{"id":1331,"date":"2024-05-10T13:49:43","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T17:49:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/positivepensees\/?p=1331"},"modified":"2024-05-10T15:29:52","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T19:29:52","slug":"a-mother-is-much-like-a-casserole-its-all-in-the-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/positivepensees\/2024\/05\/a-mother-is-much-like-a-casserole-its-all-in-the-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"A Mother Is Much Like a Casserole. It’s All In The Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/a>

Image Courtesy of Canva Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cTry not to be a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.\u201d<\/span><\/h2>\n

Albert Einstein<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n Mother\u2019s Day is fast upon us. Some people dread this day, perhaps because of a difficult relationship. Others dread he day due to the loss of their mother. Or, their relationship with their mother is strained in some way. To those who struggle, may you find peace on this day. To those who long for children, my prayers for you. I have mixed feelings about Mother\u2019s Day. Personally, I find that one day does not really equate to a good mother. Rather, relationships filled with love, mutual respect and friendship should be celebrated on a regular basis. But I digress. Why do we have a Mother\u2019s Day? \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a> Image Courtesy of Canva Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMother\u2019s Day Has Been Around For A While\u00a0<\/a><\/h2>\n** ** **Mother\u2019s Day has been celebrated in many different countries. In Britain the celebration started in the Middle Ages. After the 4th Sunday of Lent, the children traveled to their family homes on what was called, \u201cMothering Sunday.\u201d In the modern age the holiday was created in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by a woman named Anna Jarvis. Anna\u2019s mother had organized many groups for women to learn to read, to promote friendship and foster general camaraderie. After Anna\u2019s mother passed, she held a memorial service to commemorate her mother\u2019s memory. Within 5 years just about every state was celebrating Mother\u2019s Day. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made Mother\u2019s Day a national holiday. Over the years the celebration extended to aunts and other people who had stepped into the role of mother for someone.<\/p>\n Motherhood Has Been A Blessing and Bittersweet<\/a><\/h2>\n** ** **I am a mother of six, 4 boys and 2 girls. When I was younger, I never would have dreamed that I would have so many children. When I think back to when they were little, I breathe a little emotional sigh. At one time my husband and I had 4 in diapers. A 3 year old, twins that were 1 and a new born. My husband and I often say, \u201cHow did we have the energy?\u201d To be honest, a lot of that time our energy was sheer love for our little humans. Now that all 6 six of them are grown, it is a little bittersweet. There are times when I walk in their empty rooms and just feel gutted. The noise, the mess, the food consumption. We miss all of it. Yet this is all part of the cycle of life. We have our children, teach them to\u00a0 be good humans, they repeat the cycle. Hopefully better than we did as parents. It is a blessing and a curse. As this Mother\u2019s Day rolls around, an idea came to mind. What was and is in my Mother\u2019s Day Casserole?<\/p>\n <\/a> Image Courtesy of Canva Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhat is in Your Mother Casserole?<\/h2>\n**** Casseroles.<\/a> A communal dish that is shared with people all around. Where did they originate? They started in France. The dish was simple pasta sheets with cheese and spices. Thomas Jefferson brought a pasta press home from France and shared it with his daughter. After that, casseroles became a part of American culture. As time rolled on, casseroles were shared from people of other cultures. During the Great Depression, casseroles were a tried and true way to stretch ingredients that were hard to find.\u00a0 Fast forward to today, casseroles are a\u00a0 staple of the south, particularly in the church.\u00a0 Recently my husband and I attended a funeral for a family member who had led a very long and fulfilling life.\u00a0 After her celebration of life service, we were invited to come to the buffet with the family.\u00a0 We were welcomed with open arms by a group of gray haired delightful church ladies.\u00a0 When I use the word cornucopia of casseroles, that would be an underestimation of just how much food was on the buffet table.\u00a0 Chicken casseroles, green bean casseroles, corn casseroles, macaroni casseroles, potato casseroles to name a few. Oh yes, and hand fried chicken.