Not Just Another Hump Day

Yeah, I know it’s Wednesday and we usually share a margarita meal on Tuesdays. Yesterday was a special day in the Church Feast Celebrations – Our Lady of the Rosary. You know me, faith is above all else. So we just switched things up a bit.

Besides, isn’t variety the spice of life? I gotta work hard to keep my guys on their toes. When we get stuck in a routine day in and day out, week in and week out, we run the danger of becoming bored. Now I don’t want to be an alarmist, but sometimes a little crack like boredom is all it takes to unintentionally invite temptation in.

I’ve been thinking about Charlie Kirk. Who hasn’t? Whether or not you agree with his brand of revival, it’s everywhere. Charlie would have celebrated his 32nd birthday in less than a week. One of his loftier goals for America was that we somehow reach a point of prosperity in this country that women need not work outside the home to make ends meet. That is not to say women could not choose to work, but rather that it would be a choice and not a necessity simply to put food on the table or a roof over our heads. Marriage would no longer be the disposable institution in has become. Single parent households would be a rarity. Very nostalgic ambitions. Charlie was only 31. It’s not like he grew up in a Leave It To Beaver-Happy Days world. And yet he saw the value and the impact that time had on families, faith, communities and the way people dealt with one another. I grew up in that world. The older I get, the more I see the value of that simple, faithful time. We took so much for granted back then that we ache for today.

When did we start to place a value on a human being based on their earning capability? You can’t take it with you. What we do take with us is our capacity to give, to love unconditionally, to care for the less fortunate with dignity and compassion. My mom (like most other moms) was a stay-at-home mom until we were grown. There are a lot of issues in our relationship, but there were also some wonderful qualities that she possessed, and that I have inherited. My mother went to work as a teacher’s aid in a small elementary school. It wasn’t a bad school in the sense of being in a rough neighborhood, but the children there were poor. My mother worried about these children, that there wasn’t enough magic in their lives. And so she started hosting parties in our home that were magical. Each child got something special – a new coat, a pretty dress – something. I can remember hearing my parents talking. Dad was a good man, but he was sensible. Mom could not adopt every child she came across who was in need. I laugh now because on a recent vacation to Mexico, Hubby put his foot down and told me I could not take the children who were begging in the street home with us. They would not fit in the luggage. He knew I wished that were possible. It wasn’t until now that I realized my longing to bring home stray people and children in need comes from my mother. I guess we really do turn into our parents. Let’s just hope it’s the better parts of them we choose to imitate.

My mother was the Hostess with the Mostess. In so many ways I am my mother’s daughter. While I’m not in any rush to die, I do look forward to the day when I can tell her that I love her. In the meantime, I’ll let Mother Mary and the Saints whisper in her ear.

Be blessed. Live today as though tomorrow might not come. All we have is this moment. Make it count.

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Baked Tortilla Roll Ups
1 lb Ground Beef
3 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1/2 cup Spicy Salsa
1/2 Yellow Onion
3 Serrano Peppers
Handful Cilantro
4 large Flour Tortillas
2 cups Pepper Jack Cheese, optional
1 cup Sour Cream

Heat oven to 375-degrees. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray, set aside.

Mix ground beef with taco seasoning in a mixing bowl. Divide seasoned meat into four (quarter pound) sections. Set aside.

Cut an onion in half from root to tip. Reserve half for another purpose. Peel and cut the remaining half into large chunks. Stem Serrano Peppers, slice. Place onions and peppers into a food processor fitted with a blade. Pulse to mince. Snip cilantro, set aside.

Lay a tortilla out on a flat working surface. Spread a quarter of the seasoned meat over the tortilla. Spread 1 tablespoon of salsa over the meat. Scatter a quarter of the diced onion and a quarter of the cilantro over the meat. Roll up tightly, trim the ends. Cut tortilla into 2-inch sections. Lay cut side down in the prepared casserole dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, meat, onions and cilantro.

Cover and bake in the heated oven for 25 minutes. Uncover, carefully turn over with a spatula, continue to brown for another 5 minutes.

If desired, finish with a scattering of cheese and let melt or serve as is with sour cream.

Serve alongside a refried beans and a pitcher of Margarita.

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For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon You.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
Lord, You are merciful and gracious.