The chocolate milk glasses have disappeared off the counter top. The baby graduated from college last spring. Lunch-time is a hopping time with the grandsons at the kitchen counter, but dinner time, well, that has been an adjustment. I imagine it will take a few years to adjust to not doubling recipes to fill the stomachs of a house full of boys growing.

There’s just socks for the two of us to match. It’s harder than you think. Our golden pup, not a year and a half, is both a paper thief and a sock thief. The days of scrambling to find matching Sunday shoes for the boys are long gone – or soccer socks, for that matter. I am glad to be relieved of that. We find ourselves prying the jaws of a determined golden retriever open to salvage the remains of socks, tiny green army soldiers, Legos. . . even coins. Some days, it’s like trying to shake money out of a piggy bank.

I’m still trying to find a rhythm to the daily that’s been filled with new things, good things, just different things that all have rhythms of their own. I live in the daily hope that my energy will match my schedule of to-do’s, yet I know the priceless value of brain restoration moments. I am thankful, one of my grandsons still is at the napping stage. Cooking even has its own new rhythm, one I’ve yet to master.

The days of doubling are over.
Until they boys grown walk through the door
wanting something good
that they’ve had before.
One drove from far away
for the day
and another brother hearing
brought his crew
and the heart-beat of the house
recognized,
it’s walls remembering those voices
it felt as though the house breathed
a joyous sigh
for we two are not as entertaining
a show
and the walls
keeping its secrets
knows stories
of growing boy antics
that filled the rooms of itself
with memories
it keeps close

No more admonishing
to make sure
not a one
is left without their portion
though the sauce
makes the dish.

So, he and I
take as much shrimp
as our bowl can hold.
There’s no one else
coming up behind
wanting more.
No, we’re not eyeing
the door
or the table chairs
or the kitchen counter stools
wanting them full
once more.
At least, not that we’d admit.

“See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up;
do you not perceive it?
I am making a way
in the wilderness and streams
in the wasteland.” 
– Isaiah 43:19

God is doing a new thing in me, with what I do with my time. He doesn’t leave our seasons empty. He fills them to the brim – if we ask Him. If we let Him. If we’re willing to allow His kind of changes in our schedules, in our thinking, in our risk-taking. This season of not doubling the recipes could feel like a wilderness in a wasteland, but God, He’s a God of growing and thriving. Some days it feels like a courtship season. Some days it feels like I’ve moved into a new space – and I can throw things out, rearrange – almost as though I were a newlywed again, but with a lifetime of stuff that needs sorting. Some things are the same, though – not enough time for writing – and the quiet time writing needs. Some days, the energy wanes heavily. Some days, though, the energy soars.

I am living in transition. I am grateful that during this transition between completing a almost- four-decade project and stepping in to new, different projects, God remains the steady hand guiding me, helping me step through new terrain, which I will tell you about after the last of the weddings at the end of October. This son asked me to make his wedding cake. . . because, “Well, Mom, you make the best cake.” Three-tiered. My hands are going to be shaking a lot at the end of the month, but God will remain steady. This transition into a new season – some days it feels wobbly. Some days it feels delightful.

In a day where rice isn’t needed to fill growing boys full of hunger, one of the changes has been reducing carbs in our menu. Just because the nest is emptying, doesn’t mean our taste buds have to suffer. Muddy’s Hot Shrimp and Rice has become Muddy’s Hot Shrimp soup. Don’t be deceived. The lemon in the recipe cuts the heat. It’s a sweet and savory season at the Blue Cotton House.

It is a season where there are more than enough shrimp to fill my bowl.. .

Your words are so choice, so tasty;
    I prefer them to the best home cooking.
With your instruction, I understand life;
~ Psalm 119: 103

Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter (divided in half)
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pounds small shrimp (uncooked, pealed and deveined)
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 cup whipping cream
Hot sauce (like Texas Pete’s)
Freshly ground black pepper.

In a soup pot ,melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, stirring for about two minutes. Add the shrimp and lemon juice, cooking on medium heat until the shrimp is pink all the way through. Add the 3 1/2 cup chicken broth, stirring. Stir in cream, drizzling the hot sauce around the top (just because it looks so pretty that way). Then stir, so that all the flavors are happily married.

Remember Me Monday: #151 Link-up

“I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
    all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
    his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
.    love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message

In the Old Testament, God repeatedly, quietly and loudly, tells his children, “You have forgotten me!”  (Jeremiah 3:32, Ezekiel 22:12, to name a few). It’s a heart cry from a father to a child who has forgotten all the love, all the saving, helping, little and big blessings – and it leaves me stunned when I realize our Father, the creator of the universe, who knows things I cannot begin to fathom, who authors storylines that leave me amazed, delights in all of us so much, He cries out, “Remember Me.”

While every day is a Remember God Day, I am inviting you to join me on Monday mornings to come by and remember what God has done for you, for your family. Maybe God sent a cardinal darting out in front of you, as if to tell you, “I’m here,” or broke a child’s fever after you laid it all down at His feet in a 2 a.m. bedside vigil. Maybe He stood with you in the wait of a prayer sent out, or brought someone you loved to Christ. Maybe He healed your broken heart, gave your courage, or you gave Him your dreams as a love offering only to have Him give them back in an unimaginable way. Maybe God helped you survive to bedtime after a crazy Monday, or forgive yourself for missing it with your kiddos –– Whatever it is, let’s Remember Him. . . in a “Remember Me Monday” love letter.

“My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
Of your salvation all the day long,
Though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord”
~ Psalm 71:15-16.

Let us delight in Him by telling the  stories of what He’s done!  If you wrote a blog post remembering what He’s done for you, join the linky. If you didn’t but still want to praise Him for what He’s done – write it in the comment section. Then visit a comment before or after yours! One of the beautiful things about the blogging community is the relationships it builds!

Rules?  Write long or short, a list or a story, include photos or not. Just Remember Him and what He has done, and let the gratitude of your heart guide you. Let’s make Monday so Rejoice, that the goodness of God spills into the rest of the week! (Link opens Mondays at 6 a.m.)

Places I’m Linking at This Week:
  Instaencouragements, Legacy Link-Up, 
Let’s Have Coffee Wednesday 
Recharge Wednesday, Scripture & a Snapshot
Grace&Truth, Sweet Tea & Friends
The Good, The Random, The Fun