\u00a0 On another table there were homemade desserts that were a sight to behold.\u00a0 Fresh Georgia peach cobblers, cake, cookies.\u00a0 To top it off there was southern sweet tea.\u00a0 As I was sitting and enjoying the absolutely delectable food, I got to thinking about casseroles.\u00a0 A lot of recipes for casseroles were passed down for generations.\u00a0 Much of the preparation for the casseroles was in the similar situation that we were in.\u00a0 A funeral, a sick family member, a new baby, or just to give a blessing to others.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n Casseroles are Important in the Recipe of Life<\/h2>\n**** ** ****As I continued to ponder casseroles, I thought about my mother casserole. What is my recipe? How did I show love to my children? Did I show my kids God\u2019s love? Did I yell too much? Was I too strict? What part of the recipe did these ingredients contribute to the finished casserole? Was is 1\/4 cup of love, 1\/2 a cup of patience? A heaping tablespoon of grace? There are times I look back and think I winged it a lot of the time. Prayer was definitely at the base of the casserole and the sprinkling of bread crumbs on top. Now that they are grown, I can judge some of the fruits of their raising. They have gleaned their new and better ingredients to add to their casseroles for their children. On the whole, they are continuing to be quite alright. That is the blessing of motherhood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a> Image Courtesy of Canva Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWe Can Be Mothers, Friends, and an Inspiration for Other People<\/h2>\n As we navigate through life let us contribute to the recipe of others.\u00a0 Some people need some salt, others may need some sugar.\u00a0 In Christianity, to be salt<\/a> to others is to deliberately seek to influence the people in one\u2019s life by showing them God\u2019s love.\u00a0 Our world is in need of more casseroles.\u00a0 More folks like the church ladies who with a lovely smile invite perfect strangers to enjoy the fruits of their labor.\u00a0 This not only tweaks the recipe that is working in the lives of others but yours as well.\u00a0 To all mothers, whether your children are biological or they are in your lives because someone needs a mother. Critique your casserole, write it down and share it with others. I leave you all with the profound words of Mother Teresa<\/a>: \u201cNot all of us can do great things.\u00a0 But we can do small things with great love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A little Poem I wrote about Casseroles<\/h2>\n****** ** A pinch of this, a pinch of that.<\/span><\/p>\n ** A tablespoon, a teaspoon, a cup, and a pint.<\/span><\/p>\n ** A smattering of different spices that add to the recipe.<\/span><\/p>\n ** A heaping cup of cream to give it depth.<\/span><\/p>\n ** A stir of love to help the recipe develop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ** Some salt, some pepper, and maybe some hot spice.<\/span><\/p>\n ** To make the dish taste very nice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ** That is what we can be, to add to the recipe of life.<\/span><\/p>\n ** Be salt to some, be sweet to others, be spicy when the recipe needs a little kick..<\/span><\/p>\n ** Be a savory delight when someone is struggling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ** Be a bonbon or a sweet meat to someone who needs some tenderness.<\/span><\/p>\n ** Be patient, be forgiving, keep tweaking the recipe of life.<\/span><\/p>\n ** With time and fortitude, eventually the recipe will become a luscious delight for all to behold.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ** ******\u201cTry not to be a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.\u201d Albert Einstein Mother\u2019s Day is fast upon us. Some people dread this day, perhaps because of a difficult relationship. Others dread he day due to the loss of their mother. Or, their relationship with their mother is strained […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5517,"featured_media":1334,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,296,18,332,54,287,347,69,72,66],"tags":[395,335,42,440,245,443],"class_list":["post-1331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brightsideoflife","category-courage","category-devotional","category-gratitude","category-heartwarming","category-hope","category-joy","category-meditate","category-pause","category-peace","tag-forgiveness","tag-gratitude","tag-joy","tag-mother","tag-prayer","tag-recipe"],"yoast_head":"\nA Mother Is Much Like a Casserole. It's All In The Recipe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mother's Day is fast upon us. 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