“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27
We received 118 drinking glasses as wedding gifts when we were married almost 40 years ago. It was a time before Amazon and ultra-specific gift registries. Of the 118 glasses, a set of 24 blue glasses; 8 juice glasses, 8 medium glasses, and 8 tall water glasses, was my favorite. My husband never liked the tall water glasses, he insisted they spilled too often and were easily broken. But of all the glasses, after all these years and all eleven moves, six tall blue, water glasses remain.
I still love them and use them daily. They sometimes spill and they remain breakable, yet stalwart. I have other breakable, treasured items that remain lifeless, behind glass; objects of beauty and memory but only for show, not for function. My tall, blue glasses keep me hydrated every day; beautiful and functional.
As I look around my kitchen I marvel at how many breakable items surround me. The Wedgewood Coffee service that belonged to my husband’s grandfather sits up high on a shelf, away from the hands of grandchildren. The Swedish pitcher and Moroccan vase reside lower but still out of reach. Crystal goblets and china teacups live behind glass fronted cupboards, seen but not touched by the masses that come through my busy kitchen. I don’t like it when things get broken.
Amid all the breakables are numerous pictures of my grandchildren, lovingly printed by their mamas so I can have a hard copy of the most precious of my treasures. The grandchildren are breakable, too, as we found out last week. One of the three-year-olds got jumped on at a trampoline park and now wears a pink cast on her left leg. I would rather have every glass in my house broken than have to see her in pain and non-weight bearing for four weeks.
And I’ve heard it all about how unsafe trampolines are; which brings me back to my tall, blue glasses. The blue glasses mean more to me than some of the more precious things hiding in cupboards because they have been my go to drinking vessels for almost 40 years. They have served a purpose. They have, in essence, lived. Twenty-two blue glasses are broken and gone, but six have been my lifelong friends.
My gut reaction to my granddaughter’s broken leg is to wrap her in bubble wrap and never let her jump again, but she would not want to be put on a shelf for the rest of her life. She is bubbly and energetic and full of curiosity. She is currently broken, but will mend. And she needs to live in a satisfying, fulfilling way, not a fearful, ‘what if’ stupor.
I have a Lenox Butterfly Meadows teapot that I serve tea with. It is lovely, fragile and useful. Several years ago the butterfly on the top of the lid lost a wing. My awesome husband superglued it back on. I thought about retiring the teapot to a shelf, but it holds the right amount of water and is still beautiful, so I decided to leave it in service. I am more careful as I use it and clean it. Someday it may break again, and someday it may break beyond repair. These things have lifespans. The key is to let them have life.
I realize there is truly no comparison between people and things. Things can always be replaced and people cannot. But as one who has lived with fear for years, I can tell you that allowing fear to replace actual living is the equivalent of not living. And as one who is a believer in Jesus, I can confess that living with fear is not living with belief; it is the equivalent of saying “God, I don’t trust you.”
The Bible tells us to ‘not be afraid’ 365 times. A bit of repetition that reminds us we are all afraid at times. We want to hold our lives and the lives of those we love close so that nothing will break. But things do break. And people break. And life comes apart and we are not capable of putting it back together. I remember my youngest daughter coming to me one day with a broken glass object and a roll of tape. “Fix it?” she asked.
No. I could not fix it. But what we are incapable of fixing with tape or superglue or bandaids or casts or chemotherapy or counseling, God is able to redeem. “Let not your hearts be troubled,” Jesus tells us. He has come to bring life, life abundant. He does not promise long life or healthy, wealthy life, just abundant life. Life that can be fulfilling and deeply satisfying when lived in faith in the God who loves you. Faith in the God whose body was purposefully broken so that those who believe in Him could be whole. Will you trust Him with your breakables today? Offer Him your broken life and see what He does to mend it.
Many years ago my husband took me to Paris. The whole trip was amazing, but the baguettes, fresh daily, were superb. I came home determined to learn how to bake baguettes. After much internet searching, the purchase of a baguette pan (see how well seasoned it has become!), and practice, I can make baguettes. Do not be afraid, you can as well!
French Baguettes
- 2 Tbsp yeast
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups Gold Medal Flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 cup warm water
Place the yeast and honey in a glass bowl, add 1/2 cup warm water. I use the hottest tap water I have, if your tap water does not get very hot you may have to heat water, but not to a boil. Allow the yeast mixture to activate for 5 minutes. It should bubble and foam.
While yeast is activating, mix flour and salt together in a stand mixer. You will only need to use the bread hook for this entire recipe. Once yeast is ready, add it to the flour while mixer is running. Add an additional 1 cup of warm water to the flour mixture, allowing the dough hook to bring the dough together. Humidity will affect the dough, but it should easily form into a ball. If dough seems too wet add more flour, if too dry add more hot water. If you need to make adjustments, make SMALL ones, giving the dough time to come together. Let the dough hook do it’s job. When the dough has formed a neat ball, remove it from the mixer. Knead the dough on a floured surface 5 or 6 times, then place in a greased bowl. Cover with a cloth and allow to rise for 25-30 minutes, until doubled.
Punch down the dough and divide in half. I use a serrated knife to divide in half. Shape each half into a baguette. To do this, first form a flat rectangle of dough. Fold the top and bottom towards the middle like an envelope, sealing the seam with your fingers. Do this several times, folding, sealing and stretching the dough until it is 12-14 inches long. With the seam side down, push both ends under the dough and seal to make a rounded edge. Score the tops of each loaf with your serrated knife, making 4-6 slashes that go 2/3 of the way through the dough. Transfer your loaf to a baguette loaf pan. You can bake the loaves on a baking sheet if necessary, but they come out perfectly in the baguette pan. Cover with cloth and allow to rise for another 25-30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450*, positioning the racks with one on the bottom of the oven and one in the center. Place an oven proof, non glass pan on the lowest rack.
When the dough is done rising, remove the towel and place on middle rack of preheated oven. Quickly throw a few hand fulls of ice into the heated pan on the lowest rack. The ice will create a burst of steam that will give you a nice crispy, crust. Close oven door fast! Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
I found this recipe at COOKING CHANNEL courtesy of Kelsey Nixon.I will add the link below for you to follow as she has a reel that shows how to form the bread. She adds a few other tips and steps, but this is the way I have been doing it for several years and it works well every time.
My grandchildren enjoy helping me prepare this bread. The timing is quick and easy for a yeast bread and it is forgiving, if you get called away it will still work! This bread pairs well with everything from butter to jam to flavored olive oils and vinegars. It’s also fantastic on it’s own, fresh from the oven.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/homemade-french-baguettes-2042510
Yum!