Sunday Dinner, January 20, 2008 & More Answers

Another Saturday night, and time to cook another Sunday Dinner. And, YES, I am cooking again. Will wonders never cease?

Everybody liked MY PORTUGUESE BEAN SOUP so much when I made it a few weeks ago that I decided to make it again. So my pinto beans and chicken are simmering away as I type this and I'll have to do the final assembly on the soup when the beans and chicken are done. The beans should be done just about the same time I finish this post if I time it right.

I'll make some cornbread when I get home from church on Sunday afternoon. While my cornbread is baking my soup will be warming. Since Saturday's high never made it above freezing, we're headed down into the lower teens tonight and tomorrow's high is only going to reach into the lower 30's, I think my hot soup and cornbread will hit the spot.

That's what's on the menu at La Casa de Jennings for Sunday Dinner. What are your plans? Just share your menu/plans in the comments.And now more questions and answers:

MARY @ MARY'S WRITING NOOK asks: I'm am going to get a little more personal and ask when you asked Jesus to be your personal Savior and how that experience changed your life. There should be a story here.

Oh, Mary, is there ever a story there. In September 2006 I participated in the Bloggy Tour of Testimonies. My testimony can be found HERE. I don't really have anything to add to it except to say, God is still faithful, even when I'm not and don't deserve His many blessings. MIGHTY MOM asks: WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR SLIPPERS?

Well now, that depends. You see, I have a thing about slippers and house shoes, as I call them. I love to go barefoot but hate to step on anything gritty. So I guess you might say I have a split slipper personality. Or not. Whatever.

But I alternate between going barefoot here at home and wearing either house shoes or fuzzy booty sock thingies. As you can imagine, I have quite a collection of slippers and socks. I have some black scuffs that my sister Ducky gave me for my birthday that are my current favorite slippers, and I bought some fuzzy purple and pink booty socks at Wal*mart back before Christmas that I really like. They're made of some really soft velour/chenille kind of stuff and are so warm and comfy.

Next question, please.BARB @ A CHELSEA MORNING asks: So let's see. My heart is telling me to ask you a personal question. So I want to know how you've borne the loss of both your parents, especially because I believe they passed away pretty close together, like within a year of each other or maybe even months? I truly want your input on this because I still have both my parents and although I've lost a brother, I cannot bear the thought of losing my parents.

Barb, you know how to ask the hard questions, don't you? Not "hard" as in emotionally painful, but "hard" as in difficult to put into words. But let's see if I can. I'll do my best.

My Daddy died at home of cancer on December 19, 2004. Less than 4 months later, on April 13, 2005, my Mama died at home of cancer, emphysema and congestive heart failure. My sisters and I and Mama and Daddy's grandchildren nursed them at home. They were never in the hospital. Just as they cared for us in our youth, we cared for them in their last days.

My Mama and Daddy were very special people. My sisters and I grew up poor but blessed, and if you'd like you can read about some of my childhood memories in MY "I AM FROM..." ESSAY, MY LETTER TO MY MAMA, ANOTHER "I AM FROM...", A TRIBUTE TO MY DADDY, WHEN WE WERE YOUNG PART 1 and 2, and many others. (Remember the LEVER ACTION METAL ICE TRAYS, Barb?)

If you've read my blog for more than a year you've probably already read all those posts of mine. If not, they'll give you a good idea of the raisin' I had and how important my family is to me. My Mama and Daddy weren't perfect, not by a long shot, but the most important thing is that they loved me, and they're MY Mama and Daddy.

As all families do, we had our ups and downs, triumphs and trials, but through all my life there's a thread of love that's stitched me and my family together. They say love is blind. I say not only blind, but plain ol' stupid at times.

But you know what? Sometimes love is all that keeps you from choking the last breath out of someone you love more than your own life. We're complicated creatures, ain't we?

All that to say this: My Mama and Daddy loved me enough to raise me knowing the truth. Knowing that as much as you may love somebody, the fact is, none of us is going to get out of this world alive. They raised us girls to stand on our own two feet, to take responsibility for ourselves and to know that one day they'd be gone and we'd have to make it on our own, without them. The raising they gave me and my sisters prepared us for their death just as it prepared us for living our lives as responsible adults.

Mama told us that we could best honor her and Daddy after their death by living our lives. By not grieving so much that we couldn't appreciate the blessings of this life. By going on to raise our kids the same way we were raised, to the best of our ability.

Barb, what helped me the most, knowing my Daddy and Mama were dying, was knowing that I'd done everything I could for them. I'd done my best. I'd said everything I needed to say to them, asked every question, left nothing undone. There were no regrets, no "I wish I'd....."

So, my advice to you and anyone whose parents are still living is this: Whatever you need to ask, ask. If you have something you need to say to them, say it. Spend time with them. Make time for them. If there are bad feelings between you, settle it now. Be the peacemaker even if you think you're right and they're wrong. You only have one Mama and Daddy. Eternity is going to last a long, long time. Love them and honor them now. Give them flowers while they live, not on a casket.

Leave nothing undone so that you'll have no regrets. That's the bottom line, Barb.

I seem to have found plenty of words after saying it was going to be difficult to put this into words, didn't I?And one more question before I hit "publish" and go finish making my soup....

TAMMY @ PINK MAGNOLIA asks: What is your favorite current TV show. OK...here is number two...what is your all time favorite TV show??

Hmm....I don't watch much TV these days since I discovered blogging almost 2 years ago. But right now it's probably a tie between the Discovery Channel's DIRTY JOBS with Mike Rowe and ANTIQUES ROADSHOW on PBS. A close second, depending on what's in reruns, is the FOOD NETWORK'S GOOD EATS with Alton Brown.

All time favorite TV show? Another tie, because I just can't choose. M*A*S*H and THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES.

All righty, ladies and gentlemen, that concludes our Q and A session for this evening. Watch your step as you exit and have a lovely evening.May God bless you with all you need, and enough to share.