Christ_empowered
Member
Me, yet again. God is GOOD!
If you're reading this, odds are fairly good that you've read or at least skimmed over any number of my previous posts, so I'll spare you further rehashing of my sinful, painful, miserable existence, before Christ saved me (Miracle!) a bit over 4 1/2 years ago.
Now...well, today is Sunday, which these days means dad's smoking something. Today, its...country pork ribs, I think. I'm not a big meat expert, but I think that means the fat, juicy ribs, prepared with a rub, smoked for hours. Awesome.
They're also doing these onions that they haven't made in years and years, probably since before I even hit 13 or so. Its simple...wrap up your favorite kind of onion (its the south, so I'm thinking today it'll be Vidalia onions) in foil, add butter and/or olive oil, and some bouillion. Grill until juicy and flavorful. They're also doing something with diced up small potatoes on the grill, too...I don't know what, exactly, but I'm definitely looking forward to it, LOL.
Thing is...lately, its not just the food that takes me back to the years before my parents turned upwardly mobile, before my disastrous adolescence and 20s, before...The Troubles, basically...its everything. There's still some distance between us, but...wow. The Lord has worked and is working in our lives, and I'm increasingly thankful. I sense more genuine warmth in our relationship.
God is good! Mama got to retire from her high pressure job, at long last. She even came in on the tale end of some state program for some state employees that allowed people to work a bit past the usual term of service (I think that's what its called...) and get their salary plus extra $$$ into a special account. That's been a ---huge--- blessing, trust me. They're not rolling in $$$, but dad's still going strong in his high pressure job (his job isn't as all consuming as mama's was, nor is it as political...), and mama's retirement and all is enough. By God's grace, I've been blessed with disability, so that helps tremendously. --NO-- one will hire me around here, no matter the label(s), so...yeah. Disability isn't ideal, but it helps my parents tremendously, and it provides good medical coverage, so I am thankful.
They're cooking more pasta dishes now, like they did back in the old house we lived in when I was a kid. Back then, they were well-educated, more working class bohemians. After all these years of hard work and such, they're now more..."well-to-do," I suppose...but a lot of their so-called "friends" didn't pan out over the years (even the "church people..." ugh...), which is actually kind of a blessing, at this point.
They have each other, they've mellowed out a lot in all respects, The Lord has blessed their health+finances, and The Lord saw fit to spare, save, and now...transform me, inside and out. Miracles, all around, trust me.
I don't think it'll be all that much longer till the food is ready. I'm just so increasingly thankful, genuinely appreciative (I've actually been praying to God for more of an "attitude of gratitude," and...clearly, He's answering those prayers....), that...well, now I'm more and more able, because of Christ and His work in my family's lives+my life...to take up my plow and push forward, to put aside what is behind and press forward...even to forgive 70x7 (still praying --hard-- on these things, btw...).
OK. I didn't mean to rub in the good Sunday food, LOL. I'm just...blessed. Excited. At times, happy, and overall...The Lord seems to be blessing me more and more with joy, or...yeah. My Walk with The Lord is an ongoing thing, I see that now (I --really-- did not for a long time there...), and I understand that not all days are peaceful, not all Sundays involve great food and fun times, and I do know that I am a creature, loved by The Creator (flaws and all, Praise God!).
OK. Thanks for reading. For those of you who keep my family+me (and Verna, too, of course...) up in prayer, I'd like to extend a big "thanks!," and I ask that you continue.
GOD IS GOOD!
If you're reading this, odds are fairly good that you've read or at least skimmed over any number of my previous posts, so I'll spare you further rehashing of my sinful, painful, miserable existence, before Christ saved me (Miracle!) a bit over 4 1/2 years ago.
Now...well, today is Sunday, which these days means dad's smoking something. Today, its...country pork ribs, I think. I'm not a big meat expert, but I think that means the fat, juicy ribs, prepared with a rub, smoked for hours. Awesome.
They're also doing these onions that they haven't made in years and years, probably since before I even hit 13 or so. Its simple...wrap up your favorite kind of onion (its the south, so I'm thinking today it'll be Vidalia onions) in foil, add butter and/or olive oil, and some bouillion. Grill until juicy and flavorful. They're also doing something with diced up small potatoes on the grill, too...I don't know what, exactly, but I'm definitely looking forward to it, LOL.
Thing is...lately, its not just the food that takes me back to the years before my parents turned upwardly mobile, before my disastrous adolescence and 20s, before...The Troubles, basically...its everything. There's still some distance between us, but...wow. The Lord has worked and is working in our lives, and I'm increasingly thankful. I sense more genuine warmth in our relationship.
God is good! Mama got to retire from her high pressure job, at long last. She even came in on the tale end of some state program for some state employees that allowed people to work a bit past the usual term of service (I think that's what its called...) and get their salary plus extra $$$ into a special account. That's been a ---huge--- blessing, trust me. They're not rolling in $$$, but dad's still going strong in his high pressure job (his job isn't as all consuming as mama's was, nor is it as political...), and mama's retirement and all is enough. By God's grace, I've been blessed with disability, so that helps tremendously. --NO-- one will hire me around here, no matter the label(s), so...yeah. Disability isn't ideal, but it helps my parents tremendously, and it provides good medical coverage, so I am thankful.
They're cooking more pasta dishes now, like they did back in the old house we lived in when I was a kid. Back then, they were well-educated, more working class bohemians. After all these years of hard work and such, they're now more..."well-to-do," I suppose...but a lot of their so-called "friends" didn't pan out over the years (even the "church people..." ugh...), which is actually kind of a blessing, at this point.
They have each other, they've mellowed out a lot in all respects, The Lord has blessed their health+finances, and The Lord saw fit to spare, save, and now...transform me, inside and out. Miracles, all around, trust me.
I don't think it'll be all that much longer till the food is ready. I'm just so increasingly thankful, genuinely appreciative (I've actually been praying to God for more of an "attitude of gratitude," and...clearly, He's answering those prayers....), that...well, now I'm more and more able, because of Christ and His work in my family's lives+my life...to take up my plow and push forward, to put aside what is behind and press forward...even to forgive 70x7 (still praying --hard-- on these things, btw...).
OK. I didn't mean to rub in the good Sunday food, LOL. I'm just...blessed. Excited. At times, happy, and overall...The Lord seems to be blessing me more and more with joy, or...yeah. My Walk with The Lord is an ongoing thing, I see that now (I --really-- did not for a long time there...), and I understand that not all days are peaceful, not all Sundays involve great food and fun times, and I do know that I am a creature, loved by The Creator (flaws and all, Praise God!).
OK. Thanks for reading. For those of you who keep my family+me (and Verna, too, of course...) up in prayer, I'd like to extend a big "thanks!," and I ask that you continue.
GOD IS GOOD!