just one word

First let me say I’m sorry for missing my post last week, but since Sunday was the day before Christmas Eve, and dinner was at our house, I cooked and baked all day so that I wouldn’t be rushed the next day.  I planned to relax with my family… master of my culinary domain.  Somehow I always seem to be dashing about before and during most dinner parties, so I tried harder to emulate my mom’s approach to do as much as I could, as early as I could.  But alas, I still felt like I was racing the clock when the doorbell rang.  Sigh.  I should just get used to it.  Either way it was a wonderful evening, ending with a lovely candlelight church service that got me misty-eyed.   I hope yours was memorable too.

So on to a New Year.  Excited?  Anxious?  Hopeful?   Do you always start the year with a list of everything you are for sure going to do this year that you didn’t get to last year?  I used to, and admit to some of that still since I am a copious list maker.  But a couple of years ago, I happened to read an article about ‘My One Word’.  You may have heard about it…it started as an experiment by a young pastor, Mike Ashcraft, and a personal life coach, Rachel Olsen, in North Carolina in 2010.   Two weeks ago they published their book, My One Word.  The idea is to suggest that we lose the long list of New Year’s resolutions and instead pick one word.  Did you know that most people will give up on their resolutions by January 10?  So by taking all of the big plans for your life and narrowing them down to a single thing, a single word, you focus instead on your character and create a vision for your future.  When you choose a single word, you have a single focus.  A simple clarity.  But the most important part:  “With My One Word, you’re right where God wants you:  in His hands.  And it’s not an extreme makeover we’re talking about.  This year, the goal is to see His work in one area of your life.  Pick just one word that represents what you hope God will do in you.”  Just one word to inspire you all year.

So, in January 2011, a few close friends and I set about choosing our One Word.  At the end of the year, we shared how we thought that word helped, directed or affected us.  We did it again this year.  I speak not only for myself, but will tell you honestly, that everyone believed that their One Word definitively affected their lives.   And for some, profoundly changed their path.   I know why.  At least for me, that One Word was always in the back of my mind.  Think how easy it is to forget a whole list of things!  But one word…we remember that.   My word seemed to surface whenever I thought about what I wanted to accomplish.  It was that whispered, sometime nagging, reminder asking me if this action would get me closer to my goal.  Whenever I did or said something, I’d ask myself if that was really the direction I wanted to go with it.  Well, not always.   It was especially hard for me knowing when to keep quiet!  I still got side-tracked plenty of times.  I also had lots and lots of ideas, and often didn’t act on them.

So what was My One Word for 2012?  It was ‘inspire’.  I wanted to be inspired, by what I read, or who I spoke to, or work I did, and also be the source of inspiration in small ways, to my family, friends, colleagues, and others whose paths I crossed.  I’m pretty sure I did not achieve that with every word or deed, but it was always my intent, one I thought about consistently.  I think, at least I hope, I paused and reflected and appreciated more.  And took action.  I accomplished something I had wanted to do for a long time (though it took me almost the whole year!)  That was to begin to write for myself and others in a personal way, not for work, by launching this blog.  (Plus a couple of activities that I thought I’d never do…but I’ll save that for another post.)  The year was quite a journey for me, with lessons in grace and perseverance after I was laid-off for part of it.  But without that, I know I would not have had the time to create this.  And this blog is both my inspiration and training for what I have in mind for next year.

My point is that I’d like to endorse this experiment wholeheartedly, and have you try it for the New Year too.  I think it will change your life… maybe in small ways, maybe significant… like it did for my friends and I.   Here’s the website, which includes tips on helping you find your One Word:  http://myoneword.org .

Mine for 2013?  Commitment.  Actually doing what I think about doing.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

If you had One Word this year, and want to share its impact on your life, please Comment.   If you will choose one for 2013, please tell us what it is with a Comment as well.  Both will inspire others.

Wishing you all a joyful New Year!

our Christmas story

Our Christmas tradition has always made the way we celebrate Christmas somewhat unique, and that much more special.   In Central Europe, the celebration is on Christmas Eve, when gifts are given.  In Czech Republic, gifts are brought by baby Jesus, “Ježíšek”, who leaves them under the Christmas tree after dinner, ringing a little bell to let the children know the tree and presents are ready (most children do not see the tree until that night).  St. Nicholas, who is like our Santa Claus, actually arrives earlier in the month, on December 6^th., leaving fruit, nuts, chocolate and small presents in children’s shoes left out the previous evening.   (My parents also never forget this day, bringing the boys their “Svätý Mikuláš” treats every year.)

So how did we blend this all in with our family?   When the kids were young, my boys and their cousin would go for a walk after dinner  to look for the star of baby Jesus, and as well, try to catch a glimpse of Santa’s sleigh  (yes, we just combined the two!)  Upon returning home, they’d rush in as a bell was ringing somewhere in the house, with gasps of delight at the splendid gifts under the tree.  One year my youngest was sure he saw Santa’s boot as my dad tried to scramble up the stairs and hide, while ringing the bell.   As they got older and more analytical, the brilliant “NORAD Tracks Santa” program kept them believing a little longer, because after all, if our Aerospace Defense Command tracked him, Santa had to be real  (remarkable that it began in 1955).  But one year the inevitable happened. 

