Amongst the Weeds in the Pumpkin Plants

Generally speaking, I grew up with a concept that I was a part of a great family. I didn’t always love all of the garden work but it must have spoken to my soul because I usually didn’t hate it. I liked the satisfaction of the empty 5-gallon buckets at the beginning of my rows of peas being filled while I worked quickly to try to be done before my sisters.  I remember tasking with Dad to fill up countless buckets of potatoes at harvest time. The strawberries made delicious jam, and buttered sweet corn was also one of my favorites. We had a huge backyard garden of our own and we also tended the elderly neighbor’s backyard garden. I believe my dad made a deal with them that we would work the garden and they could have all of the harvests they could eat.

We grew a lot of green vegetables! Unfortunately, they found their way to our dinner plates each night.  My method of attacking these undesirables was to conquer them first, getting them out of the way so that the main dish could replace the awful taste left behind. In our family, you were certainly NOT excused from the dinner table unless you had eaten your entire serving! One night, all had been excused and Dad was the first one outside after dinner.  Moments later we were all called back inside and sitting around the kitchen table.  Dad then brought in a handful of that evening’s dinner vegetables covered with a light dusting of dirt. He reported that he had retrieved them from outside the kitchen window.  I was humbled by the brilliant idea one of my sisters had to rid her plate of vegetables. The idea was brave and bold, but also terribly flawed as we had no family dog for clean up duty, and the windows outside the kitchen table were adjacent to the walkway to the backyard. I have no recollection of the specific resolutions to the standoff that night. However, it was clear that we didn’t always love all of the garden work, nor the bounty that two backyard gardens produced.

My sisters and I took piano lessons with an older lady who lived across town. I enjoyed piano lessons like I enjoyed green vegetables… Perhaps because I had other talents… The older widow lady who taught us lived on a large lot. My dad must’ve been a bit of a charmer because before we could vote in opposition we were now tending to nearly an acre-sized garden comprising her entire backyard. I no longer thought our own backyard garden was big. This new garden spot triumphed in size overall I could imagine. It was a lot of work! I remember spending countless hours planting, weeding and harvesting this ginormous garden. As we tasked in this garden I would often see my piano teacher watching us from her back porch. As I worked to rid every single pumpkin plant of its choking weeds in anticipation of a marketable harvest, I would wonder if she had a family?… Did she miss them?… Did they visit often?… Did she use to garden with her own children?

There was an element of being caretakers of so many gardens that provided life lessons of humility and hard work- especially in times of extreme southwest Iowa humidity! But more importantly, I recall how I began to feel about this older widowed lady. As time passed, I felt a connection to her. She was always gracious for the homegrown goods we would take to her front door. I truly began to feel a love for this lady whom I barely knew. Was it the Christ-like love as spoken of in the scriptures? I knew it was a good feeling. I was far from Christlike perfection, but I felt like a good person for feeling this way. Perhaps it was a good start…

-JC

As I reflect on this experience today, I ask myself:
Do I have a desire to be like Christ? Do I act on this desire?
Do I recognize Christ-like love in others? Do I emulate it myself?

Coconut Macadamia Nut Blended Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup soft butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 XL eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups oats (blended to powder form)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces grated milk chocolate
2 cups white baking chips
1 cup  lightly toasted shredded coconut
1 cup lightly chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high for 1 minute or until fluffy.

Hand stir in eggs and vanilla; don’t overmix.

Add dry ingredients including grated chocolate all at once and mix until fully incorporated. Add 2-3 Tablespoons more flour for high elevation.

Stir in baking chips, coconut, and nuts.

Scoop out approximately 24-28  2” balls of dough. Gently roll. For a richer flavor and smoother texture, form cookie dough balls, flatten slightly, and refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake. Place on greased or parchment paper on an aluminum cookie sheet.  

Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 min. Share!

Chocolate Chip Blended Oat Cookies variation:

Omit coconut and macadamia nuts, increase flour to 2 cups. Stir in 2 cups milk chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips.