Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Refreshment

If asked I think most people would say their most dreaded day is Monday.
There have been times throughout my life
that it has been quite the opposite for me.
Years ago, as a cosmetologist, I always looked forward to Monday
because it was my day off.
I worked long hours on Thursday and half of every Saturday
just so I could enjoy the sheer bliss of
calling that first day of the week my own.
Then for the last seven years Monday has become
a constant new dawn in the ebb and flow of my life.
As the weekend slowly fades,
 I begin to await this sacred day like a child on the edge of her seat.
At this point my plans have already been made.
My ingredients have been gathered and my table has been set in my mind.
Sometime between the sixth and seventh hour of the evening,
 they will start to trickle in my front door.
My beloved friends.
My family really.
These Sisters of my Heart.
There are six of us, ranging in ages from our thirties to our sixties.
The words get stuck somewhere deep down within me
 when I try to dislodge them
to explain what these women mean to me.
When I am suffering from the worst times of my constant battle
with two forms of rheumatoid disease
they pray for me, feed me, cry with me, laugh with me,
hug me and hold my hand.
They walked through the unknown days of Scott's
battle with Pancreatic Cancer
one step at a time with us,
lifting him up as well as me.
They are my rocks when the ground becomes rugged and too difficult
to navigate on my own.
Knowing that my week will start with them gathered around my table,
keeps me focused and helps me push through the morning pain at times.
It gives me a goal; a purpose.
My week is off to a good start because they have given of themselves once again,
sitting around my table with their stories and their knitting,
their laughter and tears,
and their absolute beauty.
They think because I bake each Monday that I am pampering them.
When in reality I am only trying to offer back a tiny measure of
the sweetness they bestow upon my life.
Because of them my soul has continual refreshment.

"Friendship consists in forgetting what one gives
and remembering what one receives."
Alexander Dumas


Blueberry Buttermilk Coffeecake

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter, Softened
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
1 Cup Blueberries, Fresh or Frozen
1 Cup Pecans, Chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together.
In another bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add egg and buttermilk.
Stir into dry ingredients.
*If batter is too thick add a splash of milk.
Fold in blueberries and pecans.
Spread into a greased 9 inch baking pan.

Streusel Topping

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 Cup Pecans, Chopped
1/4 Cup Cold Butter

Combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
Fold in pecans.
Cut in butter with a pastry blender until crumbly.
Sprinkle over batter.
Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack.

Make a drizzle with the following ingredients to your preferred
taste and consistency:

Powdered Sugar
Milk
Vanilla
Cinnamon

Drizzle over coffeecake and enjoy.

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo,
but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you
when the limo breaks down."
Oprah Winfrey

4 comments:

  1. What would we do without our precious friends? I have several I feel I could not live without, they make my life so much more special, I rely on them so much. You have yours too, but remember there are those of us in blogland that think of you as a great friend too.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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    Replies
    1. Dear Meredith,
      I hardly know what to say, I am so very touched.
      It's funny how I feel that way about my blog friends and yet I assume it's just me feeling that way and not them... you...
      Thank you so much for telling me this.
      I love reading all your stories and having a window into your life and lives. I talk about my blog friends to my husband and my daughters and my knitting group. I prayer for all of you when I know you have a need. Friends are so important, no matter how they come into our lives. I'm so glad you are my friend Meredith.
      With Love,
      Danette

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  2. there's nothing better than close friends you can rely on- they are the family that we choose. what a wonderful way to celebrate them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EXACTLY Julie... Family that we CHOOSE.
      One of my best friends gave me a magnet for my birthday years ago that says that very thing on it. I still have it on my refrigerator. She's the friend who God spared from triple negative breast cancer about a year and a half ago. I look at that magnet every day and Thank God He let me keep her :-)
      Have a Beautiful Weekend wit your Sweet Family,
      Danette

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Thank you for taking time to chat with me ~
Your comments make me so Happy!
Have a lovely day.
Danette