A Moment with Donna...
Jingles, Jangles and Bang
I’m in Victoria, B.C. and standing on a deep red brick sidewalk in the middle of this colorful city. I notice a dapple grey horse pulling an old fashioned winter white wooden buggy trimmed in gold coming my way. The clip-clopping of the horse’s hooves tap out a deep rhythm as they blend with the sounds of wooden creaky wheels and jingling bells on the horses harness; the buggy slowly makes its way up the street. A gentle mist is falling and the driver, dressed in a top hat and heavy black cape, holds a buggy whip in her right hand while giving a narration about this colorful city’s history. I can hear her as she is talking to the youngsters inside the covered buggy, “Long before Victoria became a city there were no sidewalks, lots of forest, no sewage facilities….” Her words float away as she passes by and I feel like I have been transported – for an imaginative moment – transported to another time.
Christmas for me has always been so magical. It seems like all of the stops on imagination are pulled out and creativity reigns supreme on all levels. Musicians will be playing on street corners, some dressed in costumes of the Victorian period, their instruments sometimes creating jangling sounds as the weather affects strings and metal in unusual ways. It all adds to the environment of mystical, colorful scenes that greet your eyes and ears everywhere you turn and the attitudes of people become joyful and happy as they too are touched by the magical essence of the holidays.
Yet there is another side. That is of aloneness, and sometimes tragedy. Here in our local neighborhood four police officers were executed this past Sunday morning around 8:00 am as they sat in their favorite restaurant preparing for their workday. Three male and one female officer were sitting at a table together enjoying some hot coffee and a snack.. Each was a seasoned veteran with the Lakewood Police Department and they were not expecting to be gunned to death by a stranger who walked into the restaurant as a carrier of death. As of this writing an extensive manhunt is going on to find this maniacal killer who they have traced to Seattle.
I learned of this horrific event as I was returning home from Victoria. It definitely created a shift within me. A deep grief filled me as I learned from news broadcasts the harrowing details of this ugly event. It made me deeply aware that the human condition creates all kinds of circumstances and challenges. Driving on the freeway at 65 miles per hour, observing the scenery that I was passing through and the thousands of people I was zipping by in the process, made me even more aware of the multiple levels of life – good, bad and indifferent.
When we are in dark moments how can we evolve through them? How do we take the emotions that could rule us in a negative way and make them work for us rather than against us? There is no pat answer. The only one that I have found that has worked for me these many years as I have walked the road of life’s experiences is faith. There is something greater than myself that is at work in this phenomenal Universe we are a part of. Darkness and light share space and are constantly shape shifting depending on conditions. So, if I could make a suggestion it would be for you to share your light whenever and wherever you can. One person can make a significant difference and magic can be created by you the individual, your essence, your actions. Be a creator of light, hope, beauty, ideas, gratitude and generosity and positive demonstration.
My prayers are with all of you and I wish that this holiday season brings you the gifts of the spirit and soul that will enrich your life in very special ways. May you and your family be blessed beyond your expectations and harmony, health and joy fill your holiday season.
I’ll see you in 2010. Bye for now.
 The Recipe Box – A Christmas Cake
This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Christmas- The English have a different way of preparing their holiday cakes and this one reminds me of a sample I received while I was in Victoria B.C. You have plenty of time to make it prior to your holiday dinner and it will be sure to please your guests.
Ingredients 1 lb (450 g) currants, 6 oz (175 g) sultanas, 6 oz (175 g) raisins, 2 oz (50 g) glacé cherries, rinsed, dried and finely chopped 2 oz (50 g) mixed candied peel, finely chopped, 3 tablespoons brandy, plus extra for 'feeding'.
8 oz (225 g) plain flour 1/2 level teaspoon salt, 1/4 level teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1/2 level teaspoon ground mixed spice, 8 oz (225 g) unsalted butter, 8 oz (225 g) soft brown sugar, 4 large eggs, 2 oz (50 g) almonds, chopped (the skins can be left on), 1 level dessertspoon black treacle, grated zest 1 lemon, grated zest 1 orange ,4 oz (110 g) whole blanched almonds (only if you don't intend to ice the cake.
