A Light and Yummy One for You...

Okay, so I have been pretty heavy on topics the past few posts, so I thought I would include something light and yummy today, and since it is the last day of March, I thought this recipe appropriate.

We don't eat a lot of breads in our family other than wheat sandwich bread, but considering Kieran's Irish upbringing, I have to make Irish soda and Irish raisin breads during the month of March. The problem is that every soda and raisin bread is different and Kieran wanted me to make the kind his mother used to make....no pressure on me =) It's kind of hard to compete with his mother's legendary bread recipes and since she is now an angel watching over us, I couldn't learn from the master. Luckily my sister in law was able to find copies of their mother's recipes but they are somewhat vague and since his sister's don't make the breads, I was on my own. The Irish raisin bread recipe was not a problem to figure out, but the Irish soda bread took much MORE practice. The first time I tried, I am pretty sure the loaf of bread weighed close to 10 pounds and had the consistency of cardboard =).

When we visited Ireland a few years back, I asked Kieran's beloved Aunt Rita how to make soda bread and her answer was "It's a little bit of this and that and then you knead it until it feels right." I am sure a true baker could have figured it out from her directions but a baker....I am NOT. After several attempts though I think I have figured it out. I wasn't able to replicate his mother's soda bread exactly but what I was able to do was combine both his mother's and aunt's recipes and alter them to work for me...and I must say myself, it came out pretty stinkin' yummy. Now if you aren't familiar with soda bread, sometimes it is an acquired taste but we Barrett's love it. It is best served warm (not hot or it will crumble apart) and is exceptionally yummy if you make some honey butter to spread on it.

Ingredients:

1. 4 c. flour

2. 1/4 c. sugar

3. 1/4 c. butter (soft, not melted)

4. 1 tsp. salt

5. 2 tsp. baking powder

6. 3/4 tsp. baking soda

7. 1 egg

8. 1 1/2 c. buttermilk

9. regular milk for basting

Directions:

1. Mix and sift dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Cut butter into slices in and roughly mix in with a spatula

3. Drop in egg and buttermilk

4. Mix (I use my hand mixer on low for a very short time just to get the mixing process started. The batter is really heavy, so you don't want it to get too wrapped up in the heads of your mixer.)

5. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (butter flavor is best)

6. Transfer dough to sheet and knead into a round loaf (makes a complete and utter mess so it's best to flour your hands first)

7. With a knife, cut a cross going on top of bread going completely over sides so that bread will not crack while baking.

8. With a little milk, use a basting brush and coat the top of loaf (I repeat this about half way through cooking time just to keep it moist)

9. Bake for 45 min to 1 hour (my oven is 50 minutes) in a preheated 370 degree oven.

10. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve warm with honey butter. Yummy! Keeps best if you wrap it tightly in press-n-seal or saran wrap and then wrap in a brown paper bag (a trick of the true Irish ladies! =))

Something to Complain About...

Recently, I met a mother of four that I want to tell you about. We will name her Jane for the sake of my story. When I first met Jane months back, she was pregnant with her fourth child. Every time I ran into her she seemed to be upset about something. We were just aquaintances, but I kind of felt that she was angry and honestly, I just tried to avoid her and the negative energy that she exuded. I couldn't figure out what she had to be upset about because what I knew of her was that she had three beautiful children, she was about to have her fourth, and she had a loving husband. For awhile I thought maybe she was just an unhappy pregnant woman, but her moods didn't really change after she had the baby back in December. I was never rude to her, I just didn't know how to talk to her. I would always smile when I saw her and try and keep the topics of our conversations light and easy. She never complained about anything, she just never smiled.

A couple days ago though, I learned that there is a very good reason for Jane's sadness and anger. I learned that her husband is very ill with a rare and terminal DNA disease. She has been told to prepare her children to say goodbye to him and that he has only months to live. Because of her husband's illness and his inablity to work for over a year, he lost his job, they fell behind in their bills and lost their house last fall. The worst part of it though is that her four year old son is exhibiting symptoms of the same genetic disease that her husband is dying from and they are waiting the results of her son's test.

When I heard this story. I simply wept and felt awful for the way I had avoided learning more about this woman and had only wanted to have a "surface" friendship with her. I now look at Jane as amazingly strong. As I said before, I have never heard her complain . I can't even begin to imagine what she is going through and my heart breaks for her and her family. I see how strong she is trying to be for the sake of her children, but I am sure she is overwhelmed with fear and saddness.

Hearing Jane's story made me think about the importance of a smile. While there is not much I can do for Jane and her family but pray for them or bring them a meal, I can share a smile with her and be there to listen if she ever wants to vent. I know even when I myself, feel deep sadness, I find smiles to be contagious. I can't resist smiling back when a stranger or friend shares their smiles with me. Maybe by showing Jane a little bit of kindness and compassion it will bring a little warmth to her day.

I am sharing this story with you all for two reasons:

1) To ask you to pray for Jane and her family that they will find peace with this awful situation. Pray that her husband's final days will be comfortable and peaceful, that Jane will find peace and the strength she needs to make it through such dark days and that God willing, her son's test results will come back negative.

2) The other reason I share this with you is that I ask you to reflect on the kindness or "smiles" that you share with strangers or "surface" friends. These are the people with whose story we are unfamiliar and it might just be that they need an ear to listen or smile to warm their day. We never know how much that can mean to someone who is drowning in saddness and despair.

