I know, I know. Some people would like to ignore that, but I'll confess, I embrace my aging. I find myself just a bit happier and a bit more comfortable in my own skin as I get older. I love the life I've built with Himself. I love the family we've built. Well, I'm happy.
Maybe I don't mind getting older so much because I have a fondness for old things. My house is filled with antiques. I was talking about buying a Griswold pan for all my Minions. I want one to give each of them as they graduate. (I know, it's a few years off, but I like to be prepared.)
I've been teaching them to cook...and a lot of my cooking is in my Griswold, so that's where they're learning. I would like all of them to be fully functioning humans when they are young adults. Learning to feed yourself and others is a part of that. Learning to care for your personal needs is another...which is why after a summer-of-cooking, next summer is going to be the summer-of-laundry. They're going to learn how to do their own laundry, fold it and put it away. (I do love summer-themes...a couple summers ago, we had a summer-of-rafting. We built a few with varying degrees of success and eventually came up with a working raft! And you can ask the Minions about their summer-of-salad...loving salad was not the result, but they can all eat a salad, I'll call that a win.)
Back to the Griswold. The cast iron pans were made here in Erie. (If you read my books, you know how much I love writing about my hometown. I love collecting things from Erie as well.) The pan I cook in almost daily is over 100 years old. It's old, but still functional. One of the pieces we picked up recently was rough. It was rusted and had some pitting. We've been working on it and it's once again functional. It's developing a nice finish. It might be a bit worse for wear, but it does it's job.
That's what I'm hoping for as I age. Maybe I'll be a bit rusty with some pitting, but I want to still get the job done. I want to be hanging with the kids as they learn to build rafts, learn to cook, and do their own laundry. And so many other things. I want to help them find the beauty in the outdoors. I want to make them ask questions and go looking for the answers. I want them to be fully functional humans.
I've always been a fan of the triple goddess. Maiden, Mother and Crone. I found my younger years uncomfortable, and truly felt I came into my own in those mid-years, raising kids and caring for the elderly in my life. And I look at the crone-years with a sense of potential. The kids don't need me the same way. The Minions still have a few things to learn from me, but they don't need me as intensely. I feel like I'm coming into my own. Like my Griswold, I might show my years, but I still have work to do and I can still get it done!
I can't wait to see what comes next!
Award-winning author Holly Jacobs has over three million books in print worldwide. The first novel in her Everything But. . . series, Everything But a Groom, was named one of 2008's Best Romances by Booklist, and her books have been honored with many other accolades. She lives in Erie, Pennsylvania, with her family. You can visit her at www.HollyJacobs.com.
A Hometown Christmas: Hometown Hearts #8
Sometimes changing the world begins with changing your own life.
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Thanks for coming, Holly. I can't cook in cast iron to save my soul, but I'm way envious of people who can!
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me, Liz. If we're ever in the same place, I'll give you a lesson. It's all about a well seasoned pan.
DeleteLove your philosophy on getting older! Best of luck for your continued success.!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Barbara!
DeleteGreat outlook on aging. And I like your "summers-of-xxx." To this day, my mother asks me NOT to tell people that she taught me to cook because I'm really not very good at it. However, I can, as you say, feed myself!
ReplyDeleteI'm sitting out at camp and my internet went out as I hit send on a comment. I don't think it'll show up, but if I answer you twice, that's why. LOL And I said, my mom wouldn't have wanted anyone to know I got my style from her...I didn't. I'm a jeans and flannel kind of gal. She was more dapper than that! But if you can feed yourself, you're good!
DeleteNice to see you, Holly! I've read your books over the years. Now that I'm publishing books, I appreciate your talents even more. Ha. Loved your philosophy of life shared here. A "free look" at your Christmas book on Amazon has been going down the rabbit hole of Boyd and Josie's story. FYI, my little town has a library with a parking lot that sounds identical to the one they pulled their RV in to. :)
ReplyDeleteCathy, Than you so much for your kind words. I think most library parking lots have a lot of similarities! LOL I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!
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