No, I didn’t mean Snot Days, but I bet it got your attention. I did mean Snow Days, like the ones you looked forward to as a school kid, not the ones that drove you to the grocery store as a parent to make sure you had bread and milk and toilet paper.

I mean days like today when the bitter cold and blowing snow keep you inside next to a fire if you have one or wrapped up in a blanket if you don’t. And maybe if you are like me, making soup or since I have made so much of it recently, making a crockpot dinner.  See the recipe below.  I so wish you could smell it right now.

But about the Snot/Snow Day thing – back when I was a kid and now as an adult, I always loved the thought that I could read on this day that I never expected to have free. And I have a stack of books to choose from, some to read and some to reread, especially the parts I have marked up.

Among the books in my stack, I am continuing to read READING FOR THE COMMON GOOD by C. Christopher Smith and the book opened today to chapter 5 “Reading With Our Neighbors.” I loved it because I knew immediately that this is what is happening in our church at Windham Summit. A whole bunch of us are tackling the read through the Bible in a year thing but reading it chronologically. 

I had done this before and still had my copy, but when some of my friends from church were interested in joining us, we bought a bunch of used ones (in good condition) on Amazon for those who wanted to tackle it. Honestly, I was thrilled when the first stack of Bibles disappeared and we had to get more.

Now each evening, when I curl up to read, and mark up, my reading for the day, I think of all my friends from church who are doing the same thing. And though miles separate us, oh, the heart holds us together. I feel like our reading together not only encourages us to keep at it, but it is like a ribbon binding us into a beautiful gift – to God maybe.

The heading for chapter 5 goes like this: In prayer and contemplation we begin to understand that our identity is not found in our differences from others – in our superiorities and inferiorities – but in our common humanity. Parker J. Palmer

And in our common faith, we are being pulled together as a church family and as one part of the Body of Christ.

 Carol Brennan King

My chicken dinner for tonight

1. Brown chicken (thighs today) in the cast iron skillet with some oil or left over, I mean purposefully saved, grease.
2. Chop onions, carrots and celery and carmelize in the pan once the chicken is browned nicely.
3. Stir in some thyme, salt and pepper, and I add some chicken bouillon cubes and water because you want to scrape all that goodness out of the pan and pour it all into the crockpot or just finish cooking it in the cast iron skillet covered.
4. And I admit, I added a can of mushroom soup for sauce because I bought so many when they were so cheap at Thanksgiving.
5. Later I will add cubed sweet potatoes, an hour or so before dinner.