That Thing Worth Salvaging

For her birthday a few weeks ago, my sister wanted thumbprint cookies from a bakery in Pittsburgh. My mother offered to make this happen, figuring she'd just call one of the bakeries we frequented when we lived there years ago.

But it turned out to be more difficult than she thought. 

Every one she contacted told her sorry no, they don’t ship thumbprints to Florida. One man she reached told her maybe, but he’d have to ask his brother first. Finally after three days of mulling it over, the brothers said okay. 

{In case you’re wondering what’s so great about Pittsburgh’s thumbprint cookies, all I can say is what's baked here can’t compare with the recipes passed down from generation to generation in the ethnic neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.}

My sister called when the cookies arrived and said they weren’t exactly what she expected. 

They arrived unfrosted with two piping bags filled with buttercream frosting laying beside them. 

Apparently these were frost-it-yourself cookies. 

She also said there was not a trace of a thumbprint on any cookie. 

So I told her to bring them over and I’d try to salvage them.

These cookies didn't look anything like the crumbly shortbread cookies we remembered, rolled in walnuts with the indentation in the middle to hold the almost-solid chocolate icing.

I did what I could. I melted some chocolate chips, a scoop of peanut butter and a chunk of butter and frosted them. 

They actually tasted rather delicious. 

{Which proves that even the worst cookies from a Pittsburgh bakery are better than the best we have here.}

My sister was happy. 
My niece and nephew thought they were surprisingly good. 
And my mother thanked me for saving the birthday.

I’m wondering if you, like me, have something that needs rescued?

Maybe it’s this year {even though it’s just begun} that already feels too full of have-to things, leaving you scant time for what feeds your soul. 

Maybe it’s your wait for that job or relationship or opportunity that your heart so craves. 

Or maybe it’s your hope for a fresh start that never seems to become a reality, despite your prayers and efforts to make a change.

Might you decide to salvage instead of scrap? Treasure instead of trash? Declare instead of discard?

Here's how I'm trying it. I’m salvaging my days by resetting my frame of mind when something small thunders a dark cloud over my mood and collides with my perspective. 

Before my day and my outlook are beyond repair, I’m trying to salvage them. And I'm extending this fresh-start idea to my expectations, friendships and hobbies. 

I’m choosing a verse of scripture - - just one— that I focus on all day, speaking it back to God in my mind until its words liberate my soul. 

And I find those words I’m saying to him in prayer turn into grateful thanks for rescuing me from a life that just a few years ago I was comfortable living far too small.

I think it might be part of this stirring and softening that God is doing with my heart that just happens to be drizzling over every part of my life. 

And when I can salvage my baking endeavors, I'm in for a sweet surprise.

After years of trying red velvet cake recipes, I was ready to abandon my quest for one that stays fresh for more than a day and is worth the effort to make from scratch. 

Until I made a version by Barb Bamber, a Canadian food blogger who shares her beautiful photos and recipes at justasmidgen.com. 

After my futile pursuits of red-velvet deliciousness, it just happened to be the best red velvet cake I’ve ever made.

It was red-velvet-redemption with a dusting of thumbprints for me. 

And you? What will you be salvaging?
 

I'm linking up with my friends at Holley Gerth's place at Coffee for your Heart and Kelly Balarie's Cheerleaders of Faith. Click the images and read more posts from my blogger friends!