A Hero's Salute

As you celebrate Memorial Day with family and friends this weekend, please remember to honor those gave the ultimate sacrifice.  My husband shared this video with me.  It is a tribute to a fallen officer, Staff Sargeant John Beale, who died in the line of duty last year in Afghanistan.  He was a 39-year-old veteran of Desert Storm who later joined the National Guard with a strong desire to return to military service in 2005.  As a civilian, he worked for his local county water authority where he was also very involved in their youth programs.  He left behind a wife and two children.  This is his procession...spanning multiple communities.  Truly, one of the most moving videos I've ever seen.  In a time when true patriotism and support for our troops seems to be diminishing, the spirit of America demonstrated by these Georgia communities will touch your heart and restore your hope.  To each and every one who gave their lives in the line of duty...thank you.  May we never forget. 

Happy Independence Day Weekend!!!

Hope you and yours have a glorious weekend celebrating all the wonderful blessings we have in this great nation. We'll be celebrating with Brianna's family tonight. No doubt it will be a great time! Tomorrow morning, the 5K run will pass in front of our house as we play patriotic music and cheer people of all ages (especially our friend, Jennifer taking part this year!) Tom has nearly 50 small flags decorating our front yard. = ) Tomorrow night, we'll watch our city's annual fireworks display. Always an impressive show.

I've been busy in the kitchen today, making desserts for tonight. I'm going to share two of them with you! First...a long-time family favorite, Banana Split Cake!

Although it's name suggests "cake," there is absolutely no baking involved in making this little treat. It's a graham cracker crust, covered by a layer of creamy (or more appropriately.... "dreamy") deliciousness, fruit, whipped cream, maraschino cherries and today, (in honor of 4th of July) blue sprinkles! I received this recipe from a co-worker many years ago. It's always a hit! (Particularly during the summer when you may not want to use your oven.)

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick of margarine, melted

"Cake"
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 eggs
3-4 bananas (peeled, sliced and spritzed with lemon juice or Sprite)
1 can (13 oz) crushed pineapple (drained)
Large bowl - Cool Whip
2 sticks of margarine, softened
maraschino cherries, drained (optional)
nuts, crushed (optional)

Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Spread into 9 x 13 pan and refrigerate. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, confectioner's sugar and 2 sticks of softened margarine, beat at a high speed for 15 minutes (this is not a typo). Pour this mixture over the crust. Slice bananas and layer on top (remember to spritz them with Sprite or lemon juice so they don't brown). Then, using a fork, gently place crushed pineapple over the entire layer. Cover this layer with Cool Whip. If desired, sprinkle with finely chopped nuts of your choice. (I usually offer them separately as I cut each serving, instead.) Garnish with maraschino cherries. Refrigerate. Serves 12-15. (Tastes best if it can sit for several hours.) Enjoy!!!

If you're looking for something a little more low-fat, try this one...Weight Watchers Crustless Strawberry Pie! Loaded with flavor and couldn't be simpler to make. Best of all, only 1 point per slice!!! = )

(photo courtesy of Google Images)

4 cups strawberries, sliced
1 small box, vanilla cook & serve pudding (not instant)
2 cups water
1 small box of sugar-free strawberry gelatin

Pour strawberries into pie plate (deep dish works best), set aside. On the stove, combine the pudding and water. Stir occassionally while heating. When mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and pour in the strawberry gelatin (powder). Stir with a wisk so that all the gelatin dissolves. Let cool to room temperature, then pour over strawberries. It's that simple!!! (Truly, this is a huge payoff for minimal effort.) Refrigerate for several hours or even better, overnight. Serve with Cool Whip, if desired. Of course, you could also use a pie shell or graham cracker crust. We like it just as well without it (and it helps keep it very lowfat, too!) Enjoy!!!

I'd love to hear if you try either of these recipes...either this weekend or anytime!

Once again, Happy 4th of July, everyone! Have a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends, reflecting on the joys and amazing privileges of being an American! Stay safe!

Memorial Day - 2009

Remember to honor our fallen heroes.

Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends.

~John 15:13

(Photo courtesy of Google Images)

Today is National Day of Prayer

How fitting that today's Streams in the Dessert devotional relates to the subject of prayer. It's a great message anytime, but especially timely today.

Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ~ Luke 18:1

The failure to persevere is the most common problem in prayer and intercession. We begin to pray for something, raising our petitions for a day, a week, or even a month, but then if we have not received a definite answer, we quickly give up and stop praying for it altogether.

This is a mistake with deadly consequences and is simply a trap where we begin many things but never see them completed. It leads to ruin in every area of life. People who get into the habit of starting without ever finishing form the habit of failure. And those who begin praying about something without ever praying it through to a successful conclusion form the same habit in prayer. Giving up is admitting failure and defeat. Defeat leads to discouragement and doubt in the power of prayer, and that is fatal to the success of a person's prayer life.

People often ask, "How long should I pray? Shouldn't I come to the place where I stop praying and leave the matter in God's hands?" The only answer is this: Pray until what you pray for has been accomplished or until you have complete assurance in your heart that it will be. Only when one of these two conditions has been met is it safe to stop persisting in prayer, for prayer not only is calling upon God but is also a battle with Satan. And because God uses our intercession as a mighty weapon of victory in the conflict, He alone must decide when it is safe to cease from petitioning. Therefore, we dare not stop praying until the answer itself has come or we receive assurance it will come.

