JOYFUL WORDS
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Hospitality
  • About Sheri

Keepers Of The Dough

11/7/2013

5 Comments

 
God loves a cheerful giver.  2 Corinthians 9:7

 I have a treasure in my refrigerator! Its roots trace back to Minnesota more than 40 years ago and it has been split and shared again and again. What is it? It’s sour dough bread starter and it makes the most delicious soft, fluffy bread you’ve ever tasted!  It’s really pretty simple to take care of, feed it potato flakes, water and sugar every ten days or so and use a cup to bake a batch of delicious bread or rolls! I got my first jar of dough starter from my dear Kansas friend and former teacher Chris.  She got it from her mother in Minnesota.   When I brought it from Kansas to Michigan I shared it with many people but my great friend Coffee Cindy has been the true and loving keeper of the dough.  Both Cindy and Chris have made that bread dough hundreds of times and lovingly shared a loaf of warm bread or a pan of fresh cinnamon rolls with people as a sign of friendship, thanks or comfort.  I admire their diligence and their consistency in keeping and sharing that simple pleasure with so many people.  I still have my starter but I’ve not been the good steward of the dough starter they have.

 That silly jar of stuff in the fridge is like so many things in life that we just take for granted. We worry about picking out the right card or buying the perfect gift and end up spending twice what we intended to in an attempt to convey affection or support or thanks.  The busier we get the more often we seem to make mountains out of mole hills!  Chris, Cindy and the dough starter remind me that sometimes something as simple as a homemade goodie offered warm and with a smile can be so much more touching than anything we can buy in a store. People don’t want more stuff…they want to know someone cares about them enough to offer a gift of their time and
talent…we were a people created for LOVE…God gave us that one rule…that one duty…that one purpose!  Those simple loving acts of kindness bring out the goodness in others.  The guy who shoveled the driveway and got a loaf of warm bread came back the next snow to do it again, not because he wanted more bread (well maybe that was part of the motivation) but because that simple act of love inspired him to love in return.

When my mom had to be driven to the hospital for radiation treatments she HATED burdening someone else so in order to make her lack of independence more tolerable, she handed the volunteer who drove her, a plate of warm cookies.  She did it because it was the most personal thing she could think of and it was a true offering of love.  I have a neighbor who sends her kids over every now and again with fresh eggs and it touches my heart!   If someone presents us with money or a gift we sometimes feel a sense of obligation but if someone offers a simple gift of their thoughtfulness, time or talent we feel a sense of love…and the only way to respond to that is through gratefulness and love in return.  Please don’t think you have to bake
something.  My sister in law popped into my classroom a couple weeks ago and set a fresh hot cup of coffee on my desk.  I was so surprised and touched by that simple kindness.  My little lovelies summed it up best when they said, “Wow she must really love you because coffee is your favorite thing of all!”  Even at their young age, they recognized how big a $1.00 cup of coffee could be. As our culture gets more and more “over the top” now seems to be the perfect time to step backwards and choose to trade in the big stuff for some simple acts of love.   
 
A Seed To Plant:  Think of three people who could use a simple act of love then make a plan to offer a simple expression of love to them.

 Blessings on your day!


5 Comments
Coffee Cindy
11/6/2013 11:16:59 pm

Thanking you for the wonderful blog, the gift of your friendship, and the bread starter that has identified me as bearer of hot rolls and bread. Love you.

Reply
Kathy
11/7/2013 12:18:52 am

As I start to get all of the Christmas catalogs in the mail, this post speaks exactly the way I feel. Thanks. Perfect timing.

Reply
Beckie
11/7/2013 04:16:07 am

Thank you for a wonderful simple message today, and can you share the bread starter recipe?

Reply
Dianne
11/11/2013 02:52:57 am

The simpliest things in life are so over looked any-more! I also would like the bread starter recipe...sounds very good!!

Reply
Chris
11/11/2013 12:25:48 pm

I can hardly wait for the Christmas visit and serving your family cinnamon rolls.....also, I can send you some fresh starter. I also have a recipe for making the started, haven't tried it but .......love you!!!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Joyful Words magnet picture

    ​Click on the items below to expand the options available to you to explore the Joyful Words blog.

