Erwin McManus
The first stage of grief is denial and is expressed by not accepting or acknowledging the event or change in one's life. As I stated last week, you can experience grief during any kind of change in your life. It doesn't occur just when there is a death even though that's when everyone expects to grieve.
Denial, for me, has been a coping mechanism. When something or someone causes me emotional pain, anxiety or worry, I just refuse to think about it and try to go about my day, distracting myself with activities. The problem is that I'm not really coping and it soon becomes evident when I snarl at my husband or my dog or go around mumbling about people's ignorance all day. Um...yeah, that's not coping!
In order to get through the stages of grief, I must first acknowledge that I am indeed grieving. Then, I have to figure out why I am grieving. Has something changed and taken me out of my comfort zone? Do I miss the chaos of having kids at home? Do I feel adrift without a set work schedule? Do I feel like I am not contributing to my marriage or to society? Do I feel like I will be a pathetic sick person the rest of my lie and won't ever have a normal life? Has a relationship changed when I was comfortable with how it was? Have I grieved before and just don't want to go through it again? I could go on, but hopefully you can apply this idea to your own situation.
It's extremely helpful to ask God to help you figure out if you are indeed in the stage of denial. Then be ready to deal with it because He will reveal to you whether you are grieving or not and why you are grieving. Once you get the first step figured out, then you will experience the second step, which is anger. We will talk about this tomorrow...
Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity? But as for me, I would seek God, and I would place my cause before God; Who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number." Job 2:10, 5:8-9
Creativity
I would like to showcase my oldest daughter's artwork again today. She painted four of these last year for Christmas for herself, her sisters and me. They beautifully express our relationships.
She paints with unusual tools - bubble wrap, credit cards, screen, stencils, stamps, cans dipped in paint... I love the colors, too. There's so much texture and detail that the photograph just doesn't do it justice. But I hope it is inspiring.
Today's Recipe - Cheese Soup with Broccoli and Cauliflower
Cuisine at Home - Slow Cooker Menus
1 head broccoli, chopped, reserve 2 cups florets
1 head cauliflower, chopped, reserve 2 cups florets
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
3 cups shredded white American cheese (12 oz)
2 cups half-and half
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Toss together chopped broccoli, chopped cauliflower, onion, celery, carrots, and flour in a 4-6 qt slow cooker. Stir in broth, garlic, and 1 tsp salt. Cover; cook until vegetables are tender, on low-heat setting for 3 hours.
Puree soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Return pureed soup to the slow cooker.
Stir in cheese, half-and-half, lemon juice, and cayenne. Cover soup; cook on low-heat setting for 10 minutes.
Add reserved broccoli florets and cauliflower florets. Cover soup; cook on low-heat setting until florets are tender, 45-60 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper. Makes 8 servings/ 298 calories per serving
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