My youngest son finally figured out that they always went for a walk with only the men in our family (dads and grandfather), but the moms and grandmother stayed home.  He decided that we were the ones leaving the presents under the tree.  I just wasn’t ready to let go of this yet, and since my niece was a little younger and still believed, I wanted one more year  (doesn’t every parent when this happens?)   I explained our custom to a good friend and neighbor, and asked if she’d ‘play Santa’.  She loves stuff like this (she literally transforms herself every Halloween, and visiting her house guarantees a startling surprise).    I told my son that I would prove it wasn’t us, and we’d all go out together.  So that year, since it was really cold out, we all piled into the car after dinner to go look for the star and admire Christmas lights around the neighborhood.  As I was getting in, I had to run back to “get my gloves”, code for “make a quick call” to my friend to let her know the coast was clear.   When we got back to the house, the kids burst through the front door to look under the tree in the living room and…not a single present was there!  My son turned to me and pronounced, “I knew it!  It was you all the time!”  I was a little dismayed as well…had we come back too soon?  But as I walked into the family room, there were all of the gifts in front of the fireplace.  Aha!  I had forgotten to tell her to put them under the tree, so she thought Santa would leave them close to the chimney he had just come down.   It was a stroke of genius, better than I could have planned.  I shouted to the kids that, oh my goodness, Santa must have been in a huge hurry this Christmas Eve because he left them by the fireplace instead!  As they ran in, incredulous and speechless (imagine that?), my son looked at me, then the presents, then me, trying to put it all together.  And he couldn’t explain it.  He was so sure he had been right!  As they say, it was priceless.  

This this was my most favorite Christmas.  It was magical.  Not only for the obvious reason of pure joy and fascination that particular Christmas Eve brought, but also the sweetness of treasuring that memory forever, since I knew it would likely be the last time they would all really believe.

Since then, we still keep up our tradition, and the kids go for a walk or drive after dinner with the fathers, and we mothers stay behind to bring all of the gifts out of hiding to place under the tree.   It’s still a charming sight when they return, rosy-cheeked with knowing smiles. Each year I do get a little nostalgic, but am ever thankful for the heritage my parents continue to share with my children.   I love celebrating on Christmas Eve, honoring the birth of Jesus Christ that Holy Night, sharing the gift of family, tradition, unconditional love and these ties that bind us together, always.

Do you have Christmas traditions that you hold dear, or a favorite memory? 

p.s.  I’ve posted two more Czech Christmas cookie recipes on the traditions page.  I’m figuring out how to create a sub-menu, so bear with me!

bookworm

I love to read.  I always have a book on my nightstand.  Or one downloaded on my Kindle.  It’s the reason I have one since I often can’t wait to make a trip to the bookstore or library, and I become part of the ‘gotta have it now‘ generation.  Awful isn’t it?   But I think this is one reason it’s justified.  For the greater good of engaging my mind…or erasing it.  It’s like therapy.  And when a book is really good, so good I can’t stop reading even though it’s suddenly 1:00 am. and I have to be up at 6:00, my entire being is transported to another world so time is relative.  I forget my everyday worries, stresses, schedules, responsibilities…and get completely absorbed in someone else’s great story.  I’m pretty sure I inherited my love of reading and night owl inclinations from my mom, and my oldest son inherited both from me.  There is nothing better, not even chocolate (well, maybe not a big spoonful of Nutella), than losing yourself in an author’s creative genius.

After my recent post about young adult books, friends who know I’m always reading something asked if I’d list other books worthy of mentioning.  Here are a few, some recent, some not, and some unforgettable favorites, in no particular order (besides the series I mentioned in the YA aka T post).  I’ll comment on the more recent ones.  A rather eclectic collection:

The Timekeeper  by Mitch Albom.   The simple theme is one we all know to be true in our hearts…how precious time is, that we need to live in and be thankful for each moment, because our time is finite on this earth.   But I got rather depressed by the fable until almost the end, with its bits of anticipated wisdom.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy  by Margot Livesey.   A modern twist on Jane Eyre, worthy of reading even if that classic was one you consider incomparable.   The journey that is Gemma’s life, of a determined orphan making her way through Scotland, the Orkney Islands, and Iceland , is a lovely, satisfying tale of love and redemption.

The Innocent  by David Baldacci.  One of my favorite espionage, conspiracy and thriller writers, and this one doesn’t disappoint.  Adds an unusual character to the life of an assassin with a conscience, a runaway teenage girl.

Help. Thanks. Wow:  The Three Essential Prayers   by Anne Lamott.   Always a little irreverent, but funny, perceptive, and self-critical, Anne Lamott distills praying down to three simple words.  Though it wasn’t my favorite of hers, the message of “letting go” and her witty prose had me nodding, shaking my head, and smiling throughout.   The lessons are meant to be read again and again.

