It was a much earlier morning than I expected. The plus side to not being able to sleep any longer is getting up early and getting a head start on the day's work! By the time school started I was dragging but we jumped into Christmas in the Victorian Era which is really where most of the fun starts! The kids sipped eggnog while we continued reading through the handful of chapter books we've started with this Christmas course.
The afternoon found me cleaning the house and making dinner in anticipation of my dad and his wife, Janet, joining us for dinner. We had roasted chicken with a leek sauce. Once I find a new recipe I like I tend to serve it to company over and over again. Ha ha! We also had an apple pie for dessert.
Then we piled into vehicles and headed out to the high school Christmas concert where we watched Rachel perform in the orchestra and choir. A lovely and festive night of music!
I came across this quote from Bonhoeffer today in the emails I received:
“I think we’re going to have an exceptionally good Christmas. The very fact that every outward circumstance precludes our making provision for it will show whether we can be content with what is truly essential. I used to be very fond of thinking up and buying presents, but now that we have nothing to give, the gift God gave us in the birth of Christ will seem all the more glorious; the emptier our hands, the better we understand what Luther meant by his dying words, ‘We’re beggars; it’s true.’”
(A letter from Dietrich Bonhoeffer to fiancée Maria von Wedemeyer, sent from prison December 1, 1943.)
It added to my thoughts about Christmas and the great balance between those that are rejoicing and those that are mourning. I think we all can relate to this -- we are either in a place of joy, or one of hardship, and most likely both at the same time. If we are in a place of joy, it seems becoming that we receive it as a gift and enjoy it. If we are in a place of hardship or grief, we can trust that Christ will meet us there. And we can trust that Christ will meet others in that place too as we pray for them in their need.
3 comments:
yes, very much so, that quotation!!! I hope the dinner was a blessed time and the concert sounds very nice too! :) Sending love your way!
The chicken with leek sauce sounds yummy! Where could I find the recipe? Thanks!
I'm afraid I made up the leek sauce. What I do is brown chicken breasts in olive oil and butter with fresh sage leaves. Remove breasts and put in an oven for 30 minutes or so. Add more butter/oil to pan and add 2 or so cut up leaks and cook for while then pour in about 1/2-1 cup white wine and let that simmer a few minutes before adding a cup or so of chicken broth and I also added some thyme. I put in about 1/2 cup of cream at the end. I let the chicken rest after the oven and then cut in diagonal slices so one breast feeds several people.
Post a Comment