Melting Snow

Wildcard Thankful Thursday: Food, Memories, and Gratitude

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Forgotten Birthday  (13+) Samantha is upset because her family forgot her birthday. WC: 356 #2146916 by Prosperous Snow celebrating

The Wildcard Round prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" 
Share with us a memory and/or recipe of a favorite family meal or dessert.

Food Memories

One of my favorite food memories is Grandma Mary's holiday cooking. On Halloween, Grandma would make cookies for the trick-or-treaters who came to her door. That was a magical time, when people knew their neighbors and who it was safe to get homemade treats from. Grandma always made peanut butter cookies and oatmeal cookies, and she always made sure the children coming to her door knew which was which. At Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Yeer's Grandma made pies or cakes. At Easter we had deviled eggs made from the eggs we colored the day before. Unfortunately, I don't remember most of the recipes. The only recipe I remember was Grandma's version of Spanish rice.

Grandma Mary's Spanish Rice

1 lb. hamburger cooked (chicken or some other ground meat can be substituted)
2 c. rice - cook the rice before mixing it with the meat
1 can tomato sauce (I don't remember what size it was, because I usually use salsa when I fix this recipe.)

Mix meat, rice, tomato sauce or salsa in a skillet and heat. Add salt and pepper to taste, preferably to the meat and/or rice when it is cooking.

The "Blogging Circle of Friends "  prompt for DAY 1897
"The brain summons past memories to evaluate what's happening in the moment to make sense of it." ~Lisa Cron Do you agree or disagree? How important do you feel memories are in our everyday activities?

Summoning Memories

Do I agree or disagree with Ms Cron's statement? Unfortunately, many people do summon memories to deal with and evaluate what is happening in their own lives or the world around them. Some of those memories result from personal experiences, while others are about stories their family, friends, or someone in authority told them. The problem with summoning memories is that they color the situation, many times, with negative overtones.

How important are memories in our everyday activities? They are important; however, I think sometimes we give them too much power, and, at other times, we don't give them enough power. When memories begin to interfere with our interaction with the rest of humanity, we need to look at those memories to see if they are valid in a the present situation. Memories contain emotions, some of those emotions are positive and some are negative. Positive emotions encourage peaceful and respectful interaction with other humans, while negative emotions discourage any peaceful or respectful interactions.

The "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"  prompt for Day 1500
1500! Wow. Write anything you want about 15. 15 favorite things, a poem or what ever you want.

Fifteen Things I am Thankful for Today

Today I am thankful for The Bab and Baha'u'llah, and the scriptures they revealed. I am thankful for them because they encourage me to use my intellectual abilities to search for and discover truth myself, which is something I was not taught as a child.

Today I am thankful for hot coffee and chocolate covered doughnuts. This is what I had for my first breakfast on this chilly late winter day in Las Vegas.

Today I am thankful for Facebook because it lets me keep in touch with my brothers and their families, who live in different parts of the country. It, also, helps me keep in touch with friends and acquaintances who live in different part of the world.

Today I am thankful for tacos because it is a complete balanced meal in one small package. Please, don't tell me otherwise because I like tacos and will find another reason to eat them, even if they are not good for me.

Today I am thankful for my smartphone because I can download a prayer app that gives me access to the writings of Baha'u'llah, the Bab, and 'Abdu'l-Baha.

Today I am thankful for bottled water because I drink more water if I can have a bottle close to me when I am working on the computer or am away from the apartment. I know the plastic bottles are not good for the environment; however, the water in the bottles tastes better than the water out of the faucet.

Today I am thankful for writing.com because I can post my stories, novels, and poems on a website that gives me helpful and positive feedback.

Today I am thankful for the Internet because, I can do an immediate information search, when I am writing, rewriting, or editing a poem or story. This is easier, and more helpful, than having to go to the library or a bookstore when I need information to complete a project.

Today I am thankful that I am back to writing spiritual poems on a more regular basis. For some reason, I got away from this for a few years after Mom died (perhaps it was the process of mourning). Anyway I am back to writing more than one spiritual or mystic poem a week.

Today I am thankful that I am back to doing surveys. I am not doing as many as I did before 2017, but I am doing more than what I did in 2017. This is alright, because I am less frustrated when I do not qualify for a survey.

Today I am thankful for jugs of Arizona sweet tea. I drink sweet tea when I was a child and liked it. I got out of the habit because I thought that sweet tea was not good for me. I enjoy drinking sweet tea better than tea without sugar in it..

Today I am thankful that I was able to go to devotional services at the Baha'i Center this month. I enjoy going to Baha'i spiritual services whether they are devotional service or the nineteen-day feast.

Today I am thankful for the can of Boston clam chowder I have for lunch today. This is my favorite type of clam chowder, and to make it even better I have to oyster crackers with it instead of regular crackers.

Today I am thankful for the hamburger I had on regular bread today instead of a hamburger bun. When I was growing up, we almost always had hamburgers on regular bread. I think it taste better than on a bun, and there is less bread in a regular slice than a bun.

Today I am thankful for the wind. It makes the air colder because of the windchill factor; however, when I look out the window at the palm trees they appear to be waving their fronds at me.