Inspired by the caption to a video our music leader and his wife created when they were home one night without their three little ones, I grabbed my camera and a small battery operated hand-held fan and sat outside on the backyard swing under the sweetgum trees - in the middle of the day under mostly cloudy skies. One of the worst daytime conditions for me and photography.
But it was all I had to work with.
The window of time I'm able to move - even to the backyard swing - is during the hottest and harshest time of day.
But it's all I've got.
I had a choice. I could sit inside and complain about what I can't do or be content and grateful to use what I've got.
As I sat outside on the backyard swing - holding the battery-operated fan in one hand and my camera in the other - I thought about the muffins and how God had recently shown me that what I've got is more than enough.
Friday was the day Louis and his co-workers had been dreading for over a month. A legislative decision that had led to cut-backs meant dozens of employees would lose their job and be asked to leave work that day. There had been no clues who that might be, and the tension was palpable as everyone arrived to work Friday morning wondering if they'd be one of the ones sent home - burdened to no longer be employed.
"Why don't you bake banana chocolate-chip muffins for me to take to work in the morning?" Louis suggested when he came home on Thursday. Banana chocolate-chip muffins are a family favorite and my local claim to fame. "I told the girls at work you haven't been feeling well and not to hold their breath, but they are thinking this might be the last time they will get to have one."
I thought it was a great idea. "Let's put muffins in individual zip-lock bags and tape scripture verses for encouragement to the front of each bag." Louis agreed.
With all the ingredients I needed on hand, I considered the scriptures we could use while I set the oven to pre-heat, mixed up enough batter for two and half dozen muffins and poured it into muffin tins to bake while we ate supper. When the muffins were ready for the oven, Louis opened the oven door and discovered that the oven hadn't heated - a burned out electonic panel, we learned the next day.
Because I can bake more muffins at one time by arranging smaller tins in the oven, I'd poured the batter into muffin tins that only hold 6 muffins each. As we brainstormed about what to do about supper being ready and the unbaked muffins and the oven that wouldn't heat, I remembered the toaster oven, hoping the smaller muffin tins would fit.
It took hours longer to bake that many muffins - only one small muffin tin in the toaster oven at a time - but it's what I've got and it was more than enough.
Today I'm grateful for a multitude of what I've got...
- Cole and Mindy and their beautiful young family and the blessing they are to our church
- a backyard, a backyard swing, sweetgum trees and all that is still August green
- battery-operated hand-held fans
- a camera
- a husband who washes my feet and considers others more important than himself
- the job my husband did not lose
- friends who prayed and prayed and prayed
- bananas, chocolate-chips, small muffin tins and a toaster oven
- three days and nights with two grandlittles, and Emily who gave all the baths, changed all the diapers and made it happen
- library time with all the grandlittles
- heating pads, pain meds, hot showers, being able to move forward with a new medication
- a most beautiful gift
- an oven on sale
Counting thanks for "what I've got" in community with Ann today. Won't you join?
Photos: from my backyard swing under the sweetgum trees at midday under partly cloudy skies, and toaster-oven baked banana chocolate-chip muffins served with love and covered with the Bread of Life.
