SAYS FYL

  • when there are no explanations

    My parents are 70, my mother-in-law 80. And I’ve prepared myself to face the inevitable one day. One day, I’ll have to let go, say goodbye, and give praise for their lives and the ways they’ve made a difference in mine. So, yeah, I’ve been sort of prepping myself. But I hadn’t prepared myself for Read more

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  • the papad’s road to westernization

    The Indian papad is a thin, super-crunchy lentil wafer that’s super delicious deep fried. For my family, it can’t be just any kind of papad; it must be the Madras papad. That’s the kind that has not been adulterated by today’s fad for food fusion.  That’s the kind that hasn’t been assimilated with the Western Read more

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  • looks and gifts

    He was strikingly handsome . . . . she pestered him day after day, but he stood his ground. Genesis  39: 6, 10 For the ones who cannot be moved to break, let alone alone scratch the surface of the Ten Commandments, the Devil uses their goodness, their steadfastness, their good intentions to create road Read more

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  • the super expensive jar of cherries

    That there is probably the most expensive canned jar of cherries this side of California. Lorraine gave it to me as a special treat. Here’s the story behind it: She was shopping at Harry & David’s (If Medford is known for anything besides flannel-shirted real men in trucks, it’s Harry & David’s). Being cherry season, Read more

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  • foods that gross me out

    As I shared a recipe on this site today, I was thinking . . . there are a lot of foods that gross me out. Red meat is at the top of the list. I come close to puking at the smell of raw eggs. I’m like a hound dog; I can smell egg whites Read more

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  • when bad turns to good–eventually

    “As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him.” Genesis 39:2 Joseph was betrayed by his brother, sold to strangers, taken to  a strange country. Traveling with Ishmaelites, Joseph saw his future clearly: a slave in chains till his dying day. But God was WITH Joseph. God was not Read more

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  • deceiving ads

    I love the bargains that come with summers, a time when 25% of the community is moving, cleaning, or downsizing. And  then there ‘s the estate sales–that’s when the people die before they had a chance to move, clean, or downsize. It is in this hot hustle, that I find treasures. I am discriminating; I Read more

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  • picture of forgiveness

    When I saw your face, it was the face of God smiling on me. Gen. 33:10 Imagine  back-stabbing, birthright-stealer Jacob’s anxiety as he journeys with his family to meet Esau: He is in the middle of the desert with everything and everyone he loves dearly. He is vulnerable and scared. He has regrets and knows Read more

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  • eyes of the innocent beholder

    This week has been an extraordinarily busy for me. I’ve had no time for anything but issues involving the school. So all week long I’ve been jumping out of bed, throwing my clothes on, and rushing out the door while pulling my hair up into a knot. The end result: I look like Aunt Jemima, Read more

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  • envious of young love

    I was tired, irritable, and anxious to get home. So the couple engaged in an R-rated goodbye at the airport got no sympathy from me. Enough already! I signaled with dagger eyes. It was like they heard my protest over speakers: He jumped back and picked his bags; she handed a blue plastic plate of Read more

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