Iki Express: Lazy Sunday Morning

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Lazy Sunday Morning

Hey Guys....I am totally stepping outside of the box and posting on a Sunday! I had something on my mind I wanted to share with you right here and now!

Tom was duck hunting this morning (shocker), so I slept late (shocker) and missed church. I watched Joel Osteen on TV instead.

I tell you what, I wish I could wake up to Joel every morning.

Wait....that didn't come out right.

What I mean is, I wish I could start my day with Joel on TV every morning because I always love his messages. He is a little goofy, I will say that, but his words and stories always resonate with me.

This morning he told a little story that really spoke to me and I'm so glad I got to hear it. God sent me Joel's broadcast today!

So I'll share it with you, too. I want to preface it by saying that if you're not a Christian, this story still might speak to you so I'll encourage you to continue reading even if you're rolling your eyes right now.

(I'm paraphrasing here so bare with me....)

Cod fishermen were working hard to catch, process, and sell their cod filets to restaurateurs and grocery stores. After the cod were caught and processed, they were frozen for transport to their various destinations. Before long, the fishermen were getting complaints from their buyers that the cod had absolutely no taste, and were worth nothing to their customers. They carried no value.

Cod fishermen were worried and decided to try something new. So they caught the cod, and transported them live, in tanks of water. Then, once they were in their destination city they were processed and sold 'fresh.' However, this posed a problem as well because while in the tanks they were cramped and lazy. Not moving and becoming soft and mushy. Thus, losing all their flavor with this method as well. They still carried no value.

Finally one of the fishermen suggested that they put a catfish in the tank with the cod for transport. The catfish is the natural enemy of the cod. So while in the tanks for transport, the cod were constantly swimming around, on guard, trying to stay away from those pesky catfish. Therefore, because they were active and moving, they were strong and flavorful after they were processed. Finally, the restaurateurs and grocers were able to sell their cod and everyone was happy.

Many of us have catfish in our lives. Your boss may be a catfish. You may be married to a catfish. Your mother in law may be a catfish. But these 'catfish' are put into our lives not to annoy us and make our lives harder, but to make us more valuable. To cause us to take a look at ourselves and say, 'How can I change my attitude to make dealing with this catfish easier on me?'

So often we complain about others and their tendencies, but we cannot change how other people act, or how they treat us. What we can change, and what we can control is how WE react to THEM. How we CHOOSE to behave. So, instead of complaining about that catfish in your life, take a look inside yourself to see how you can better yourself by being around this negative influence.

What do you guys think?

This little parable just spoke to me (not because I am married to a catfish, or because my MIL is a catfish...that is definitely NOT the case), because I so often complain about 'catfish' in my life....I won't go into any details but I spend about 8 hours a day with some catfish if you know what I mean.

Hopefully, this week I'll be able to look back on this little Sunday morning message and get through the day with a better attitude. I hope this message spoke to you a little bit, too (even though I probably butchered it with my paraphrasing...Joel is so much more eloquent!).

While watching Joel, I had some delicious Breakfast Casserole! I made it last night and popped it in the oven this morning. It was soooooo good and hit the spot on a cold Sunday morning.

Tom had some deer meat processed into breakfast sausage and asked me to make a casserole for him to take to the blind this morning (I also made a mini one to have here at home). He said all 9 of the guys on the hunt this morning LOVED the casserole and ate every last bite.

I'll share the recipe with yall but beware....I was cooking for 9 hungry hunters so no calorie was spared. This is comfort food to the max, but I'm sure you could substitute a few things to make it healthier:

Ingredients:

1 pound breakfast sausage (hot, mild, whatever you like)
6 pieces of white bread, cut into cubes
1 can Rotel, drained
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
Shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.
Brown sausage and drain. Spray 9x13 casserole dish liberally with cooking spray. Layer bread, sausage, Rotel in dish. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Pour over casserole contents. Top with cheese. Bake 30-40 minutes.