"Lest we forget"

Lest we not forget, He is still the reason for the season. Always will be.

Singing about a man who was a baby, who became a boy, who became a man.
Born in an obscure village. A Child of a peasant woman, He actually grew up in another village where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. And for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

• He never owned a home,
• never wrote a book.
• He never held an office.
• He never really had a family of his own.
• Never went to college,
• Never set foot in a big city.
• He never traveled 200 miles from the place He was born.
• He never did one of the things that usually accompanies greatness.
• He had no credentials but Himself.

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. Even one of His best friends denied him.

• He was turned over to His enemies.
• He went through the mockery of a trial.
• He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves.

While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on this earth and that was His coat. And when He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen long centuries have come and gone.
Today, He is still the centerpiece of the human race, and leader of the column of progress. I’m far within the mark when I say that:

• all of the armies that were ever marched,
• all of the navies that were ever built,
• all of the parliaments that ever sat, and
• all of the kings that ever reigned,

all put together, have not affected the lives on this earth as powerfully as has that ONE SOLITARY LIFE.
Good news is, He’s alive and all is well.
The above is adapted from an essay written by Dr. James Allan Francis

 

Merry Christmas to All. May God's smile shine down upon you!

 

Norma Jean, Dean, Elizabeth, Josh, Lucas, and Richard too.

Ramblings while working in the kitchen

Today I have determined that it is dangerous for me to be home cooking. I find myself thinking and that process can find my thoughts wandering all over the place and then back. Guess that is why I cooked for so many years with Dean and my boys back in Colorado. I was in the kitchen until the owner very generously allowed me to go on the floor as manager. Why did I earn that honor? Because I could correctly pronounce the word “forte”. Big Bob was the first of several Bob’s in life my life, and that takes me back to my first marriage a place I do not want to go.

I make a really decent apple pie, actually any pie I make could be deemed decent, as well as my cheesecakes, my all-time favorite cheesecake is pumpkin swirl. See there I go off into my thoughts. While making my very small apple pie, if I make a whole apple pie Dean and I will consume and regret. I was thinking about this really awesome place I had lunch the other day, which brought me to my review of The Bay Café and then back to why Hay j’s was beyond belief.

My father was a chef through his college years, he also ran a catering business. It has been said my mother wanted out of the business and I was created. Never did ask her to verify this. But my older sister loves to bring this up frequently.  Both of my parents believed that we children needed to experience what was of value to them so, I have basically eaten in some of the finest restaurants in the world. Quite possibly this experience could be why I have spent so many years in the hospitality business, customer service is my passion. A concept one former boss could not grasp.

Back to Hay J’s, this little place can be found at the Conoco Station in Liberty Lake near the Pepper Tree Inn.  On the side of the Conoco station is a small door, the windows are covered and looking at the place you just know this is going to be a dive. After walking through the entrance, one quickly realizes that appearances are very deceiving. Hay J’s is anything but a dive.  The food was incredible, the service superb and the atmosphere slow and leisurely.  No pushing to order even though the place was filling up fast, take your time, relax, and enjoy your meal.

So this is a little glimpse into my mind while I am cooking. I drive Dean nuts because I will start one project, think about something else that needs done but that is just plain me!

 

Norma Jean