Tools of the trade....

When I read that today's assignment for Thousand Word Thursday (which I shall rename "However many words it takes to say what I want to say Thursday") was to share my favorite tool in my arsenal, I knew immediately what I was going to write about....Whisks.  The above photo is a display of all the whisks that I currently own.  Yeah, I am kind of a hoarder of these lovely kitchen utensils.  I don't really know why, but it started when I asked for a 'really good' (translation, heavy duty) whisk for Christmas and it has grown from there. Friends who have been to my kitchen know of my delight in the unique tool as I proudly display them in an antique crock on my counter.  I remember a conversation with a male friend about tools one time. He'd bought a new power tool, proudly opened it and asked me what I thought....I asked what it was, which sorely disappointed him and then lead to ten minutes of giving me grief for not knowing that he'd purchased a router. The next time he was hanging out in my kitchen, I whipped (pun intended) my whisks out and asked him what they were...he said whisks. Dang. Then I thought I'd take it up a notch and ask him the specific use of one of them....V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! He didn't know a Roux whisk from a  regular whisk. ha! One of the few times I was able to one up him and it felt good. I digress....

The odd thing is that I have only purchased half of the whisks I own.  I have received half as gifts. The little one with the red handle came all the way from China from  my friend Catie.  She and I have enjoyed times of cooking together and she knows my proclivity for kitchen gadgets in general, and whisks specifically.  Every time I use it, I think of her and lift her up to the Lord, and thank Him for her friendship.  The large one on the top of the picture was a gift to myself while celebrating my 50th this year in Missouri. I found a quaint cooking store in Arkansas and this beauty was calling my name. I did walk away from the giant one they had because I knew that I couldn't use it without standing on a chair over my stove. My traveling friends rolled their eyes and laughed at me as I proudly showcased my only purchase to them!

What these whisks really remind me of is that I love to care for others by entertaining in my home, cooking, and connecting with their hearts through conversation and food.  I realized as I was thinking on this blog topic that I haven't been doing what makes me happy lately.  I've been caught up in the busyness that life and ministry can bring, and I have denied myself the simple pleasure of being with people....time to rethink the priorities and get back to the basics.  Dinner, anyone? :)