake LOVES this. Many people say this is the ONLY fruitcake they will eat. I hope you'll try this. Just follow the directions EXACTLY, and you'll have the most wonderful fruitcake ever!"

Ingredients

• 14 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
• 8 ounces chopped sugar rolled dates
• 16 ounces pecan pieces
• 8 ounces candied cherries
• 8 ounces diced candied pineapple
• 2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

Directions

1. Place coconut, dates, and pecan pieces in a very large (7 quart or larger) bowl. With your hands break up chunks of dates & coconut, and stir those 3 ingredients together.
2. Add the cherries, pineapple, and sweetened condensed milk. Stir thoroughly. (I wear non-powdered surgical gloves, and stir it with my hands because the mixture is very stiff.).
3. Let set at room temperature while you prepare the pans. Spray 2 - 9"x5" loaf pans with Pam. Line the pans with waxed (or parchment) paper. (We cut parchment paper in 4 1/4"x 16 1/4" strips for this. You want the paper to come up past the short sides of the pans after the mixture is packed into the pans.) Now spray the paper (after you've pressed it into the pans) with Pam.
4. Stir the ingredients well again.Divide the ingredients equally between the 2 loaf pans.
5. Pack VERY TIGHTLY and smoothly into the pans. (I wet my hands & press, pack down, & smooth top, using both hands. Wetting your hands keeps them from sticking to "batter".).
6. Place the pans on the middle rack of the oven and bake at 300 degrees F for 1 hour, or until lightly browned. (If the cakes have baked for an hour, or look a little brown around the edges, take them out of the oven & lift edges of paper a little to see if sides look brown enough. If they're brown on sides, but not on top, you may broil the tops for a few minutes-watch carefully.).
7. Remove cakes from oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pans.

Page 2 of 2The World's Best Fruitcake (cont.)

Directions (cont.)

8. Gently lift the edges of the paper a couple of times on each side - kind of a rocking motion. (Sometimes I have to run a sharp knife down the edges of the pan.) Turn pans upside down onto a paper-lined cookie sheet. Lift pans from the cakes. Remove paper from bottom of cakes IMMEDIATELY.
9. Let cool completely. Place in a large container (don't wrap yet) and refrigerate overnight.
10. Turn cake upside down to slice. After slicing, wrap in waxed (or parchment) paper, then in heavy duty aluminum foil.
11. May be refrigerated up to 3 months or frozen up to 1 year.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 (43 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 48

Amount Per Serving

% Daily Value

Calories 190.1

 

Calories from Fat 100

52%

Amount Per Serving

% Daily Value

Total Fat 11.1g

17%

Saturated Fat 4.0g

20%

Cholesterol 5.6mg

1%

Sugars 20.5 g

Sodium 51.9mg

2%

Total Carbohydrate 22.0g

7%

Dietary Fiber 1.4g

5%

Sugars 20.5 g

82%

Protein 2.4g

4%