Church thoughts on a lovely day—and some cooking

          

This sunny, mild day is most welcome in North Texas after a string of chilly, gray days. This morning’s clouds burned off, and the afternoon is bright enough to cheer the spirits.

This morning, Dr. Russ Peterman titled his sermon, “Finding your vocation,” by which he meant finding that which God calls you to do. He stressed the difference between a career, which is about making a living, and a calling, which is about making a difference. It brought to mine a conversation of many years ago with dear friends, a husband and wife, he a doctor, she still in search of what she wanted to do. She had been a stay-at-home mom, earned a graduate degree in social work, and was still searching. Her words have always stuck with me. “I envy you two. You have found your passions in life—medicine and writing.” She went on to find her own passion in gardening but not with the same fervor. This morning on the way to church, Christian had mentioned Jacob’s passion for sports. I’ve come to realize a life lived with passion (no, not that kind!) is indeed a blessing, and I am grateful.

I get really weary of modern hymns in our church. They read like lectures, so this morning I was grateful for two old favorites: “Jesus Calls Us, O’er the Tumult” and “Here am I, Lord.” One of the apprentice ministers had said during the service that she thought the latter was her favorite, and after we sang it as our closing hymn, Dr. Peterman commented on the vigor with which the entire congregation sang. “I think that’s everyone’s favorite hymn.”

Cooking adventures this weekend: Tonight, there’s company dinner in the house, and Jordan is making that family favorite—Doris’ casserole. One friend calls this American lasagna, which isn’t too far off the mark. It‘s a meat sauce, and a noddle and cheese layeer, all topped with grated cheddar. The only trouble with it is that it’s so good, there are never leftovers.

So since I’m not cooking Sunday dinner, I have a meatloaf in the oven—just because. I love meatloaf, especially cold sandwiches, so I should have this to nibble on all week. Yesterday I baked several pans of chocolate chip cookies, and now my cookie jar is full, but I still have dough in the fridge. It was a new, slightly different recipe (billed, of course, as the ”best ever”), and it reminded me of my mom’s old recipe because you dissolve the baking soda in hot water rather than mixing it in the flour. I had to try a few last night, just for testing purposes of course, and they pretty near were the best ever.

Last night, in solitary splendor, I had a lamb shank for dinner with a side of butter glazed baby carrots. The carrots were great, the lamb shank not so much. It’s the second time in a few years I’ve tried shanks, both times pre-prepared. I bought this one at Central Market; it was said to have been roasted with rosemary and mint. This morning in the car I announced that I am through thinking I want to try shank meat—in my experience, it is fatty and stringy, and the lamb burgers we sometimes make have more flavor. Gosh, I wonder why Christian rejected my leftovers for his lunch today. I know in the hands of a real chef it would be a different experience.

The week ahead looks busy. I hope you all find it a good one. Not so sure I’ll be glued to the impeachment hearings. I find the Republican arguments slight and error-filled after the meticulous presentations of the Democrats.