then come back here for the update:
"I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me." Psalm 13:6
2/20/2015: UPDATE: Four years later, the family tradition continues, only this time it is my son Scott showing my grandson (his nephew) Noah how to bake Grandma Mursch's Orange Cookies. (Go here for the recipe and history) Pictures to follow. This is especially poignant because Noah's father, our son Matthew, passed away last year after a four year battle with cancer. Noah is now 15 years old, and this was his first airplane trip to visit us all by himself...and to spend some much needed Steiner family bonding time with his uncles and grandparents. My thanks to his wonderful mother Nicole for sharing him with us this past week. What a blessing and time of healing this was for all of us.
One of the things on Noah's bucket list for this week was to learn how to bake Orange Cookies with Uncle Scott teaching him, Yes, he did some fun "manly" things with his uncles too, like riding every roller coaster ride at Busch Gardens...some even twice....
And goofing around with the Uncles, laughing, eating, playing cards, video games, eating...laughing...
Celebrating Grandpa's Birthday...(no, he isn't really 661 years old...that's just a creative
way to say 67 when you don't have a # 7 Candle!)
Taking "selfies" with Grandma
More Eating with the extended family tree...
Standing Tall with his Uncles and Grandpa...
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| I can't believe our "little grandson" is now as tall as his uncles (6'1") and almost as tall as his Grandpa... His daddy Matthew was a little bit taller at about 6'3"...but Noah is almost there...and definitely still growing... |
But, back to the Orange Cookies:
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| First, Uncle Scott explains to Noah the importance of careful measurement and mixing things in order... |
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| Then he shows him the secret information: FOLDING in the buttermilk correctly... |
To sum it all up...
"I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me." Psalm 13:6
That was my choice verse back in 2011 when I first wrote about our son Scott coming home and baking cookies....and now 4 years later, after much family sorrow, trials and tribulations...I am still able to "sing to the Lord..." because "He has dealt bountifully with me." Yes, we have lost one of our precious sons, but we have gained a measure of his spirit and presence in the gift of his wonderful son Noah, who is growing up into a very fine young man who would make his daddy very proud....and who is also making us very proud.
Thank you, Lord...for dealing so bountifully with me. Amen.
2-21-15: Postscript: I was thinking about the time that Scott baked these orange cookies especially for his brother Matthew, back in 2012, when Matthew had come to visit us for a week by himself in between his chemo treatments for cancer. Scott woke up extra early to bake the cookies so that Matthew could take them home with him on the plane. Here is a picture of this special time:
Now maybe you can understand why this is such a special bonding thing for our family. Precious memories.
