Penpoints of Light

Edna stepped inside the door and offered her ruby-red, Thanksgiving treasure in a Tupperware container. This wasn’t the first time Edna had shown up at the front door of my daughter’s home, her warm smile erasing what were most likely wrinkles of weariness. Back when the twins had finally reached four pounds and their big sister was not yet two years old, she came often, just to lend a hand.

When she handed me the crimson gem, it’s tangy, crunchy sweetness was already saying hello to my taste buds’ memories — chopped celery and chopped pecans and freshly ground cranberries. All that chopping and grinding and dicing had taken hours of her time, but for me, another Thanksgiving would include Edna’s Cranberry Salad. I couldn’t be happier. Gratitude and appreciation surged as I gave her a hug and found space in an already packed refrigerator.

This year, Thanksgiving is at my house miles away from my daughter’s home. All the kids are coming. Today, as I chopped and diced my way through Edna’s hand-written recipe, my gratitude for her yearly gift escalated. Today at my kitchen counter, I experienced her labor of love. I developed more than a passing appreciation. With each slice of my knife, I now know her experience. I received a hands-on glimpse into Edna’s world.

Now, thanks to Edna, my own Thanksgiving treasure is tucked away in a Tupperware container. (Okay, so I love alliterations.)

Thanks to Edna, a God-truth is now tucked deep inside:

We know God through experiencing what he experiences. Creativity, innocent pleasures, grief, rejection, intense love, or even something as common as being misunderstood can give us a clearer understanding of God’s heart. They can teach us of him. They can if we’ll let them.

So here’s to getting to know God better through hands-on experience. Here’s to gratitude and appreciation and here’s to experiencing some of

Edna’s Cranberry Salad:

Grind      1 lb cranberries – save juice
Drain      1, #2 can crushed pineapple – save juice
Dice        2 cups celery
Chop       1 cup pecans
Mix together and keep refrigerated

Dissolve               2 large pkgs. Cherry Jello in
3 cups hot water
Then dissolve     2 cups sugar in this.

When cool, NOT set

Add        Juice from crushed pineapples
½ cup lemon juice
Juice from ground cranberries
Enough orange juice to make 3 cups total

Let this mixture just begin to gel, then stir in refrigerated mixture. Pour into molds or other containers.

Chill until firm.