Author: Kathryn Spurgeon

Christian writer and speaker Memory House Publishing

Overnight Chefs

by Kathryn Spurgeon, posted in My Thoughts

My 11-year-old twin granddaughters become chefs overnight. It happened last week when they asked to use my kitchen for an hour. I hesitated, like any normal adult would who has ever been a kid. The hesitation passed in my desire to keep them happy, and an hour later, I beheld their amazing work. They somehow found a Dutch Apple Pie recipe in my trove of cookbooks; converted it to Apple Cupcakes; made their own homemade pie crust, used apples from the apple tree in my back yard and came up with an amazing, delicious desert. Wow!

Not finished showing off their culinary skills, the girls requested permission to cook a “special” dinner for my husband and I. What? I should have had more confidence in their abilities, but, okay, the hesitation faded again. We drove to the grocery store where they chose the food, then they set a table complete with candles, donned aprons, and Voilà – a wonderful meal.  The reasonable prices on the homemade menu began with shrimp cocktail for 25 cents! I do believe we have connoisseurs in the making. Here are a few pictures of that premiere meal.

Dutch Apple Cupcakes

 

The secret recipe.

 

Special jewelry they made earlier.
They insisted I dress up!

Oh, I failed to mention the blueberry pie, honey candy and jelly rolls they made the next day!

The Tea Cup

by Kathryn Spurgeon, posted in Writing

Saturday, Bill and I had a free afternoon, seldom found around here, even if we don’t have anyone else living with us at the moment. So we decided to eat out for lunch. Again, very rare that we eat out. Anyway, I mentioned Inspirations and he agreed.  I’m not sure what he thought when he walked into a dainty, feminine tea house, but I think he enjoyed it. He just seemed out of place, my big tall man surrounded by dainty tea cups. It made me think of this essay I wrote for my mom.

Sentimental, maybe, but I remember the teacup well. Little rose-colored hearts adorned the sides, and gold swirls laced the rim, playing along the edge. Near the bottom, tiny treasures signaled the time to refill the cup with tea. And so we refilled it over and over as we sat and talked at the table. Perhaps it was your heart talking to mine or my heart responding to some mysterious message of warmth from your sweet raspberry tea.

Mother, I still remember the insight into life you shared. When we laughed at my two-year-old’s gibberish and she crawled into your lap wanting a sip of hot tea. You taught me how to be firm but loving. And I remember the day we cried together over your own mother’s rejection of you, her harshness and the healing that came when you understood her past.

Some days we had big grown-up talks about men and boys and the horror of rape or incest or neglect or abandonment. Somehow it was never as horrible, the way you said it. Your heart always enveloped the unmentionable in your warmth and your concern. Even my own pain lessened and I felt your words comforting and expanding to embrace my hurt. You were always there with your support and insight as to why.

And just when my heart could not hold any more, the cat would jump playfully into your lap and you would laugh. “Someone is always begging for a sip of my tea,” you said.

And you’d pour out a little of the raspberry sweetness into a saucer and set it on the ground, never holding anything back. Wisdom, maybe that’s what you poured into my cup of tea.

God’s wisdom, and sometimes His wisdom through others like my mother,  is never ending, always being poured into our lives.

Kim Bops

by Kathryn Spurgeon, posted in International

Two daughters who love Korean food came to make kim bops. Traditionally, we get together to eat Korean food. Anyone thinking of entering into the family must be submitted to this tradition.

Now who would have thought my Korean daughters woud share my love for this food! 🙂 Now the kimchi is a little much for t, but some day she’ll come around.  Hey, I just read that the fermented cabbage is good for your digestive system! Everyone, I think, likes the bulgogi, Korean BBQ.

Anyway, we had a great time, and a few of the grandkids love the kim bops too.  In case you don’ t know, they are rice and vegetables wrapped in seaweed.  They look like sushi without the fish!

Poems about Progression

by Kathryn Spurgeon, posted in Poetry

The Sugar Mule magazine published a couple of my poems.

Thought I’d add these to my blog.

KATHRYN SPURGEON
Progression 

Sunlight, clouded by dark sunglasses, 
pours over the green grass and dipping hillsides 
where cattle wade in muddy waters, old barns crumble 
and barbed wire fences line dirt roads. 
It shrinks, the pasture where brush is plowed under. 
Bulldozers level the meadows, planting rows of gas lines, 
ruts of electricity and paths of concrete
where no cows are tethered or horses wander free. 
Majestic oak trees give way to Bartlett pears, 
swing sets and rose gardens. 
The remaining Angus gather together in clumps
on the far side of the openness watching the building, 
the coming of civilization, while herds of Palominos,
near extinct beasts replaced by bicycles, 
watch the creeping face of progression. 

Uncertain Future

Stand next to the tall man
in the gray tweed suit
listen to the sound of the train
its feet bellows on
through the earth's deep soil
and shakes the windowpane
in the small-town church
striking fear in the hide
of the mongrel under the porch
of Aunt Bee's bakery
while Main Street's
culinary surprises
bounce on the counter
like a life led
on the train trekking
back and forth
between town and city
unsure of where it's going.

Persecuted, not abandoned

by Kathryn Spurgeon, posted in My Thoughts

I picked up a James Michener book for the first time in years. I paid $1 at a thrift store, and yes, I’m a book-lover junkie. Michener’s extra-long books delve into the very heart of a location and takes forever to complete, but I’m about 1/3 way through.

By no means a historian, it appears that Poland suffered more than their share of attacks in the past 800 years. From the east in the 13th century, Genghis Khan and his fierce army;  then from westward countries like Germany who expanded using the excuse of Christianizing; next attack marched in from the north, Swedes trying to gain control of the Baltic;  then from south, Islam expanding. Each invasion ransackedvillages, burned castles, murdered thousands, raped, and slaughtered children. What a history.

Poor Poland, in the middle, did not defend itself very well. Another surprise. It was a Christain country from way back, despite Germany’s false attestations. Note the many cathedrals destroyed. Monks and priests killed.

According to Michener, the country faltered partly because of poor leadership. And they were surrounded by enemies on all sides. But why would God allow a Christian country to suffer so much? A tough question, especiallly knowing their problems in the last decade. 

It reminds me of the verse, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corithians 4:8.

Christianity still stands. So does Poland.