Community

“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” 
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Last Thursday I did something unusual; I invited an older couple over for dinner. I was sitting next to them (6 feet apart) at a meeting when I felt prompted to just do it. I kept expectations low and suggested pizza. Newly vaccinated and eager for an evening out of their house, they accepted, remarking that they should go to meetings more often.

I wasn’t being lazy to offer pizza, just realistic. All week, I was working in our blueberry field, using a hoe around our 400 bushes in a major effort to remain organic. The manual labor ranks right up there with digging fire line. I’d be tired by dinner time. By some miracle, my daughters-in-law and I finished the very hard work by noon. Meanwhile, my husband got into the spontaneous spirit and suggested we upgrade our menu to steak. To this meal, I added salad, sautéed asparagus and a quick classic blueberry crisp a la mode and prayed it’d turn out- neither gooey nor burnt.

I’m pleased to report I pulled it from the oven a picture of perfection; a golden, buttery-brown. In fact, the whole evening was as good as it gets. They shared fun and funny stories from their life together and adventures he had as a chaplain with the Maui Police Department. We shared about our current projects and showed them our websites. It was fun. I realized it was a form of community that had been missing in our lives because of Covid fears, but also because both my husband and I lack living parents. To share the evening with older, beautiful friends was a gift we didn’t know we needed. I’m glad I acted on the prompt.

“The righteous will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green…” (Psalm 92:14 NIV)

Until next week,

Kate 

Fruit Crisp Recipe

(From Catherine, my dear friend in Modesto)

Heat oven to 400*

Fruit at the bottom of the pan

Cinnamon

1 C sugar

1 C Flour (I use 1/2c oats, 1/2c gf flour)

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

1 cube melted butter poured over the top

Bake 35 min.

Enjoy!