In this most busy and demanding time of the year, many still have the hope and desire to pursue happiness, to savor the moments and find that special something that replenishes us, fulfills us.
How strange, that we must stop, pause, slow down at least, to find that which keeps us going.
I think that part of our problem is our push to do more and do it more perfectly. As I have aged, I have necessarily had to learn to appreciate the slow moments, the silent moments. Of course, that should have come to me earlier in life, but I have ever been a plodding and slow learner.
How many wonderful, special, unique moments has our Lord gifted me with throughout my life that I rushed past, never listening, hearing his call, stopping to savor, share, enjoy with him? Moments crafted by the Master’s hand with love, moments he intended for me, for us, moments he came calling, only to have me never pause in my headlong rush?
How many times did I give up the peace I longed for, the joy I hoped for, all the things I insistently begged him for, wondering why he didn’t answer?
This morning I was early up, and puttering around, tending my sourdough starter, dividing it up, feeding multiple bowls in order to grow enough to make my various recipes for Christmas dinner and friends.
I found such happiness, really joy, in this simple task. My heart has filled with gratitude and wonder in these quiet moments alone, seeing to a simple task that leads to work I’m good at, to a simple hobby of mine, a thing I long ago longed to learn as an outpouring of love to my family, and especially for my husband who simply loves breads.
I have never had a bread machine, and I treasure the many, many times I bury my hands in the dough, kneading and pulling, twisting and forming. Now I understand a little bit why those hands-on moments meant so much to me.
For a few minutes, I put away me, and all my racing thoughts, my long list of things to get done, my annoyances at even the people I loved, everything. I put it all down and accepted a special, precious time given just to me by the God who loves me and gives me untold graces in such magical, wonderful ways as kneading bread and feeding sourdough.
Today I learned something from my bubbly sourdough brew, and I hope to be more attentive to those special moments because of it.
Maybe you can find your special moments these next few days in whatever unexpected and wonderful ways our Lord offers you. Don’t look for it in perfection though. I think you’re more likely to find it in the simpler things.
Simple things. 🍰
Happy moments. 🎁
Blessings 💞 at this joyous time of the year. 🌲
How do I get cute icons like that in my posts?
Emojis
If you post from a smart phone you should have a built in file of emojis somewhere easily accessible.
If from a pc or some older tablets, that may not be a ready option.
Hope that helps. I usually ask my teenage grandkids “techie” questions, LOL.
Thank you; I’m using a PC & have tried to copy some that normally work in my PC-based texting, but it doesn’t work. 🙁
I typed the text version of a sad face to get the Smiley (emoticon), above.
.
A lovely reminder of what’s important. It’s fascinating to me, now that I’m older, how much pleasure I get doing things that I dreaded when I was young. Then it seemed like it was work, and now it’s personally restorative. Things like cooking for family, growing vegetables and fruit, pickling this or that….
Homemade bread and cinnamon rolls!
💃💃👏👏❤️❤️
My grandmother made bread and
cinnamon rolls every week.
To this day, just the smell of either
one floods my senses with feelings
of happiness! A remembrance of
her and memories of childhood. ❤️
Menagerie, I believe your children
and grandchildren will experience
the same memories as I do for the
rest of their lives! My sister and I
frequently talk about my Grandmothers
bread and cinnamon rolls.
😄😄I won’t go into my love of
fresh homemade bread….
Every week?
I would weigh 400 lbs
😄😄
Nope. None of us were
over weight. I was so
skinny family actually
considered suspenders
just to keep my pants
up😂
Farm life.
Feed the children then
send them outside with the
dog.🤷♀️💁
Test
Amen.
Thank You Menagerie for the Tears of JOY in REMEMBRANCE of My Childhood.
BLESSINGS to YOU and Yours During This CHRISTMAS and THROUGHOUT The Years To Come !
WE HAVE TO Bring the OPPORTUNITY For These Types of Memories BACK to Our Following Generations; Appreciate GOD, Faith, Fellowman and Serve to Others.
Blessings to ALL Here and MERRY CHRISTMAS Treehouse Family. qrw
I love all of you here at The Tree Haus.
I have had a wonderful life.
Sad… Glad… even a tad mad(ness).
This place is so heartwarming, spiritually uplifting …
so Happy Christmas and a blessed New Year !
🌲🎉🎀🍷🎁💝🌲
You are all very dear — to me !
❤️!!!
Amen
God bless and protect President Trump and his family
🙏🦁👑🇺🇲💝
Merry Christmas to one and all. Our special delivery arrived today, twin boys, 5 pounds each. Grandkids not drinking the kool-aid of woke California and living their best life. Praising the Lord for all of them.
What a wonderful Christmas gift!
A TRUE BLESSING !
🍼 👶👶💝
Oh wonderful
Oh my goodness! Many blessings to you and your family.
My grandbabies give me a joy and thankfulness I can’t even convey. Very happy for you. 🙏❤️
Congratulations, Deb! ❤️ ❤️
What a wonderful post! Thank you!
Menagerie, im crying. How very right you are. I get annoyed with loved ones. We bicker and say things that just aren’t nice. I am so blessed by our Lord and Saviour. The little signs, the huge misses. Thank you❤🙏 I love this message!!