The Forgotten Garden   by Kate Morton.   Layers of different times and places involving three generations of women, all who have intertwined secrets, a little reminiscent of The Secret Garden.  But engrossing with memorable themes, one that you can’t get out of your mind long after finishing.

Dog On It  by Spencer Quinn.  The first in a detective series where the partners are a man and his dog, all told from the dog’s point of view.   Since I’m a ‘cat person’, I haven’t read the popular dog books, but for some reason, picked this one up and was surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did.  It’s  simple , funny and entertaining.

Below are a few all-time favorites, which I always seem to recommend to friends or give as gifts, beginning with a couple of good reads for Christmas time:

The Christmas Train by David Baldacci.

The Spy Who Came for Christmas  by David Morrell.

Wish You Well  by David Baldacci.

Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt  by Beth Hoffman.

When God Winks at You  by Squire Rushnell.  There are no coincidences in life. Illuminating and inspirational.

Garden  Spells  by Sarah Addison Allen.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society  by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.

Shadow of the Wind  by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

The Help  by Kathryn Stockett.

Prayers for Sale  by Sandra Dallas.

The Guardian  by Nicholas Sparks.

The Winner  by David Baldacci.

Dewey  (The Small-Town Library Cat who Touched the World)  by Vicki Myron.  Don’t let this title fool you.  Yes it’s about a remarkable cat, but the town, its people, and their story of resilience and survival will move you.

The Name of the Wind  by Patrick Rothfuss.

The Alchemist  by Paul Coelho.

Dragon Rider  by Cornelia Funke  (YA)

The Shell Seekers and September  by Rosamunde Pilcher.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life  by Anne Lamott.

We’d love to hear about a few of your unforgettable favorites!   Please share with a Comment.

traditions

This past weekend my mom, who’s 82, came over to teach me a thing or two about keeping our family heritage going, with her native country’s cuisine from Czech Republic.   My mother is quite an accomplished chef and the consummate hostess.  To her the art of entertaining is exactly that, an art.  Which she believes is becoming a lost art…though maybe not in the genteel South, where my parents spent a decade of their retirement before moving here to Colorado.  However she loves to tell the story of the early days of their marriage, because she claims she couldn’t cook at all.  She says she would spend all day trying to make one dinner palatable for her new husband when he came home from work.   A far cry from what she became.  My mom starts dinner party preparations at least four days before, so that she has every item, every detail, completely finished and perfect as her guests arrive, when she’s the impeccable, relaxed hostess with nary a wisp of hair out of place nor bead of perspiration on her brow.  Totally unlike me.  I am the queen of procrastination and a last-minute-Louie.  I never intend to be.  I have it all planned out in my head, shopped, and usually have my dining table all set the day before.  I love to create themes and table décor, or as a friend suggested I call them, tablescapes, so I may spend just a wee bit too much time there…but anyway that’s where it all ends, and somehow I’m always wildly rushed to pull it all together a few moments before the doorbell rings.  Sigh.  Still so much to learn from my mother. 

So, we were having a few dear friends over, and I wanted to give them something they might not have had before, and introduce them to one of our favorite family dishes.  So what did we prepare?   “Ptáčky” (pronounced ‘tach-key’), which means little birds in Czech  (why little birds?  Because of their shape when rolled into small bundles).  But as Czech cuisine influenced, and was influenced by, its surrounding countries and history during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it’s more commonly known as German Beef Rouladen, with many variations.   Not only did my mom show me the ingredients, technique and tips for making this dinner a success, but the beauty of it was that the ptáčky had to be made at least a day ahead, because the more the beef marinates in the sauce, the better it is.  So I was way ahead with the entrée this time!  I want to write it all down as well, because as a chef, of course my mother doesn’t use recipes.  They’re all in her head.   I’ve decided to document others too, not for me, but mainly for my sons to keep their heritage alive for them as they get older.

Then I had an epiphany.  Well, a memory flash actually. (This happens a lot to me because I usually can’t remember much past a few months ago.  I think my brain is just over-crowded.)   I found the old folder I have with our family Czech Christmas cookies, still typed in Czech on my grandmother’s 1956 Royal typewriter.  Years ago my mom and I spent some time measuring out the ingredients on her scale (yes, back then, European recipes were weighed out in metric grams), and converting to U.S. measures.   At that time I had an idea to write a short family cookbook that included not only our Czech cuisine, but also some family favorites that we had collected over time.  I started that project a few months before my first son was born.  You can imagine what happened after a baby entered my life!  Certainly nothing creative for a long time, especially after my second came along 16 months later.  So it was put away and forgotten for 15 years.  But in that old folder, I found the beginning draft of my family cookbook idea.   So I’ve decided to start anew, and add a page to my blog, aptly titled traditions, where I’ll post these recipes instead.  Since I’ve already told you about ptáčky, I’ll include that one, but so as not to scare anyone off since they are somewhat time-consuming, I’ll also begin with one of our traditional Czech Christmas cookies  (since it is holiday baking season after all).  So click on the traditions tab in the top navigation for a preview of what’s to come.

Do you have family cooking or baking traditions?  How are you passing these on to your kids?  Would love to hear!