God's Perfection

God doesn't make mistakes. Sometimes this is a hard concept for us to accept, but each and every person that He creates is perfect in His eyes. I see God's perfection when I look at my niece Erin Maddigan. For those of you that don't know Erin, let me tell you a little bit about her. Erin is six years old and was born with a neurolgical condition called lissencephaly. Lissencephaly, or smooth brain as it is sometimes called, is a rare brain formation disorder (to learn more about it visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lissencephaly.) This condition affects Erin's gross motor and fine motor skills, as well as her speech and mental cognition and is the cause of a number of Erin's other serious medical conditions. She is unable to walk, talk, feed herself, and use the restroom like most typical 6 year old children are able to do. Erin has undergone several surgeries in her six years and overcomes great obstacles everyday. Her parents, my sister, Meghan and her husband Tom, are the most perfect parents for their precious Erin. They have dedicated their lives to Erin and helping her to be the healthiest and happiest child she can be. She and her three year old brother Brendan, are the apples of their parents' eyes and their whole world revolves around helping their children to thrive.

I aspire to be the kind of selfless parents Meghan and Tom are. Never once have I heard them complain about the difficulties that they sometimes encounter when raising a child with special needs. For example, because of Erin's condition she has a hypersensitivity to sound and thrives on routine. When faced with excessive noise or a variation in her routine, she often becomes upset and can be extremely difficult to soothe or comfort. Meghan and and Tom have adjusted their lives to accomodate and exceed these special needs. They rarely leave her and never have time alone as a couple together. They are unable to take well-needed and extremely deserved vacations and they always consider Erin first when making plans. Many parents might see these obstacles as burdens, but Meghan and Tom take everything in stride and handle every situation with pure grace. Because of their unconditional love and devotion to their beautiful Erin, she is a truly amazing child. To watch Erin interact with her parents (and vice versa) is a true example of God's love. Erin lights up at the sounds of their voices and smiles her infectious smile when they sing or dance around with her. They focus on being positive and never wallow in the difficulties of the cards they have been dealt.

When I see Erin and her parents together, I am reminded of how simple and precious life is. As a society, we place so much emphasis on our physical appearances and fancy toys that we get lost in the superficialness of it all. Meghan, Tom, Erin and Brendan have more difficult lives than most of us. They have to weigh the consequences of each and every action they take and determine how their actions will affect sweet Erin. Somehow though, through it all, they have managed to make their lives beautifully simple. They know what it is to love and appreciate the blessings God has given them.

I think God made the perfect family in the Faturs. Often times people pity the families/parents of children with special needs in that they only see the hardships that they endure, but I see nothing but a match made in Heaven (literally) when I think of their family. Meghan, Tom and Brendan celebrate the uniqueness of their special angel Erin and touch the lives and hearts of everyone they meet. God had a special plan when he brought the four of them together and I am truly honored to know and love the Fatur Family.

In a Child's Eyes....

This past week has been tough for my whole family. We have said a lot of prayers, shed a lot of tears and just really tried to support one another. Kieran has been a wonderful support to me; holding me when I cry and taking Connor from me when I need a moment alone. For his compassion, I am forever thankful. All of you, my friends, have also been a wonderful encouragement and I truly appreciate all your love, kind words and prayers. We knew this was coming and as much as I thought I had prepared my heart and head, it still hurt losing my grandfather. I have found solace in looking at pictures of my grandfather and Connor and just the simple fact that Connor was able to spend time with his great grandfather is of course, greatly comforting. Perhaps the greatest comfort though is the little man himself.

On Sunday he went with us to my grandparents house so I could say goodbye to my grandfather. We didn't think it appropriate for Connor to actually go in to say goodbye to my grandpa since he was in such a bad state, but he was a wonderful distraction for my Dad who was having a very difficult time that day and just watching Connor run around in the yard cheered us all up. I didn't know how much he understood or whether or not he grasped the severity of the situation, but that night as we were saying prayers he pulled me close and told me not to cry because Pop would soon be at a special party up in Heaven with Jesus. He said there would be lots of presents and cake (of course).

I was touched with how deep and undying his faith was in this difficult time. Wasn't I supposed to be the one explaining things gently to him and shielding him from the heartache of losing my grandfather? His conviction inspired me and reminded me that I hadn't put all of my faith in the Lord. I was scared but knew that I had to let go and trust that God had better plans for my Pop.

I was so proud of my Connor in that moment. I realized that it doesn't matter how old you are, anyone can have faith in our Lord. Each night at bedtime we say our prayers and Connor never forgets to pray for anyone on our prayer list. Case in point, he has been praying for a former colleague of Kieran's who lost his job for over 5 months now, even though we have explained that he found a new job and is doing better. Connor's response is always, "He still needs prayers mom." Isn't that true. We all need prayers. The love and compassion of a child is truly precious. We should all be inspired and encouraged by their large hearts and simple faith. As adults, we are skeptical and over-analyze every situation, if only we could learn to just trust and give control to the Lord our lives would be a lot easier. I don't know about you, but simply thinking of my Pop being at a party up in Heaven is a great reminder of God's love for us and definitely not far from the truth.

Life is Short. Live and love...

So last night my grandfather Rollin Mahoney passed away. He was 91 years old and lost his battle with liver cancer. He is survived by his wife of 65 years and two sons (one being my Dad) We are sad to have lost him but know that he is in a better place and not suffering anymore. He was in hospice care at the end and I can't say enough beautiful things about their process of letting go. He died peacefully in his home surrounded by his wife and sons and all of his beloved model cars.

We had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time with him over the past couple months and created some beautiful memories with him. He died on the eve of his favorite holiday, we like to think just in time to have an Irish whiskey with the angels over Ireland. This post is dedicated to him. Happy St. Patty's Day Pop! We love you and miss you! Slainte!

God saw you getting tired and a cure was not to be.So He put His arms around you and whispered “come to me.” With tearful eyes we watched you, and saw you pass away. Although we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay. A golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands at rest.God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best