I dedicate this to my children who waited patiently while the dough rose every Thanksgiving for these rolls. Sometimes it's very hard to be patient.
Refrigerator Rolls
Makes 24 rolls
1 c. milk
1 cake compressed yeast
1/4 to 1/2 c sugar
1 c. lukewarm water
1 egg
7 c. sifted flour
3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoonful salt
1. Scald the milk over hot water in top of double boiler; cool to lukewarm
2. Add yeast crumbled as you add; add sugar, water and egg to the milk; beat with a hand mixer until well blended
3. Add 3 1/2 cups of flour, butter/margarine and salt to the mixture; stir with wooden spoon until blended. Slowly add remaining flour stirring until blended.
4. Place dough into greased glass or metal bowl; grease the top of the dough; cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
5. Remove dough from bowl and shape into rolls; place in pan and brush with melted butter. Leave at room temperature until doubled in size.
6. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes
Through the eyes of a child everything has a different perspective. Fences that are covered with weeds and filled with the fragrant scent of Honey Suckle are seen as weeds and a nuisance to adults but in the eyes of a child they are much more.
Fences give a child boundaries and a sense of protection with a special kind of beauty that does not need words. Such a fence surrounded the home we lived in when I was five. I started my day running out the kitchen door to say good morning to beautiful flowers that covered the fence. One morning I got up and there were no flowers and I was upset but my mother explained that the pink, purple and white flowers I loved were only open for a little while and I had to get up early to see them. That became our special time. All the other children slept while mom drank her coffee and laughed while I said good morning to my Morning Glories.
One morning I got up and the fence was covered with neatly trimmed sticks with only a few Honey Suckle blossoms showing through. I burst into tears and asked my mother how this could have happened while I was sleeping. She explained that the fence belonged to someone else and they trimmed back the branches. My heart was broken. “Mama did you see how beautiful the flowers were?” She said “they were beautiful to me because I saw them through your eyes. They will come back. You will see them again.” I laid my head in her apron covered lap and cried.
Later that day I saw the neighbor with his hedge sheers putting the finishing touches on his trimmed bushes. He said “now doesn’t that look better?” to my mom. She gave me a look that reminded me that I should keep my opinion to myself. I wanted to say “you are a Meanie!” (because that was about as awful as you can be in the eyes of a five year old) but then he said something that made me and my mom smile at each other. “No matter how much I try I can’t get rid of this stuff. In a few weeks it will be just like it was yesterday.”
In the eyes of the world we blend in like the plants that grew into the hedge of protection that I saw every morning. Some have beauty like the Morning Glory and only a few see that beauty. Some are strong like the Honey Suckle and seem to come back no matter how much life throws at them. They do not get the attention of roses or orchids but they are always there.
God sees the beauty in all of us and allows a few to see it through His eyes. I know as I wept for the flowers He was preparing me for the morning I would have to get up and my mom would be gone and the strength of my father would weaken. The pain comes when what we want to remain permanent, changes. That is not how God works. In the early morning of our life He allows us to see beauty that we might know the joy to share with others. As we love and are loved by others we are creating a beautiful hedge of flowers for Him to see and enjoy. When the time comes for some flowers to close up like the Morning Glory or be trimmed like the strong Honey Suckle, He stands beside us and comforts us by letting us know that one day everything will become new again with Him.
Galatians 5:9 "A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord that you will continue in your faith". 16 "I say then: walk in the Spirit".
Love,
Nana
