A Cookie Story

A young lady was waiting for her flight in the boarding room of a big airport. As she would need to wait
many hours, she decided to buy a book to pass the time. She also bought a bag of cookies.

She sat down in an armchair in the VIP room to rest and read in peace. Beside the armchair where the
packet of cookies lay, a man sat down in the next seat, opened his magazine and started reading. When
she took the first cookie, the man took one also.

She felt irritated, but said nothing. She just thought, "What nerve. If I was in the mood, I would punch
him just for daring!" For each cookie she took, the man took one too. This was infuriating her, but she
didn't want to cause a scene. When only one cookie remained, she thought: "Ah ha! What's this abusive
man going to do now?"

Then the man, taking the last cookie, divided it and gave her one half. That was too much! She was much
too angry now! In a huff, she took her book and things and stormed off to commence boarding. When she
sat down in her seat inside the plane, she looked in her purse to get her glasses, and, to her surprise, her
package of cookies was there, untouched, unopened.

She felt so ashamed. She was wrong. She had forgotten that she had put her cookies in her purse. The
man had divided his cookies with her without feeling angered or bitter...while she had been very angry
thinking that she was dividing her cookies with him. And now there was no chance to explain herself or to
apologize.

OUR GREATEST FEAR

Marianne Williamson from her book

"A Return to Love"

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,

but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.

It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give

other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
Adobong Manok ( Chicken Adobo )

Ingredients:

• 1 Kilo Whole chicken (cut into parts) or choice cuts of breasts, thighs or wings.
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 head garlic (firmly chopped) portioned into two
• 3 pcs. laurel (bay leaves)
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon peppercorn
• 3 tablespoons oil

Procedure:

1. In a deep skillet, brown chicken in oil.

2. Add vinegar, soy sauce, first portion of garlic, laurel, peppercorn and water.
3. Bring to a boil, lower the fire and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
4. When it gets too dry just add 1/2 cup of water.
5. Cover and let simmer until chicken becomes tender.
6. In a deep pan, cook remaining garlic until it becomes soft golden-brown.
7. Add the chicken and cook until lightly crispy and pour the rest of the adobo sauce.
8. Serve hot.

(Filipino chicken in vinegar sauce)

Adobong manok, often called "chicken adobo," is often considered the national dish of the Philippines. Its
origins are with the Spanish colonizers — adobo is the Spanish word for a marinade — but Filipinos have
happily adapted it as their own. The vinegar marinade makes a dish that stores very well in the Filipino heat.
Endless varieties of adobo exist and each region has its own specialty. Besides chicken and pork, there is fish,
squid, green bean and even eggplant adobo.

• Chicken, cut into serving pieces -- 2 1/2 to 3 pound

• White vinegar -- 3/4 cup
• Soy sauce -- 1/4 cup
• Onion, thinly sliced -- 1/2
• Garlic, crushed -- 4-6 cloves
• Bay leaf -- 1-2
• Peppercorns -- 6-8
• Salt -- 1 teaspoon
• Water -- 1 cup
• Oil -- 1/4 cup

Method

1. Add the chicken pieces, vinegar, soy sauce, onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt to
a large, non-reactive bowl and refrigerate for 1-4 hours to marinate.
2. Place the chicken and its marinade in a large pot. Add the water and bring to a boil over
medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until the chicken
is cooked through and tender. Add water as necessary to keep the chicken from drying
out.
3. Remove the chicken from its sauce, reserving the sauce, and pat dry. Heat the oil in a
skillet over medium-high flame and sauté the chicken pieces to brown them. Remove from
heat and set aside.
4. Bring the remaining sauce to a boil over medium flame and cook until somewhat reduced
and thickened.
5. Toss the browned chicken pieces with the reduced sauce and serve with rice.
Dining With God

Once there was a very poor and devoted woman who always prayed to the Glory of God,
asking very little, if anything for herself. But one thought, one desire continued to recur and
finally she asked: petitioning the Lord, that if it were possible she would love to prepare a
special meal and have God share at her table. And God, in His Love for this goodly woman,
said He would indeed come the next day and share a meal.

Filled with ecstasy, the woman went out the following morning with her meager purse and
purchased such delicacies that she felt would please the Lord.

Returning home, she prepared a banquet and waited patiently for her most honored guest.
Soon there was a knock on the door, and when she opened it, there stood an old beggar asking
for something to eat. Being a woman of God, she could not turn the beggar away, so she
invited him in to partake of her table. The beggar felt as if he was in a dream - such a feast set
before him. He finished all the food, thanked his hostess and left.

The woman was only slightly disheartened, she gathered up her purse, her coat, and hurried
back to town to get more food for her special guest. Her funds were less now and so the food
was not quite so elaborate. Nonetheless, she lovingly prepared another meal and sat to await
the arrival of the Almighty.

A few hours went by and there was a loud knock on the door. This time it was an old gypsy
woman with no teeth, who was deaf, who spoke quite loudly and was, rather rudely, insisting
that any true believer in the Lord would not deny her something to eat.

Though the woman had no more money with which to buy more supplies, she invited the
woman in and offered her a seat at the table. The gypsy ate everything, did not even thank the
woman and left without closing the door.

By now it was beginning to get dark both inside and out. The woman's faith was strong, so that,
though somewhat distraught, she did not give up, but rather, looked around her humble house
to see if there was anything she could sell in order to buy more food to set before the Lord.

She hurried to town with a little silver cup that had been in her family for several generations,
but she was willing to part with it for the great honor that God was going to bestow on her - the
sharing of a meal.

Late in the night she rushed home to prepare yet a third meal. She waited and waited until,
once more, there was a knock on the door. Holding her breath, she slowly opened the door to
find yet another poor man in the guise of a wandering monk, in search of a meal.

Again, she offered hospitality, with as much grace as she could muster in her disappointment.
This man also ate all that was set on the table and left after blessing the woman for her
kindness. So discouraged and dismayed was she that all she could do was nod slightly, in
acknowledgment of the thanks.

Now it was too late, with no way to buy any more food and no more money with which to buy it.
She got down on her knees, weeping such heart-broken tears. She asked God what she had
done wrong. Why had God not come to share at the table as He had promised?

And God, in all His Divine Compassion and Mercy, lifted the woman off her knees, and holding
her close to His Heart, said, "My child, I enjoyed your hospitality so much that I came three
times!"
The Seven Wonders of the World
Author Unknown

Junior high school students in Chicago were

studying the Seven Wonders of the World. At
the end of the lesson, the students were asked
to list what they considered to be the Seven
Wonders of the World. Though there was some
disagreement, the following received the
most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids

2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet
girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was
having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I
couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The
teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World
are:

1. to touch...
2. to taste...
3. to see...
4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...)
5. to feel...
6. to laugh...
7. and to love.

The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.

May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we
overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we
don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them.

Enjoy your gifts!