The More Seasoned the BETTER!

I'm fresh from washing dishes and contemplating the value of the pots and pans I have. Cabinet space is starting to go at a premium and EBAY is sounding like a good alternative for many of the dust-collectors under my kitchen counters.

I remember when I got married and received various pots and pans as wedding gifts. Each time I would cook, I would wash furiously to keep them looking new and unused. You can guess that my obsessive compulsiveness didn't last too long as more cooking blemishes appeared faster than what I could spend time cleaning.

Growing up, I couldn't understand why my Mother let her pots look "messy". Now I know...

Good cooks have seasoned cookware.

My mother's favorite pans were the usually the ugliest. My grandmother's all-purpose skillet was cast-iron...a veteran of many years. My crockpot is priceless but it has a few scuff marks of it's own.

If a pot or pan wasn't marked up just a tad, that would indicate that it hadn't been used. As a matter of fact, the very items that I'm thinking about getting rid of are the ones that look the newest. I don't have use for them. They are just taking up space.

We tend to look at folks that have battle scars or that are a little bruised as if something is wrong with them when, in fact, many of those folks are SEASONED. Living life without scars or marks of growth and use is possible I suppose, but I don't think that's what I admire the most when I look at many people, especially Christians, that have some bumps and bruises. I see maturity, perseverence, and victory. I see a conqueror, many times forgiveness, and a refusal to be bitter. I see a strong will, a fighting attitude, and a mind to make it.

Life is hard and you cannot pass through without getting a little "banged up" if you choose to live life to the fullest. And I want to be USED! I want to live and experience the life God has for me. I don't think I can do that hiding out in the cabinet trying to stay shiny and new.

Now, I do have to count the cost of my desire to "live". Sometimes that stove will get really hot and at times the refrigerator will seem dark, lonely, and cold but my choice is to experience the good with the bad or not to experience at all.

I'm learning not to be afraid of the elements, afraid of the hot or the cold, the wind and the rain, the dark and the scary. I'm learning that it is more valuable to experience life than to hide out in the cabinet.

So...I choose to be used...even if it means a few scuff marks. I choose to walk through life ready to wear any scars, bruises, or burns....as BADGES of honor, courage, and proof that I'm actively involved in my life!!!

Now....I gotta go shopping. I've been told I'm not a real woman until I own a seasoned cast iron skillet. Oh...wait...I guess I need to hold off until after I clear some of my unused stuff out and sell them on EBAY.

Don't forget...if you are interested in getting updates to my blog via email, just check out the post with instructions by clicking HERE. This way you won't miss anything! (Isn't it silly for me to think that you don't want to miss what I have to say).

Get Blog Updates w/FeedBlitz

I've made it easy for you to receive my updated posts if you'd like by subscribing to my blog. There have always been a group of folks to whom I have emailed new posts from my blog. Although I don't mind doing this, eventually I will not be able to email everyone easily (too many readers). This service will enable more folks to get updates without me pulling out my hair :) FeedBlitz is a fancy way of getting updated posts sent to your email address. Blogs are normally read through RSS Readers but most people (including me) don't know much about that sort of thing. The folks at FeedBlitz figured out a way to send blog updates to email addresses...so that normal people can do it :)

You should see a spot in the upper left hand corner of the page that says "Get posts by email!". You just pop your email address in there and click on the "Subscribe Me" button. A confirmation email will be sent to your email address. After clicking on the "confirmation link", you will be all set to go.

Also, using FeedBlitz will also allow you to add any other blogs that you want to read from other folks.

My New Blogging Home...

Well, you know me...always on the lookout for something else to learn and conquer. I have a new blog home online. I hope that using Blogspot will help me have more flexibility in designing my blog and making it more useful to my readers.

I will be moving my previous posts first and then I will get to writing some new stuff! Thanks for visiting my site and check back often... This is officially my first "new" post. If you would like to peruse the other posts on my site just go to my BlogSpot Homepage !

Bear with me as I slowly personalize the site, add more interesting links, and make the site more interesting overall. Shoot me a LINE and let me know what you think of my new "digs"! Also, feel free to forward my new Blogspot to others...

This writing adventure has been awhile in the making. I love to write and journal. I have journaled since the sixth grade. I've loved sharing my thoughts, although I've not been sure that what I have to say really matters to anyone else in the least. There have been a few people, including my sweet husband, who have encouraged me for some time to step up my efforts in publishing my ramblings. People that I don't even know very well have made it a point to tell me I need to develop this skill. So here we go...

I don't really have a "plan" for this blog other than writing about concepts that "click" for me as I live my life's story. Real life in the making...that's what it's all about.

My desire is to update this blog regularly. God regularly puts things on my heart that I'd like to share. One day I hope to publish a book. I'm still asking him what He wants me to say. Right now...I have a lot to say about a lot of things. We'll just see how it all comes together :)

In the meantime, my goal is just to share what God is teaching me and how he is teaching to me to look at my circumstances, my life, and the world that I live in. I pray that his revelations to me will bless you and provide fodder for thought as you walk your road in this life.