Wow! It’s November 1st already! Here in Grundy County, Iowa we’ve had our 1st snowfall and Christians across the globe are celebrating All Saints Day, All Souls Day and the Day of the Dead. The garden is all but done. All reminders that life is full of seasons, each one having its own beauty, its own significance, its own way to to pray often, eat well & move more.
Growing up, these church holidays were always marked with extra church services and a chance to learn more about the saints–especially a favorite or patron saint. Mine is St. Ann, Mary’s Mother, Jesus’ grandmother and my middle name. Mom made me a St. Ann costume for Halloween/All Saints Day when I was about 3rd or 4th grade. It was a simple, yet beautiful gown, made of pink eyelet fabric. If my memory serves me right, it had a veil made of the same fabric. Mom also hand-knotted white yarn to complete the costume with a rosary belt.
The Father’s Love
I really felt special wearing that costume & fondly remember the extra time my parents took to make and do things for us growing up. While I appreciate the love my parents have for me, I think it’s more important to See what love the Father has bestowed on us, because God’s love is showered on us in a multitude of ways–and includes our parents’ love.
See what love the Father has bestowed on us.
1 John 3:1
Last night at mass, Fr. David talked about the saints and those who have gone before us. He also shared “God has great things in store for us….ordinary people like you and I.” And as I look around and seek out what love God has bestowed on me, I find it’s true. I see the people in my life, the gorgeous sunrises & sunsets (the above photo was my view as I ate my supper before mass last night), my warm home and especially my garden!
While we didn’t have as much squash as we did last year, (last year, we donated a pallet box to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank,) we do have a lot of spaghetti squash. I’ve been trying to come up with different ways to enjoy our bounty and used this versatile vegetable for the November Hansen’s Dairy e-Moosletter recipe.
I left out the sour cream and used dairy-free ‘cheese’ for mine and it was delicious! Dave said the sour cream gave it good flavor and a creamy texture. You could use coconut ‘cream’ (the solid part of canned coconut milk) if you wanted to. You could also use any meat–or leave it out. You could also use a variety of different vegetables, herbs and spices. The spaghetti texture of the squash is like noodles, except with more fiber and fewer carbs. I personally like it because it’s simple, delicious and inexpensive. Real, whole food God gave us to fuel our body with and enjoy.
God does have great things in store for us….ordinary people like you and I.
Fr. David Kucera
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