Are we there yet?

Post 27/2021 Saturday 26 June . . . There’s no surefire certainty that we’re getting close to the end of the global battle with SARS-COV-2 and its variants. Thankfully, everyone who has access to a vaccine and gets it plays a key part in helping to put the boot to the pandemic. We strengthen our case when we act in concert with each other, but and regress when we brush off this deadly disease as inconsequential to oneself and those close to one, pity everyone else.

Lest I get into a rant about rage, as in vaccine rage, road rage, street rage, air rage, customer rage, mask rage, election rage, and any other rage du jour, I’ll stop right there and say that today rather than moan and groan about life’s ills, without and within, I’m aiming to increase the intensity of light, pleasantness, cooperation, helpfulness, commiseration, even laughter as we bound along to “there.”

For starters I quote a recipe, Strawberries and Cream (Jordboer med Flode), from Danish Cookery by Susanne (Andr. Fred. Host & Son, Booksellers to H. M. The King, 1950, 1965).

Ingredients: strawberries, sugar, cream.

“In Denmark we eat our strawberries in deep dishes (like soup plates), we sprinkle the whole berries with sugar and pour cream over them. Whether or not you find this strange depends on your nationality–it always amazes both the French and the Swiss.”

That’s it. We’re there! A sumptuous and easy a la Danish dessert.

I could make a variety of excuses for the strawberry pie I baked (see recipe in last weeks blog). I’ll just say I used a hand blender to mash the heated cup of berries rather than sieve them. Let’s just say that five of us did justice to the pie.

Celebration of Life

For the first time since early March 2020 we went to church today. We went to Prairie Street Mennonite Church, Elkhart, IN, for the Celebration of Life service for longtime friend, Carrie Diener, who died a year ago at age 103. The service resounded with music, message and memories. My heart was lifted high.

Carrie’s obituary noted that “She readily welcomed, accepted, appreciated, prayed for, and assisted others.” Many noted how she was a woman ahead of her time, a lifelong learner, guided by the words of Scripture, “This is the day that the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24),