IN GOD WE TRUST

A friend of mine recently posted a status on facebook saying this, "Do you really think an all knowing God would punish a people for not recognizing him in temporal matters? How about we leave God to religious matters and not be so juvenile as to say that our particular form of diety is childlike and will throw a tantrum if we don't recognize him/her/it in all matters." His comment was in response to the argument of removing "In God We Trust" from our currency and his view is that God has better things to do than to worry about His name on our currency. This was posted over a week ago and I have been thinking about it ever since.


I don't want to talk about the whole currency issue. I hope the words "IN GOD WE TRUST" stay on our currency, and hopefully by the end of this post you'll understand why. But that's not what I want to talk about. I've been thinking a lot about God lately. I think it's important for you who read this to know that I believe in an all powerful God who created the Universe and everything in it, including us. That being said, I also believe that it is that same power, God, who causes the sun to shine, the grass to grow and our hearts to beat and lungs to breathe every day. I don't know how it works, but it does. Planets revolve around the sun and embryos become babies. There is a system to this universe, to which you and I are integral parts of. I want to share a quote by a woman named Marianne Williamson:

"To trust in the force that moves the universe is faith. Faith isn't blind, it's visionary. Faith is believing that the universe is on our side, and that the universe knows what it's doing. Faith is the psychological awareness of an unfolding force for good, constantly at work in all dimensions. Our attempts to direct this force only interferes with it. Our willingness to relax into it allows it to work on our behalf. Without faith, we are frantically trying to control what it is not our business to control, and fix what it is not our power to fix. What we're trying to control is much better off without us, and what we're trying to fix can't be fixed by us anyway. Without faith, we're wasting time."

Those of you who know me well know that I used to do a lot of river running. I remember an experience I had when I first started to guide boats down the river. In my mind there was a specific course I had to keep my boat on. In my mind, I couldn't stray for my course or something would go wrong. It was like in my mind there were lines painted on the river and I had to stay in those lines or there would be trouble. After a long day and several runs down the river I was exhausted. It wasn't fun. I didn't want to do it again and I kept thinking "Why is this so hard?" I would see other guides with commercial rafting companies floating down the river with ease, knowing that they would probably go on four runs that day and I could barely make it through two! I talked with my Dad about it and he reminded me that there is a current to the river. If you stay in the current the river will take you where you need to go. My job was to keep my boat in the current. That lesson made guiding my boat so much easier.

I've thought about that lesson a lot throughout my life. How often to we try to control our lives? To control people and processes. It's like trying to paint lines on a river. The truth about rivers is that we can only see the surface. Sometimes the water is rough and sometimes it's smooth and glassy, but there is always a current even if it's running deep under the surface. We can learn to trust in the force or we can fight against it. Fighting against it is always harder. Like Marianne Williamson said, "our willingness to relax into it allows it to work on our behalf."

I hope we choose to trust in God. I realize this is a hard thing. It involves surrendering everything we think we want and having faith that God, the One who makes the sun shine every day and the grass grow, will make our lives what they're supposed to be. Not just in spiritual matters, as my friend suggest, but in every aspect of our lives. This is faith, and something our country needs more of. If you ask me, IN GOD WE TRUST should be printed on every building, on every billboard and most importantly, on every heart.

A Toast to Toast!

I've decided it's about time for me to explore a deep dark obsession I've had for quite some time now. It's my unquenchable love for toast. Now this is not just any love of toast, I have a very refined and specific taste for good toast. In my mind there are specific guidelines that must be followed in order to create the best toast.

The Bread. Not just any bread will make good toast. You can't pop that Wonderbread crap in toaster and expect anything good to come of it. Let's face it some breads make better toast than others. I, being the grainy girl that I am prefer the whole wheat variety. Most 100% whole wheat breads will do. I prefer a more hearty bread for best results. Also, I recommend using an organic sprouted wheat bread. The most common form is called Ezekiel bread and it's based on a recipe found in the bible. I know, you didn't realize there were recipes in the bible. Surprise! It's not to heavy, but still hearty and it is oh so satisfying with out being to much.

Butter or Margarine. Always, always, always (I repeat always) choose BUTTER! It's real people. I know we're all concerned with butter being to fatty, but reality is it's much more gentle on your system than margarine which is usually pumped with synthetic preservatives and crap. The key to enjoying butter is moderation. A little goes a long way. In the words of Julia child, "I LOVE BUTTER!"...mmmmmmmmmm.

Peanut Butter. Spread it on when your toast has just come out of the toaster and it'll kind of melt a little bit...and so will you! Delicious! I'm a peanut butter snob and only use organic or all natural peanut butter with no hydrogenated oils. You'll live longer. Trust me ;o)

Bananas & Raisins. Adding banana's and Raisins to toast topped with PB is one of my favorite snacks. It has that hearty, grainy, sweet yet satisfying appeal that I want in a snack. One slice will last you all afternoon... or morning. It's also a great midnight snack.

Agave. This is God's gift to hypoglycemics like myself. Agave is a natural sweetener derived from the agave plant. It's organic and has a low glycemic index so it's more like a carb than a sugar. You can find it at most whole food stores and it makes a great sugar substitute. I've made zucchini bread and other baked goods with it and it worked great. I like it because you get the sweet you want with out the highs and lows that sugar brings to your system. Having a warm piece of Ezekiel bread smothered with butter and agave is like cheesecake to me. Add peanut butter to that and it's like pimped out cheesecake with nuts, and berries drizzled all over it. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

So now you know my secret. I absolutely LOVE (and crave) toast. Everyday. In my opinion, it is natures candy bar. I want to hear what you like on your toast. Please share!