Abundant Gifts Sample Newsletter

Welcome to

ABUNDANT GIFTS

a newsletter to help you develop

the habit of seeing every day gifts from

a lavish God

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Published by Diane Eble

author of ABUNDANT GIFTS

A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

( New Hope, 2004)

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November

In This Issue:

* Happy Thanksgiving!

* A Recipe to Feed Your Heart

* Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

* How to get an autographed copy

* Abundant Gifts to Relish in November

* Perspectives On … Gratitude

* Pass It On

* Subscribe/Unsubscribe

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I am thankful to be able to squeeze in the time to write

this newsletter, amid the busyness of birthdays (we

have two in November), the upcoming holidays, job

changes, school activities, etc., etc.!

In this issue, I will give one recipe to feed your heart

(thanks to Janet Penley), and two to feed your belly.

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A RECIPE TO FEED YOUR HEART

One of the many things I'm grateful for this year is the

privilege of having worked with Janet Penley to get out

the book, MotherStyles, and for all that I received from

Janet's rich store of knowledge about mothering and

personality type. Here is an article by Janet with an

excellent suggestion that is perfect for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Many of you

are ordering turkeys and making grocery lists for

favorite recipes. This, more than any other holiday, is

about feeding our bellies. I have a suggestion for you

that will feed your heart as well.

Write Your Mother a Note of Gratitude and Heal

Yourself!

The mother-daughter relationship is complicated. Many

a woman has told me that she lives with her mother's

voice inside her head. If we're lucky, she speaks to us

words of wisdom and encouragement. Unfortunately,

many times our mother's voice is critical, making us

feel not-good- enough and robbing us of the joy of

being ourselves.

I believe the single most important thing we can do to

grow in our own self-acceptance is becoming more

accepting of our mothers. If we can begin to see our

mothers with the eyes of glass-half- full instead of half-

empty, we will find it much easier to give ourselves the

same positive regard.

I encourage you to write a letter to your mother listing

at least 10 things you most appreciate about her. Use

her profile in MotherStyles as a resource to trigger

thoughts about her strengths.

Do it for you! To feed your heart with loving thoughts.

Sometimes our anger and disappointment can bury the

deep love we feel.

You needn't give it to her if you don't want. In fact, do

this even if your mother is no longer alive. An exercise

like this can produce a shift in energy at a transcendent

level.

But if you'd like to share your thoughts, write your list

on a pretty card and give it to your mother as a

Thanksgiving gift. After all, Thanksgiving is about

cultivating a mind-set of gratitude. Many experts say a

grateful heart is the key to greater happiness.

Thanks, Janet! I'm going to do it!

To learn more about the MotherStyles book, go to

http://www.snipurl.com/MotherStyles/.

Also, check out Janet's Web site at

http://www.motherstyles.com/. You can even take a

quiz there and begin to learn your own (or your mom's)

mother style.

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FAVORITE THANKSGIVING RECIPES

My gift to you—I hope it’s not too late!--is two of my

favorite recipes for the holidays. Both of these go great

with either ham or turkey, so try them for Christmas, if

not now.

SPICED SWEET POTATOES

Preparation time: 35 minutes

Cooking time: 55 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

This came from Raeanne Sarazen, a test kitchen director,

who adapted her mother's "candied" sweet potato casserole

made with lots of brown sugar and holiday spices. She left

out the marshmallows that all her siblings enjoyed. It can be

made a day ahead and reheated before

serving.

6 sweet potatoes, peeled

2 tablespoons cold water

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup light brown sugar

6 tablespoons butter

Zest of 1 lemon

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon each, ground: nutmeg, cinnamon,

cardamom

3/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts, see note

     1. Place sweet potatoes in large saucepan; add water to

cover. Heat to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook until

potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; cool.

Slice 1/2-inch thick. Place in greased 13-by-9-inch

baking dish; set aside. (Can be done 3 hours ahead and

left at room temperature.)

    2. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix water and cornstarch

in small bowl until smooth; set aside. Heat sugar and

butter over low heat in small saucepan until sugar is

dissolved. Stir in lemon zest, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and

cardamom. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Pour syrup over

potatoes; toss to coat well. Sprinkle with walnuts.

   3. Cover with foil; bake 20 minutes. Remove foil; stir

potatoes gently. Bake until liquid bubbles and potatoes

are glazed, about 10 minutes more.

   Test kitchen note: To toast walnuts, place them on

baking sheet; toast in 350-degree oven until light brown

and fragrant, about 15 minutes.

DOUBLE CRANBERRY RELISH MOLD (serves 10)

1 (3 oz.) pkg. raspberry gelatin

1 (3 oz.) pkg. lemon gelatin

1/2 c. sugar

2 c. boiling cranberry juice

1 c. cold water

1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple in juice

1 T. lemon juice

2 c. fresh or frozen cranberries

1 small orange, unpeeled and quartered

1 c. chopped celery

½ c. chopped walnuts

 

     Combine gelatin and sugar. Pour boiling cranberry juice

over it, stirring to dissolve. Stir in cold water, undrained

pineapple and lemon juice. Chill until thick as egg white.

    Put cranberries and orange through food grinder or food

processor. Combine with walnuts and celery. Fold into

gelatin mixture. Pour into 5 ½ c. mold.

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HOW TO GET AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY

OF ABUNDANT GIFTS

Every year I give people the opportunity to buy

autographed copies of Abundant Gifts. (Makes a great

gift for a great price.) I even gift wrap them for you!

Plus, you will have your choice of two different covers.

For details, see the green box below.

This offer is good only while supplies last and there is

time to mail packages out, so don't delay!

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ABUNDANT GIFTS TO RELISH IN NOVEMBER

* Turkey, pumpkin pie, spiced sweet potatoes, and

   other delicacies

* the amazing variety of foods, and the creativity

  humans express in preparing them

* the senses of taste and smell

* children’s laughter

* the warmth of hospitality, whether extended or

  received

* a warm home

* the kindness of strangers

* a sincere “thank you” from another person

* faith to believe in the unseen

* our own imperfections, which remind us of our need

  for other people

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PERSPECTIVES ON … GRATITUDE

" It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich."

-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in

everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in

nothing."--Hannah Whitall Smith, God of All Comfort

"The unthankful heart … discovers no mercies; but let

the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the

magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour,

some heavenly blessings!"--Henry Ward Beecher

"I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the

street, I met a man who had no feet."--Denis Waitely

"You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace

before the concert and the opera, and grace before the

play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book,

and grace before sketching, painting, swimming,

fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace

before I dip the pen in the ink."--G.K. Chesterton

"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every

man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which

all men have some."--Charles Dickens

"I thank God for my handicaps for, through them, I

have found myself, my work, and my God."

--Helen Keller

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PASS IT ON!

If you like this newsletter, forward it to a friend! (In its

entirety, please.) Your recommendations are how this

newsletter grows.

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Copyright © 2006 by Diane Eble. All rights

reserved.

* Copyright Notice/Reprint Policy

All material in this ezine is protected by U.S. Federal

Copyright law. It may not be reprinted in any form, or posted

on any Web site without explicit permission from

Diane Eble.

ALL comments welcome and reprint permission

available through e-mail request. No reasonable request

denied.

Want more? Read past issues in the archives .