Shok's Rice & Peas

This is what I am eating for supper tonight:

2 cups water
1 cup rice
1 cup peas

boil the above gently until the rice is soft

add:
1 pkg. Ramen noodles
1 t. salt
seasoning from Ramen noodles
a little more water, if needed

cook all until Ramen is soft

This is an original Shok recipe! Thank you to Shok for his cooking prowess. Tonight there's a woman in Europe who's thankful for it.

Oh, and I'm also having some leftover lasagne, my mom's recipe. Thank you to my mom for being a good cook. Tonight there's a woman in Europe ... (you know the rest).

And one more thing:

The Rice & Peas recipe is immortalized in a beautiful little recipe book assembled for me by my creative sister Tammy. Here is the inspiring quote which appears at the bottom of the Rice & Peas page:

'Treat people as if they are what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being.'
--Johann W. von Goethe

Your Whole Heart

Tear doubt from your heart, and do not allow it to hinder you from praying. You ask, "How can I beg anything from God, I who have sinned so much?" Never think like this. Instead, turn to God with your whole heart. Pray without wavering, and you will come to know his great mercy. He will never desert you, but will fulfill your heart's request, for he is not like men, who harbor grudges. No, he does not remember evil. He has compassion on all whom he has made.
--Hermas

New Link

A little link promotion is in order ...

To the left you'll find a new link for the Almere Mennonite Church. If you click on the "interviews met leden" (interviews with members) link at the top of the page, you should be able to find my photo/interview -- plus the photos/interviews of lots of other folks at the church.

I also encourage you to check out the link for Shok's Photos -- he's got a new and improved site going for 2004, with some really great stuff, including his own artwork! Very impressive!

There's also something new in Jackie's Photos, FYI.

60 hours without TV

So, it's been about 60 hours since I unplugged my tube and shoved it in the corner.

I must say, I'm feeling fine. I rather like my new ritual of reading myself to sleep. It's much more restful than (nearly) falling asleep in front of the TV.

2 1/2 days down, 51 1/2 days to go.

I wonder if I'll celebrate Easter by watching television all day? I hope not! But who knows how I'll feel by then ...

Differences of Opinion

Da-da-da! Da-da-da-da-da-daaaaa!

Sound the Trumpets!
This is a call for reader participation!!

Da-da-da! Da-da-da-da-da-daaaaa!

I recently had a conversation with some of my Dutch friends about conflict, differences of opinion, and the like. The question on the table was: How do Americans respond to conflict and express differences of opinion? And how is this different from the way Dutch folks respond to conflict and express differences of opinion?

Please, comment on how YOU think Americans respond to conflict.
Later in the weekend, I'll post on the Dutch side of things.

(I really need your help here. I've been living in the Netherlands so long, I don't really remember how Americans 'do' conflict! Please, re-educate me!)