In the first instance, we stop because we actually see the answer. In the second, we stop because we believe, and faith in our hearts is as trustworthy as the sight of our eyes, for it is "faith from God" (Eph. 6:23) and the "faith of God" (Romans 3:3 KJV) that we have within us.

As we live a life of prayer, we will more and more come to experience and recognize this God-given assurance. We will know when to quietly rest in it or when to continue praying until we receive His answer. from The Practice of Prayer

Wait at God's promise until He meets you there, for He always returns by the path of His promises.

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Please join me in spending some time specifically in prayer for our nation and our leaders today. Prayer gatherings are planned at City Hall buildings all over the country from 12:20 to 12:40 pm Eastern time. Click on the official site for more information. (Take note that Beth Moore is the honorary chairman this year, as well.)

Join Me in Prayer on this Important Day in History

While visiting the Presidential Prayer Team site this morning, I read a beautiful prayer written by one it's members, Donna Pirone. I've made it my prayer on this historic and significant Inauguration Day, and I invite you to do the same...

"This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
~ Psalm 118:24


Father, we give you thanks for this special day to celebrate the inauguration of our new president. While he was being formed in his mother's womb, you charted every day of his life. You knew from his beginning that one day he would be elected president of our great nation. We ask that your hand of guidance, protection, and blessing will follow him all the days of his life.

Today, he stands before you and before our nation with his hand on your Word to pledge his allegiance to you and to us. We need his help, he needs our help, and together we all need your help, for without you we can do nothing. Will you protect him, and his family today from harm and from evil? As we pray for the new vice president, we ask that your guidance and direction will fill his mind and heart as he assists our new president. Will you protect him and his family today and keep him mindful of all that you are?

From the beginning of the opening prayer, to the end of the celebrating, may your name be praised in the heart of every American. We are so blessed, Father, and we need to remember that our freedom, our security, and our provisions come from you alone. Thank you for a government that is by the people, and for the people. May we acknowledge your presence in all that we do and say this day with thanksgiving and praise.

We ask these things in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

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As you pray for the Obamas and the Bidens and their upcoming administration, please also pray God's blessings upon President and Mrs. Bush, as they prepare to leave public life and adjust to their new home in Dallas. Following Inauguration ceremonies, they depart Washington from Andrews Air Force Base, traveling to Midland, TX where they will participate in a welcome home event in Centennial Plaza. Pray for their safety and protection.

If you'd like to sign up to become a member of the Presidential Prayer Team, follow this link.

A Memorable Glimpse (that I almost missed!)

Hope you and yours had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! In our part of the country, it was cloudy and rainy for most of Friday and Saturday. Yesterday, however it was positively gorgeous!

I almost missed a sweet blessing the morning of 4th of July. I had stayed up (very) late the night before knowing that I could "sleep in" because of the holiday. My hubby had gone to bed several hours before, and I knew he would be up early (because he always is). = )

We live on the main road that runs through our community. Every year on the morning of July 4th, there is a 5K run that passes right in front of our house. Several hundred people, from babies in strollers to grandparents take part. Some years, we’ve had friends who have run and we’ve cheered them on as they ran by. This year, we didn’t know of anyone running, and I remember thinking as I drifted off to sleep, "I might have to miss seeing the marathon runners this year..."

The next thing I knew (just a few hours later), my sweet hubby was standing at the foot of the bed smiling, asking if I wanted to watch the runners. I can’t express to you just how much I wanted to return to the blissful sleep I was enjoying, but I could tell he really wanted me to come out with him. I could also tell he was anxious, as some of the first runners had already passed by. And so…I stumbled out of bed (completely in a fog), changed out of my pajamas into some clothes, ran a brush through my hair and splashed my face with cool water. (Ugh…still in a fog.) I put my “sweet” face on, but inside there was a whole lot of grumbling going on.

As I opened the door, I saw that my hubby had lined our mulch beds with small American flags...it looked great! Then I heard loud patriotic music playing and discovered it was coming from our speakers. I quickly realized my hubby was playing this music especially for the runners. (heart smile) He was standing in our garage, grinning from ear-to-ear as it played. There was a light rain falling and I felt bad for those trying to run...but as I looked at them, they didn’t seem to mind. They were too busy enjoying the music. From God Bless America, Battle Hymn or America the Beautiful, you could see them start to smile as soon as they heard it...many were even singing along! I got a kick out of one man acting as though he was conducting an orchestra as he ran.

Our house sits at about the 4 mile mark of the run. After living here and watching this for several years now, we had grown accustomed to seeing people who are tired, hot, focused, and generally not looking especially "happy." In fact, they rarely make eye contact. (I'm not a runner, but I can certainly understand that.) This time, nearly everyone was smiling. Over and over, they yelled out “Thanks!” as they waved or gave a thumbs up. It was especially heartwarming to see the older people as they sang and smiled. Yes, the patriotic spirit of America was alive and well for those moments and it was quite a sight to behold. In no time at all, tears filled my sleepy eyes and a lump filled my throat. This went on for quite some time and we savored every moment of it.

Afterwards, I thanked my hubby for waking me. What I would have missed, had I kept on sleeping! I then whispered a prayer of thanks to God for what I had just seen, the great nation we all share, and the freedom we are privileged to celebrate, not just on the 4th of July but every day.

Thanking God for the Gift of Freedom