    Categories

    All
    1 Corinthians
    1 John
    1 Thessalonians
    2 Corinthians
    Acts Of Love
    Advent
    Ageing
    All In
    Amazing
    Anxiety
    Armor Of God
    Asking For Help
    Bad Habits
    Balance
    Baptism
    Be
    Beauty
    Being Gracious
    Blessed Mother Teresa Of Calcutta
    Blessing
    Blessings
    Brokenness
    Carry Our Cross
    Catholic Education
    Change
    Changes
    Cheerfulness
    Children
    Choices
    Christian Belief
    Christmas
    Colossians
    Commitment
    Comparisons
    Compassion
    Consistent
    Content
    Contentment
    Courage
    Crosses
    Crumbs
    Dad
    Daughters Of God
    Delight
    Desire
    Desire God
    Details
    Dicipleship
    Die To Self
    Discipleship
    Dissapointment
    Dying To Self
    Easter
    Ecclesiastes
    Education
    Election
    Encouragement
    Enemy
    Ephesians
    Evangelization
    Exodus
    Expectations
    Faith
    Faithfulness
    Falling Short
    Family
    Fathers Love
    Fear
    Flag
    Footstool
    Forgiveness
    Fresh Start
    Friendship
    Fr. Mike
    Fr. Mike Schmitz
    Galatians
    Generosity
    God In Everyday Things
    God In Scripture
    Gods Beloved
    God's Enough
    God's Forgiveness
    Gods Gifts
    God's Guidance
    God's Love
    Gods Love
    God's Plan
    Gods P Lan
    God's Restoration
    Gods Strength
    God's Timing
    Gods Timing
    Gods Ways
    God's Will
    Gods Will
    Goodness
    Good News
    Grace
    Grandma
    Grandpa
    Gratefulness
    Gratitude
    Greatness
    Gretness
    Grief
    Happiness
    Healing
    Heart
    Heaven
    Hebrews
    He Chose Me
    Holiness
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Thrusday
    Holy Thursday
    Holy Week
    Hope
    Humble
    Humility
    Identity In Christ
    Intimacy
    Isaiah
    James
    Jeremiah
    John
    Joshua
    Joy
    Judgement
    Justice
    Kids
    Kindne
    Kindness
    Labor
    Laughter
    Lent
    Lessons
    Light
    Listening
    Little
    Love
    Lovelies
    Luke
    Mark
    Marriage
    Mary
    Matthew
    Meekness
    Mercy
    Mom
    Mornings
    Mud
    Obedience
    Openness
    Parenting
    Parentng
    Patience
    Peace
    Pentacost
    People
    Perseverance
    Perspeceive
    Perspective
    Philippians
    Pioneers
    Pleasing God
    Poor
    Porch
    Positive
    Possibilities
    Pray
    Prayer
    Priorities
    Promises
    Proverbs
    Psalm
    Relationship
    Religion
    Respect
    Romans
    Sacrifice
    Sacrifices
    Sainthood
    Saints
    Samuel
    Scripture
    Seeking God
    Service
    Serving God
    Signs
    Silence
    Simple
    Sin
    Sinfulness
    Slow Down
    Small Stuff
    Steve Ray
    Stillness
    St. Mary's 4th Of July
    Strength
    Stress
    Suffering
    Surprises
    Surrender
    Temptation
    Thanks
    The Right Thing
    Time
    Troubled Times
    Trust
    Trust In God
    Truth
    Understanding
    Unravelled
    Valentines
    Waiting
    Weddings
    Word Of The Year
    Words
    Works Of Mercy
    Worry


    ​Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012


    Back to Home

    RSS Feed


      HOME                        BLOG                       SPEAKING                        WRITING                        HOSPITALITY                        MEET SHERI  

CONTACT: 989.640.6673
Picture
EMAIL

FACEBOOK

Twitter

Content is the intellectual property of Sheri Wohlfert 2017
Created by dhengesbach
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Hospitality
  • About Sheri