Faith Seeds and Strawberry Cake

Faith Seeds

Today is Sunday. Ever since I was a little girl Sunday was a day for church and family. Momma’s favorite meal to cook on Sundays was roast, potatoes and carrots, with whatever vegetables she might have fresh from the garden. She also made homemade biscuits almost every single meal. Sometimes we had jellies and jam on our bisquits but most of the time we had homemade desserts.

Food for the soul first and then food for our stomachs.

The church we attended was a little country church that was built with the help of both my grandfathers during the 1940s. My parents and grandparents planted “faith seeds” in me that took root and grew. During my teen years I did a lot of soul searching and questioning and while I wandered away from God, He never left me.

My twenties started out like my teen years but when I met my future husband things began to change. By the time we had children I had matured and what was once my parent’s faith….became my faith. For the first time I read and studied the Bible because I wanted to find answers to questions for myself. When I went to church it was because I really wanted to be there, not because my parents told me too.

Our children came along and soon I was the one planting “faith seeds.” I helped with Vacation Bible Schools, taught Sunday school class and managed to get 5 children to church. Most of the times they had their shoes on the right feet….but not always. Those were crazy busy years but I loved it.

Time has a way of flying by and before I knew it I was a Nana. Now I’m planting “faith seeds” in my grandchildren and hoping I can be the kind of Christian woman my mother and grandmother were. They both were wonderful examples of the Proverbs 31 woman even though they had very different personalities.

I wish I had the passion for cooking Sunday dinners like my mother and grandmother did, but I don’t. We either go out to dinner or grab a sandwich. Occasionally I cook a “Sunday Dinner” but not very often. Cooking huge meals just isn’t my thing. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the two times I cook like mom and grandma and it wears me out.

While I may not be the cook my mother was I think she would be happy to know that the faith seeds she planted in me continue to thrive. I still love church, reading my Bible and prayer. Years ago I started speaking at ladies day events and this past weekend I was invited to speak to a group in Levittown, Pennsylvania. The lady who contacted me had seen something I had written about speaking and my fear of flying and it moved her to invite me to speak to them. This is what she read.

Each and every time I speak to a group I come home feeling blessed. The women I meet are so wonderful and it’s a joy to share my faith journey with them.

I hope you have lots of good Sunday memories from your youth. Feel free to share some of them in the comments section.

Before I go I want to share one of Mom’s special desserts with you. She made so many I could choose a new one every week to share with you! This is one of the few cakes she made where she took a short cut but it still tasted homemade.

Mom’s Strawberry Cake

1 box white cake mix

1 box strawberry jello

1 cup vegetable oil

4 whole eggs

1 cup frozen drained strawberries. (thawed and drained)

Mix everything together with a mixer and bake at 325 for 35 minutes.

Mom used two small square cake pans that she buttered and floured to prevent sticking.

Icing (wait until cake cools before icing)

I box powered sugar

3/4 stick butter

1/2 cup strawberries (drained)