Method
You need to begin this cake the night before you want to bake it. All you do is weigh out the dried fruit and mixed peel, place it in a mixing bowl and mix in the brandy as evenly and thoroughly as possible. Cover the bowl with a clean tea cloth and leave the fruit aside to absorb the brandy for 12 hours.
Next day pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C). Then measure out all the rest of the ingredients, ticking them off to make quite sure they're all there. The treacle will be easier to measure if you remove the lid and place the tin in a small pan of barely simmering water. Now begin the cake by sifting the flour, salt and spices into a large mixing bowl, lifting the sieve up high to give the flour a good airing. Next, in a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together until it's light, pale and fluffy. Now beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add them to the creamed mixture a tablespoonful at a time; keep the whisk running until all the egg is incorporated. If you add the eggs slowly by degrees like this the mixture won't curdle. If it does, don't worry, any cake full of such beautiful things can't fail to taste good!
When all the egg has been added, fold in the flour and spices, using gentle, folding movements and not beating at all (this is to keep all that precious air in). Now fold in the fruit, peel, chopped nuts and treacle and finally the grated lemon and orange zests. Next, using a large kitchen spoon, transfer the cake mixture into the prepared tin, spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon and, if you don't intend to ice the cake, lightly drop the whole blanched almonds in circles or squares all over the surface. Finally cover the top of the cake with a double square of silicone paper with a 50p-size hole in the centre (this gives extra protection during the long slow cooking).
Bake the cake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 41⁄2-43⁄4 hours. Sometimes it can take up to 1⁄2-3⁄4 hour longer than this, but in any case don't look till at least 4 hours have passed. Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the tin, then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. When it's cold 'feed' it – make small holes in the top and base of the cake with a cocktail stick or small skewer, then spoon over a few teaspoons of brandy, wrap it in double silicone paper secured with an elastic band and either wrap again in foil or store in an airtight container. You can now feed it at odd intervals until you need to ice or eat it.
Gold Nuggets
True Stories about Real People
Stories about real people land on my desk on a daily basis. This story is about a man Dave Browning in Michigan who decided to take on a project that seemed impossible and ended up surpassing his own expectations.
Dave is a car repair specialist and during the winter months when Michigan gets slammed with heavy snows
he operates a snow plow service. The work starts in the evening and the plowing is done through the night usually a 12 hour shift. While he works he is listening to his local radio station and learns that a local food pantry is asking for donations as their shelves are nearly empty. He realizes that if this food pantry is just about empty then the local church pantry would be nearly empty too. He asked a question of himself, “What can I do to help out?”
The answer pops into his head when he makes his next stop. He had plowed a driveway and his client came out asking if it would be all right to mail him a check as she didn’t have cash to pay him. He asked if she would instead give him some canned or non-perishable items to take to the pantry. The client felt it was a great deal and went inside the house coming out with a large grocery bag filled to the top with food. That was a beginning of a very busy day and before finishing his truck was packed with donations which he took to the church pantry. What he thought would be a large donation turned out to be just all too small. There wasn’t enough food in the entire pantry to feed a family of four for a week. Dave was feeling a bit frustrated and found himself asking the same question, “What can I do to help out?”
To make a long story short Dave told his story to other snow plow drivers and they all decided to participate in helping out the food pantry. Within two weeks due to the collective efforts the pantry shelves were packed solid and overflowing with food. People you wouldn’t expect were contributing as well. Dave felt that by himself he didn’t make that much of a difference but with so many others supporting the project the food pantry had abundance for everyone who needed it.
One person makes a difference and when others join the action the efforts are compounded and the returns can seem like a miracle. If you would like to read the entire story you’ll find it in Guideposts, November 2009 issue.
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