Amish Cook - Creamy Vegetable Rice Soup

Imagine eating your favorite dessert every meal. How long would it still be good? How happy are children if they do only what they want to do all day, every day? What would it be like if Christmas came every month or went on a vacation every day?

At our house, we get many good-sized portions every day. How much quietness could I relish without

getting too much?

My mind flashes to older widow friends, handicapped, and other lonely folks out there who would be only

too glad to have some extra action and interaction with others daily. So, I’m getting two sides to the picture as I write. Isn’t the old saying true, “Too much of a good thing is a bad thing?”

We would get rid of those unchangeable if we could, but how would life really be if it had only the good things we would choose? The quiet moments behind a closed door with twenty little toes trying to wiggle their way under the door would not have felt so good if I had never been weary of wondering how I would meet each child’s need. A restful night’s sleep never had such significance until it was a nightly event to get up to care for little hearts.

Have you ever felt guilty to enjoy it when you experienced something that felt good then? I’ve struggled with that. A while after my husband passed, I discovered that it didn’t feel right to laugh. How would my life look like now, had I resolved never to laugh again?

Or you may be in a position right now where you feel like you never want to smile again. I get it; when the pain

cuts deep, it sometimes shifts things enough that we are left reeling, wondering what good things could happen in our lives again. Life will never hold the same thing forever unless we choose to stay there. Like eating the same dessert, every meal will not work, and in the same way, the heartache within will not forever be part of your diet. Better yet, as we find Jesus in the midst of it, he takes the burden, rewraps it, and replaces it with something much better, and in his time, gives it back. Now this process takes much more patience than I have; I keep getting more from the Lord. Your reward may be waiting until you step inside those pearly gates, but believe me, it will be worth it, many times over.

None of us like to be stuck in the mundane without an end in sight. When I find it hard to really talk to God, I whisper or even think about the name of Jesus. My latest favorite verse is in Isaiah 61:3 where we’re promised beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning.

And while we journey our pathway, why not help take the monotony out of a lonely neighbor’s life by sharing a token of kindness and word of appreciation, or when we see a hurting individual, just tell them “I care,” and lift them in prayer. If there’s a young mother at church, she may let you sweep her floors or wash her windows when you stop by, or perhaps she’d be ready to eat a meal with two free hands while you hold the baby.

My children enjoy a change, even in their daily routine. On Sunday mornings, they get to eat their breakfast in their pajamas and are welcome to bring a cozy blanket with them. Or better yet, a break from washing the supper dishes or feeding the animals on a cold evening. It really doesn’t take that much at all to pass on the love God’s Son has for us and bringing a splash of “Son- shine” into others’ lives.

I’ll pass on a recipe for soup, similar to what a church sister dropped off last week, giving us a break from

preparing a meal. Yes, little acts of kindness have a way of removing some of the humdrum feel to life. If

you give, you will receive.

Creamy Vegetable Rice Soup

1 qt chicken broth

2 cups cold water

1/2 cup rice, uncooked

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup carrots

1 cup potatoes

1 tablespoon chicken base

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups chicken, diced and cooked

Dump altogether in a 4-quart kettle, cook until veggies are tender. Add 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2-pound melting cheese such as Velveeta. If desired serve with crackers and bread sticks. Yummy!