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Celebrate Fall with Quick Easy Salad or Dip

Celebrate fall’s arrival with fresh ingredients for quick easy salad.

Tomatoes, peppers and onions are in good supply right now. Add a few canned goods and a fantastic dressing for people-pleasing dish.

There are a lot of variations to this quick easy salad recipe; adjust the ingredients to your families taste and to the fresh veggies available. A good option for the black-eyed peas is garbanzo beans as the peas are not as firm as I prefer for a salad.

Must include: tomatoes, black beans, frozen sweet corn, and chopped fresh cilantro. Also a must is the dressing with lime juice and red wine vinegar.

For variety: add avocado or black olives or jalapeno peppers. With this basic quick easy salad recipe, the variations are endless!

Basic recipe:

1 15oz can black beans – rinsed and drained

1 15oz can black-eyed peas – rinsed and drained

1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes – cherry tomatoes work well

1 green bell pepper – seeded and finely chopped

½ cup red onion – diced (I use 1 cup)

2 cups frozen sweet corn – thawed (add frozen if not serving immediately)

½ cup Cilantro – finely chopped

Dressing:

2/3 cup olive oil

4 tablespoons fresh lime juice

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in the basic recipe in large bowl. Hint: frozen sweet corn can be added unthawed if not served right away.

2. Combine all dressing ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. Whisk dressing and pour over other ingredients and stir well.

4. Keep refrigerated; stir well before serving. This recipe will keep fresh for several days; stir often for best enjoyment.

Not only is this a very good, nutritional salad, but it makes a great dip for tortilla chips.

Enjoy, and let me hear of your variations.

For another quick easy salad idea, click here https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/that-good-salad

God’s Beautiful Bouquet from Burdens and Brokenness

Only God can create a beautiful bouquet from burdens and brokenness.

The beautiful bouquet pictured here is actually three broken, dying plants. My life has been like that of late.

The first, a huge basket which once overflowed with colorful plants. My life was the same–every where I looked was joy and laughter and hope.

The second, a beautiful red geranium used to hang on the front porch, gaily swinging in the breeze. The plant, as did I, eagerly greeted passersby and visitors alike.

Thirdly, a perky yellow mandevilla stretched her way up a post, reaching toward the sky as if praising the Creator with every new bloom. My life, too, was full of activity and joy and color. Then came a little bump; then another, then another. Each little brokenness kept me from tending to daily chores. Without care, the plants began to wither and die.

Stress and busyness kept me occupied. No time to sit on the porch or water flowers. The withered geranium was taken down. Likewise, the mandevilla, with no water and no cords to climb, finally began to retreat.

Does your life feel that way? Stressed, strained, overwhelmed? I can tell you for a fact: God wants to build a beautiful bouquet from burdens and brokenness.

One day it was as if God said, “that’s enough crying! Trust Me!” Only a little dusty miller and other greenery had survived in the big basket. I plopped my frazzled geranium right in the middle of those struggling plants.

Then I moved enough dirt and roots in the geranium to squeeze in the mandevilla-still in its temporary pot. Carefully I picked off all the dead blooms and stems and began watering. God did the rest!

What old dead stuff are you hanging on to. Can you do a little weeding, even a little bit?

What is there you need to give to God? Let God build a beautiful bouquet from burdens and brokenness in your life.

My circumstances have not changed. In fact, they are worse than ever from a human perspective. Deadlines loom, water leaks and broken phones and other things still need fixed. Loved ones are in hopeless situations and I can’t be there to help.

But I know … I KNOW … Who makes bouquets from burdens and brokenness. He gives me peace, comfort, and direction. He will do that for you as well. Ask Him. Trust Him.

Hugs,

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Trustworthy Support Groups and Online Medical Sites

Trustworthy Support Groups and Online Medical Sites.

It is imperative to find trustworthy support groups and online medical sites. Coping with changes identified in your loved ones’ home, or effectively help others cope, calls for a strong support system.

Caregiver or not, we need support. Example, which of the following has affected your family or friends: Dementia, Alzheimers, Death, Alcohol, Suicide, Chronic Pain, ADHD, Aging Parents, Depression, Narcotics, Eating Disorders, Sexual Abuse, Divorce.

Some support may come from those around you.

#1 A support group needs to be trustworthy and confidential. Having a group you have confidence in enables you to relate your true feelings and share more honestly about your unique situation.

#2 The best support will come from others who have traveled that road before. When that person holds your hand and says, “I understand,” you can know they really do.

#3 Hearing the experiences of others in a given situation will help you better understand your circumstances. Actions and reactions which seem foreign to you right now may be normal for a person suffering or struggling with certain issues.

#4 Local support groups offer help and hope in a more personal, long term environment. If there is none available, consider starting a group. Simply find two or three others going through the same situation and plan to meet for about an hour once or twice a month.

#5 Online support groups for family and friends are a great place to start your search. Look for blogs or discussion boards on the particular area you are dealing with.

A word of caution here-while online sites can offer ready help and suggestions, filter any changes through your medical team or reliable agency such as Mental Health America, Alzheimers Association, CAPS (Children of Aging Parents) or other appropriate group.

After searching through pages of information and online sites, I would recommend http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/find_support_group as a good place to begin your search. There you will find a lengthy list of support groups as well as helps.

Another website that may offer help depending upon your location is www.healthfinder.gov. I researched our local hospitals on this site. I also found valuable information on several health-related issues.

Make sure the sites you are searching are updated regularly so you get the latest information.

Remember to call upon the Great Physician for wisdom and direction. We read “Call upon me and I will answer thee … ” in Jeremiah 33:3.

Hugs,

Have you purchased a copy of the 2nd edition of MY MOTHER MY CHILD? I am getting great comments from those using the discussion guide at the end of each chapter. Let me hear from you.