My Father

“You’re my perfect daughter.” That’s what he said on the phone as I cried. At first I was a little shocked, remembering all my weaknesses, mistakes and sins. I’m not perfect I think to myself and I know that he knows that too. Then why would he say that? Was he just trying to make me feel better? Probably, but I know that he meant it as much as he was trying to comfort me.

Because to my dad, I am perfect. I don’t always make the right choices or say the right things, but I’m perfect because he loves me and he always will. It was nothing I did because if it was about my actions, he couldn’t have said it. Instead he chose to see me, not my sins, just like my heavenly Father does. I’ve been forgiven and am saved by Christ, redeemed by God’s perfect plan. All my sins are washed clean by the grace of God and I can rejoice in His love and care for me. This is what my dad meant. At the time he said it, I cried overcome by the realization that I didn’t need to try harder or be better but that I was accepted as I was. My dad knows that I will continue to mess up and make mistakes, but he will always love me completely and absolutely. And oh, how freeing that is.

Now I’m not saying that I have a ‘Get out of Jail Free’ card that I can just wave around whenever I screw up and that I should stop trying to grow and learn from my mistakes, because I don’t have one. Conviction and acknowledging our sins is a good thing. But it is wrong for me to give regret power over my life. It was never meant to be a weight on my shoulders, instead it is there to remind me of the love and grace that has pulled me out of death and into the light that is God’s. I can rejoice and sing out the praises of my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus, knowing that I am perfect in His eyes just as I am in my earthly father’s. With those four words, my dad reminded me of what the Bible says, "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10

These past few months have been a roller coaster. On one hand, I am at peace with my life. I have a great apartment, a stable and enjoyable job, a fluffy cat, George, and a tender and loving fiance, Brandon. On the other hand, I am stressed about wedding planning, job responsibilities that are piling up, and a dispute that has left me questioning my friendships and how I can trust anyone completely. So to be honest, I don’t know what to do, but I do know that I can only take this one day at a time and I can choose to rejoice in the one who has saved me, who looks at me and says that I am His perfect daughter. Because in the end, this is all that will matter and to worry or dwell on anything else is pointless. So thank you, Dad, for reminding me of my purpose and for showing me the love of my Heavenly Father so clearly.

Strawberry Shortcake

Is there anything better than having a big BBQ with ribs, beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon, cheesy potatoes, garlic bread, and fruit salad? Some may say that this is all you need on a beautiful summer day with a light breeze and a beautiful blue sky. But I’m here to tell you that there is always always always room for dessert. Now I don’t mean just any dessert. I’m talking about the unofficial “official” dessert of summer, strawberry shortcake!

Now my family and I all had our doubts after gorging ourselves on two or three rounds of food, but when I set this three layered masterpiece on the table, dripping with strawberry juice and bulging with layers of whipped cream, everyone was ready to dig their forks in.

I found this recipe on Driscoll’s website, Driscoll’s, as any connoisseur of strawberries will tell you, sells this strawberries and many other types of berries. The dessert itself is fairly simple and consists of layers of shortcake, whipped cream, and strawberries. My friend and I followed the shortcake recipe carefully, making sure not to over-knead the dough since it is a biscuit dough and it doesn’t take much work to go too far and produce a very dense biscuit. Our biscuits turned out slightly uneven, but the flavor and lightness was heavenly (next time I’ll make sure to push more dough to the outside of the pans). Since I already knew how to make homemade whipped cream, thanks to my grandma, I whipped that up pretty fast. The one key thing that I changed was that I used macerated strawberries. Maceration, as any avid baker or chef can tell you, is when you soften or cause to soften by soaking in a liquid. My mom had just picked the strawberries that morning from her garden and knowing that they may not be the sweetest, had sprinkled sugar over them, causing them to soften and become both sweet and saucy. So instead of using plain strawberries as the recipe had suggested, I used macerated strawberries, allowing the juice to run down the sides of the cake.

As you can see from the picture, it made for a very moist dessert. And although everyone had indulged heavily in the main meal, no one said no when I served them a generous helping of this cake. The shortcake, being more fluffy than dense, the whipped cream, being fresh and whipped into stiff peaks, and the freshly macerated strawberries combined to make this cake one that I will make multiple times this summer and in the future. And it took considerably less time to make than most desserts that I make, allowing me to have the option to make this last minute for a fun and delicious addition to any summer meal. So I would encourage you to try it for yourself, see what works for you and enjoy this dessert that is both simple and delicious.

link: https://www.driscolls.com/recipe/classic-strawberry-shortcake-recipe

George

To begin, I have had George for a little over two years. I have no clue what happened to his ear or why he’s missing some of his teeth or why he can be so skittish and would rather spend hours hiding under my bed instead of enjoying the kingdom of his house. This is because George is a rescue cat and when I got him from the shelter, he was so scared that he hid behind the dryer for two weeks and would only come out at night when no one was around. Eventually, he and I became friends as I read to him from the fascinating book The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin (it just happened to be the book I was reading at the time, not because I wanted my cat to think he was Russian). Through the months, George has gone from hiding under the bed during the day and sleeping beside me at night to the life of a normal nap anywhere cat, although he does still prefer to nap in my room by the heating vent and he doesn’t like being around more than one person at a time. We’re still working on that. Yes, George has mellowed out a lot and each day he comes meowing to me for more attention and more food.

As I think of George and his journey, it has reminded me a lot of my own and a lot of the way that I have been learning to trust God to provide day by day. I am not what one would consider an extrovert, in fact, I would consider myself an introvert. And with the ways that technology have made that easier, i.e. ordering food or sending an impersonal text message, I would say that it has made it so easy to stay in my safe bubble and keep to myself. Sure, I have my group of friends and my family, but outside them, I tend to isolate myself. But God has been pushing me. Coaxing me from my safe space and asking me to trust him so that He can give me the life that only He can provide. Helping me to see that there is more to life than just me and what I want. I know my tendencies and I know that at times I retreat back to my house and my cat, but that doesn’t mean that God isn’t still moving me forward, removing my safety net one rope at a time.

How thankful I am for God and His power to guide me through my life. And I’m also thankful for George, a reminder of how God is working in my own life and faith and the trust that it requires to have a more peace filled and fulfilling life.