You Belong Here

The paint and water blend, strokes pushing, mixing it, pulling the colors.  Fading.  Deep bold lines, defiantly refusing to allow the water to change it.  Slowly the flower is born and takes shape.  Like broken pieces; healing, flowing together.

I sketched the words "You Belong Here".  Bold, yet with a hint of playfulness.  Imperfect.  The letters mismatched.

I thought I made it for them.  To remind each other that we belong together.  That we will fight for each other, that God had a reason for knitting our family together.  Loss.  Heartache.  Waiting.  Heartache.  Trauma.  We all have journeyed to each other.  Our paths bump and curve as we do life together.  Some days we do life around each other.  Other days the mess of being from hard places or of just growing up permeates and the noise overwhelms.  Do we still belong when we show the parts that are not pretty?  In the anger and defensiveness, the parts that challenge if we will stay through the anger, the lies, the defiance and yelling, we still belong.  Other days the journey together is enjoyable, like the sun flooding through the windows, laughter and calmness fill the space.  You belong here..  This home was built for us.

And to the one who complies, who tries to make peace, to cover over the chaos or escape from it.  You belong here too.  You might feel like you go unnoticed, your needs to connect put aside for the ones trying to interrupt and override.  To the one who slips silently to your room to find refuge in your books, in drawing, in connecting online with friends- you belong here too.

So many different personalities and needs, different levels of emotional maturity, and different ways to announce them.  Yet each of you have a place.  While we cannot force anyone to mature, so we try to help you grow where you are, to encourage your roots to push deeper, strengthening you and readying you for the coming growth.

Or maybe it was created for my heart.  To remind me that I belong here, right where I am.  That I am called to this place for a reason.  Some days it is overwhelming.  Parenting is hard.  Life gets messy.  Noisy.  Exhausting.  It's more than the new community we have moved into, wondering how we will fit in, the way our old neighborhood feels farther than the mere 8 minutes away that it is.  My heart longs for the known, the familiar paths, the neighbors we can borrow an egg or cocoa from, the trust in knowing and being known and accepted by neighbors.  I am thankful for the new friendships, the visits and laughter shared over coffee, the walk in the fresh snow, and have been brought a meal by a new neighbor in a difficult time.  My heart is heavy as we deal with those who say we don't belong- with words that scar, with anger against the very skin my children are clothed in, where fear can take root from anger and injustice.  And then the phone rings, and I am invited in, to join a new village of women who affirm, who stand alongside us, who speak against the lies and share that they too are experiencing injustice, and then embrace and accept who we are.  Everything in me longs to hear those words that I belong, that we belong here.  And as I open myself and begin to connect, I am seeing that we do belong here.

You belong here.  May you read these words and know that our home is a place of refuge.  It may not be silent, but amidst the chaos of life, I hope you can come and find peace here.  There is a place for you to sit, to drink tea or coffee, to be still and rest in the sunlight.  Or to laugh and gather around the table, to engage in board games that challenge and build relationships.  Whatever battles you fight, come and sit in awe at the beauty of the sunset, knowing that our God who created all creation has painted the sky for you.  Know that He loves you.  He doesn't call you to be perfect and have your life together.  Come, find a safe place here.

And may the presence of the Holy Spirit flood this place.  You belong here, we welcome you here Holy Spirit.   Come like a rushing wind.  Settle in the bold colors of glory and joy.  Cover each person who enters these doors and let them know they belong.  Let love cover over wounds and bring healing.  May praises rise, giving glory to you.  Remind us that we matter, we are enough and we belong because of you.

So to those who are lost and hurting, scared, lonely, scarred, those who feel overwhelmed or not enough, and to the misfits and rebels, know that you can come.  You can sit at our table and relax on our couches.  Join in with the unexpected that our family brings, the differences, the common goal of love and acceptance, the longing to be known, the desire to follow Christ, the healing and growing and the place of knowing that you belong here.

Another IP Meal

Southwest Brown Rice and Lentil Instant Pot Stew

 

Ingredients

• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
• 1 yellow pepper finely chopped
• 5-8 garlic cloves minced
• 1 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1 1/2 cup brown lentils
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can crushed tomatoes 28 oz.
• 1 can diced green chilies 4 oz (I used hot peppers I had canned).
• 4 Tbsp taco seasoning
• 4 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 2 cups shredded cheese I prefer mozzarella and sharp cheddar
•  chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream and hot sauce for topping

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients, except cheese and cilantro, to your Instant Pot. Set to manual and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes then release remaining pressure. 
2. Serve in bowls
3. Sprinkle with cilantro and cheese and enjoy!  Feel free to add sour cream and/or hot sauce to taste
   
   

Gluten free Instant Pot Apple Crisp

I got an instant pot for Christmas, and have had an odd fear of not knowing what to do with the pot so it sat in it’s box until yesterday.  I love to cook by adapting to recopies, not measuring and going by texture or smell.  I wasn’t sure if the instant pot was going to be picky and blow up or not cook properly if I don’t follow certain rules...  However, I breathed in deeply and took it out from the box.  I did the initial water test (and will admit I hid in my living room, peeking around the corner afraid it might blow up) and than, after much Pinterest searching, decided to use up some unhappy apples in a delicious gluten free instant pot apple crisp.

Gluten Free Instant Pot Apple Crisp

(Adapted from http://www.lifemadefull.com/recipe/gluten-free-instant-pot-apple-crisp/)

Ingredients 6 apples, sliced thinly (I used gala) 2 tsp cinnamon ¾  cup water ½  cup melted butter (or gee) ¼ cup melted coconut oil 2 cups gluten free rolled oats 1 ¼  cup 1:1 gluten free flour ½- ¾  cup brown sugar

Instructions

1. Put the sliced apple pieces in the bottom of the instant pot.  Add cinnamon and water, then stir to combine.
2. Stir together the remaining ingredients and spread on top of mixture..  I pressed it so it wasn’t too crumbly once cooked.
3. Secure the lid on the instant pot. Use the manual setting, and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
4. Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to vent. Let release the rest of the air, and then you can remove the lid, let cool for a few minutes, and eat!

Thoughts about the recipe:

-It looked a bit wet when I first opened the intant pot, but that seemed to absorb in as it sat. 

-We scooped the crisp and turned it upside down on our dish to let the caramelized apples cover it with sticky goodness.

-I’ll add cranberries, saskatoons or blueberries to the apples next time.

-I think I’ll try a bit of maple syrup next time in place of some or all of the sugar.