by Katherine Craddock
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. (Proverbs 17:22, NLT)
“And thank you for the windows!” my 2 ½ year-old daughter Katie shouted. The windows? Hmm. I guess we did just get new windows.
“Yes, God. Thank you for the windows.” I echoed.
“And thank you for the doors!” she continued. I thought of the small, door-less shacks I had witnessed during a Jamaican thunderstorm. Entire families huddled in living quarters smaller than my back-yard shed, while I vacationed in luxury. Doors are good. We need those.
“Thank you for the doors.” My response was a little louder this time. A slow smile spread across my face.
Katie was on a roll. “And thank you for the walls!” She’s right. Walls are important. Where would we be without walls?
Within seconds, we were laughing and shouting thanksgiving to the Lord at the top of our lungs. Arms raised to heaven, we thanked God for our beautiful house, our pets, and even our shiny new dishwasher.
My toddler’s enthusiasm had turned pity into praise. Truly, I had much to be thankful for. Yes, God. Thank you for the windows.
Having a blue day? Gratitude to the Lord is the best medicine for a broken heart.
Katherine Craddock is a professional writer and pastor’s wife who is the oldest of nine children and mother to one Kindergartner and two preschoolers of her own. She lives in Northern Virginia and is part of The King’s Chapel MOPS. Taken from www.MOPS.org
Do you have a special family BBQ planned and need to bring dessert but don’t want to labor in the hot kitchen for an hour? Well, here is a great idea for you that is sure to please the whole crowd – young and old – and you won’t even have to turn on the oven!
Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
2 boxes of ice cream sandwiches
1 tub of Cool Whip
1 jar of Peanuts or other nuts
Chocolate, caramel, or strawberry syrup
Other toppings to taste
Take a 9x13 cake pan and cover the bottom with unwrapped ice cream sandwiches. You may have to cut them to get a perfect layer of ice cream. Smooth half of the tub of Cool Whip over the sandwiches then add toppings: peanuts, chocolate, caramel, strawberry etc. Once that is complete, add another layer of ice cream sandwiches and finish the cake with another layer of Cool Whip and your favorite toppings.
Put it into the freezer for a few hours until the cake gets harder (the sandwiches tend to melt a little from being out of the freezer). Once it is firm, cut it into pieces and serve! YUMMY!
