Everything, Nothing, and I'm a Middle Child

Kristen and I experimented, last night, with our first soup base. I'm pretty sure that the will of God has something to do with soup bases but, really, all I could think of was, "I hope that the house doesn't burn down."

Maman has taught me well not to leave hot things unattended. I couldn't sleep last night knowing that I had two gallons of water simmering over an electric burner that was at roughly one fifth its full power:)

Hahaha!! Thanks for making me laugh. Wow, looking back on this I think I stayed up too late. Jet lag sucks.

Jet lag does, indeed, suck.

I haven't had the "It's God's will." bit from anyone here. For a start, the UK is largely godless. It's not agnostic - or even rampantly atheistic. It's more religiously apathetic. Thankfully for those of us who enjoy coffee, many of the churches of old Edinburgh have been tastefully converted into cafes.

I was at a ceilidh in the Hub on Wednesday and couldn't help but appreciate how beautiful a setting a church is to drink a cup of coffee or spoon into a steaming bowl of haggis, neeps and tatties after a rigorous go at Strip the Willow.

Instead, I tend to get "We have you in our thoughts." I'm really grateful for this. I'm glad that people ask. I'm glad that they let me tell the story over and over again, that they let me complain about how the Cleveland Clinic didn't give us much information about how to care for Maman, etc.

They've been great. I wish for you the same thing, Sis. I think about you every day. If I still prayed, I would pray for you.

Much love,
Your brother, Nathan

Mensch,
Indeed, leaving hot things unattended is not wise. That said, I do leave soup burbling for several days (while I go to work) and nights, BUT, I use a gas stove and can control the heat to with in 5 degrees, making sure the stock never goes above 200 degrees. I don't have the same confidence in electric stoves, because I have really never used one. Once you have that kind of control of your stove, you can make soup stock with confidence. Or you could try using your crockpot.

Mara,
I suppose in a 'very big picture way', this could be construed as God's will, but how I respond is much more about me (and you guys, thanks). Try to hear what people think they mean. We all have been at a loss for words and said dumb stuff. It's one of the things that helps us make better choices next time.

Nathan,
Thoughts, prayers, healing white light . . . I'll take it all. Someone sent me a Raiki healing session telepathically. It's all good.
See you soon!

I'd love to go for lunch, but unfortunately they won't give me THAT much time off for lunch.

I'm not sure about Mendon's interpretation, I was hoping God's Will had something to do with there being lots of handknits in the world (yes, I've been slaving away at, not just a beautiful alpaca scarf, but "God's Will" lately).

Mara,

I'm really sorry to hear about your mom's illness. It's a difficult time (having been through the big C with my mom twice), and you all will just hunker down and get through it, because really, that's just what you do. You can all be rest assured, though, that a lot of people are thinking of and praying for her and the rest of you.

Thanks, Val - I'd love to have lunch with you, too :-)

Amelia - so nice to 'see' you! You're right, hunkering down is exactly what we're doing, I suppose. Thank you for the support. Hearing from people who have gone through it is very reassuring to me.