Last month Katie had to bring a snack to school for her class. We made some sugar cookies shaped like leaves in fall colors. Not real healthy, but in a moment of weakness, I gave in. We put them in individual baggies for her classmates, then in the treatbag she needed to return to school.

Tiffany and Katie caught the bus as usual, then I noticed Katie had forgotten the treat bag. I ate my breakfast, then drove to the school to deliver the bag. I got to the school just as everybody was lining up to go inside. Katie was so excited, as was her friend that she rides the bus with. They both were trying to talk to me at the same time. I quieted them and had Katie talk to me first. She burst out, "I knew you would come! It works! When I was on the bus I noticed I forgot my treatbag. So I did a prayer. And it works! Here you are!" Then I looked at Katie's friend who was also bursting with energy. She said, "That's what I was trying to tell you! She did a prayer and it worked!"

So, from the testimony of six year olds, prayer works! And I got to be an angel on an errand to answer a child's prayer that day.

We were out grocery shopping. It was nearing lunchtime, so I asked Emily what she'd like for lunch today. She answered, "sandwich." "Oh," I said, "what do you want on it?" "Beans. And lettuce. With my favorite bread." She took me aback a little. It sounds nice and healthy, but how do you get beans to stay between the slices of bread? And how would it taste? It got me to thinking. Should I try making bean patties or something else. I asked Emily if she'd like red beans or black beans. She declared "red."Then if she'd like them whole or mashed. She said, "mashed." We made our way to the bakery area and I let her pick out her "favorite bread," (since I had no idea what is her favorite in this particular instance). She chose whole wheat hoagie rolls.

When we got home, I drained a can of kidney beans and mashed them. I added mayo and a little mustard, thus making a concoction almost but not quite like tuna salad. I made her sandwich first. She had the beans, pickles, tomatoes and lettuce. I watched her reaction before making a sandwich for me. She was eating it! Actually eating it! I went ahead and made myself a sandwich. I have to say it was pretty good. In the meantime, Emily took some of the bean salad out and declared she didn't like it (which wasn't very surprising). However, she finished the rest of the sandwich which still had about half the beans in it.

From this experience, I have a new standby. If I can't think of something for lunch, I can now whip up some bean salad-- though for me alone, I think I'll have to add some onions and chopped pickles.

I had the opportunity today to work at the church cannery. It was a hassle to arrange for a babysitter. I also knew it would be hard work. Every time I've worked at the cannery, I have come home sore. In short, I was not looking forward to this assignment.

Canning pears was the order of the day. My job was to pick up the washed pears and place them upside down in little cones which had fingers that would grab them and insert them on a rod where they would be peeled, cored and sliced. There were three other people working with me on this job. I was at the end of the line and sometimes I had to wait for the pears to come my way. Other times I had to too many and had to make sure the conveyor belt didn't get jammed up with pears, because then they would skip out over the top and onto the floor. When a whole pear got in with the cut ones (because one of us dropped a slippery pear), a person down below in the next phase of the assembly line would throw them up to me.

Even though I didn't really want to go to the cannery today, I had fun. I got to play catch, and I got to race the machine. Both of which were enjoyable. I came home sore and tired, but it was a good day.