If You Can't Change It, Embrace It!

I can’t change the fact that I have Celiac disease, but I didn’t always embrace the fact that I have it either. It’s been a long road that I continue to struggle with and adjust to the transition even 18 months after being properly diagnosed. It’s easy for me to stay away from gluten, because I know how awful I feel when I did eat it. It’s funny to me when people say, “Oh, I could never go gluten free.” Well, guess what if you felt like you were dying on a daily basis and the doctor told you the only way you would feel better would be to go completely gluten free and you had an inch of motivation to live an abundant life, you would do it! 

One area that continues to be difficult for me is preparing foods that the whole family can enjoy while staying within a budget and making sure we’re eating foods that give us optimal health benefits. Going gluten free isn’t just about replacing gluten- filled foods with their gluten free components. Yes, there are many great options for frozen gluten free dinners and some great gluten free breads out there when you need a quick meal fix. But once you become a label reader you’ll be just about as concerned with eating the gluten free packaged stuff as you would be eating gluten itself.  

(Back to my point)- I have never been a homemaker, NEVER wanted to be, NEVER thought I would be. But, this weekend, I took part in some of the most domesticated stereotypical “housewife duties,” I can honestly say I have ever done within a 24 hour time span.  I spent Friday cooking and baking for most of the afternoon and into the evening. I got a lot accomplished, a couple meals for the week- gluten free cookies for the Cub Scouts meeting that evening and chicken tortilla soup for the Sew for Elephants event on Saturday. Saturday morning I woke up early to make gluten and dairy free cinnamon swirl bread for the event, (because I knew that there was  a good  chance there would be someone besides myself sensitive to gluten or dairy, like myself- and there was).  Not only did I spend about half of my waking time preparing food for the event befor hand, yesterday I learned to sew for the very first time. I am proud to say that I sewed my first Maddie’s Elephant, for an awesome cause! Click here to read more about Maddie’s Elephants. 

Growing up I did everything I could to resist learning how to sew, cook or do anything that resembled being a homemaker. I took Home Economics in 7^th Grade because I had to, and that was enough for me. When my sister was learning to sew leotards for her dance recitals and my mom asked me if I wanted to learn, I said in a disgusted way, “No way, I am NOT going to be Suzie Homemaker!” I was a crazy-hormonally imbalanced teen to the extreme! I decided instead that I would be educated, independent, and make enough money not to need to do any of those pitiful things myself. I was well on my way to making all those things a reality through my education and my career. But now I must say that I am blessed and thankful that certain circumstances transpired that change me and mold me, and slowly steered me away from that way of thinking, which looking back  was a nasty web of self-absorption, pride and independence.  

Now, I can say that because of one of my unexpected circumstances, Celiac disease (there are plenty more, but you will hear about those I'm sure in later posts), I am reminded of my family and the 'good old' days. When I made  my homemade sauce as opposed to the sauce I used to pour out of a can, I am connected to my grandmother when I think of the Sundays that we’d stop by and taste test her meatballs (which were fried, not baked in Crisco I might add). Before even getting to the north side of the tracks, in a summer breeze we could smell the aromas throughout the neighborhood. Pots of sauce were simmering for hours on the stovetop while beautiful garlicky aromas escaped from opened windows predictably every Sunday. 

See, I’ve never really made fresh sauce like my grandmother did and I’ve never made it with fresh tomatoes like my dad does.  But I can say now that I did use the next best thing Saturday- Furmano’s crushed tomatoes, fresh garlic, fresh basil and oregano, and yes a little grape jelly to kill the acidic taste. I enjoyed stirring the big pot and letting the aroma fill my little house. It wasn’t a Sunday, but learning how to cook in the busy world we live in today, is a process and there’s a fine balance between keeping with the times but remembering your past by making special bonds that will last for generations to come through familyd traditions.  

I can also say that now I can relate in a more real way to my grandmothers and my aunts whose sewing case, threads, needles, pins and thimbles I now own. Thanks to some very helpful ladies at the Maddie’s Elephant event, I can now use my hands in a new way to create things. Things that are real and tangible and can be used, appreciated, loved and cuddled with. I feel more alive and well and filled with joy because of these connections that I can make doing things I never thought I would do or ever really wanted to do because I decided to embrace the circumstances I was handed. 

So, I challenge you. Is there a circumstance you’re finding yourself in that you can’t understand why you’re in? Do you feel like this isn’t the way you planned it? Do you feel cheated or short-changed? 

Perhaps, if you tilt your head a little bit one way or the other your perspective will change enough for you to begin on the road to embracing your situation. You never know what awesome surprises are in store for you when you not only accept your circumstances but embrace them!