IN Everything

Jack Attack!

 The carmel literally EXPLODED as we made this cake together. Poor Jackie!! It burned off skin off of his elbow! And then to make matters worse...as we turned over his "Upside Down Cake" recipe after cooling on the baking rack for a while. THIS is what happened.

 OH the noise of tears and wails of "NOW MY CAKE is UGLY....I have NOTHING to bring..." Poor ole cake.

                                                              "Jack Attack"

 

 Sweet Jack need ed to give THANKS in this moment. I KNOW, mean Mommy, right? NO. When things look there worst, THAT is the ripe time for thanks.

 We don't need to remind ourselves to be thankful by listing a thousand things that are pleasant and beautiful if we could learn to be thankful in the one UGLY thing in front of us.

 SO... We picked up this homely ole cake. We tasted how sweet and yummy it was and considered bringing it to the contest anyway. "BUT I won't WIN, its not the prettiest!" tears welled back up... "BUT... I COULD feed it to the family after dinner... They'd R

EALLY like it. It would be...a TREAT for them."

Head begins to lift. The ugly cake is becoming a blessing.

 "And you know, I did work REALLY hard on it. It really is good....So lets save it for the family to enjoy."

 (Thank you God, for this ugly cake.)

 We set it down, take a photo, and go on to other things. Hearts lighter.

 Thanks IN things does that. EVERY time.

 And about an hour later...

 I walk by Jack's cake and suddenly have an idea.

 Apples! Sliced apples!

 I can SEE them gracing the top of his choice to be thankful and creating it into something really beautiful.

 "Hey! Let's try something, Jack!" And we find apples and adorn our thanks cake with slices of amber goodness and pecans. And it forms into something quite...beautiful.

 

 

                                                                "Redemption"

 "NOW you can enter it, Jack!" a brother mentions as he walks by, "Good Job, it's looking great!" Jack turns the plate around slowly, taking it all in.

 "Yeah, but then I couldn't feed it to the family and make them all happy."

 "Well," I get to smile back. "Now you'll have a CHOICE about who to make happy with your cake!"

 And so it is grace that was in disguise which now goes with my little Jack to school all dressed in apples on a platter.

 It was a gift to truly give thanks when there was nothing in the hand, nothing for the eyes to see...

And then,to see by faith,

 and give thanks....

Then, to get to give thanks when a heart's desire came to pass.

 But really,

 the first thanks was the most powerful. And JUST as yummy!! :))