Merry Christmas

Last night our family met for a Christmas dinner to honor my eighty-six-year-old mother. We ate, laughed, hugged, enjoyed and wished each other a Merry Christmas. Then we all drove our separate way home with family members to prepare for the holidays.

As I started my hour and half drive home, Christmas carols played softly on the radio and I sang along, recalling the room full of love I'd left a few minutes before. The gathering was one of the best we've had in a while, even though we missed the ones who weren't there. It's good to be with family, any time or any reason.

I listened while the station took requests for songs to play for loved ones or any other reason the caller wanted. The requests varied from a song for a wife, a girlfriend, a mother, a father. One call from a father for his three month old daughter, particularly touched my heart. The man's love obvious for his child came through loud and clear.

When I stopped for a traffic light, lost in my own thoughts, the saddest woman's voice quivered across the miles, while she made her song request. The song was for her. To lift her spirits at the upcoming holidays, she said.

By the time the radio host had asked her about not having anyone, I heard her voice crack and she almost lost it right there. All her family had passed away and she had no one. But she did have a church family. By the time the host was ready to play the song, the woman's mood had definitely brightened. She'd reached out to a stranger, opened her heart, and the radio host hadn't let her down.

I hope the caller, who had no family, wraps her arms around her church family who loves her, finds peace and comfort through the holidays and beyond. Holidays combined with loneliness, trigger depression and that's something I don't wish on anyone.

I'm thankful every moment for my family and the love we share. I am blessed.

May you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I wish you, Blessings, Butterflies and Music.

Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent

Challenge - Literary Agent, Nathan Bransford , of Curtis Brown, Ltd. has offered a reading of your manuscript's first paragraph.

At my last viewing, 8:45 tonight, 791 people had already posted. Wow! He's in for some reading. Anyway, should you decide to post, the deadline is Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 4pm Pacific time.

Click on the the link below to begin reading, or submit your own paragraph. http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2008/12/2nd-sort-of-annual-stupendously.html

Since there are 791 posts, the page takes extra time to load, but is worth the wait.

Get those paragraphs in. Happy writing.

Recipe-Carol's Pistachio Pie

Recipe

I've shared this recipe with several friends and they've enjoyed it so much, I thought you may find it one of your favorites too. My daugher-in-law makes a similar dessert, absolutely yummy, but isn't diabetic friendly.

This pie is great for Diabetics. One small slice, not the whole pie. Ha! I could almost eat the entire pie myself. But I never have and won't at any time in the future.

Prepare and enjoy this delicious dessert for Christmas and you'll be sharing the recipe also.

Carol’s Pistachio Pie

1 small container Cool Whip
1 box Sugar Free Pistachio instant pudding mix
1 can (20 oz.) chilled Crushed Pineapple (No sugar added) (drained –SAVE –the juice)
1/8 cup lemon juice
1 cup small pecan pieces (these taste better if toasted lightly, then cooled)
1 deep dish baked pie crust s OR 2 regular size baked crusts OR 2 Graham Cracker crusts

If you want it mounded over use 1 crust, otherwise I usually use 2 crusts, it freezes better that way.

Drain pineapple well, so you get all the juice, into a large mixing bowl, set aside pineapple. Add lemon juice to the bowl of pineapple juice. Whisk in quickly 1 box Pistachio pudding (dry mix) until it thickens, add pecans and pineapple. Fold in Cool Whip. Pour into crusts. Let chill for a couple hours.

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Depends on how much Cool Whip I want to use, sometimes I use a bit more (about a cup) from another container. Not too much though or the pie isn't flavorful enough.

For the holidays, if you want to dress it up, add a few Maraschino Cherries–well drained – on top in the shape of a tree, bell, cross, maybe a sprig of mint, etc. Or use your imagination. If you don’t eat all the pie within a couple days, you should freeze, as the crust (either one) will tend to be soggy. I let it set out about 30 min., slice what I need, then refreeze. Cover tightly with saran wrap and foil before freezing.

NaNoWriMo Winner

This winner's button almost fell by the wayside. But, I did finish NaNoWriMo. (National Novel Writing Month) November was filled with family issues, not to mention Thanksgiving and other priorities that kept creeping into my writing time. The closer I got to the 50,000 required word count, the more I knew I had to cross over the winner's line. Writing is as vital as breathing, still family must come first.

Sprinting with a group of fantastic writers helps keep the momentum flowing. Thanks to all the ladies out there in our Endurance Writing Group. I couldn't have done it without your help.

More later, now it's time to relax.