Friday’s Fave Five August 11th, 2017
This purple yam ice cream with small chunks of cheese is a delightful discovery. My daughter bought it at a local Asian market.
This week has flown and it is already time to look for five highlights. It is time to count some blessings.
“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.” ~ Eric Hoffer
ONE. Ube Ice Cream. Trying new foods is such a fun and simple joy. This particular Ube (purple yam from the Philippines) ice cream is ube queso (with cheese). It is surprisingly good.
TWO. Memorial Service. A much beloved woman, Alice Gibbons, went home to her Saviour. Besides being a caring wife, mom, grandma, friend, (ETC), she was also a pioneer missionary (from the C&MA) in Papua, Indonesia for 40+ years. Alice and her husband, Don, mainly served the people of the stone aged tribe Damal. Alice wrote 2 books, although I have only read one, The People Time Forgot. Her legacy and example will live on as will the sacrifice and love she gave to many, many people.
THREE. Friend Time. My friend, Pam, went with me to Alice’s memorial service which was held in Paradise, CA (Pam’s hometown). Pam moved to SoCal last year and so I haven’t seen much of her. We spent a lot of time talking, eating yummy food, and then seeing Wonder Woman. I can see why Wonder Woman got so many rave reviews.
FOUR. Excursions Planned. One other thing I did in Paradise was visit with another friend, Scotti. We are going on a cruise in the Fall (starting in Madrid, Spain and ending in Barcelona, Spain). We finalized our six excursions. I cannot believe I get to do this!
FIVE. Crisis Intervention Training. I had the opportunity and privilege of attending a three-day course with first responders about . . .
- Understanding the basic symptomology of mental illnesses
- Considerations and tactics for communicating with mentally ill subjects
- Importance of self-care
- Identifying signs and symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Reviewing healthy coping habits for first responder stress and self-care
I was reminded again of how much stress and sacrifice law enforcement personal and police chaplains go through. I was reminded again of how thankful I am for these folks in my community.
Note: I am a pastor and church chaplain. I am grateful for this training because I gained information on how to deescalate a potentially threatening situation and the importance of self-care.
Your Turn . . . Leave a comment, please. Or write your own Friday’s Fave Five and link up at Susanne’s place.
What I am reading . . .
- I finished Northanger Abbey and am almost finished with The Jane Austin Book Club: A Novel by Karen Joy Fowler.
- Why Austen books? I am participating in the Austen in August reading challenge.
What I Wrote This Week . . .
Entry filed under: Friday's Fave Five (FFF), Gratitude List, Main. Tags: cultivating gratitude, Friday's Fave Five.
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Fruitful Words 
1.
smile7850 | . at .
Sounds like a full week… and a very informative one… God bless!
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2.
susan2009 | . at .
It was a FULL week and I napped a lot on Saturday. I did walk a 5K in the morning and that helped me to need napping time, too.
God bless you, as well, this week.
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3.
Barbara H. | . at .
Purple yams! I had never heard of them, or of having cheese in ice cream. Interesting idea! Memorial services can be so sad yet so much of a blessing at the same time. Glad you had a good visit with one friend and some good planning with another. I have never been on a cruise – hope you have fun! I’m sure the crisis training will be highly valuable.
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4.
susan2009 | . at .
I am fortunate to have been able to get in on the crisis intervention training. I have ALREADY used one of the things I learned. I love it when that happens.
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5.
Faith | . at .
that sounds like very….interesting….ice cream….and here i thought i was being brave in trying almond milk ice cream!,😉
sounds like excellent training. and yay for activites with friends!,
happy weekend!
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6.
susan2009 | . at .
I understand what you mean about being adventurous food-wise. When my daughter first started eating for her gluten-, egg-, and dairy-free needs, she ate so many WEIRD foods. Now many of those weird foods are a staple in my life.
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7.
a spirit of simplicity | . at .
ooh your cruise sounds like so much fun. I don’t think I’d like to try the yam and cheese ice cream. Sorry to hear about your friend.
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8.
susan2009 | . at .
I am hoping the cruise lives up to my imagination. But even if it doesn’t, I will have a GOOD time with my friend.
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9.
burgoniowatson | . at .
The fruitfulwords title of your blog enticed me to check it out only to be welcomed /greeted by ube ice cream , my comfort food among many…as an immigrant from the Philippines where many of us , some clergy activist women , enjoy the color purple !
Cheers … fear not, it’s OK to expand once palate , who knows trying new things might make one even more fruitful ! Maraming Salamat!
Grace abounds !
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10.
susan2009 | . at .
Thanks so much for visiting my site. And I glad that you were welcomed by the ube ice cream. I am hoping to make some foods with ube as soon as I find a local source. And that purple colour is so enticing.
My daughter and I are exploring more Asian foods as a consequence of visiting my niece in Taiwan. And I am enjoying most of these new taste experiences.
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11.
wendyj59 | . at .
Wow a busy week. The cruise sounds lovely. I’m not convinced about the ice cream 😉
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12.
susan2009 | . at .
It does sounds weird but it is surprisingly creamy tasting. And the dye is not a noticeable taste. Although the manufacturers might not have had to put in much dye since this yam is naturally purple.
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13.
Susanne | . at .
That course sounds very good. The Ube ice cream sounds interesting. We’ve explored a few new Chinese snacks this last week as we had a house guest who introduced us to all sorts of stuff while he was here. It’s fun to try but it is definitely very different than what we are used to here.
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14.
susan2009 | . at .
It is so fun to try new foods. However I draw the line at cricket flour which is something my daughter wanted me to try.
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15.
Willow | . at .
Alice Gibbons! I knew her! (And yes I was aware she is with the Lord now) When my youngest child was born in a Damal village where there was a western dr and where she lived, we enjoyed a meal at the Gibbons’ home. I remember she said that you don’t really know a person until they sit with their feet under your dining room table.
I’m glad you are getting the course training. My son is a US Army Reserve Chaplain who does a lot of counseling and suicide prevention training.
Glad you enjoyed the yam ice cream. Sounds yummy!
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16.
Willow | . at .
I’ll share the peanut sauce recipe on the blog this week.
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17.
susan2009 | . at .
I look forward to the peanut sauce recipe.
I thought that you might know Alice.
Please tell your son thanks for serving! A chaplain is a valuable asset.
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18.
Gattina | . at .
Sounds like a busy week ! I have never seen an ice cream like that ! Would love to try it out
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19.
susan2009 | . at .
I wish I could send y’all a pint of this ice cream. It would be fun to have a group virtual taste testing party.
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