What's Cooking?

There once was a girl named Bella. She was a typical stay at home mom, often doubting her self worth and struggled through common issues of finances, being fun and creative with the kids and staying focused. After a long season of frustration and feeling defeated, she woke up one morning and decided to do her best that day. She couldn't do a lot but she could give her best effort at a good attitude and filling her home with love. She got up early and had the right attitude. She settled the matter of Who was her Authority nice and early then danced on through her chores, changing diapers, doing laundry and spending quality time with her little ones. Bella was on a tight budget but remembered she had several apples and all the necessities in her modest pantry to make a pie for her friend who just had a baby. She involved her kids as they added dashes of cinnamon, tabs of butter and a lot of sugar. The pies looked beautiful as she put them in the oven. She opened her kitchen window to let in some of the cool Fall air and to let some of the oven's heat escape the small kitchen...

Bella's neighbor Miss Emily went outside to mow. The moment she walked out the door she smelled something that was heavenly. It reminded her of growing up in England when her grandmother would make puff pastry apple tarts. Miss Emily decided to make some of these little tarts and take them to the retirement home she sometimes volunteered at. It had been years since Miss Emily baked these but she managed to find the recipe and she couldn't deny they were the best she'd ever made! At the retirement home a young intern sampled one of Miss Emily's tarts and she was so moved at her generosity that she decided to do some baking later that evening. She baked some peanut butter cookies and took a plate to the young couple in the apartment under hers. The young wife invited her in and they talked for over an hour as they began a friendship that they would find to last a lifetime. What a pleasant surprise the evening was for both of them. A few days later, the wife made a large meal and returned her neighbor's plate with a beautiful dinner for that evening. The apartment complex smelled so delicious with all this cooking happening that people throughout the building were baking this and cooking that because of the wonderful smells that inspired them.

I wondered how this story would have gone if Bella didn't wake up ready to give her best at the beginning of the story. If she would have sat around in defeat and decided that making a pie wasn't her idea of a fun day. Maybe no one else would have been inspired to bake either. That wouldn't have made for a fun story. Moral of the story? We don't always know how we're inspiring or impacting people. We can just do our best and hope His fragrance reaches others.

What's cooking at your house?