MARIE'S MUSES

“My business is not to remake myself,

But make the absolute best of what God made.”

~Robert Browning

It’s not always easy making the best of ourselves. It can be quite an enjoyable pursuit, but it also requires lots of patience, persistence and perseverance. I believe it is the reason we were sent here to earth and born, to become the very best selves that we can possibly be. This is a journey that requires a lot of prayer. It’s much easier to learn to live by our own lights when we turn to the Lord to illuminate our pathway. It’s kind of like accessing “Spiritual Electricity” from a Higher Source of Power.

It’s easy to ask for help when you are desperately in need, for instance those times when you have no where else to turn, when all on earth has let you down and you have let yourself down. Most of the time though, we try to do things on our own steam, with no extra help at all. That’s kind of like living in a house with electricity, but only turning the lights on when it’s so dark you are stumbling around and falling over obstacles in our way. No wonder we fall down so often or so frequently bump into things . . .

Prayer is a very big part of my daily life. When I am in daily communication with my Heavenly Father, I can walk in the light … with him as my constant companion. When I am not in daily communication with Him, I am in the dark and on my own. Where there is light, I can see clearly and with clarity. Where there is dark, I am lost and fumbling around. The clarity we see with when we walk in the light, and when we look deep within ourselves, is the Soul made visible … the woman within, or who we really are. (or the man as it were)

Our lives are truly wasted if we spend them trying to make ourselves into something we just aren’t or cannot be. How much better it is to just try making the best out of what God made. That starts with nurturing our souls and that journey begins with turning on the light …

Don’t you just love the salad days of summer? By that, I don’t mean endless days of eating nothing but lettuces and tomatoes, I mean making the most of all the glorious bounty that summer gives us to enjoy. One of my favourite vegetables are green beans and this is a lovely way to prepare them.

Serves 4

I could eat this salad until it comes out my ears and never tire of it! It combines many of my favourite flavours … crisp and summery green beans, sweet and tangy sun dried tomatoes, salty black olives and Parmesan cheese, all topped off with the nutty crunch of freshly toasted pine nuts. What’s not to like!!!

50g pitted black olives (I like to use the dry cured ones)

2 sun dried tomatoes marinated in oil, drained well

25g of good quality Parmesan Reggiano, coarsely grated

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

300g fine green beans, trimmed and cut in half

50g pine nuts

A few whole olives to garnish

Take the olives and sun dried tomatoes and finely chop. Put them into a bowl along with the grated cheese, olive oil and the vinegar.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the green beans. Bring it back to the boil and cook them for three to four minutes, or until just tender. Drain them well and run some cold water over them for a few minutes to stop them from cooking any further. Drain well again and then add them to the bowl.

Heat a small frying pan and toast the pine nuts in this until they are golden brown. Add to the bean salad and toss all together well. Garnish with the whole olives and serve immediately.