Bethel Grace Abbey Mission

This is the online outreach for Bethel Grace Abbey Mission. May our efforts to serve the hurting and homeless souls of Southern California reach to the level He has set for us. May His Glory shine through the darkness and be evident in all we do at Bethel Grace Abbey. These are only our humble beginnings, but through His love, we can move mountains. Thank you for joining us on our mission. May your life be as blessed as mine has become.
In His Loving Grace,
Jennifer Joy

Monday, December 23, 2013

Family Traditions

299In this fast-paced world, where single parents are raising their children alone, or grandparents, out of necessity, take on the raising of their grandchildren, or where households are a mishmash of friends cohabitating out of financial necessity, is there anything left of the old holiday traditions?

With finances so tight that the special holiday meals and traditions cannot be carried out, what then are we passing along to our children? Or with families going every which way that they don’t even get together anymore, can we even expect Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter (and other holidays) to be sacred  anymore?

It pains me to see far more emphasis and effort put into the gatherings surrounding football games than our sacred holidays.

I dearly miss the gatherings we used to have when I was a child. We never had much, but there was always something special under the tree. In fact, one of my earliest memories is way back when I was probably three or four, and we were living with my mom’s parents. The house was very small, especially with seven people living together. We had our tree in the basement that year. I remember this so well, as clear as if it were yesterday. I got an Avon powder puff bunny and a Barbie that year. I was thrilled. It was my first Barbie.

I also have fond memories of the other Christmases during my childhood. One of our traditions was that we would spend Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa’s, having a nice family dinner together. Grandma was always buzzing around, her apron strings almost flying behind her as she made her way around the table, making sure everyone was well fed. I rarely saw her sit and partake of the entire meal with us, until later years when age finally slowed her down.

Then we would go home, all rosy-cheeked and eager to go to bed so that we could play with our new toys Christmas morning.

301One of Mom’s traditions was cinnamon rolls. I absolutely adored her cinnamon rolls. She’d make the dough the night before, at least a triple batch, and then she would put the Tupperware fix-n-mix bowl in the refrigerator to rise overnight. The next morning, that huge bowl would be overflowing with rich, sweet dough, and Mom was usually up at six to finish making the cinnamon rolls, so that we could enjoy them for breakfast.

Once again, I found myself really missing my mom the other day. She passed away five years ago. Wow. It is difficult to believe it has been that long already.

So I decided to whip up a batch of rich, sweet dough last night, and I got up this morning at six to finish them. It’s difficult, baking in a tiny RV oven, but I managed to make a single batch, and soon the entire coach was filled to overflowing with the wonderfully sweet smell of Christmas.

My prayer for you today is for fond memories to surface and for traditions to be reborn, if they have died away.

In His Grace,

Jennifer Joy

 

RICH SWEET DOUGH FOR CINNAMON ROLLS

  • 2 pkg. yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 2 eggs, beaten 
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
  • 4 1/2 cups flour

302Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Combine with the rest of the ingredients, beating the flour in cup by cup until smooth. The dough will be soft. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill at least two hours or overnight. divide in half, roll out, fill with softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and nuts (optional). Roll up tightly. Slice one inch thick and place in a buttered pan. Let rise over a pan of warm water. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Glaze immediately with your favorite vanilla frosting (thinned slightly). My favorite  frosting recipe follows:

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar
  • enough milk or water to thin to desired consistency

303

 

No comments:

Post a Comment