I love reading our posts, Menagerie. Always serendipitous!
I made bread and candy yesterday and today I’ve been baking cookies. Going at ramp speed since the wee hours of the morning. Then stopped and put on Christmas music from CD’s I made years ago. MUCH BETTER and I accepted that I would never get everything done… My grandparents came to America from Denmark. The tradition is a 2-day celebration. On Christmas Eve, the family comes together and we exchange gifts. The meal is simple — Frikadellar (Danish meatballs, potatoes, red cabbage. I’ve changed that tradition to steamed shrimp and pizza. The next day is more centered on Jesus’ birth (except for Christmas breakfast and the filled stockings on the mantel. Then church and a dinner — sometimes fish, sometimes beef. So I’m paring on some of the things I had planned to do, I mean, who really cares if I don’t wash the windows and curtains. The tree is up, I finished making the bread and cookies, the Christmas music is playing non-stop. and I know we’ll all have a wonderful time together celebrating the birth of Jesus and our love for each other.
Thank you, Menagerie
Sounds wonderful
Such beautiful thoughts, Menagerie….I’m an old lady now myself and totally get what you’re saying!
Only those who put their hands in dough understand. My first loaf was as a 15 year old in high school. Yes back then girls were taught how to make bread. I was hooked from then on. My husband asked me once why I spent so much time on a loaf of bread when I could just go buy one. Its hard to explain, but you lose yourself in that kneading process, your mind can cover so much in that time. Its peaceful, cathartic, enjoyable and tastes heavenly when you have finished. Now of course, my family requests homemade bread all the time. I still make something so easily purchased. It has to be experienced, you can’t explain it. Stir up so dough, knead it, bake it and enjoy the results with family and friends.
Time passes so fast.
All my siblings and our spouses for the first-time together at Christmas in over 40 years baking and decorating sugar cookies last Saturday.
Such simple joy, I was surprised how much I did not want the day to end.
I can really relate to this, Menagerie. The homemade breads, preparing budget dinners, and making the most of family times no matter what else is happening in the world. My wife quit working and stayed home for ten years to raise our kids. Money was tight but we did it. I worked long hours to pull it off. So I missed out on some important things but at least mom was there. The last one just graduated from college and she wrote a beautiful letter to thank us for the sacrifices we made to get her to this point in her life.
That made it all worthwhile to me.
Do keep that letter, as I’m sure you already have safely stored away.
Merry Christmas!
You know it.
Merry Christmas!
Best to all and may the Blessing of the Holy Family visit you all at this time of the year.
Prayers for the sick…and those no longer with us.
It is true,,,to give is better than to receive,,, it’s a giving of oneself,, unapologetically,and with the pure joy of the thing.. it’s really quite fun
I bought a home stone mill and mill wheat berries (many varieties each with a distinctive flavor) and bake sourdough baguettes. Boules and even croissants.
I agree. It’s a soothing escape from what’s going on..
And you get to eat the results! 🙂
this was very nice to read. it did my soul some good. If I ever made a homemade bread it would be sour dough bread. Aldi happens to make a decent sour dough bread – just 3 simple ingredients. So guess what I’m having with my soup. my recent forced slow down, was a head cold. who knows, maybe a covid type but I will never know since I don’t really care which germ it was. But I did get into taking it slow. It was the best I felt, feeling lousy. Pure Grace.
It may seem crazy to you in other parts of the world, especially the PNW– Here in the Southwest we’re having a rainy day and Wow! What a special blessing!
Than you, Menagerie! Merry Christmas!
I live because others have sacrificed for me, my parents, who gave me base values, my siblings and youthful friends who shared my learning experiences, my educators who tutored, my military leaders who mentored, my foxhole buddies who stood beside me, my cop partners who responded to assist me, my wife who remained a friend and lover thru thick and thin, my children who blessed and tried me, my great grandparents – who I am learning are my true foundation, and age that has provided me the time to assess these values, knowing as I do that many have not had the opportunity of time….and I wish that they all had….thank you for what you have given to me
enjoyed your tale, Menagerie
always such nice thoughts from you
Thank you Menagerie….May U and ur’s have a most “Blessed Christmas!
Also Merry Christmas to All here!
Thank you, Menagerie, for continually sharing such beautiful pieces of wisdom!
(And for all the recipes you’ve been posting! YUM!) 🙂
God is present in the moment. I, too, learned that later in life. But it is so true.
”A heart at peace give life to the body.” Proverbs 14:30
I came upon this essay (bread recipe included) in The Imaginative Conservative and thought immediately of Menagerie and The Simple Things and all the bread-making Treepers
Baking Christmas Eve Bread: A Recipe for Soothing Souls
by Joseph Mussomeli
Man may not live by bread alone, but a goodly baked bread goes a long way to rendering us joyful and content. Bread-making is both a sensual and spiritual experience. It satisfies a yearning for deeper bonding among friends and family, and it restores us to a less stressed, more thankful awareness of life.
https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2018/12/baking-christmas-eve-bread-recipe-soothing-souls-joseph-mussomeli.html