Jicama and Quinoa

Jicawho and Quinowhat? No, these are not nonsense words a pulled from the nether regions of my brain. They are also not a pacific island detective team. So, you asks yourselves, what are they Steve? For the jeopardy class you are probably way ahead of me. Have I told you of my affinity, dare I say passionate romance for all things trivia. While there are oodle of useful, efficacious facts and procedures logged and categorized in my noggin there is a special place, sort of a secret garden, guys room reserved simply for useless yet agonizing (if one cannot remember, even if it is on the tip of your tongue) facts, names, details, recipe ingredients, and anything else one can think of and some you can reaching to infinity. Sometimes I literally ponder where it all began. It is at that moment my head aches and a cloudy glaze covers my eyes. I was riding flat on my back in an ambulance once, the EMT requesting my telephone number and the only thing I could remember was my library card number which a repeated over and over. Go figure! (It is 23455001917482 by the way.)

Oh yes, where was I? Jicama and Quinoa. Both are wonderful and adventurious alternatives to things like Potatoes and White Rice, or Rice in general for that matter. The Wonder Twins (Ambigious 80's reference)have the advantage of not only be good for you but also being owners of a euphoric taste. Weight has been a challenge all of my life but it has never been a result of not liking healthy foods or a willingness to try something new. (Well, to be honest, I have not alway be a subscriber to such openmindedness. As a child I would only eat potatoes in one pure form, that of the mashed potato. It was a dogma. French Fries were heresy!)Healthy living is a process not an event. In, what I find very faith affirming way it very much reflects repentance. When patterns which herald the restored gospel come into focus, It is like one of those pattern pictures where a person stared until the image leaped forth into clear view. If our vision is focused and true the world and larger yet the universe testifies of Christ at every corner. When I toil in the garden, it is as if I am being tutored by the Savior as I watch infant plants struggle to grow under my nuture and care until they reach maturation. I see it when I become frustrated so completely frustrated with myself, filled with remorse, on the verge of self pity and loathing only to recognize that lasting endurance come from holding my head high, taking step forward even into the darkest night, no matter if I feel as if I will crumble, a broken man. And why is that? Because of my Savior. He lifts me up in a manner undenably literal. He is in a Mother who has sacraficed, forgiven and shown me compassion my entire life. He is in siblings that stand beside me and remind me how blessed I am to be counted among them. He is in friends who never quite given up on me and help me to see things in myself that left to my own devices I remain a mystery in the dark. But most of all I see him when I reach beyond myself to lift and comfort another. The special events and markers of life are magesty to behold but so often it is the moments along the way, whether it be the moments of contentment, often quiet and overlooked or the moments of peace and reassurance when life swirls around us that make the journey worth it. Most of all it is the memories we share with one another and the bonds we create with one another that are of infinite worth, a value that reaches into the eternities.

My head hurts, but in a good way.