Musings & a Prayer in the Seven Hundreth Post on the Third Anniversary of The Hidden Pantry.

April 19, 2010 was the first posting of the Hidden Pantry, done with my beautiful Granddaughter Emily and I both snuggled up in front of this computer.  She was 14 and I was 62.  I didn't have a clue as she plunked away. Flipping through pages and asking me questions as she filled in the blanks for me.   Along we went, happily as we always are.  My grandchildren give me such great joy.  We had made a dish she had called and wanted to cook for our Sunday dinner and it became our first post.  No picture of that first one as we had no plan.

Mostly we did it for our other family members who always like to share recipes and my daughters-in-law who had wanted me to write a cook book.  Who knew that 3 years later we would have had well over a million visitors and made so many lovely, what I now consider friends?

I have pondered over the past 10 days how to mark this anniversary and to be honest haven't really had any bright ideas.  But, looking at the events in these United States this week and the horror of the calamities as they have unfolded. I do not despair.  I look to me instead.  What can just me do?

No, instead, I hug my children and grandchildren a little closer.  I kissed my husband a bit more tenderly as he left this morning and I  ponder this. 

What if someone I love was so horribly taken from me in an unforeseen way?  Would the hurts be important?  You know what I mean.....like that my husband is so very much a messy pack rat of sorts?  A constant irritant.  I gave it up awhile back, must have been that day older and wiser started.
 
Well anyway,  I realized what a void it would leave if I didn't have to chase down the things he loses. To vacuum behind him as he tracks in.  To put back all the things he sets out and leaves.  Now I am just glad I can do these things.  I have a lot of friends who would give anything in the world to have back someone they love and have lost.  They would love to have that person with every single fault back. for even a day.  I count my blessings.

I started being sure I made the coffee every night ahead of his doing it,  just to have done it for him because I can.  I quit looking at it that he can be a pain in the "keester" because he always does this or that......instead I think of how much I would probably miss the very things that drive me nuts most of all were he not here with me.  Then I thought of the irritations others impart to my soul and eventually decided that it was all my problem.. I am obviously irritable and choose to get irritated.

So now I look for things, little things I can do for him and anyone else I can.  Now, I am in no way a saint and am not preaching,  I am saying I am trying and it makes me and my life better.

Since I have taken it upon myself,  now "I" can fix it.  "I" chose not to be irritable and get affected by all that little and even sometimes big stuff.  I choose to believe that better days are ahead.

So my message is this,  do not choose to live with strife,  to be angry, and irritated.  Let it go.  Life is just too short and far too precious to mess it all up.  When something needs fixed look first to yourself.  Perhaps more marriages would last longer, more children and their parents would find common ground,  and happiness would be less rare if we were all a bit more honest with ourselves.  Perhaps if we find honor in doing things for others instead of being "put upon" and being consumed with "what's in it for me"  it would spread.  You know sort of like playing it forward.

The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi sits in the window above my desk.

I pray for all those who are suffering...who have lost children and loved ones, who suffer in anyway.  I pray for anyone who is hungry, or ill, or in pain of any sort.  I pray that our country may heal and that our planet will continue to heal its self and to sustain us.  I give thanks for all our many blessings.

And I am grateful for all of you too, who stop by and share a few minutes with me on this little blog.  Thank you all.    Diane